ACM History Committee Mary Hall Computer Science and ISI Univ. of Southern California Michael S. Mahoney History of Science Princeton University

August, 2005, SGB Meeting ACM History Committee Charter The ACM History Committee fosters preservation and interpretation of the history of the ACM and its role in the development of computing. To this end,the Committee provides guidance within the Association and carries out activities independently and in collaboration with other groups.

August, 2005, SGB Meeting ACM History Committee Members Co-Chairs: Richard Snodgrass, Computer Science, University of Arizona, David S. Wise, Computer Science, Indiana University, Historians: William Aspray, Informatics, Indiana University, Michael S. Mahoney, History, Princeton University, SIG Governing Board Liaison: Mary Hall, USC Information Sciences Institute, Publications Board Liaison: Carol Hutchins, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences Library, ACM HQ Representative: Patricia Ryan, Deputy Executive Director, ACM, Len Shustek, Chair, Board of Trustees, Computer History Museum, Webmaster Joseph A. November, History, Princeton University, ACM Staff contact for logistics: Monique Chang, Human Resources Director, ACM,

August, 2005, SGB Meeting OUTLINE Motivation Activities of the History Committee Archiving SIG History History of Computing Possible SIG Contributions

August, 2005, SGB Meeting Why a History Committee? Created in July 2004 Why now? –ACM will celebrate its 60 th anniversary in –Few of those present at the founding of ACM are still with us. –In the past two years, four Turing Award winners have died. –There are ACM conferences for which no printed proceedings can be located.

August, 2005, SGB Meeting Because we dont know our history. What was the impetus for the 18 transactions and 8 journals? What was the genesis of the 24 SIGs? What was the arc of those that no longer exist? Where did early and middle leaders see the field going? How did their vision shape it? In what ways were they prescient and what did they not foresee?

August, 2005, SGB Meeting The History of ACM is Important! ACM, as the first society of computing, should not only contribute to the future of information technology, but should document its past. What does the last fifty+ years of ACM tell us about the next ten years, the next fifty years, both of ACM and of computing in general?

August, 2005, SGB Meeting History Committee Activities: Oral Histories Collecting, and (co-)sponsoring oral histories –Turing award winners Richard Karp, Robert Tarjan Also, SIGMOD sponsored Charles Bachman oral history –Former ACM presidents Franz Alt, Bernie Galler, Walter Carlson and Anthony Ralston (co-sponsored by SIAM) Identifying potential interviewees –46 Turing award winners –20 former ACM presidents –6 former ACM executive directors –10 early staff members and influential ACM leaders

August, 2005, SGB Meeting History Committee Activities: Turing Award web site Initiated by ACM Publications Now edited by Thomas J. Bergin, Jr., co-editor of History of Programming Languages II, and former editor of Annals of History of Computing

August, 2005, SGB Meeting Other History Committee Activities ACM History website –This will allow us to link to historical information and SIG activities ACM Archive Project –Archiving files as ACM moves its headquarters National Museum of American History Digitization –Transcripts of ACM Presidents Franz Alt, Herb Grosch, Alton Householder, Harry Huskey, and John Mauchly, and ACM influential leader Paul Armer, along with a round-table discussion at an ACM conference in 1967.

August, 2005, SGB Meeting SIG Activities to Preserve History: Technical Conferences Consistent record-keeping of conferences –Program committee –Keynotes –Schedule and session chairs –Submission breakdown by country –Acceptance/rejection rates by sub-topic Most of this information is known by the program chair, some is not preserved

August, 2005, SGB Meeting Example: from SIGPLAN PLDI 2005 Conference Coverage, According to Area (1 of 2) Categories from submission, most papers provided multiple categories. Average = 3

August, 2005, SGB Meeting SIG Activities to Preserve History: Archives and Web sites Track program committee members, authors, SIG organization, awards Some portions strictly for organizational purposes, others visible to ACM community Examples?

August, 2005, SGB Meeting SIG Activities to Preserve History: Retrospectives Retrospective Conferences –SIGPLAN History of Programming Languages –SIGGRAPH Pioneer Day Published Retrospectives –20 Years of PLDI (SIGPLAN) SIG History Committee (SIGMOD) Awards –Awards for service and technical achievement –PLDI Most Influential Paper (10 year retrospective) –ICSE Most Influential Paper (10 year retrospective) Disclaimer: Apologies for over-emphasis on SIGPLAN activities, which I know more about. Tell us what other SIGs are doing!

History of Computing: Institutions IEEE Annals of the History of Computing – Charles Babbage Institute – Software History Center – Computer History Museum – National Archive for the History of Computing (UK) –

History of Computing on the Web Tom Haighs Computer FileComputer File JAN Lees site at Virginia Techsite at Virginia Tech Tim Bergins Computing History MuseumComputing History Museum Computer History Museum Charles Babbage Institute ACM Portal Multics, …Multics

August, 2005, SGB Meeting History of Computing: Issues Until recently, focus on hardware Now shifting to software –Systems software –Applications software Last done from perspective of domains of application –Histories of computing(s) e.g. Cortada, Agar, Haigh,

August, 2005, SGB Meeting ENIAC EDVAC, EDSAC and others Business, Industry & Government files and accounts tabulation organization of production management Design & maintenance of large systems electricity telecommunications Technology & Science mathematical calculation mechanical logic EDP OR/MS automation robotics ESS Computer Science scientific computation computational science theory systems AI & human augmentation mainframes minis micro Internet/WWW ©2004 msm Convergent History

August, 2005, SGB Meeting ENIAC EDVAC Business, Industry & Government data processing organization of production management design & maintenance of large systems electricity telecommunications Technology & Science mathematical calculation mechanical logic EDP OR/MS automation robotics ESS scientific computation computational science Computer Science theory systems human augmentation military C&C SAGE WWCCS C 3 I c o m p u t e r s artificial intelligence artificial life ©2004 msm Communities of Computing

SIG-sponsored History PLAN –HOPLs I (1978), II (1993), III (2006) GRAPH –Milestones in Computer Graphics (1989) SOFT –Impact Project

SIG-sponsored HOx? Operating Systems Databases Graphics Communications Computer Science Software Engineering Computer-Human Interface...

August, 2005, SGB Meeting UPCOMING ACTIVITY! 2007 CACM Special Issue on ACM History to coincide with 60 th anniversary Open to suggestions from SIGs –How do you want your SIG represented? –Do you have specific historical activities we should highlight? –Volunteers?

August, 2005, SGB Meeting Summary We are a resource for the SIGs –Let us know of your historical activities and we will help publicize them! –If you would like to start new activities, let us know how we can help! The SIGs can help us –Tell us how you are preserving your history so perhaps other SIGs can follow your lead. –Help ACM collect and preserve information in your area. –Co-sponsor oral histories for luminaries in your area.