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The term "computer utility" has been perennially present in the history of computing, though a precise definition of the term has been fleeting, even when it first appeared in the Mid-1960s. The recent resurgence of interest in the remote provision of computing power has brought with it the historical jumble of definitions that make up that term, and "computer utility" is once again being applied to computer architectures though with little justification or exposition given regarding this use. This article attempts to determine whether past and present applications of the term share any commonalities and in doing so questions whether there has ever existed a true "computer utility." To do so, incarnations of the "computer utility" are examined in two time periods--the 1960s and the 1970s--during which time computer time-sharing enjoyed significant prosperity and now as cloud computing has become increasingly popular and prolific. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

At the end of 1960, Argentina began to incorporate its first computers and develop computing research projects and training programs. This early period overlapped with an renovation movement, and the most notable efforts to appropriate the new technology were initiated at the universities. Led by mathematician Manuel Sadosky, the most relevant contribution came from the Calculus Institute (Instituto de Cálculo, IC) at the University of Buenos Aires. From 1961 to 1966, equipped with a Ferranti Mercury computer, the IC went through a period of rapid growth, and it was fundamental to creating the first computer science degree program in Latin America. After the country's coup d'état in 1966, approximately 90 percent of IC's personnel resigned. Afterward, no institution could match its scientific and professional expertise nor equal its authority and leadership in the field, despite the modernizing rhetoric of the new authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

These reminiscences relate to the period that Brian Randell spent between 1964 and 1966 first at IBM Research working on Project Y and then in the IBM Systems Development Division on the resulting ACS Project--then-secret projects that aimed to build a supercomputer that would be 100 times faster than Stretch. Randell's account is based in part on his memory, but also makes extensive use of the small set of files that he had retained, mainly relating to patent applications. A scanned copy of one of these files, the paper "Dynamic Instruction Scheduling," that he coauthored with Lynn Conway, Don Rozenberg, and Don Senzig in February 1966, is available as an online Web extra https://s3.amazonaws.com/ieeecs.cdn.csdl.public/mags/an/2015/03/man2015030055s.pdf and in Newcastle University's online archive at www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/publications/trs/papers/891.pdf. Because of space constraints just the initial three pages of this paper are included in the present article, which also includes the text from a section on "Interrupts" that was added to the 1969 IBM San Jose Technical Report version of the 1966 paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article looks at India's IT industry history in the 1970s and early 1980s by focusing on the development of an indigenous microcomputer by the Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL). After gaining independence in 1947, the Indian government embarked on a program that focused on economic development, albeit with a socialist theme and central planning. Indigenization was the prime objective. Some industries were more favored than others, and electronics and computers were initially neglected and hobbled by restrictive policies. Foreign companies were pressured to reduce foreign equity. By the late-1970s, government efforts to induce IBM to transfer equity had failed. The government responded by forcing IBM to leave India and by relaxing policies and permitting local companies to import parts and components to develop computers locally. As a result, many private companies entered the computer sector. HCL was born in 1976 and released its first commercial system in 1978. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Edward Feigenbaum, the recipient of the 2013 Pioneer Award, is one of the founders of the field of artificial intelligence and has been one of its leaders for more than 50 years. He became aware of the birth of AI when he was an undergraduate at Carnegie Tech (later, Carnegie Mellon University). Continuing to graduate school there, he was mentored by Herbert Simon, and he also collaborated with Allen Newell. His career has taken him from Carnegie to the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, RAND, and the Pentagon. Feigenbaum has also authored and coedited several seminal AI books: Computers and Thought (1963), The Fifth Generation (1983), and the four-volume Handbook of Artificial Intelligence (1980s). In this interview, David Alan Grier and Feigenbaum talk about his career, his mentor Herbert Simon, and the development of AI. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Comparisons between the early British and US computer industries invariably have focused on the differential development of the British Tabulating Machine Company (BTM) and IBM. In this article, the author seeks to refocus examination of BTM (and comparisons of it to IBM) within the context of an American competitor somewhat similar in size, customer base, and organizational capabilities in electronics to BTM: Burroughs Corporation. The cases of BTM and Burroughs demonstrate the complexity of coordinating international R&D joint ventures, the struggle to create advanced products in an emerging technology while preserving existing revenue streams, and the cultural and technical hurdles involved in assimilating R&D resources from acquisitions in a rapidly changing technologically based industry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the House for the History of International Business Machine (IBM) Data Processing in Sindelfingen, Germany. How the House began; Main attractions of the show; Information on the transistor age and IBM's efforts in electronic data processing shows in the show.

The article focuses on the history of the computer industry in Chile. A common misconception is that Chile does not have much of a computer history. However, Chile's history of computer use in many ways parallels that of the United States. International Business Machines Corp. was selling tabulating machines to Chilean markets by 1921 and established a Chilean branch office eight years later. It is important not to overstate the significance of Chile's computer history or of computer histories in general. But overlooking the broader potential for the histories of the computer technology would be equally egregious. Chile now boasts one of the most computer-literate work-forces of South America, but Chileans, particularly those of younger generations, know little of their country's history with this technology. The proliferation of cybercafes in downtown Santiago, Chile testifies to the growing ubiquity of computers in daily life there, yet a popular perception is that these technological systems have always originated elsewhere. INSET: History and Memory in Chile..