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Cyhist Mar 15 1997 A
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Date: Sat, 15 Mar 1997 18:02:38 +0000
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Comments: Authenticated sender is <mcyrhul@MAIL1.MCC.AC.UK>
From: Richard Hull <Richard.Hull@UMIST.AC.UK>
Organization: Manchester School of Mangement, UMIST Subject: Re: CYHIST Digest - 13 Mar 1997 to 14 Mar 1997
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
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Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
Hi folks,
Looks like it's time for me to participate in this excellent list - I've been lurking for too long!
Joan asked:
>I am teaching a college course in "Computer Science History" for Computer Science majors.
>Does anyone have any recommendations for a good textbook for this course?
I'm a bit hesitant about mentioning the following book, by me, as my thinking has moved on a bit since I wrote it. However: I think this is still one of the few treatments of the history of programming (other than the mountain of stuff on the history of programming languages), and specifically on 'user-oriented' programming:-
<In Praise of WIMPS: A Social History of Computer Programming>
By Richard Hull; published Alice Publications, UK, 1992 ISBN 0 951 6966 10
It includes an annotated chronology (but doesn't give much coverage to mainstream stuff like databases and spreadsheets, and the chronology stops in 1981), and an extensive bibliography. Some of the work is concerned with historiography - how to do the history of computing - and with some observations about traditional histories of computing, their falure to adequately account for 'user-oriented computing', and the consequences for our understandings of the coherence of computing. In particular I suggest that computing has been understood and practiced - and that hence software and devices have been developed - within three distinct patterns. The book also includes an extensive bibliography, which I think is still highly useful.
Another reason for being hesitant is that I happen to know that the publisher doesn't have many copies left - I do intend to do a 2nd edition, incorporating some of my recent work, but I'm finding it difficult to find the time. However, I'm sure the publisher would come to a very reasonable arrangement about photocopying for a college course. I'm currently investigating the possibility of posting some of the contents, and some of my recent papers, on a web page somewhere (I don't have my own yet). That recent work has concentrated on elaborating the formulation of three distinct 'frameworks of computing', investigating the role of the social sciences in the history of computing, and developing an historical/sociological approach to the history of technology. Unfortunately, pressures of time once again mean that my published work has focussed on contemporary issues such as Business Process Re-engineering, and IT and organisational politics.
Another book, that is still in print but which only covers systems development within user organisations, is:-
<Computer Systems Development: History, Organisation and Implementation>
By Andrew Friedman and Dominic Cornford
Pub. 1989, Wiley Information Systems Series. I highly reccommend this, with the reservations mentioned above.
Good luck with the course - I wish more computer science students learnt about the history of computing.
Regards,
Richard
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Richard Hull, CRIC & CROMTEC
ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition Tom Lupton Suite, University of Manchester Precinct Centre Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Tel: +44 (0)161 275 7364
+ Centre for Research on Organisations, Management & Technical Change Manchester School of Management, UMIST
PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK
Tel: +44 (0)161 200 3401 Fax: +44 (0)161 200 3622 email: richard.hull@umist.ac.uk
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______________________________________________________________________
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Comments: Authenticated sender is <mcyrhul@MAIL1.MCC.AC.UK>
From: Richard Hull <Richard.Hull@UMIST.AC.UK>
Organization: Manchester School of Mangement, UMIST Subject: Re: CYHIST Digest - 13 Mar 1997 to 14 Mar 1997
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
Hi folks,
Looks like it's time for me to participate in this excellent list - I've been lurking for too long!
Joan asked:
>I am teaching a college course in "Computer Science History" for Computer Science majors.
>Does anyone have any recommendations for a good textbook for this course?
I'm a bit hesitant about mentioning the following book, by me, as my thinking has moved on a bit since I wrote it. However: I think this is still one of the few treatments of the history of programming (other than the mountain of stuff on the history of programming languages), and specifically on 'user-oriented' programming:-
<In Praise of WIMPS: A Social History of Computer Programming>
By Richard Hull; published Alice Publications, UK, 1992 ISBN 0 951 6966 10
It includes an annotated chronology (but doesn't give much coverage to mainstream stuff like databases and spreadsheets, and the chronology stops in 1981), and an extensive bibliography. Some of the work is concerned with historiography - how to do the history of computing - and with some observations about traditional histories of computing, their falure to adequately account for 'user-oriented computing', and the consequences for our understandings of the coherence of computing. In particular I suggest that computing has been understood and practiced - and that hence software and devices have been developed - within three distinct patterns. The book also includes an extensive bibliography, which I think is still highly useful.
Another reason for being hesitant is that I happen to know that the publisher doesn't have many copies left - I do intend to do a 2nd edition, incorporating some of my recent work, but I'm finding it difficult to find the time. However, I'm sure the publisher would come to a very reasonable arrangement about photocopying for a college course. I'm currently investigating the possibility of posting some of the contents, and some of my recent papers, on a web page somewhere (I don't have my own yet). That recent work has concentrated on elaborating the formulation of three distinct 'frameworks of computing', investigating the role of the social sciences in the history of computing, and developing an historical/sociological approach to the history of technology. Unfortunately, pressures of time once again mean that my published work has focussed on contemporary issues such as Business Process Re-engineering, and IT and organisational politics.
Another book, that is still in print but which only covers systems development within user organisations, is:-
<Computer Systems Development: History, Organisation and Implementation>
By Andrew Friedman and Dominic Cornford
Pub. 1989, Wiley Information Systems Series. I highly reccommend this, with the reservations mentioned above.
Good luck with the course - I wish more computer science students learnt about the history of computing.
Regards,
Richard
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Richard Hull, CRIC & CROMTEC
ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition Tom Lupton Suite, University of Manchester Precinct Centre Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Tel: +44 (0)161 275 7364
+ Centre for Research on Organisations, Management & Technical Change Manchester School of Management, UMIST
PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK
Tel: +44 (0)161 200 3401 Fax: +44 (0)161 200 3622 email: richard.hull@umist.ac.uk
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