Title :
Burroughs Algol at Stanford University, 1960-1963
Author_Institution :
Inf. Sci. Inst., Univ. of Southern California, Marina Del Rey, CA, USA
Abstract :
The decade between 1955 and 1965 brought a revolution to academic computing, both technologically and socially. As core memory replaced electrostatic memory while transistors replaced vacuum tubes, computers advanced from flakey and difficult-to-maintain devices to reliable appliances. At the same time (and partially as a consequence), the academic use of computing expanded rapidly, computing centers became increasingly essential facilities on every campus, and computer science began to gain acceptance as a legitimate academic discipline. This Anecdote recounts the author´s experience during this dramatic shift in academic computing at Stanford University during the period between 1960 and 1963. It also records a chapter in the early development of compiler design and programming technology.
Keywords :
computer science education; educational institutions; Stanford University; academic computing centers; compiler design; computer science; core memory replaced electrostatic memory; programming technology; transistors; vacuum tubes; Biographies; Educational institutions; History; Program processors; BALGOL; Biographies; Burroughs Algol; Educational institutions; History; Program processors; Stanford University; academic computing; compiler design; history of computing; programming technology;
Journal_Title :
Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/MAHC.2013.45