The Computer Boys Take Over: Computers, Programmers, and the Politics of Technical Expertise (History of Computing)

This is a book about the computer revolution of the mid-20th century and the people who made it possible. Unlike most histories of computing, it is not a book about machines, inventors, or entrepreneurs. Instead, it tells the story of the vast but largely anonymous legions of computer specialists—programmers, systems analysts, and other software developers—who transformed the electronic computer from a scientific curiosity into the defining technology of the modern era. Known alternatively as "whiz kids," "hackers," and "gurus," this new breed of technical specialists were alternately admired for their technical prowess and despised for their eccentric mannerisms and the disruptive potential of the technologies they developed. As the systems that they built became evermore powerful and ubiquitous, these specialists became the focus of a series of critiques of the social and organizational impact of electronic computing. To many of their contemporaries, it seemed the "computer boys" were taking over, not just in the corporate setting, but also in government, politics, and society in general. In __The Computer Boys Take Over__, Nathan Ensmenger traces the rise to power of the computer expert in modern American society. He follows the history of computer programming from its origins as low-status, largely feminized labor in the secret wartime computing projects through its reinvention as a glamorous "black art" practiced by "computer cowboys" in the 1950s through its rationalization in the 1960s as the academic discipline of computer science and the software engineering profession. His rich and nuanced portrayal of the men and women (a surprising number of the "computer boys" were, in fact, female) who built their careers around the novel technology of electronic computing explores issues of power, identity, and expertise that have only become more significant to our increasingly computerized society. His detailed analysis of the pervasive "software crisis" rhetoric of the late 1960s shows how seemingly technical debates about how to manage large-scale software development projects reflected deeper concerns about the growing power and influence of technical specialists in corporate, academic, and governmental organizations. In his recasting of the drama of the computer revolution through the eyes of its principle revolutionaries, Ensmenger reminds us that the computerization of modern society was not an inevitable process driven by impersonal technological or economic imperatives, but was rather a creative, contentious, and above all, fundamentally human development. This Book Provides The Most Holistic Approach To The History Of The Development Of Programming And Computer Systems So Far Written. By Embedding This History In A Sociological And Political Context, Ensmenger Has Added Hugely To Our Understanding Of How The World Of Computing And Its Work Practices Came To Be. Martin Campbell-kelly, Professor Of Computer Science, Warwick University. The Computer Boys Take Over Shows How Computer Programmers Struggled For Professional Legitimacy And Organizational Recognition From The Early Days Of Eniac Through The $300 Billion Y2k Crisis. Ensmenger's Descriptions Of ̀computer Science' And ̀software Engineering, ' As Well As His Portraits Of Maurice Wilkes, Alan Turing, John Backus, Edsger Dijkstra, Fred Brooks, And Other Pioneers, Give A Compelling Introduction To The Field. Thomas J. Misa, Director Of The Charles Babbage Institute, University Of Minnesota. The Computer Boys Take Over Rewrites The History Of Computing By Recounting The Development Of Software In Terms Of Labor, Gender, And Professionalization. Ensmenger Meets The Long-standing Challenge To Reform Computer History By Employing Themes Of Vital Interest To The General History Of Science And Technology. Ronald Kline, Bovay Professor In History And Ethics Of Engineering, Cornell University. Like All Great Social And Technological Developments, The Computer Revolution Of The Twentieth Century Didn't Just Happen. People-not Impersonal Processes-made It Happen. In The Computer Boys Take Over, Nathan Ensmenger Describes The Emergence Of The Technical Specialists-computer Programmers, Systems Analysts, And Data Processing Managers-who Helped Transform The Electronic Digital Computer From A Scientific Curiosity Into The Most Powerful And Ubiquitous Technology Of The Modern Era. They Did So Not As Inventors From The Traditional Mold, But As The Developers Of The Software (broadly Defined To Include Programs, Procedures, And Practices) That Integrated The Novel Technology Of Electronic Computing Into Existing Social, Political, And Technological Networks. As Mediators Between The Technical System (the Computer) And Its Social Environment (existing Structures And Practices), These Specialists Became A Focus For Opposition To The Use Of New Information Technologies. To Many Of Their Contemporaries, It Seemed The Computer Boys Were Taking Over, Not Just In The Corporate Setting, But Also In Government, Politics, And Society In General. Ensmenger Follows The Rise Of The Computer Boys As They Struggled To Establish A Role For Themselves Within Traditional Organizational, Professional, And Academic Hierarchies. He Describes The Tensions That Emerged Between The Craft-centered Practices Of Vocational Programmers, The Increasingly Theoretical Agenda Of Academic Computer Science, And The Desire Of Corporate Managers To Control And Routinize The Process Of Software Development. In Doing So, He Provides A Human Perspective On What Is Too Often Treated As A Purely Technological Phenomenon. --book Jacket. Introduction: Computer Revolutionaries -- The Black Art Of Programming -- Chess Players, Music Lovers, And Mathematicians -- Tower Of Babel -- The Rise Of Computer Science -- The Cosa Nostra Of The Data Processing Industry -- The Professionalization Of Programming -- Engineering A Solution -- Conclusion: Visible Technicians. Nathan Ensmenger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The contentious history of the computer programmers who developed the software that made the computer revolution possible. This is a book about the computer revolution of the mid-twentieth century and the people who made it possible. Unlike most histories of computing, it is not a book about machines, inventors, or entrepreneurs. Instead, it tells the story of the vast but largely anonymous legions of computer specialists—programmers, systems analysts, and other software developers—who transformed the electronic computer from a scientific curiosity into the defining technology of the modern era. As the systems that they built became increasingly powerful and ubiquitous, these specialists became the focus of a series of critiques of the social and organizational impact of electronic computing. To many of their contemporaries, it seemed the “computer boys” were taking over, not just in the corporate setting, but also in government, politics, and society in general. In The Computer Boys Take Over , Nathan Ensmenger traces the rise to power of the computer expert in modern American society. His rich and nuanced portrayal of the men and women (a surprising number of the “computer boys” were, in fact, female) who built their careers around the novel technology of electronic computing explores issues of power, identity, and expertise that have only become more significant in our increasingly computerized society. In his recasting of the drama of the computer revolution through the eyes of its principle revolutionaries, Ensmenger reminds us that the computerization of modern society was not an inevitable process driven by impersonal technological or economic imperatives, but was rather a creative, contentious, and above all, fundamentally human development.

This is a book about the computer revolution of the mid-twentieth century and the people who made it possible. Unlike most histories of computing, it is not a book about machines,inventors, or entrepreneurs. Instead, it tells the story of the vast but largely anonymous legions of computer specialists—programmers, systems analysts, and other software developers—who transformed the electronic computer from a scientific curiosity into the defining technology of the modern era. As the systems that they built became increasingly powerful and ubiquitous, these specialists became the focus of a series of critiques of the social and organizational impact of electronic computing. To many of their contemporaries, it seemed the "computer boys" were taking over, not just in the corporate setting, but also in government, politics, and society in general. In The Computer Boys Take Over, Nathan Ensmenger traces the rise to power of the computer expert in modern American society. His rich and nuanced portrayal of the men and women (a surprising number of the "computer boys" were, in fact, female) who built their careers around the novel technology of electronic computing explores issues of power,identity, and expertise that have only become more significant in our increasingly computerized society.

In his recasting of the drama of the computer revolution through the eyes of its principle revolutionaries, Ensmenger reminds us that the computerization of modern society was not an inevitable process driven by impersonal technological or economic imperatives, but was rather a creative, contentious, and above all, fundamentally human development.

This is a book about the computer revolution of the mid-twentieth century and the people who made it possible. Unlike most histories of computing, it is not a book about machines, inventors, or entrepreneurs. Instead, the book tells the story of the vast but largely anonymous legions of computer specialists—programmers, systems analysts, and other software developers—who transformed the electronic computer from a scientific curiosity into the defining technology of the modern era. As the systems that they built became increasingly powerful and ubiquitous, these specialists became the focus of a series of critiques of the social and organizational impact of electronic computing. To many of their contemporaries, it seemed the “computer boys” were taking over, not just in the corporate setting, but also in government, politics, and society in general. This book traces the rise to power of the computer expert in modern American society. Its portrayal of the men and women (a surprising number of the “computer boys” were, in fact, female) who built their careers around the novel technology of electronic computing explores issues of power, identity and expertise that have only become more significant in our increasingly computerized society. In a recasting of the drama of the computer revolution through the eyes of its principle revolutionaries, the book reminds us that the computerization of modern society was not an inevitable process driven by impersonal technological or economic imperatives, but was rather a creative, contentious, and above all, fundamentally human development "The Computer Boys Take Over shows how computer programmers struggled for professional legitimacy and organizational recognition from the early days of ENIAC through the $300 billion Y2K crisis. Ensmenger's descriptions ofá computer science' andá software engineering,' as well as his portraits of Maurice Wilkes, Alan Turing, John Backus, Edsger Dijkstra, Fred Brooks, and other pioneers, give a compelling introduction to the field." Thomas J. Misa, Director of the Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota