TY - CHAP
T1 - Contested histories: de-mythologising the early history of modern British computing
AU - Anderson, David
N1 - Additional Information:
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the IFIP WG 9.7 International Conference on the History of Computing, HC 2010, held as part of the 21st World Computer Congress, WCC 2010, in Brisbane, Australia, in September 2010. The 22 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers cover a broad scope of topics relating to the history of computing written both by historians and by those who were involved in creating this history, ranging from computing hardware, software and computer applications (including education) to social aspects of computing..
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - A challenge is presented to the usual account of the development of the Manchester Baby which focuses on the contribution made to the project by the topologist M.H.A. (Max) Newman and other members of the Dept. of Mathematics. Based on an extensive re-examination of the primary source material, it is suggested that a very much more significant role was played by mathematicians than is allowed for in the dominant discourse. It is shown that there was a single computer-building project at Manchester in the years immediately following World War II and that it was conceived, led, funded, supplied and staffed by Newman who was supported throughout by his long-time friend P.M.S. (Patrick) Blackett. In the course of the paper three persistent myths, which lend support to the dominant narrative, are identified and debunked.
AB - A challenge is presented to the usual account of the development of the Manchester Baby which focuses on the contribution made to the project by the topologist M.H.A. (Max) Newman and other members of the Dept. of Mathematics. Based on an extensive re-examination of the primary source material, it is suggested that a very much more significant role was played by mathematicians than is allowed for in the dominant discourse. It is shown that there was a single computer-building project at Manchester in the years immediately following World War II and that it was conceived, led, funded, supplied and staffed by Newman who was supported throughout by his long-time friend P.M.S. (Patrick) Blackett. In the course of the paper three persistent myths, which lend support to the dominant narrative, are identified and debunked.
M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)
SN - 9783642151996
T3 - AFIP Advances in ICT
SP - 58
EP - 67
BT - History of computing: learning from the past
A2 - Tatnall, A.
PB - Springer
ER -