Fernando J. Corbató was a Professor Emeritus at MIT, renowned for his pioneering work in the development of time-sharing and resource-sharing computer systems. He was instrumental in creating the Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) and Multics, both influential systems that laid the groundwork for modern operating systems. Corbató's contributions have been widely recognized through numerous awards and fellowships, including the Turing Award (1990) and the Computer Pioneer Award (1982). He was a long-time member of the MIT Computation Center and the Laboratory for Computer Science, and held leadership positions within the department. His work significantly impacted the field of computer science and the evolution of computing technology.
The article argues that the perception of C as a “low‑level” language has become outdated.
- **Historical context** – In the early 1970s, C on the PDP‑11 was literally close to the metal: each statement mapped to one or two machine instructions, memory was flat, and the execution model was straightforward.
- **Modern hardware** – Today’s CPUs are far more complex (multi‑core, deep pipelines, out‑of‑order execution, vector units, large caches, speculative execution). They are designed to run legacy C code efficiently, but the underlying reality is far removed from the simple model that early C programmers relied on.
- **The illusion** – Modern processors adapt to preserve the old C abstract machine, giving developers the impression that C is still “low‑level.” This illusion hides a mismatch between what C promises (predictable, simple mapping to hardware) and what the hardware actually does.
- **Historical context** – In the early 1970s, C on the PDP‑11 was literally close to the metal: each statement mapped to one or two machine instructions, memory was flat, and the execution model was straightforward.
- **Modern hardware** – Today’s CPUs are far more complex (multi‑core, deep pipelines, out‑of‑order execution, vector units, large caches, speculative execution). They are designed to run legacy C code efficiently, but the underlying reality is far removed from the simple model that early C programmers relied on.
- **The illusion** – Modern processors adapt to preserve the old C abstract machine, giving developers the impression that C is still “low‑level.” This illusion hides a mismatch between what C promises (predictable, simple mapping to hardware) and what the hardware actually does.
PDF of the second edition of Information Processing Language V Manual (1964).
The Wikipedia article details the Logic Theorist, created in 1956 by Allen Newell, Herbert A. Simon, and Cliff Shaw. Widely considered the first AI program, it successfully proved 38 of the first 52 theorems in Principia Mathematica, even discovering more elegant proofs than those originally crafted by Russell and Whitehead.
MIT's Tech Square has played a significant role in the evolution of computing, hosting key figures and research from time-shared computing to the World Wide Web.
A detailed article about the Ampere WS-1 clamtop computer, released in November 1985. The article discusses the company's history, design, features, and software. It also includes excerpts from magazines such as ASCII, Just Computers, and Australian Personal Computer.
This paper describes the background and history of Multics Emacs, including the previous developments and the climate in which it was created. It also details the design and implementation experience, and important algorithms such as the redisplay algorithm.
This video features an interview with Professor Hal Abelson, a pioneer in computer science education. He reflects on his career, starting from his early work with Logo programming language and its use in education. He emphasizes the importance of computer education for everyone, particularly for children who can use technology to make a real-world impact.
Abelson also discusses the risks associated with artificial intelligence and MIT's decision to make educational materials freely available online, which led to MIT OpenCourseWare. He believes computer scientists should not only focus on technical advancements but also consider the ethical implications of their work, asking "What, in fact, is worth making?". The video also highlights resources like Logo, Scratch, and MIT App Inventor, encouraging viewers to explore these tools.
Abelson also discusses the risks associated with artificial intelligence and MIT's decision to make educational materials freely available online, which led to MIT OpenCourseWare. He believes computer scientists should not only focus on technical advancements but also consider the ethical implications of their work, asking "What, in fact, is worth making?". The video also highlights resources like Logo, Scratch, and MIT App Inventor, encouraging viewers to explore these tools.
The PiDP-10 is a modern reproduction of the PDP-10, powered by a Raspberry Pi and featuring a front panel with tons of LEDs and switches. It's designed for those who want to experience the computing power of the 1960s, but with a modern twist.
This paper explores the history of ELIZA, the world's first chatbot, and how it was actually intended as a platform for research into human-machine interaction and interpretation, not as a chatbot.
