IEEE Annals of the History of Computing

The evolution of the meanings of the term 'time-sharing' is discussed. It is pointed out that there have been two major uses of the term corresponding to two major periods of the history, with two different spellings (with or without the hyphen): before 1960, time sharing described a method of implementing multiprogramming: after 1960, time-sharing described a technique by which interactive comput... View full abstract»

A chronology of computer activity at MIT is presented. Reminiscences by John McCarthy on the history of time sharing are given. Excerpts from Man-Computer Interfaces by J.C.R. Licklider are included. Consideration is also given to a study group report, written by Herbert Teager, which recommended the acquisition of an IBM 7030 (Stretch), although Teager recognized that he was unable to obtain all ... View full abstract»

Excerpts are presented from a 1962 paper by Fernando Corbato, M. Merwin-Daggett, and R.C. Daley. The selection from the paper, which reported work completed in late 1961, is reprinted from Proc. Spring Joint Computer Conf., vol.21, 1962. In this system, the time-sharing occurs among four users, three of whom are online each at a typewriter in a foreground system, and a fourth passive user of the b... View full abstract»