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CS 305Social, Ethical, and LegalImplications of Computing

Chapter 1History of Computing

Herbert G. Mayer, PSU CSHerbert G. Mayer, PSU CSstatus 6/24/2012status 6/24/2012

Most slides derived from prof. Wu-Chang FengMost slides derived from prof. Wu-Chang FengSlides 15..19 copied from prof. Harrison + Massey Slides 15..19 copied from prof. Harrison + Massey

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Syllabus

Impact of TechnologyImpact of Technology

Controlling TechnologyControlling Technology

History of ComputingHistory of Computing

History of CommunicationsHistory of Communications

Storing, Organizing, Retrieving DataStoring, Organizing, Retrieving Data

History of Programming LanguagesHistory of Programming Languages

History of Information StorageHistory of Information Storage

Discussion for Discussion for StudentsStudents

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Impact of TechnologyTechnology impacts society, us, often in unforeseen waysTechnology impacts society, us, often in unforeseen ways

Examples:Examples: Candle light allowed us to work during hours of darkness Invention of automobile solved transportation problems

created new ones, e.g. emissions problems, traffic deaths but reduced the number of horse-back accidents

Digital photography eliminated chemical photography, dark rooms

bankrupted a whole industry; e.g. Kodak’s bankruptcy issues

E-mail reduced US Mail volume Laptop computers made it handy to travel with your computer

increased neck- and back pain

Cell phones; made users feel connected, safer Refrigerators allowed foods to last longer

freon impacted the ozone layer

Internet vastly enhanced communication

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Controlling TechnologyMankind, laws, dictatorships, restrictions etc. Mankind, laws, dictatorships, restrictions etc.

cannot really cannot really ““controlcontrol”” inventions, but can inventions, but can influence the speed of deployment, or general influence the speed of deployment, or general acceptanceacceptance Nuclear power P2P networks Gun control

AmishAmish Adopting new technologies affects how people relate Bishops meet twice a year to determine which ones to allow Cars? No! Create more hectic life, causes danger, pollutes Gas barbeque? Yes, brings people closer together Telephone? No, reduces face to face communication

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Focus: Computer Focus: Computer TechnologyTechnology

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History of ComputingManual CalculatorsManual Calculators

10 fingers: limited numeric range, fails to work in cold weather

Abacus, base 5 and 10: works well with small numbers

Mechanical CalculatorsMechanical Calculators Pascal (~1643) adder, invented at age 20! Leibnitz (~1660) four function calculator Burroughs (1890s), thought a few units saturate total market

Charles Babbage (1810) Difference Engine, aborted for AE Babbage’s Analytical Engine (AE) 1835, also never completed

Other Calculating DevicesOther Calculating Devices Bouchon, Falcon, Jacques (~1710-1750) punched cards to program repeated weaving patterns

John Atanasoff (~1939) Iowa state prof. builds first digital computer

Konrad Zuse (~1940) builds first relais-based digital computer with real programming language (Plankalkül)

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History of Computing

Computing InnovationsComputing Innovations Guthrie (~1873) and Edison (~1883) invent vacuum tubes that can be used as switching device

Cash register - Ritty (early 1900s)Prevent embezzlement via itemized receipts and printed logs

Track tax collected Hollerith (~1900) punch card tabulation for census

Presper Eckert and John Mauchly (~1944) build Electronic computer ENIAC

based on Atanasoff’s ideasFinal US patent granted to Atanasoff in 1980s

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History of Computing: UNIVACENIAC was basis for UNIVAC product, commercially not successfulENIAC was basis for UNIVAC product, commercially not successful

Acquired ~1950 by Acquired ~1950 by Remington RandRemington Rand, thus was born the first , thus was born the first commercially successful computer corporationcommercially successful computer corporation

Used to count votes, predict outcome of 1952 presidential electionUsed to count votes, predict outcome of 1952 presidential election Predicted Adlai Stevenson lead over Dwight Eisenhower in polls

before election close UNIVAC accurately predicted (with 7% of the vote counted) that

Eisenhower would win in a landslide Computer programmers of UNIVAC mistrusted their program, modified it

to tilt the results more in favor of Stevenson CBS reported the erroneous result instead of the genuine, original

computation Original prediction was accurate!

Other companies successful at building general-purpose computers: Other companies successful at building general-purpose computers: IBM, CDC, NCR, Honeywell, GE, Ferranti, HP, Digital, Amdahl, IBM, CDC, NCR, Honeywell, GE, Ferranti, HP, Digital, Amdahl, Wang, …Wang, …

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History of ComputingProgramming languages Programming languages

Detail later …

Transistors and integrated circuitsTransistors and integrated circuits Bell Labs (1948) Enabled smaller, more powerful computers With higher reliability, critical due to large number of parts

Integral in development of Minuteman II ballistic missile

MicroprocessorsMicroprocessors Intel 4004 (1969) Eventually allowed computers in everyday devices (cell phones, mp3 players, digital cameras)

Today microprocessors have > 1 Billion transistors

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History of CommunicationsTelegraphTelegraph

Samuel Morse (1830s) Telegraph machine based on electricity to communicate First line between Washington D.C. and Baltimore (1844)

200k miles of wire by 1877 Put Pony Express out of business Most cities developed fire alarm telegraphs

TelephoneTelephone Alexander Graham Bell (1876) Transmission of human voice electronically Eroded? Improved? Social hierarchies

Ordinary citizens calling the governor Telemarketers call you, while you are eating dinner at home

Loss of privacy Operators could eavesdrop on conversations

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History of CommunicationsTypewriter (1873) and teletype (1908)Typewriter (1873) and teletype (1908)

Electronic transmission of typed text

RadioRadio Marconi (1895) Used in 1912 by Titanic to signal distress Orson Welles “War of the Worlds” (Halloween 1938)

Radio play that demonstrated the power of radio to blur lines of reality

Students: was Welles acting ethically?

Television Television Nipkow (1884), Farnsworth (1927) Used to broadcast Armstrong landing on the moon (1969)

Note delay! Just in case! Students, was the delay ethical? Problems with junkies? Influences elections

East coast results influence voting on the west coast

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History of Communications

ARPANETARPANET Precursor to Internet Decentralized, packet-switched data network Led to current Internet and its applications (E-mail, WWW)

Cell phonesCell phones

Other gadgets: Skype, twitter, Facebook …Other gadgets: Skype, twitter, Facebook …

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History of Programming LanguagesSome languages:Some languages:

Binary coding; then asm language; then relocatable asm High-level programming languages, and machine independent programming languages

FORTRAN (~1956) John Backus, IBM Lisp late 1950s BASIC (Beginner’s All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) 1963 Thomas Kurtz and John Kemeny at Darthmouth

Algol-60, committee, report 1960, Backus + Naur Cobol (COmmon Business Oriented Language) with decimal type, created by Capt. Grace Mary Hopper US Navy

APL (A Programming Language) 1950s Kenneth Iverson IBM Algol-W, Jovial, Algol-68, various Jovial dialects PL/I, IBM committee language, 1960, everything except kitchen sink

C, Ada, Modula-2, Prolog, C++, Java, C# More from students …

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History of Information StorageCodexCodex

From scrolls (BC) to durable bound volumes (~200 AD)

Printing pressPrinting press Gutenberg (1436) Vehicle for mass communication and dissemination of information

Martin Luther and the Reformation Instrumental in the publication and dissemination of his theses

Unified German languages into one common language

Hypertext systemsHypertext systems Mennex: Information retrieval where associated documents can easily be linked to others

Led to current WWW hypertext system – Berners-Lee (1990)

Search enginesSearch engines Yahoo, Google, etc.

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Storing DataStoring Data

Bone carvings [20,000 BC]auxiliary storage

Wax Tablets [2000BC]auxiliary storage

Codex [200s]from scrolls to books

The Printing Press [1436+]write once, produce many

Storing, Organizing, Retrieving Data

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Paper Tape [1870s]

Punched Cards [1890s]Herman Hollerith

Magnetic Storage [1920s]For audio

Storing, Organizing, Retrieving Data

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Magnetic Data Tape [1951]~10M on a 2400’ reelSequential access

Hard Disk [1956]Sequential access!

SSD drives[~2005]Random access!

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Storing, Organizing, Retrieving Data

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Acquiring DataAcquiring Data Keyboarding [1920s]

IBM card punch

Optical Character Recognition [1950s]

Speech Recognition [1961]

Barcodes [1974]

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Storing Organizing, Retrieving Data

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Radio-frequency identification (RFID) [1980s]

Video Recognition [1990s]

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Storing Organizing, Retrieving Data

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Discussion for StudentsAre there technologies you wish had never been Are there technologies you wish had never been

adopted?adopted?

Give examples of how new technologies require Give examples of how new technologies require society to create new rulessociety to create new rules

Should ripping a CD of your own legal? Would it be Should ripping a CD of your own legal? Would it be legal to leave the digital copy on an open legal to leave the digital copy on an open network share? Would it be legal to add it to a network share? Would it be legal to add it to a P2P sharing library?P2P sharing library?

Can Amazon sell your personal information to third-Can Amazon sell your personal information to third-party partners? Should they be able to?party partners? Should they be able to?

Who is liable for software failures that cause Who is liable for software failures that cause injury or death?injury or death?

What are limits to workspace monitoring?What are limits to workspace monitoring?

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Extra Discussion

Do you believe we are more connected or less Do you believe we are more connected or less connected with people today? (no brainer connected with people today? (no brainer ) )

Does current level of connectivity render us Does current level of connectivity render us more happy, less satisfied? frustrated? more happy, less satisfied? frustrated? productive?productive?

Should election polls close at the same time Should election polls close at the same time everywhere in the US?everywhere in the US?

Should one be prevented from posting content Should one be prevented from posting content on the Internet that is legal in one on the Internet that is legal in one country, but not in another?country, but not in another?

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In-Class Exercise

List the last three-five consumer electronic List the last three-five consumer electronic devices that someone in your acquaintance devices that someone in your acquaintance purchasedpurchased List benefits to society this has provided To whom? How? List a number of potentially harmful benefits

the device has provided to you How could this be harmful?

List three computer applications that you List three computer applications that you believe have a huge impact on societybelieve have a huge impact on society What benefits have they provided? What harmful side-effects did they cause?