The Computer Revolution in Canada
The Computer Revolution in Canada

Author: John N. Vardalas

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2001-07-27

Total Pages: 421

ISBN-13: 0262264986

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The forces that shaped Canada's digital innovations in the postwar period. After World War II, other major industrialized nations responded to the technological and industrial hegemony of the United States by developing their own design and manufacturing competence in digital electronic technology. In this book John Vardalas describes the quest for such competence in Canada, exploring the significant contributions of the civilian sector but emphasizing the role of the Canadian military in shaping radical technological change. As he shows, Canada's determination to be an active participant in research and development work on advanced weapons systems, and in the testing of those weapons systems, was a cornerstone of Canadian technological development during the years 1945-1980. Vardalas presents case studies of such firms as Ferranti-Canada, Sperry Gyroscope of Canada, and Control Data of Canada. In contrast to the standard nationalist interpretation of Canadian subsidiaries of transnational corporations as passive agents, he shows them to have been remarkably innovative and explains how their aggressive programs to develop all-Canadian digital R&D and manufacturing capacities influenced technological development in the United States and in Great Britain. While underlining the unprecedented role of the military in the creation of peacetime scientific and technical skills, Vardalas also examines the role of government and university research programs, including Canada's first computerized systems for mail sorting and airline reservations. Overall, he presents a nuanced account of how national economic, political, and corporate forces influenced the content, extent, and direction of digital innovation in Canada.

The Computer Revolution in Canada
The Computer Revolution in Canada

Author: John N. Vardalas

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2001-07-27

Total Pages: 438

ISBN-13: 9780262264983

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The forces that shaped Canada's digital innovations in the postwar period. After World War II, other major industrialized nations responded to the technological and industrial hegemony of the United States by developing their own design and manufacturing competence in digital electronic technology. In this book John Vardalas describes the quest for such competence in Canada, exploring the significant contributions of the civilian sector but emphasizing the role of the Canadian military in shaping radical technological change. As he shows, Canada's determination to be an active participant in research and development work on advanced weapons systems, and in the testing of those weapons systems, was a cornerstone of Canadian technological development during the years 1945-1980. Vardalas presents case studies of such firms as Ferranti-Canada, Sperry Gyroscope of Canada, and Control Data of Canada. In contrast to the standard nationalist interpretation of Canadian subsidiaries of transnational corporations as passive agents, he shows them to have been remarkably innovative and explains how their aggressive programs to develop all-Canadian digital R&D and manufacturing capacities influenced technological development in the United States and in Great Britain. While underlining the unprecedented role of the military in the creation of peacetime scientific and technical skills, Vardalas also examines the role of government and university research programs, including Canada's first computerized systems for mail sorting and airline reservations. Overall, he presents a nuanced account of how national economic, political, and corporate forces influenced the content, extent, and direction of digital innovation in Canada.

Datapoint: The Lost Story of the Texans Who Invented the Personal Computer Revolution
Datapoint: The Lost Story of the Texans Who Invented the Personal Computer Revolution

Author: Lamont Wood

Publisher: Hugo House Publishers, Ltd.

Published: 2013-09-17

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 1936449366

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Forget Apple and IBM. For that matter forget Silicon Valley. The first personal computer, a self-contained unit with its own programmable processor, display, keyboard, internal memory, telephone interface, and mass storage of data was born in San Antonio TX. US Patent number 224,415 was filed November 27, 1970 for a machine that is the direct lineal ancestor to the PC as we know it today. The story begins in 1968, when two Texans, Phil Ray and Gus Roche, founded a firm called Computer Terminal Corporation. As the name implies their first product was a Datapoint 3300 computer terminal replacement for a mechanical Teletype. However, they knew all the while that the 3300 was only a way to get started, and it was cover for what their real intentions were - to create a programmable mass-produced desktop computer. They brought in Jack Frassanito, Vic Poor, Jonathan Schmidt, Harry Pyle and a team of designers, engineers and programmers to create the Datapoint 2200. In an attempt to reduce the size and power requirement of the computer it became apparent that the 2200 processor could be printed on a silicon chip. Datapoint approached Intel who rejected the concept as a "dumb idea" but were willing to try for a development contract. Intel belatedly came back with their chip but by then the Datapoint 2200 was already in production. Intel added the chip to its catalog designating it the 8008. A later upgrade, the 8080 formed the heart of the Altair and IMSI in the mid-seventies. With further development it was used in the first IBM PC-the PC revolution's chip dynasty. If you're using a PC, you're using a modernized Datapoint 2000.

Inventing the PC
Inventing the PC

Author: Zbigniew Stachniak

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2011-05-10

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0773581472

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Inventing the PC details the invention and design of the MCM/70 computer and the prolonged struggle to bring it to market. Zbigniew Stachniak offers an insider's view of events on the front lines of pioneering work on personal computers. He shows what information and options PC pioneers had, how well they understood what they were doing, and how that understanding - or lack thereof - shaped both their engineering ingenuity and the indecisiveness and over-reaching ambition that would ultimately turn a very promising venture into a missed opportunity. Providing comprehensive historical background and rich photographic documentation, Inventing the PC tells the story of a Canadian company on the cutting-edge of the information age.

Funding a Revolution
Funding a Revolution

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1999-02-11

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 0309062780

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The past 50 years have witnessed a revolution in computing and related communications technologies. The contributions of industry and university researchers to this revolution are manifest; less widely recognized is the major role the federal government played in launching the computing revolution and sustaining its momentum. Funding a Revolution examines the history of computing since World War II to elucidate the federal government's role in funding computing research, supporting the education of computer scientists and engineers, and equipping university research labs. It reviews the economic rationale for government support of research, characterizes federal support for computing research, and summarizes key historical advances in which government-sponsored research played an important role. Funding a Revolution contains a series of case studies in relational databases, the Internet, theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality that demonstrate the complex interactions among government, universities, and industry that have driven the field. It offers a series of lessons that identify factors contributing to the success of the nation's computing enterprise and the government's role within it.

Silent Partners
Silent Partners

Author: Alex Souchen

Publisher: UBC Press

Published: 2023-09-15

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 0774868988

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Silent Partners reveals that Canada’s military-industrial complex is deeply embedded in the fabric of the country. During the Cold War, Canada’s military, industrial, and political partnerships developed behind the scenes and without much public scrutiny. This book explores this history of leveraging military and defence expenditures to fund domestic industries, bolster employment, and support science and technology. It also considers the environmental impacts, ethical issues, and economic and political relationships between the Canadian military, government, private industry, and research institutions. Silent Partners is an illuminating examination of Canada’s military-industrial complex from a historical perspective.

Telecom Nation
Telecom Nation

Author: Laurence B. Mussio

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2001-04-27

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 0773569146

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Laurence Mussio examines how federal and provincial public policy tried to keep pace with the diffusion of telecommunications, consumer demand, and a rising tide of technological innovation. Telecommunications regulation struggled to maintain a balance between producer and consumer in an increasingly complex field and policy makers were compelled to defend the national interest in international telecommunications arrangements or by making far-reaching decisions about transcontinental microwave systems and satellites. By the late 1960s national policy makers had embraced the arrival of the computer - especially once it began to be wired into Canada's communications infrastructure. Telecom Nation explores the impact of the computer on government policy and the first attempts to build a "national computer utility" - the beginnings of the Internet - twenty-five years before it became a reality. Based primarily on the rich and largely untapped sources at the National Archives of Canada, Cabinet records, provincial archives, and private sector repositories, Telecom Nation provides an essential background to contemporary public policy issues by examining how governments reconciled technological change, private enterprise, consumer demand, and the public good in communications. It will be required reading for students and specialists interested in telecommunications, public policy, and technological change.

Canada's Regional Innovation System
Canada's Regional Innovation System

Author: Jorge Niosi

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2005-01-12

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 0773572430

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While aerospace and aircraft form two poles in Montreal and Toronto, Ottawa is Canada's centre for semiconductor and telecommunication innovation. Niosi explores how these regional configurations are shaped by national and provincial public policy incentives.

The Canadian Space Program
The Canadian Space Program

Author: Andrew B. Godefroy

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-05-03

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 331940105X

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Canada’s space efforts from its origins towards the end of the Second World War through to its participation in the ISS today are revealed in full in this complete and carefully researched history. Employing recently declassified archives and many never previously used sources, author Andrew B. Godefroy explains the history of the program through its policy and many fascinating projects. He assesses its effectiveness as a major partner in both US and international space programs, examines its current national priorities and capabilities, and outlines the country’s plans for the future. Despite being the third nation to launch a satellite into space after the Soviet Union and the United States; being a major partner in the US space shuttle program with the iconic Canadarm; being an international leader in the development of space robotics; and acting as one of the five major partners in the ISS, the Canadian Space Program remains one of the least well-known national efforts of the space age. This book attempts to shed a clearer light on the progress made by the CSA thus far, with more ambitious goals ahead. Technical information, diagrams, glossaries, a chronology, and extensive notes on sources are also included in this volume.

Communities of Computing
Communities of Computing

Author: Thomas J. Misa

Publisher: Morgan & Claypool

Published: 2016-11-10

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 1970001852

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Communities of Computing is the first book-length history of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), founded in 1947 and with a membership today of 100,000 worldwide. It profiles ACM's notable SIGs, active chapters, and individual members, setting ACM's history into a rich social and political context. The book's 12 core chapters are organized into three thematic sections. "Defining the Discipline" examines the 1960s and 1970s when the field of computer science was taking form at the National Science Foundation, Stanford University, and through ACM's notable efforts in education and curriculum standards. "Broadening the Profession" looks outward into the wider society as ACM engaged with social and political issues - and as members struggled with balancing a focus on scientific issues and awareness of the wider world. Chapters examine the social turbulence surrounding the Vietnam War, debates about the women's movement, efforts for computing and community education, and international issues including professionalization and the Cold War. "Expanding Research Frontiers" profiles three areas of research activity where ACM members and ACM itself shaped notable advances in computing, including computer graphics, computer security, and hypertext. Featuring insightful profiles of notable ACM leaders, such as Edmund Berkeley, George Forsythe, Jean Sammet, Peter Denning, and Kelly Gotlieb, and honest assessments of controversial episodes, the volume deals with compelling and complex issues involving ACM and computing. It is not a narrow organizational history of ACM committees and SIGS, although much information about them is given. All chapters are original works of research. Many chapters draw on archival records of ACM's headquarters, ACM SIGs, and ACM leaders. This volume makes a permanent contribution to documenting the history of ACM and understanding its central role in the history of computing.