Integrating the history of systems software in the computing curriculum

ABSTRACT

The study of the history of computing system software has begun to receive some attention lately. Areas involving operating systems and programming languages have recently attained greater scholarly awareness and have developed into new areas of research. The scope of system software is rather broad and can lead to detailed studies in very specialized areas.The separation between system software and application software was not precise in the early days of computing. As educators and scholars, we should be careful not to examine that early history only through our current point of view. Time allows us to observe such events with different perspectives. Successes and failures in the systems area require balance. Indeed, it is important to consider failures because they may have contributed many ideas and concepts to software development even though companies did not incorporate them in their final products. The study of early system software also requires that we look at the practices of the businesses as well as the technology at that time and the dynamic forces that determined the outcome of a product.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.2 HISTORY OF COMPUTING
      Subjects: Software

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.2 HISTORY OF COMPUTING
      Subjects: Systems

General Terms:
Human Factors

Keywords:
computing curriculum, history of computing, systems software