A Brief History and The Profession of IT

We'll get to the history of computing in a moment, but first, let's talk a little more about Information Technology (IT). What is it? How is it related to the discipline of Computer Science (CS)? If you are going to work with computers as part (or all) of your profession, what do you need to know? To answer these questions, let's compare IT to CS and take a look at a concept promoted by Dr. Peter Denning called, "Great Principles of Computing"^*.

IT and CS

Definitions of IT vary, but in general, IT encompasses all fields that enable the use of modern digital technology
to solve problems involving data/information. Professionals in Information Technology must be competent with a variety of skill sets. Some of these include technical skills, communication skills, leadership skills, general business knowledge, strategic thinking skills, the ability to manage with a global perspective, and the ability to lead and collaborate well with teams.

Computer Science is more technical in nature. It is the study of computation and the mechanical devices involved in computation. These computation processes and devices are designed or “engineered”. The processes have mathematical properties and can be evaluated for performance. The design and evaluation of a process is often very experimental in nature.

A comparison of IT and CS appears in the following table. An interesting analogy to help us think about the differences is that IT professionals learn to utilize the technologies and CS professionals create and define the technologies. There is a significant relationship (and overlap) between the two and it is always good to understand the technologies that you wish to utilize. Keep in mind that this is a simplistic comparison and it is more complex than this, but this is a good start.

Great Principles of Computing

When most people think of professions in computing, they automatically think that the only option is to become a programmer. In the paper, "Great Principles of Computing", Denning tries to present a method of teaching technology to show that it is so much more than just programming. If we take a look at what Denning points out as the core technologies of computing, we see that learning and performing programming is just one piece of what we need to learn about technology.

From this list of core technologies, many may miss the greater picture of what technology is all about. From this list, Denning has created a "principles-based" view of technology to bring the bigger picture into focus and to help us understand what we need to know in the study of technology

Denning breaks the study of technology into two parts, the first being computing practices. Computing practices enables us to put everything we know together to make it useful, supporting the abilities to program, engineer systems, build models of systems to help make predictions, innovate or make changes to procedures and organizations, and through the creation of applications to support people and their work.

The second part involves the great principles of computing, which is further broken down into those principles involved in design and those involved in mechanics.

Principles of Mechanics:

1. Computation: What can be computed and what are the limits of computing?
2. Communication: How can the transmission of messages occur from one point to another?
3. Coordination: How can multiple entities cooperate to achieve a single goal?
4. Automation: How can cognitive tasks can be performed by a computer?
5. Recollection: How can information be stored and retrieved?

Principles of Design:

1. Simplicity: How can we avoid complexity?
2. Performance: How can we predict and enhance performance.
3. Reliability: How do we keep devices and information available when needed?
4. Evolvabililty: Can our design be adaptable to changes of function or scale?
5. Security: How do we allow or limit access as needed?

Principles of Computing Mechanics deal with the structure and operation of computations. Knowing how the structures are built and work does not cover everything in the field of technology. The Principles of Design pick up to enable the mechanics to perform in the service of people. Computing Practices put everything together to bring this service to actuality.

So what?

This course is the first course in the study of Information Technology. Our hope is that this wider view of the study of technology may provide for a better understanding of the big picture. During our study of the core technologies, keep in mind why we are studying each topic and of the ultimate goals of the study of technology. We'll try to revisit the great principles as we go along. Also keep in mind that each core technology has its own history of creation and development. As you proceed through the history of computing, see if you can determine the context of that history and where it fits into the big picture.

* "Great Principles of Computing", Denning, Peter J.; Communications of the ACM; November 2003; Vol. 46, No. 11; pp 15-20.

History of Computing

The history of technology and computing has roots in the history of communications and math.  Early calculating machines such as the abacus and ancient constructions such as Stonehenge were used to track the rising and setting of the sun, moon, and stars.  Humankind recorded and shared information from early cave painting days to enable generational leaps to occur which eventually resulted in today’s computing power.  What follows is an attempt to capture historically significant developments that brought us to today’s technological innovations. 

Introduction

The voice, stories, cave painting, poem, dance, music, art, pottery, plays, coin, alphabets, letters, books, laws, horses, ships, and even birds have all been part of the history of human communication.   The traveling bard and the census taker have taken news from one place to another. The captains and dames of industry have mapped and catalogued suppliers foreign and domestic since proverbs was written.   The code of Manu (1500 b.c.) had restrictions on communication and learning,  and Hamurabi (more than 2000 b.c.)  required judges to write their decision and reasoning for public record restrictions on who is allowed to communicate with whom.  Communication and the storage of information is critical to human society. It defines us and refines us.  Some would argue that it confines us as well.  

Yet we live in an age when communication is unleashed in ways that were merely the stuff of science fiction twenty years ago. Cell phones, talking computers, wireless networks, 500 hours of music all on a box the size of a pack of cigarettes..

Thus the reality of information technology is that it is in some ways merely just one more step in advancing our ability as individuals and societies to communicate.

The Histories of Information Technology

Well I would like to write a nice biographical sketch of all this, but there are much better places to go and the topic is really an encyclopedia not a chapter, so we will take a slightly different approach.  We will begin by perusing the history of computing from computer hope.org.

Having read this, we will take an interesting approach to the history of computers - this is where we start to get very interactive. A database driven website has been created where you will be able to paste information into a web form, assign some additional data to the form and then update the database.  This is esentially a database of computer and technology histories. The key assigments for this section are to read and research some element of computing or technology history and update this history website with this additional material from additional sites. Some suggestions to get you started are listed below (the actual assignment is discussed at the end of these suggestions):

Some General Histories:

The history of IT from the Babbage Institute:

http://www.cbi.umn.edu/collections/index.html
http://www.cbi.umn.edu/resources/hollywood.html

A more general history and better introductory site from the Smithsonian:
http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmah/techhistory.htm

More telecom history:
http://www.telecomresearch.com/history.html

An engineering viewpoint:
http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/

Another one with nice interface done in frontpage:
http://www.storiadellinformatica.it/uk/ukhome.htm

Computer History:
http://www.ox.compsoc.net/~swhite/history/

Communications History:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_history_of_communication.htm  

also follow some of the other links from here.                          

Some Company Histories:

  The History of IBM from IBM - http://www-1.ibm.com/ibm/history/

 The History of Apple NOT from Apple - http://www.apple-history.com/frames/?

 The History of AT&T - http://www.att.com/history/

INTEL - http://www.intel.com/intel/intelis/museum/

 RCA - http://www.rca.com/content/index/0,,CI257,00.html

 History of Sun - http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/coinfo/history.html

Something from Clear Channel (little did you know)

1. http://www.clearchannel.com/ci_oh.php
2. http://reclaimdemocracy.org/weekly_article/clear_channel_backlash.html  clearly anti clear channel
3. So what do Big Head Todd, Hootie, Brooks and Dunn, Kenny Chesny, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Third Eye Blind, Nickel Creek, Santana, Uncle Krackers, Van Morrison, The Dixie Chick, and Tracy Chapman all have in common?.....
   BRIAN BECKER—you’ll figure it out.

RAND according to RAND

1.      http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/rr.fall.98/50.html

IT in Government:

A history of the FCC: - http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/

A history of NASA - http://history.nasa.gov/

A history of the postal service - http://www.usps.com/history/history/his1.htm

and finally....

Just for fun - http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,12416,FF.html

History of Computers - Assignment #1

History of Computers - Assignment #1

After reviewing the history of technology and computing, what do you feel is the most significant breakthrough in the history of IT. In other words, in your opinion, what single development has had the greatest impact on the field of IT and/or the greatest impact on society. Go to Moodle and and navgiate to the Discussion Boards and respond.

You will update the histories from this information (or other websites that you may find).  For the biopods in the class please go to the biohistories page and work from that set of links. Hints for the assignment: How to structure your thoughts as you plow through these histories

• Remember the context that these technologies were developed/invented to (1) serve a purpose, (2) make money, (3) in a social context—i.e. we all know porn and music drove/drive the internet traffic and that this happened in an America where a post 70’s prudishness was combined with heavy concentration in the music industry.
• Remember that IT is a societal collaboration that includes government, business, university research labs, investors and end users.  When asking why something is important, think about which of the societal areas it influenced most or conversely which societal area influenced it most.
• Feel free to rant a little, but rant well.

Finally - You should now check for additional readings/ assignments specific to your section.