IEEE Annals of the History of Computing

Fernando Corbató is best known for his work developing time-sharing operating systems. Early in his career, Corbató had a key role in the development of both the Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) and Multics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1960s. In 1990, Corbató received the Turing Award "for his pioneering work in organizing the concepts and leading the development of the... View full abstract»

This article presents a brief history of how computing started and evolved in Mexico. From the first computer installed in 1958 to the present day, the authors analyze the role computer science has played in Mexico, looking at its limitations, opportunities, academic programs, government, and related industries as the motor of computer science development. They describe how research has gone from ... View full abstract»

This article analyzes the process of development of a scientific community of computer experts at the University of Costa Rica (UCR), emphasizing the historical interactions among scientists, students, and institutions, while showing the main debates and features of a specific technological project. The analysis centers on the period from UCR's acquisition of Matilde, the first mainframe for numer... View full abstract»

At the end of 1960, Argentina began to incorporate its first computers and develop computing research projects and training programs. This early period overlapped with an renovation movement, and the most notable efforts to appropriate the new technology were initiated at the universities. Led by mathematician Manuel Sadosky, the most relevant contribution came from the Calculus Institute (Institu... View full abstract»

Internet development in Brazil was essentially as a sociotechnical construction, the result of a set of regulatory and governmental acts, academic initiatives, strategic investments of the government and its agents, market actions of telecommunication companies, and efforts of the third sector. This article begins with an historical account of computer networks, starting from their roots in the Un... View full abstract»

Since its demise in 1990, the technological-industrial policy for manufacturing computers in Brazil during the 1970s and 1980s has generally been regarded as a capital sin. People see the policy as having emerged from a spurious alliance between leftist and nationalist academics, bureaucrats, and the military and believe it provided nothing other than business opportunities for shrewd entrepreneur... View full abstract»

Although Mexico has a common border with the United States, on account of its enduring inequities in distribution of wealth and often rickety economy, Mexico's technological advances have been a step behind. Nevertheless, Mexico has had quite a few interesting high-end technology locations that helped stimulate the acquisition and spread of computing knowledge. This article briefly describes how M... View full abstract»