DOCSLIB.ORG

TCM Report, Spring

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
TCM Report, Spring Alan F. Shugart Contents BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS Richard L. Sites Ronald G. Smart 1 John Willia m Poduska. Sr.. Chairman David Ahl. Mr. and Mrs. Rolland B. Arndt. Charles E. Sporck The Director's Letter Apollo Computer. Inc. Isaac L. Auerbach. Robert W. Bailey. Ph.D.. Ivan and Marcia Sutherland John Banning. Alan G. Bell. Gregory C .F. Del Thorndike and Steve Teicher Dr. G w e n Bell C. Gordon Bell Bettice. Alfred M. Bertocchi. Richard Billings. Erwin Tomash Encore Computer Corporation Allen H. Brady. Daniel S. Bricklin. Fred and Jean De Val pine 3 Dr. Gwen Bell Nancy Brooks. David A. Brown. Gordon S. Charles P Waite Howard Hathaway Aiken Brown, Lawrence C. Brown, Marshall D. Stephen L. Watson The Computer Museum Butler. Charles T. and Virginia G. Casale. Harvey W. Wiggins. Jr. The Life of a Computer Pioneer Danald Christiansen. Richard J. Clayton. William Wolfson Erich Bloch George Towne Clifford. Howard E. Cox. Jr .. G regory W. Welch National Science Foundation Henry J. Crouse. David N. Cutler. Joe Cychosz. 13 Harvey D. Cragon Gerald Davis and Francoise Szigetti. Clive B. CORPORATE MEMBERS University of Texas, Austin Dawson. F. de Bros, Bruce A. and Frances M. A Conversation Delagi. Jack Dennis. Nick de Wolf. L. John David Donaldson Doerr. James R. Donaldson. Philip H. Dorn. BENEfACTOR- SIO.OOO or more with the Hackers Ropes and Gray Gregory L. Duckworth, Ray Duncan, Thomas Apollo Computer. Inc: Eggers. Dan L. Eisner. Bob O. Evans. Robert Bank of America Foundation· 16 Robert Everett A. Farmer, Andrew D. Feit. Tse-yun Feng. Bank of Boston From The Computer The MITRE Corporation Sidney Fembach. Mark S. Fineman. Philip E. The Boston Globe Foundation· Fox. J. Thomas Franklin. Rohert Friedman, Control Data Corporation· Museum Store Dr. Sydney Fembach Alan E. Frisbie, Lorrin Gale. Regina H. Garb. Data General Corporation· Computer Consultant Donald H. George. Arthur W. Gottmann. Digital Equipment Corporation· 17 C. Lester Hogan Roger S. Gourd. John Griffith. Dr. Roberto Hewlett-Packard Guatelli. Karl M. Guttag. Jerrier A. Haddad. Honeywell Information Systems Program Series Fairchild Camera and Instrument William R. Hambrecht. Richard M. Haskins. International Data Group· Corporation Robert P. and Carol T. Henderson. Andreas International Business Machines, Inc. Theodore G. Johnson Herberger. Robert B. Hoffman. M. Ernest The MITRE Corporation' Huber. Charles W. Johnson. Charles A. Systems Development Foundation· Mitchell Kapor Iortberg. David W Juers, Lawrence J. The Travelers Companies Lotus Development Corporation Kilgallen. Daniel Klien. Dr. Robert B. Kolstad. Wang Laboratories· Marian J. Kowalski. Stanley Kugell. Raymond Dr. Koji Kobayashi Kurzweil, John Levine, Michael Levitt, Joyce PATRON- S3.000 NEC Corporation Currie Little. Carl Machover. Julius L. Marcus, Adage. Inc. John Lacey Richard O. Mason. Joe W. Matthews. Tron Addison-Wesley Control Data Corporation McConnell. F. Warren McFarlan. jim McIntosh. AFIPS. Inc. R. W. Meister. Robert C. Miller. Richard G . Analogic Corporation Patrick J. McGovern Mills. Thomas H. Moog. Don Murray. Dr. and Boris Color Lab. Inc. CW Communications, Inc. Mrs. Issac R. Nassi, Stewart Nelson, Joseph British Computer Society Nestor. Joseph M. Newcomer, Chuck Newman. Burroughs Corporation James L. McKenney James N. O·Boyle. Jr.. Anthony G. Oettinger. Commodore Business Machines, Inc. Harvard Business School Lawrence and Paula Oliva, James V. and Coopers & Lybrand Martha M. Patton. Nicholas A. Pettinella. George Michael Datapoint Corporation Linda J. Phillips. Paul R. Pierce. James A. DECUS' Lawrence Livermore Laboratories Pitts. Trevor J. Porter, Kenneth F. Powell, Draper Laboratories· Robert E. Ramsdell. Audrey R. Reith. Rex Expoconsul International Dr. Arthur P. Molella Rice, J. E. Richardson, William D. Ricker, The National Museum of Gaston Snow & Ely Bartlett' Mark L. Robinson, David Rodgers, Ann and GTE Data Services, Inc. American History, Robert Roe-Hafer. Peter R. Rony. Jack The Honeywell Foundation Smithsonian Institution Roseman, Jonathan Rotenberg, Martin S. IEEE Computer Society Roth. Thomas S. Roy. II. Peter R. Samson. INTERLAN. Inc. Kenneth H. Olsen Edward A. Schwartz. James F. Shaughnessy. Intel Corporation Digital Equipment Corporation Jr .. Richard B. Sims. John R. Spencer. John T. ITT Corporation Brian Randell Stapleton. Max J. Steinmann, Howard Arthur D. Little, Inc. Sussman, Michael G. Tomasic, G. Michael MASSCOMP University of Newcastle upon Tyne Uhler. Allan L. Wallack. J. T. West. W. S. West. McGraw-Hill. Inc. Herbert E. Willman, Jr .. Andrew Wilson Jean E. Sammet Regis McKenna, I nc~ International Business Machines Mostek National Semiconductor Corporation Edward A. Schwartz CORE MEMBERS NEC Corporation Digital Equipment Corporation The Prudential Foundation Kitty Selfridge Harlan E. and Lois Anderson SHARE. Inc. Charles and Constance Bachman Software Results Corporation Henco Software. Inc. C . Gordon Bell Stratus Computer. Inc. Erwin Tomash Alfred M. Bertocchi Symbolics. Inc. Dataprocl ucts Erich and Renee Bloch Systems Concepts Henry Burkhardt III Tobin Food Services Dr. An Wang R. Steve Cheheyl 3Com Corporation- Wang Laboratories, Inc. Robert C . and Eleanor W Chinn Venture Founders Corporation Robert G. Claussen Wang Laboratories, Inc. William Congleton Xerox EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Alex d 'Arbeloff CONTRIBUTOR-SI.OOO David Danaldson. ChOirman. Gwen Bell. David Donaldson THE COMPUTER MUSEUM Theodore G. Johnson. Nicholas Pethnella. Arnaud de Vitly Analog Devices, Inc. Jonathan Rotenberg. Kitty Selfndge. Ronald Douglas Drane American Management Systems· The Computer Museum is a non·profit Smart. Oliver Stnmpel Robert Everett Computer Science Press 501(c)3 foundation that chronicles the evo­ Kenneth G. Fisher The Cullinane Foundation lution of information processing through Jay W. Forrester Dane. Falb. Stone & CO. exhibitions. archives. publications. research. Gardner Hendrie E.J. DuPont DeNemours & Co. and programs. Winston R. Hindle. Jr. Ford Motor Company' Theodore G. and Ruth T. Johnson General Systems Group, Inc~ It is conveniently located minutes from Logan John Allen Jones Gould Inc. Foundation International Airport and just a short walk Mitchell Kapor Houghton Mifflin Company' from Boston's financial district and historic Allan Kent International Computer Ltd~ landmarks such as Faneuil Hall and the STAFF Jack S. Kilby Investment Orange Nassau, Inc. Freedom Trail. Dr. Gwen Bell. Director August Klein Manufacturers Hanover Trust Muaeum Hours: The Museum hours are Andrew C. Knowles. III Meditech' 11 AM-6 PM. Wednesday. Saturday. and Sun­ Dr. Oliver Strimpel. David J. A. Koogler Microsoft· day and 11 AM- 9 PM. Thursday and Friday. Associate Director and Curator Edward and Debbie Kramer Microsource Financial It is closed Mondays. Thesdays. Christmas. Beth Parkhurst. Research Fellow; Andrew John W. and Edna W. Lacey New York Air- New Years. and Thanksgiving. Knstoffy, Gregory Welch. Exhibit Developers; Ralph and Linda Linsalata Nolan, Nortan & Company. Inc ~ Kathenne Schwartz. Operations Manager; John Norris Maguire Pencept. Inc. Museum Membership : The Museum offers WIllIam Wlsheart, Registrar; Robert Carr, Richard D. Mallery Standard Oil Corporation both corporate and individual memberships; Kurt leVItan, Floor Managers. Thomas Marill Teradyne individual membership categories range from Mark Hunt, Marketing Director Daniel D. McCracken XRE Corporation $30.00 to $4.096.00 and Corporate Membership James L. McKenney ZBR Publications. Inc. from $1.000 to $10.000. Mape Zeller. Pubhc RelatIons Manager; Sharon Baker Kelly. Funchons Coordmator. Thomas and Elizabeth McWilliams • Also Contributed to the Capital Campaign All members receive a membership card. Carver Mead free subscription to The Computer Museum Michael Oleksiw, Development Director Robert M. Metcalfe Report. a 10% discount on merchandise from Anne Jenckes, Development ASSIstant Robert M. Morrill The Computer Museum Store. free admission David and Pat Nelson Eva Radding. Business Manager Robert Noyce and invitations to Museum previews. For more Lea Cohen, Store Manager; Steve Khnke, information. contact Membership Coordinator Kenneth Olsen ASSIstant Store Manager; Nancy Dattero, Ofhce Stanley C. Olsen at The Computer Museum. 300 Congress Manager; Deborah Goudreault, Busmess Street. Boston. MA 02210. (617) 426-2800. John L. Payne Ofhce Assistant; EIleen Leavitt, ReceptionIst. Edward G. Perkins RossmGreenbergSeronlck&Hlll John William Poduska Adverhslng Consultants Robert M. Price The 300 Congress Street Fontaine K. Richardson Computer Boston Germam-Lawrence-DRK, Inc. Douglas Ross Museum Massachusetts PubliC Relations AdVisors Jean E. Sammet © The Computer Museum 1985 02210 The Director's Letter The relationship between a museum and its members is always an important one, but at The Computer Museum, I think it's very special. A variety of new projects and services are now underway that illustrate our unique association. Many of the Museum's lectures are being made available to you on cassette tape. Chip Mann, a Museum member who heads up an organization called Power­ sharing Inc., records those talks that are both interesting and appropriate for audio cassette (computer graphics presentations are not very good candidates for a purely audio tape) and is reproducing them for sale through The Computer Museum Store. The talks by Adam Osborne and Regis McKenna, now available, provide fascinating insights into contemporary marketing issues from totally different perspectives. The third tape now
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 1 Oral History Interview with Brian Randell January 7, 2021 Via Zoom
    Oral History Interview with Brian Randell January 7, 2021 Via Zoom Conducted by William Aspray Charles Babbage Institute 1 Abstract Brian Randell tells about his upbringing and his work at English Electric, IBM, and Newcastle University. The primary topic of the interview is his work in the history of computing. He discusses his discovery of the Irish computer pioneer Percy Ludgate, the preparation of his edited volume The Origins of Digital Computers, various lectures he has given on the history of computing, his PhD supervision of Martin Campbell-Kelly, the Computer History Museum, his contribution to the second edition of A Computer Perspective, and his involvement in making public the World War 2 Bletchley Park Colossus code- breaking machines, among other topics. This interview is part of a series of interviews on the early history of the history of computing. Keywords: English Electric, IBM, Newcastle University, Bletchley Park, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Computer History Museum, Jim Horning, Gwen Bell, Gordon Bell, Enigma machine, Curta (calculating device), Charles and Ray Eames, I. Bernard Cohen, Charles Babbage, Percy Ludgate. 2 Aspray: This is an interview on the 7th of January 2021 with Brian Randell. The interviewer is William Aspray. We’re doing this interview via Zoom. Brian, could you briefly talk about when and where you were born, a little bit about your growing up and your interests during that time, all the way through your formal education? Randell: Ok. I was born in 1936 in Cardiff, Wales. Went to school, high school, there. In retrospect, one of the things I missed out then was learning or being taught Welsh.
    [Show full text]
  • The Roots of Software Engineering*
    THE ROOTS OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING* Michael S. Mahoney Princeton University (CWI Quarterly 3,4(1990), 325-334) At the International Conference on the History of Computing held in Los Alamos in 1976, R.W. Hamming placed his proposed agenda in the title of his paper: "We Would Know What They Thought When They Did It."1 He pleaded for a history of computing that pursued the contextual development of ideas, rather than merely listing names, dates, and places of "firsts". Moreover, he exhorted historians to go beyond the documents to "informed speculation" about the results of undocumented practice. What people actually did and what they thought they were doing may well not be accurately reflected in what they wrote and what they said they were thinking. His own experience had taught him that. Historians of science recognize in Hamming's point what they learned from Thomas Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions some time ago, namely that the practice of science and the literature of science do not necessarily coincide. Paradigms (or, if you prefer with Kuhn, disciplinary matrices) direct not so much what scientists say as what they do. Hence, to determine the paradigms of past science historians must watch scientists at work practicing their science. We have to reconstruct what they thought from the evidence of what they did, and that work of reconstruction in the history of science has often involved a certain amount of speculation informed by historians' own experience of science. That is all the more the case in the history of technology, where up to the present century the inventor and engineer have \*-as Derek Price once put it\*- "thought with their fingertips", leaving the record of their thinking in the artefacts they have designed rather than in texts they have written.
    [Show full text]
  • A Purdue University Course in the History of Computing
    Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Department of Computer Science Technical Reports Department of Computer Science 1991 A Purdue University Course in the History of Computing Saul Rosen Report Number: 91-023 Rosen, Saul, "A Purdue University Course in the History of Computing" (1991). Department of Computer Science Technical Reports. Paper 872. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cstech/872 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. A PURDUE UNIVERSITY COURSE IN mE HISTORY OF COMPUTING Saul Rosen CSD-TR-91-023 Mrrch 1991 A Purdue University Course in the History of Computing Saul Rosen CSD-TR-91-023 March 1991 Abstract University COUISes in the history of computing are still quite rarc. This paper is a discussion of a one-semester course that I have taught during the past few years in the Department of Computer Sciences at Purdue University. The amount of material that could be included in such a course is overwhelming, and the literature in the subject has increased at a great rate in the past decade. A syllabus and list of major references are presented here as they are presented to the students. The course develops a few major themes, several of which arc discussed briefly in the paper. The coume has been an interesting and stimulating experience for me. and for some of the students who took the course. I do not foresee a rapid expansion in the number of uniVcCiities that will offer courses in the history of computing.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report of the ACM Awards Committee for the Period July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006
    Annual Report of the ACM Awards Committee for the Period July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006 1. BASIC INFORMATION 1.1 List of Committee Members and Terms of Office Calvin C. Gotlieb, Co-Chair 4/1/98-6/30/06 James Jay Horning, Co-Chair 7/02-6/30/06 Martin Abadi 8/04-12/31/06 Hal Abelson 12/03-12/31/09 Alfred V. Aho 2/01-12/31/05 David H. Bailey 12/31/08 Ruzena Bajcsy 1/04-12/31/07 Mary Gray Baker 11/04-12/31/07 Victor Basili 7/02-12/31/07 Michel Beaudouin-Lafon 8/04-12/31/07 Alan Berenbaum 12/03-12/31/05 Reinaldo Bergamaschi 12/31/09 Nina Bhatti Judith Bishop 6/03-12/31/06 Dines Bjørner 8/04-12/31/07 Ronald Boisvert 10/04-12/31/08 Stephen R. Bourne 12/31/10 Eric Brewer 3/05- John Seely Brown 1/01-12/31/07 E.G. Coffman 6/03-12/31/06 Patrick Cousot 9/04-12/31/07 Carlos de Lucena 2/01-12/31/05 James W. Demmel 12/31/09 Adel S. Elmaghraby 6/02-12/31/05 Joan Feigenbaum 5/01-12/31/05 Christian Freksa 7/05- Bernard Galler 2/01-12/31/05 Nicholas Georganas 12/03-12/31/07 Carlo Ghezzi 12/31/08 Adele Goldberg 12/31/09 Sandra Graham 3/05-12/31/06 James N. Gray 6/02-12/31/06 William D. Gropp 12/31/06 David Harel 1/05-12/31/09 Laura Hill 12/31/11 Charles H.
    [Show full text]
  • The 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference
    SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Report on a conference sponsored by the NATO SCIENCE COMMITTEE Garmisch, Germany, 7th to 11th October 1968 Chairman: Professor Dr. F. L. Bauer Co-chairmen: Professor L. Bolliet, Dr. H. J. Helms Editors: Peter Naur and Brian Randell January 1969 2 2 The present report is available from: Scientific Affairs Division NATO Brussels 39 Belgium Note for the current edition: The version of this report that you are reading was prepared by scan- ning the original edition, conversion to text through OCR, and then reformatting. Every effort has been made to do this as accurately as possible. However, it is almost certain that some errors have crept in despite best efforts. One of the problems was that the OCR software used kept trying to convert the original British spellings of words like ‘realise’ to the American spelling ‘realize’ and made other stupid mistakes. Whenever the OCR program was unsure of a reading, it called it to the attention of the operator, but there were a number of occasions in which it was sure, but wrong. Not all of these instances are guaranteed to have been caught. Although the editor tried to conform to the original presentation, certain changes were necessary, such as pagination. In order that the original Table of Contents and Indices would not have to be recalculated, an artifice was used. That is the original page breaks are indicated in the text thusly: 49 indicates that this is the point at which page 49 began in the original edition. If two such indicators appear together, this shows that there was a blank page in the original.
    [Show full text]
  • History and Philosophy of Programming
    AISB/IACAP World Congress 2012 Birmingham, UK, 2-6 July 2012 Symposium on the History and Philosophy of Programming Liesbeth De Mol and Giuseppe Primiero (Editors) Part of Published by The Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour http://www.aisb.org.uk ISBN 978-1-908187-17-8 Foreword from the Congress Chairs For the Turing year 2012, AISB (The Society for the Study of Artificial Intel- ligence and Simulation of Behaviour) and IACAP (The International Associa- tion for Computing and Philosophy) merged their annual symposia/conferences to form the AISB/IACAP World Congress. The congress took place 2–6 July 2012 at the University of Birmingham, UK. The Congress was inspired by a desire to honour Alan Turing, and by the broad and deep significance of Turing’s work to AI, the philosophical ramifications of computing, and philosophy and computing more generally. The Congress was one of the events forming the Alan Turing Year. The Congress consisted mainly of a number of collocated Symposia on spe- cific research areas, together with six invited Plenary Talks. All papers other than the Plenaries were given within Symposia. This format is perfect for encouraging new dialogue and collaboration both within and between research areas. This volume forms the proceedings of one of the component symposia. We are most grateful to the organizers of the Symposium for their hard work in creating it, attracting papers, doing the necessary reviewing, defining an exciting programme for the symposium, and compiling this volume. We also thank them for their flexibility and patience concerning the complex matter of fitting all the symposia and other events into the Congress week.
    [Show full text]
  • The Standard Model for Programming Languages: the Birth of A
    1 The Standard Model for Programming Languages: 2 The Birth of a Mathematical Theory of 3 Computation 4 Simone Martini 5 Dipartimento di Informatica–Scienza e Ingegneria, Università di Bologna, Italy 6 INRIA, Sophia-Antipolis, Valbonne, France 7 http://www.cs.unibo.it/~martini 8 [email protected] 9 Abstract 10 Despite the insight of some of the pioneers (Turing, von Neumann, Curry, Böhm), programming 11 the early computers was a matter of fiddling with small architecture-dependent details. Only in 12 the sixties some form of “mathematical program development” will be in the agenda of some of the 13 most influential players of that time. A “Mathematical Theory of Computation” is the name chosen 14 by John McCarthy for his approach, which uses a class of recursively computable functions as an 15 (extensional) model of a class of programs. It is the beginning of that grand endeavour to present 16 programming as a mathematical activity, and reasoning on programs as a form of mathematical 17 logic. An important part of this process is the standard model of programming languages—the 18 informal assumption that the meaning of programs should be understood on an abstract machine 19 with unbounded resources, and with true arithmetic. We present some crucial moments of this story, 20 concluding with the emergence, in the seventies, of the need of more “intensional” semantics, like 21 the sequential algorithms on concrete data structures. 22 The paper is a small step of a larger project—reflecting and tracing the interaction between 23 mathematical logic and programming (languages), identifying some of the driving forces of this 24 process.
    [Show full text]
  • Tommy Flowers - Wikipedia
    7/2/2019 Tommy Flowers - Wikipedia Tommy Flowers Thomas Harold Flowers, BSc, DSc,[1] MBE (22 December 1905 – 28 October 1998) Thomas Harold Flowers was an English engineer with the British Post Office. During World War II, Flowers MBE designed and built Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic computer, to help solve encrypted German messages. Contents Early life World War II Post-war work and retirement See also References Bibliography External links Tommy Flowers – possibly taken Early life around the time he was at Bletchley Flowers was born at 160 Abbott Road, Poplar in London's East End on 22 December Park 1905, the son of a bricklayer.[2] Whilst undertaking an apprenticeship in mechanical Born 22 December 1905 engineering at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, he took evening classes at the University of Poplar, London, London to earn a degree in electrical engineering.[2] In 1926, he joined the England telecommunications branch of the General Post Office (GPO), moving to work at the Died 28 October 1998 research station at Dollis Hill in north-west London in 1930. In 1935, he married Eileen (aged 92) Margaret Green and the couple later had two children, John and Kenneth.[2] Mill Hill, London, From 1935 onward, he explored the use of electronics for telephone exchanges and by England 1939, he was convinced that an all-electronic system was possible. A background in Nationality English switching electronics would prove crucial for his computer designs. Occupation Engineer Title Mr World War II Spouse(s) Eileen Margaret Flowers' first contact with wartime codebreaking came in February 1941 when his Green director, W.
    [Show full text]
  • Facing up to Faults Brian Randell
    ReminiscencesReminiscences ofof WhetstoneWhetstone ALGOLALGOL Brian Randell DIKU, 30 September 2010 1 In Summer 1957 I had a vacation job at IBMIBM’s’s offices at 101 Wigmore Street, London These offices housed (and proudly displayed) an IBM 650 – their only computer in the UK DIKU, 30 September 2010 2 IBM 650 – a very successful and easy to program drumdrum-based-based decimal computer DIKU, 30 September 2010 3 In Autumn 1957 Mike Kelly and I arrived (from Imperial College) at English Electric Atomic Power Division, Whetstone, Leicestershire DIKU, 30 September 2010 4 Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine – whose Power Jet Company’sCompany’s factory was at Whetstone in WW2 DIKU, 30 September 2010 5 By the 1960s Whetstone was the site of EEEE’s’s Atomic Power Division (APD) and their Mechanical Engineering Laboratory (MEL) DIKU, 30 September 2010 6 In APD analogue computing was (at this time) ““king”king” – and the 15001500-amplifier-amplifier SATURN was being developed DIKU, 30 September 2010 7 We were hired to program nuclear reactor codes for APDAPD’s’s and MEL’sMEL’s first digital computer, a DEUCE DIKU, 30 September 2010 8 DEUCE was based on Pilot ACE, so inherited Alan TuringTuring’s’s cleverclever “optimum”“optimum” programming scheme DIKU, 30 September 2010 9 EASICODEEASICODE • DEUCE was difficult to program (well), and even more difficult to compile for. • Numerous interpreters were produced – and we invented a compromise scheme of “automatic programming” – EASICODE. • We nearly got fired because of it, but its success led to my becoming head of an Automatic Programming Section, with authority to “do something” for the upcoming KDF9.
    [Show full text]
  • An Interview with Edsger W. Dijkstra the Computer Science Luminary, in One of His Last Interviews Before His Death in 2002, Reflects on a Programmer’S Life
    viewpoints Vdoi:10.1145/1787234.1787249 Thomas J. Misa, Editor Interview An Interview with edsger W. dijkstra The computer science luminary, in one of his last interviews before his death in 2002, reflects on a programmer’s life. he charles Babbage InstItute holds one of the world’s largest collections of re- search-grade oral history interviews relating to the Thistory of computers, software, and networking. Most of the 350 inter- views have been conducted in the context of specific research projects, which facilitate the interviewer’s ex- tensive preparation and often sug- gest specific lines of questions. Tran- scripts from these oral histories are a key source in understanding the his- tory of computing, since traditional historical sources are frequently in- complete. This interview with pro- gramming pioneer Edsger Dijkstra (1930–2002) was conducted by CBI researcher Phil Frana at Dijkstra’s home in Austin, TX, in August 2001 for a NSF-KDI project on “Building a Future for Software History.” Winner of ACM’s A.M. Turing Award in 1972, Dijkstra is well known for his contributions to computer n I science as well as his colorful assess- ust a ments of the field. His contributions to this magazine continue to enrich exas at t F new generations of computing scien- ty o I tists and practitioners. ers iv We present this interview post- n u e humously on the eighth anniver- Th F sary of Dijkstra’s death at age 72 in August 2002; this interview has been ourtesy o condensed from the complete tran- C ph script, available at http://www.cbi.umn.
    [Show full text]
  • Notices of the American Mathematical Society Is Support, for Carrying out the Work of the Society
    OTICES OF THE AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY 1989 Steele Prizes page 831 SEPTEMBER 1989, VOLUME 36, NUMBER 7 Providence, Rhode Island, USA ISSN 0002-9920 Calendar of AMS Meetings and Conferences This calendar lists all meetings which have been approved prior to Mathematical Society in the issue corresponding to that of the Notices the date this issue of Notices was sent to the press. The summer which contains the program of the meeting. Abstracts should be sub­ and annual meetings are joint meetings of the Mathematical Associ­ mitted on special forms which are available in many departments of ation of America and the American Mathematical Society. The meet­ mathematics and from the headquarters office of the Society. Ab­ ing dates which fall rather far in the future are subject to change; this stracts of papers to be presented at the meeting must be received is particularly true of meetings to which no numbers have been as­ at the headquarters of the Society in Providence, Rhode Island, on signed. Programs of the meetings will appear in the issues indicated or before the deadline given below for the meeting. Note that the below. First and supplementary announcements of the meetings will deadline for abstracts for consideration for presentation at special have appeared in earlier issues. sessions is usually three weeks earlier than that specified below. For Abstracts of papers presented at a meeting of the Society are pub­ additional information, consult the meeting announcements and the lished in the journal Abstracts of papers presented to the American list of organizers of special sessions.
    [Show full text]
  • TCM Report, Spring
    THE COMPUTER MUSEUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Computer Museum is a non-profit. Kenneth H. Olsen. Chairman public. charitable foundation dedicated to Digital Equipment Corporation preserving and exhibiting an industry-wide. broad-based collection of the history of in­ Charles W. Bachman I The Director's Letter formation processing. Computer history is Cullinet Software Systems Gwen Bell interpreted through exhibits. publications, C. Gordon Bell videotapes. lectures. educational programs. Digital Equipment Corporation 2 D. H. Lehmer's Number Sieves and other programs. The Museum archives Richard Rubinstein both artifacts and documentation and Gwen Bell makes the materials available for The Computer Museum 5 Inside "The Soul of a New scholarly use. Machine" Harvey D. Cragon The Computer Museum is open to the public Texas Instruments Tracy Kidder and Tom West Sunday through Friday from 1:00 to 6:00 pm. 8 Recollections of the Watson There is no charge for admission. The Robert Everett Museum's lecture hall and reception The Mitre Corporation Scientific Laboratory, 1945-1950 facilities are available for rent on a Herbert Grosch prearranged basis. For information call C. Lester Hogan 617-467-4443. Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation 13 Museum News Field Trip to North Bay Museum membership is available to Theodore G . Johnson individuals and non-profit organizations Digital Equipment Corporation Pray, Mr. Babbage ... for $25 annually and to businesses for $125 Founders Program annually. Members receive the quarterly Andrew C. Knowles. III Report. invitations to all lectures and spe­ Digital Equipment Corporation 16 Computer Museum Slide cial programs. new posters. and a ten Collection John Lacey percent discount in the Museum store.
    [Show full text]