Academia

These Websites are about the evolution of computer technology and the Internet. Read about the history of computing machines, early programmers, and the origins of information technology. Included are video files, interactive games and quizzes, timelines, exhibits, and more. Included are three related eThemes resources.

Welcome to Computer Chronicles: From Stone to Silicon! This page is designed to inform people young and old about how the computers that we use today came into being. The voyage starts in about 3000 BC, with the invention of the abacus in ancient China. It proceeds through the development of vacuum tubes, transistors, integrated circuits, microprocessors and countless other inventions until the computer of today.

The Art of Computer Programming (acronym: TAOCP) is a comprehensive monograph written by Donald Knuth that covers many kinds of programming algorithms and their analysis. Knuth began the project, originally conceived as a single book, in 1962. The first three of what were then expected to be seven volumes were published in rapid succession in 1968, 1969, and 1973. The first installment of Volume 4 (a paperback fascicle) was published in 2005. The hardback volume 4A was published in 2010. Additional fascicle installments are planned for release approximately biannually.

The machine depicted on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics magazine sounded impressive—"World's First Minicomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models"—and at a price of $397 for the parts, it seemed like quite a bargain. In truth, the Altair 8800 was not a minicomputer, a term normally reserved for machines many times as powerful. Nor was it easy to use. Programming had to be done by adjusting toggle switches, the memory held a meager 256 bytes of data, and output took the form of patterns of flashing lights.

he conference held at the Washington Hilton in October 1972 wasn't meant to jump-start a revolution. Staged for a technological elite, its purpose was to showcase a computer-linking scheme called ARPANET, a new kind of network that had been developed under military auspices to help computer scientists share information and enable them to harness the processing power of distant machines. Traffic on the system was still very light, though, and many potential users thought it was too complex to have much of a future.

Some Websites Useful in the Computing Curriculum at Hofstra University

An operating system (OS) is the software component of a computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer. The OS acts as a host for application programs that are run on the machine. As a host, one of the purposes of an OS is to handle the details of the operation of the hardware. This relieves application programs from having to manage these details and makes it easier to write applications. Almost all computers use an OS of some type.

The history of computing at Columbia University, concentrating on IBM Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory at Columbia University, 1945-1970.

The full-text digital archive of Allen Newell's pioneering work in artificial intelligence and cognitive science. Newell earned an international reputation as one of the founders of artificial intelligence. He is also known for his work in the theory of human cognition and the development of computer software and hardware systems for complex information processing.

The full-text digital archive of Herbert Simon, winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize in Economics. Simon earned an international reputation as one of the founders of artificial intelligence. Dr. Simon's research extended from computer science to such areas as cognitive psychology, administration and economics.