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International audience; The purpose of this chapter is to focus on three connected and basic notions of computing, Algorithm-Code-Program, and to study their historical origins, their re-appropriations and transformations in different discourses and practices. Our main purpose is to show how these interconnected terms themselves have a complex history and cannot be fixed to one meaning only, even today.

International audience; "This anthology of original historical essays examines how social relations are enacted in and through computing using the twin frameworks of abstraction and embodiment. The book highlights a wide range of understudied contexts and experiences, such as computing and disability, working mothers as technical innovators, race and community formation, and gaming behind the Iron Curtain"−

International audience

The purpose of this chapter is to focus on three connected and basic notions of computing, Algorithm-Code-Program, and to study their historical origins, their re-appropriations and transformations in different discourses and practices. Our main purpose is to show how these interconnected terms themselves have a complex history and cannot be fixed to one meaning only, even today.

International audience

International audience

This article frames some important computing developments of the 1950s, connecting them to two older traditions, one within (mathematical) logic and one within engineering. Both traditions could be termed logical minimalism, meaning the systematic use of (mathematical) logic in designing minimal systems and devices. The logical tradition is part of the more general research programme into the foundations of mathematics and logic that was carried out in the beginning of the 20th century. The engineering tradition then emerged during the 1930s to design relay circuits and is part of a more general trend of using mathematical techniques in engineering. In the 1940s and 1950s, however, these traditions were redefined and (re)appropriated when computer engineers, logicians and mathematicians started searching for the small(est) and/or simple(st) machines with an eye on engineering a small and relatively cheap digital computer. The main focus is on how the transition of symbolic machines such as Turings into real computers integrates minimalist philosophies as parts of more complex computer design strategies. The ensuing tradeoffs such as more involved and complex programming or a need for more memory for efficient operation are also discussed.

Report of Symposium Ethical, Legal and Political issues of Computing (ELPIC) that was organised during World Humanities Conference held in Liège, Belgium, from 6 to 11 August 2017, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) and the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH). Goal of the conference was to establish a new agenda for the humanities of the 21st century.This reports details some observations and gives recommendations for rethinking the humanities of the 21st century, taking up the challenges posed by the ubiquity of computing in our lives and in society.

International audience

Shannon's 1938 did not got integrated immediately into the circuit designers' practice, a number of circumstances prevented straightforward application. Instead it took about a decade before it was made practical. This paper sketches this slow appropriation.

International audience

International audience; Les débuts des systèmes d'exploitation sont souvent obscurcis par leur proximité aux systèmes de programmation et ont été minimisés dans la suite des discussions des années 1960 entre les défenseurs du traitement par lots et les partisans du partage de temps. Une étude plus détaillée et plus systématique des systèmes de contrôle entre 1954-1964 montre pourtant qu'il existe une variété d'idées, de philosophies et d'implémentations qui ont souvent préparé la voie à des systèmes ultérieurs. Cet article offre d'abord une synthèse de développements pertinents en matériel et en logiciel et propose ensuite une taxonomie de systèmes de contrôle pendant la période 1954-1964. Enfin, les origines du terme operating system et sa dissémination sont retracées dans la communauté des utilisateurs des machines d'IBM. Mots-clés : systèmes d'exploitation, histoire de l'informatique, organisation du travail i n for m a t ique, pa r t a ge d e t em p s, programmation automatique.

The article first discusses the earliest extant instances of such tables in Antiquity, and then moves on to the Modern period, dwelling at some length on the table projects of Guldin, Pell and Lambert. It is shown that the numer theoretical tables have incluenfed the development of theory (and vice versa) and especially Legendre's and Gauss's work around 1800 is analysed in that light. The paper closes with tabular work in the 19th and 20th century, discussing the paper tools and machinery that were used to produce them.

International audience

emainder problems have a long tradition and were widely disseminated in books on calculation, algebra and recreational mathematics from the 13th century until the 18th century. Many singular solution methods for particular cases were known, but Bachet de Méziriac was the first to see how these methods connected with the Euclidean algorithm and with Diophantine analysis (1624). His general solution method contributed to the theory of equations in France, but went largely unnoticed elsewhere. Later Euler independently rediscovered similar methods, while von Clausberg generalised and systematised methods which used the greatest common divisor procedure. These were followed by Euler's and Lagrange's continued fraction solution methods, and Hindenburg's combinatorial solution. Shortly afterwards, Gauss, in the Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, proposed a new formalism based on his method of congruences and created the modular arithmetic framework in which these problems are posed today.

J.H. Lambert was one of the first scientists to use graphs to represent and analyse his (experimental) data. This article presents Lambert's text "Vorstellung der Großen durch Figuren" that contains his most detailed discussion on the usability of graphs in (experimental) science. This text is put into the broader context of Lambert's philosophical and mathematical work and illustrated by the analysis of two graphs. Two conclusions should be mentioned. First, for Lambert, visualisation is a technique complementary to the algebraic processing of data. Second, Lambert's graphical techniques and strategies are the continuation and perfection of an older tradition that may be called "Archimedean"., J.H. Lambert était l'un des premiers scientifiques qui utilisaient des graphiques pour représenter et analyser des données (obtenues expérimentalement). Le présent article présente le texte "Vorstellung der Großen durch Figuren" de Lambert, texte qui contient sa discussion la plus déetaillée sur l'utilisation des graphiques dans la science (expérimentale). Le texte est mis dans le contexte de l'oeuvre philosophique et mathématique de Lambert et illustré par l'analyse de deux graphiques. Deux conclusions peuvent être citées. D'abord, pour Lambert, la visualisation est une technique complémentaire au traîtement algébrique des données. Ensuite, les techniques et stratégies graphiques de Lambert sont une continuation et perfection d'une tradition plus vieille que l'on peut dire "Archimèdienne".

International audience; Extended abstracts from the HaPoC 2013 History and Philosophy of Computing Conference at ENS, Paris.

International audience

International audience; J.H. Lambert (1728-1777) developed a very detailed theory of science and experiment. Using Lambert's hygrometric studies, this article provides an introduction into Lambert's theory and its practice. Of special interest in Lambert's theory are a well-founded theory on the emergence and definition of concepts and his neat neat eye for heuristics that should ultimately lead up to a mathematization of physical phenomena. His use of visualizations in this context is especially remarkable.