Online Book: Computing Before Computers:

Edited by William Aspray with contributions by: W. Aspray: A. G. Bromley: M. Campbell-Kelly: P.E. Ceruzzi: M. R. Williams. This book covers the information process technologies in use prior to the computer. Topics include early calculators, difference and analytical engines, logic machines, punched card machinery, analog computing devices, relay calculators, and electronic calculators. This book has long been out of publication. It was published originally in 1990 by Iowa State University Press. When the print run was exhausted, the press returned copyright to the authors. For permission to reproduce this material, contact any of the authors. Thanks to Ed Thelen for scanning the document and posting it on his own history of computing web site.

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ERCIM News

ERCIM News: It is the magazine of ERCIM, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics. It reports on joint actions of the ERCIM partners, and aims to reflect the contribution made by ERCIM to the European Community in Information Technology. Through short articles and news items, it provides a forum for the exchange of information between the institutes and also with the wider scientific community. ERCIM News is published quarterly. Each issue is focused on a theme. Some of the recent themes (2012) include: Big Data, Software Evolution, Ambient Assisted Living, Unconventional Computing Paradigms, Cloud Computing, Computational Biology. For archives from the first issue (1988), Pl. visit

10 things IT pros do that lead to burnout

Here are 10 things that an IT professional might be doing that will ultimately lead to poorer performance and an unhealthy lifestyle.

1: Never say no
2: Skip the vacation
3: Skip lunch
4: Work insane hours
5: Disregard family time
6: Fail to watch your health
7: Forgo hobbies
8: Go it alone
9: Create unrealistic expectations
10: Pull all-nighters

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10 ways to stall out your IT career

Despite the down economy, the IT industry seems to be holding up relatively well, and in many areas it still has good opportunities. However, that doesn’t mean that IT professionals do not have to work hard to have a career that keeps them employed and growing. Here are some common mistakes IT professionals make that can compromise their careers.

1: Not staying up-to-date with technical skills
2: Not learning soft skills
3: Confusing “today” with “tomorrow”
4: Refusing internal career shifts
5: Falling in love with the wrong tech
6: Not specializing (or not being an awesome generalist)
7: Being unwilling to manage
8: Doing it for a paycheck
9: Isolating yourself from the rest of the companyjavascript:void(0)
10: Not knowing the job market

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10 things you have to know to be computer literate

Many of your users are coasting along without adequate computer knowledge. Help them close the gap by sharing this list of essential skills.

It is tempting to think that because you have used a computer for a long time, you are “computer literate” or “computer savvy,” but this is not the case. Here are 10 skills you absolutely must know to be considered computer literate. If you already know these, you should be helping others learn them as well!

1: Search engines
2: Word processing
3: Spreadsheets
4: Browser basics
5: Virus/malware scanning
6: Common keyboard commands
7: Basic hardware terminology
8: Simple networking diagnosis
9: How to hook it up
10: Security/privacy 101

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The IBM Century: Creating the IT Revolution

More than a century ago Herman Hollerith pioneered punch card tabulation technology. In 1911 his enterprise became the centerpiece of a new corporation (renamed in the 1920s), International Business Machines (IBM). Over the past century IBM has transformed how we record, calculate, and process information -- forever changing business, science, engineering, government, and leisure. Far more than any other firm, IBM created the IT revolution.

This unique volume brings together fascinating memoirs of key IBM engineers and managers of the past 100 years -- from Walter Jones, who started as a sales engineer in 1912 and rose through the ranks for three decades, to Cuthbert Hurd, James Birkenstock, Bob Evans, John Backus, Watts Humphrey, and others who led IBM to supremacy in digital computing and software. It details punch card tabulation, IBM’s entrance into computing, and the transformative IBM hardware (IBM 650, IBM 1401, System/360) and software (FORTRAN, SABRE, IMS) that changed the world. The IBM Century contains an IBM timeline, the most comprehensive IBM annotated bibliography to date, and a new introductory essay that characterizes IBM’s 100-year history and contextualizes each of the memoirs.

Read the 44 page extract of a chapter “Pioneering: On the Frontier of Electronic Data Processing, a Personal Memoir” from the book dealing with the personal memoir of James Birkenstock.

Future of Computing -- Special compilation from Nature

In the last two decades advances in computing technology, from processing speed to network capacity and the internet, have revolutionized the way scientists work and many recent scientific advances would not have been possible without a parallel increase in computing power - but with revolutionary technologies such as the quantum computer edging towards reality, how long will the current synergy between computing and science last?

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10 famous Silicon Valley Indians on how it will change in the next decade

How will Silicon Valley - the home of technology change in the next decade? ET asked 10 accomplished Silicon Valley Indians to present their vision for 2020. Their insights and predictions.

The Grand Veterans: The grand old men of the Valley who have been there, done that.

The Behemoths: They drive the Valley's traditional behemoths.

The New Wave: The new voices changing the face of the Valley.

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