Advent of Computing

The Internet is the closest we've come to a universal store of all human knowledge. However, it's not the first pass at this lofty goal. In this episode(and the next) we are looking at the Mundaneum, a project started in the 1890s to address the information problem. How is it connected to the larger story of hypertext? And how can this older project inform our views on the information problem?   Selected sources:   https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/4184 -- Selected Essays of Paul Otlet

Back in episode 90 I made a passing reference to the Cyclops, the first consumer digital camera. It's this masterstroke of hackery that uses a RAM chip as a makeshift image sensor. In this episode I'm coming back around to the Cyclops and taking a look at the origins of digital imaging in general. Selected Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gmSeVfmZHw - Terry Walker CHM lecture https://sci-hub.ru/10.1109/6.591664 - The origins of the PN junction https://sci-hub.ru/10.1364/AO.11.000522 - The silicon vidicon photometer

The Apple III was a pretty slick machine... in theory. From a lack of launch software, to strait up hardware failures, Apple's 3rd computer didn't really win in the market place. Why was that? Was the machine setup for failure from the start? Was it's case really designed before it's motherboard? When it comes to the III there's a surprising amount of folklore to untangle.   Selected Sources:   https://archive.org/details/sim_byte_1985-01_10_1/page/166/mode/1up?view=theater - Interview with Wozniak that covers the III   https://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/appleIII/sandersinterview.html - Sander discussing the project   https://archive.org/details/apple-design/page/n14/mode/1up?view=theater - AppleDesign   http://www.applelogic.org/AIIIDesignBugs.html - AppleLogic

We're finally taking a look at Sketchpad. This program was completed in 1963 as Ivan Sutherland's Ph.D. research. On the surface it looks like a very fancy drawing program. Under the hood it's hiding some impressive new programming techniques.   Selected Sources:   http://worrydream.com/refs/Sutherland-Sketchpad.pdf - Sutherland's Sketchpad thesis   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=495nCzxM9PI - Sketchpad in action   https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102738195 - Oral History transcripts

This episode I attempt to find the first interactive computer text interface. All I can say is, well, it's a journey.   Selected Sources:   https://sci-hub.se/10.2307/3917015 - Early article on Stibitz's CNC Model I   https://archive.org/details/fortranprimer0000orga/page/103/mode/1up?view=theater - Primer on the FORTRAN Monitor System   https://kyber.io/rawvids/LISP_I_Programmers_Manual_LISP_I_Programmers_Manual.pdf - LISP I manual

This episode picks up where we left off last time. We are looking at Ada and its applications. How does Ada handle tasking? What's the deal with objects? And, most importantly, what are some neat uses of the language?   Selected Sources:   https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/956653.956654 - Rationale for the Design of Ada   https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/handle/2014/45345/08-2590_A1b.pdf - Cassini's AACS computer and software   http://www.bitsavers.org/components/intel/iAPX_432/171821-001_Introduction_to_the_iAPX_432_Architecture_Aug81.pdf - Behold the iAPX 432

Ada is a fascinating language with a fascinating history. It was initially developed as part of a Department of Defence project. The plan was to create a standardized language for everyone inside the DoD. The results, well, they may just surprise you.   Selected Sources:   http://archive.adaic.com/pol-hist/history/holwg-93/holwg-93.htm - Ada at the HOLWG   https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/956653.956654 - Rationale for the Design of Ada   http://iment.com/maida/computer/requirements/strawman.htm - Strawman

Advent of Computing has finally reached 100 episodes! Today we are taking a break from the usual content to discuss the show, it's arc, and some of the mysteries I have yet to solve.

UNIX is a big deal. It's one of the most influential programs in history. Most operating systems that we use today can trace their lineage back to UNIX. The only notable exception at this point is Windows. But all these new-fangled operating systems aren't blood relatives of UNIX, they are all derivatives. Second cousins, if you will. So how did we get from UNIX into a diverse field of UNIX-like things? It all starts with a little project at UC Berkeley.   Selected Sources:   https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2022/06/102743073-05-01-acc.pdf - Oral History of Bill Joy   https://archive.org/details/aquartercenturyofunixpeterh.salus_201910/page/n157/mode/2up?view=theater - A Quarter Century of UNIX

This time we are looking at a somewhat obscure machine: the Canon Cat. Designed by Jef Raskin, the Cat is sometimes called the spiritual successor to the Macintosh. That's a nice little epitaph, but doesn't fully explain the tangled mess of things between Raskin, Jobs, Apple, and the Mac. Today we will try to untangle some of that mess as we examine a fascinating little computer that could have changed the world.   Selected Sources:   http://www.canoncat.net/ -- Everything about the Cat   https://archive.org/details/Apple_Mac_Selected_Papers_1980/ -- Raskin's Macintosh memos   https://www.digibarn.com/friends/jef-raskin/writings/millions.html  -- Computers by the Millions