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How Charles Bachman Invented the DBMS, a Foundation of Our Digital World
From Communications of the ACM

How Charles Bachman Invented the DBMS, a Foundation of Our Digital World

His 1963 Integrated Data Store set the template for all subsequent database management systems.

<i>Apple v. Samsung</i> and the Upcoming Design Patent Wars?
From Communications of the ACM

Apple v. Samsung and the Upcoming Design Patent Wars?

Assessing an important recent design patent infringement court decision.

The Lopsided Geography of Wikipedia
From ACM Opinion

The Lopsided Geography of Wikipedia

Think about how often, in the course of a week, you visit Wikipedia.

Basic Income: A Sellout of the American Dream
From ACM Opinion

Basic Income: A Sellout of the American Dream

Matt Krisiloff is in a small, glass-walled conference room off the lobby of Y Combinator’s office in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, shouting distance...

The All-American Iphone
From ACM Opinion

The All-American Iphone

Donald Trump says that if he becomes president, he will "get Apple to start making their computers and their iPhones on our land, not in China." Bernie ­Sanders...

Jobs Threatened By Machines: A Once 'stupid' Concern Gains Respect
From ACM Opinion

Jobs Threatened By Machines: A Once 'stupid' Concern Gains Respect

They replaced horses, didn't they? That's how the late, great economist Wassily Leontief responded 35 years ago to those who argued technology would never really...

American Schools Are Teaching Our Kids How to Code All Wrong
From ACM Opinion

American Schools Are Teaching Our Kids How to Code All Wrong

The US Department of Labor projects that one million jobs in computing will go unfilled by 2020.

Q&A: Finding New Directions in Cryptography
From Communications of the ACM

Q&A: Finding New Directions in Cryptography

Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman on their meeting, their research, and the results that billions use every day.

A Byte Is All We Need
From Communications of the ACM

A Byte Is All We Need

A teenager explores ways to attract girls into the magical world of computer science.

Privacy Is Dead, Long Live Privacy
From Communications of the ACM

Privacy Is Dead, Long Live Privacy

Protecting social norms as confidentiality wanes.

Computer Science Should Stay Young
From Communications of the ACM

Computer Science Should Stay Young

Seeking to improve computer science publication culture while retaining the best aspects of the conference and journal publication processes.

An Interview with Yale Patt
From Communications of the ACM

An Interview with Yale Patt

ACM Fellow Professor Yale Patt reflects on his career in industry and academia.

An Interview with Yale Patt
From Communications of the ACM

An Interview with Yale Patt

ACM Fellow Professor Yale Patt reflects on his career in industry and academia.

How to Produce Innovations
From Communications of the ACM

How to Produce Innovations

Making innovations happen is surprisingly easy, satisfying, and rewarding if you start small and build up.

To Write Better Code, Read Virginia Woolf
From ACM Opinion

To Write Better Code, Read Virginia Woolf

The humanities are kaput. Sorry, liberal arts cap-and-gowners. You blew it. In a software-run world, what's wanted are more engineers.

My 10 Favorite Books: Bill Gates
From ACM Opinion

My 10 Favorite Books: Bill Gates

"Seveneves," Neal Stephenson: This novel about how the human race responds to the end of life on Earth rekindled my love for sci-fi. Some readers will lose patience...

Eske Willerslev Is Rewriting History With Dna
From ACM Opinion

Eske Willerslev Is Rewriting History With Dna

As a boy growing up in Denmark, Eske Willerslev could not wait to leave Gentofte, his suburban hometown. As soon as he was old enough, he would strike out for the...

Should We Synthesise a Human Genome?
From ACM Opinion

Should We Synthesise a Human Genome?

At Harvard today, an invitation-only group of about 150 scientists, lawyers, and entrepreneurs, met to discuss if and how to construct from scratch an entire human...

After Three Weeks in China, It's Clear Beijing Is Silicon Valley's Only True Competitor
From ACM Opinion

After Three Weeks in China, It's Clear Beijing Is Silicon Valley's Only True Competitor

After selling my startup, Shopkick, to SK Planet in 2014, and handing over my CEO role a year later, I packed up my 1- and 3-year-old sons and my wife Angel, and...

How Wooden Toys Teach Kids to Code
From ACM Opinion

How Wooden Toys Teach Kids to Code

Like most parents,  I want my young children to be prepared for the future—one in which knowing how to program a computer will be a basic skill, like clicking "Skip...
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