IBM France La Gaude Laboratory Contributions to Telecommunicationsby Michel Bastian, Marc Boisseau, Robert Cohendet, Alain Croisier, Claude Galand, Etienne Gorog, Philippe Hernandez, Michel Humbert, Cuong Ngo Mai, Pierre Secondo, and Robert F. Steen For more than 40 years, IBM France’s La Gaude Laboratory had a tradition of working across the computing and electronic communications fields, leading to many innovative scientific and engineering contributions. In the first of a two-part article, the authors explore La Gaude’s contributions in data communications, telephony, voice technologies, and more, from 1959 through the early 1990s. IBM France’s La Gaude Laboratory worked at the intersection of computing and electronic communications for more than 40 years. Its research led to specific technical contributions such as voice encoding, trellis-coded modulation, and many others. Part 2 of this two-part article discusses in detail the contributions, inventions, and concepts that were, at the time, landmarks in the state of the art, from the creation of the laboratory in 1959 through the early 1990s. Prototype Fragments from Babbage’s First Difference Engineby Denis Roegel Being a computer scientist and an amateur historian, I have always had an admiration for Babbage’s struggles and achievements. As such, I have had the opportunity to examine all the known fragments from the first difference engine as well as study the second difference engine. While trying to reach an operational understanding of the simplest of these machines, the first difference engine, I stumbled on the findings I report here. Specifically, the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford owns a rare assembly related to Charles Babbage’s first difference engine. But in addition to the conventional parts found in fragments of the difference engine at other museums, this assembly contains ‘‘intruder parts’’ that do not fit but are closely related to the first difference engine. I believe that some of these parts are relics from a prototype of the first difference engine, which I call the Difference Engine 0. Computing ThenComputing Then takes a step back—to contemplate, explore, celebrate, analyze, and learn from the past, drawing from articles and documentation of IEEE Annals of the History of Computing.
Data Processing Digest: Thirty Years Before the Mastheadby Margaret Milligan The second-oldest, still-living computer publication celebrated its 30th birthday in April 1985. It's not the one you are thinking of-unless you are one of the small cadre of faithful subscribers who read Data Processing Digest (DPD) every month. Here is my autobiographical account of DPD's history. Anecdotes, events & sightings, etc.Events and Sightings Web Extra Vol. 31, No. 1 Biographies Web Extra Vol. 31, No. 1 Events and Sightings Web Extra Vol. 30, No. 1 Fermat Meets SWAC: Vandiver, the Lehmers, Computers and Number Theory Web Extra, Vol. 30, No. 1 Anecdotes Web Extra, Vol. 28, No. 4 Word Processing Timeline Web Extra, Vol. 28, No. 4 The Second Life of ENIAC Web Extra, Vol. 28, No. 2 Educational Technology at BBN Web Extra, Vol. 28, No. 1 Events and Sightings Web Extras, Vol. 27, No. 2 Anecdotes Web Extras, Vol. 26, No. 2 Events and Sightings Web Extras, Vol. 25, No. 1 Anecdotes Web Extras, Vol. 25, No. 1 Events and Sightings Web Extras, Vol. 24, No. 4 Punched cards: A brief tutorial,Vol. 24, No. 2 Events and Sightings Web Extras, Vol. 24, No. 2 Events and Sightings Web Extras, Vol. 24, No. 1 |
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing magazine covers computer history with scholarly articles by leading computer scientists and historians as well as first-hand accounts. The Pentium Chronicles: The People, Passion, and Politics Behind Intel's Landmark Chips |
