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CS 305Social, Ethical, and Legal

Implications of Computing

Chapter 1History of Computing

Herbert G. Mayer, PSU CSHerbert G. Mayer, PSU CSstatus 6/20/2011status 6/20/2011

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

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

Examples:Examples: Candle light allows us to work during hours of darkness Digital photography eliminates chemical photography, dark rooms E-mail reduced snail mail volumes Laptop computers increased neck- and back pain Cell phones makes users feel safer Automobile solved transportation problems

created new ones (emissions, traffic jams)

Refrigerators allowed foods to last longer freon impacts the ozone layer

Internet vastly enhanced communication enabled outsourcing of programming jobs overseas

Other examples from students: …Other examples from students: …

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Controlling Technology

Mankind, laws, restrictions etc. cannot really “control” Mankind, laws, restrictions etc. cannot really “control” invention, but can control deploymentinvention, but can control deployment 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 TechnologyFocus: Computer Technology

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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-ish numbers

Mechanical CalculatorsMechanical Calculators Pascal (~1643) adder, invented at age 20! Leibnitz (~1660) four function calculator Burroughs (1890s), thought a few units saturate 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 (~1937) Iowa state prof. builds first digital computer Konrad Zuse (~1940) builds first relais-based digital computer with

programming language (Plankalkül)

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History of Computing

Computing InnovationsComputing Innovations Guthrie (~1873) and Edison (~1883) vacuum tubes as

switching device Cash register - Ritty (early 1900s)

Prevent embezzlement via itemized receipts and printed logsTrack tax collected

Hollerith (~1900) punch card tabulation for census Presper Eckert and John Mauchly (~1944) build Electronic

computer ENIAC, based on Atanasoff’s ideas

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History of Computing: UNIVAC

ENIAC was basis for UNIVAC, was commercially not successfulENIAC was basis for UNIVAC, was commercially not successful

Acquired ~1950 by Remington Rand, thus started the first commercially Acquired ~1950 by Remington Rand, thus started the first commercially successful computer corporationsuccessful 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 original Original prediction was accurate!

Other companies successful at building general-purpose computers: IBM, Other companies successful at building general-purpose computers: IBM, CDC, NCR, Honeywell, GE, Ferranti, HP, Digital, Ahmdahl, Wang, …CDC, NCR, Honeywell, GE, Ferranti, HP, Digital, Ahmdahl, 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 the development of the Minuteman II ballistic missile

MicroprocessorsMicroprocessors Intel 4004 (1969) Eventually allowed computers in everyday devices (cell

phones, mp3 players, digital cameras) Today having > 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 social hierarchies

Ordinary citizens calling the governor Telemarketers!

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 Was Welles acting ethically?

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

Note delay! Just in case Problems with junkies? Influences elections

East cost 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; Assembly language; Relocatable assembler 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,

Capt. Grace Mary Hopper US Navy APL (A Programming Language) 1950s Kenneth Iverson IBM Algol-W, Jovial, Algol-68 IBM, committee IBM, 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 1 common language

Hypertext systemsHypertext systems Vannevar Bush (1945) Mennex: Information retrieval where associated documents easily

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

Search enginesSearch engines Yahoo, Google, etc.

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Storing DataStoring Data

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 Hollarith

Magnetic Storage [1920s]For audio

Storing, Organizing, Retrieving Data

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

Hard Disk [1956]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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DiscussionAre there technologies you wish had never been adopted?Are there technologies you wish had never been adopted?

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

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

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

Who is liable for software failures that cause injury or death?Who is liable for software failures that cause 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?connected with people today?

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

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In-Class Exercise

List the last three-five consumer electronic devices List the last three-five consumer electronic devices that someone in your acquaintance purchasedthat someone in your acquaintance purchased List a number of benefits to society this has provided to

you and others List a number of potentially harmful benefits the device

has “provided” to you

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