Aspray Historical Studies in Computing, Information, and Society

Insights from the Flatiron Lectures
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-3-030-18955-6
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 184 Seiten

Reihe: History of Computing

This is a volume of chapters on the historical study of information, computing, and society written by seven of the most senior, distinguished members of the History of Computing field. These are edited, expanded versions of papers presented in a distinguished lecture series in 2018 at the University of Colorado Boulder - in the shadow of the Flatirons, the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Topics range widely across the history of computing. They include the digitalization of computer and communication technologies, gender history of computing, the history of data science, incentives for innovation in the computing field, labor history of computing, and the process of standardization. Authors were given wide latitude to write on a topic of their own choice, so long as the result is an exemplary article that represents the highest level of scholarship in the field, producing articles that scholars in the field will still look to read twenty years from now. The intention is to publish articles of general interest, well situated in the research literature, well grounded in source material, and well-polished pieces of writing.
The volume is primarily of interest to historians of computing, but individual articles will be of interest to scholars in media studies, communication, computer science, cognitive science, general and technology history, and business.


Dr. William Aspray is a professor in the Department of Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. His other Springer publications include Women and Underrepresented Minorities in Computing, Participation in Computing, Formal and Informal Approaches to Food Policy and Food in the Internet Age.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Aspray, William

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;6
1.1;The Papers;7
2;Contents;10
3;About the Editor;11
4;Contributors;12
5;Chapter 1: The Time of Computers: From Babbage and the 1830s to the Present;13
5.1;1.1 Introduction;13
5.2;1.2 Babbage and His Machines;15
5.3;1.3 Smoothing Human Time: Babbage, Lyell, and Company;19
5.4;1.4 New Ontological Layers;22
5.5;1.5 Conclusion;24
5.6;References;26
6;Chapter 2: Expanding the Usable Past;28
6.1;2.1 Introducing Junior Republics;29
6.2;2.2 A Movement Gathers Momentum;30
6.3;2.3 What Explains the Popularity of These Role-Playing Simulations;31
6.4;2.4 From Developmental to Economic Productivity;32
6.5;2.5 Occupational Role-Playing Beyond Republics;33
6.6;2.6 Conclusion;35
6.7;References;37
7;Chapter 3: The Modem that Still Connects Us;40
7.1;3.1 Invention;41
7.2;3.2 Commercial Data Communications;44
7.3;3.3 Interactive Computing;49
7.4;3.4 Computer-Mediated Communication;53
7.5;3.5 Conclusion;56
7.6;References;58
8;Chapter 4: Values, Media, and Genres for Standardization;62
8.1;4.1 Introduction;63
8.2;4.2 Genre Framework;64
8.3;4.3 Voluntary Standardization: Nature, Origins, and Values;65
8.4;4.4 Traditional Genres for Standardization in RFI;68
8.4.1;4.4.1 Traditional Genres in US National RFI Standardization;68
8.4.2;4.4.2 Traditional Genres in International RFI Standardization;72
8.5;4.5 New Genres for Standardization in Late Twentieth Century;78
8.5.1;4.5.1 Genres for Internet Standardization;78
8.5.2;4.5.2 Genres for WWW Standardization;85
8.6;4.6 What Can Genre Analysis Tell Us About Changing Standardization Values;89
8.7;4.7 Implications;92
8.8;References;92
9;Chapter 5: Talking About Metadata Labor: Social Science Data Archives, Professional Data Librarians, and the Founding of IASSIST;94
9.1;5.1 Introduction: Social Science Data Archives as Cyberinfrastructure;95
9.2;5.2 Social Science Data Archives and the Metadata Crisis of the 1970s;96
9.3;5.3 Linking Data Archives to Data Libraries with Metadata Labor;101
9.4;5.4 Linking Data Librarians to Each Other Through IASSIST;104
9.5;5.5 Negotiating the Purpose and Power of IASSIST;107
9.6;5.6 Setting a Metadata Labor Agenda;112
9.7;5.7 “Off We Go!”: From Action Groups to Mutual Assistance;114
9.8;5.8 Conclusion: Success Through “Assisting One Another” in Metadata Labor;119
9.9;References;121
10;Chapter 6: Gender Bias in Computing;125
10.1;6.1 New Data on Computing Women Before 1970;133
10.2;6.2 Data from IBM User Group SHARE;135
10.3;6.3 Data from Mark IV Software User Group;139
10.4;6.4 Were Women Hidden Somewhere?;140
10.5;6.5 Concluding Thoughts;141
10.6;References;143
11;Chapter 7: An Archetype for Outsiders in Technology Commercialization;147
11.1;7.1 Introduction;147
11.1.1;7.1.1 Contributions;150
11.2;7.2 Nurturing Factors;153
11.2.1;7.2.1 Organizational Inertia;153
11.2.2;7.2.2 Outsiders Working with Selective Insiders;155
11.2.3;7.2.3 Specialization;156
11.2.4;7.2.4 Open Governance;157
11.3;7.3 Entry;158
11.3.1;7.3.1 Experimentation Built on Experience;160
11.3.2;7.3.2 Experimentation Inside a University;161
11.3.3;7.3.3 Experimentation During a Technology Rush;164
11.3.4;7.3.4 Summarizing Entry;165
11.4;7.4 Confrontation and Competition;166
11.4.1;7.4.1 Internal Conflict as a Barrier to Reaction: Britannica;167
11.4.2;7.4.2 Late Reaction to a New Demand: Microsoft;169
11.4.3;7.4.3 Reacting to the Changing Market Conditions: IBM;171
11.4.4;7.4.4 A Chain of Adoption as a Reaction: Wi-Fi;173
11.4.5;7.4.5 Chain of Reactions in a Partnership: Broadband Carriers;175
11.4.6;7.4.6 Summarizing Reaction;177
11.5;7.5 Conclusion;178
11.6;References;180
12;Index;183