Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
May 2015
From ACM Opinion
Concerns of an Artificial Intelligence Pioneer
In January, the British-American computer scientist Stuart Russell drafted and became the first signatory of an open letter calling for researchers to look beyond the goal of merely making artificial intelligence more powerful…
From ACM Opinion
40 Busy Years Later, a Microsoft Founder Considers His Creation
Looking at Microsoft’s sprawling product line and 118,000 or so employees, it’s easy to forget that the company started with one modest product made by two ambitious people.
From ACM Opinion
Quantum Computers Will Make Your Laptop Look Like an Abacus
The race to make the first quantum computer is becoming as important as the race 75 years ago to get the first nuke. It could change the balance of power in politics and business.
From ACM Opinion
The Hidden Politics of Video Games
Imagine that video games had been invented in the Middle Ages.
From ACM News
Brace Yourself: Microsoft Wants to Guess How Old You Are
Like a distant relative who makes you feel bad at the annual holiday get together, Microsoft has created a website that analyzes a photo of a person's face and guesses in seconds how old the subject is.
From Communications of the ACM
Life of IP
Seeking to balance intellectual property protection with incentives for investment in innovation.
From Communications of the ACM
Oracle v. Google: A High-Stakes Legal Fight For the Software Industry
Copyrighting APIs threatens significant harm to both consumers and the software industry.
From Communications of the ACM
What Are We Doing When We Teach Computing in Schools?
Research on the cognitive, educational, and policy dimensions of teaching computing is critical to achieving "computer literacy."
From Communications of the ACM
Teach Foundational Language Principles
Industry is ready and waiting for more graduates educated in the principles of programming languages.
From Communications of the ACM
Managing Your Digital Life
Everyone should be able to manage their personal data with a personal information management system.