SSD projects > History of computing

History of Computer Science

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The history of science is inseparable from human knowledge. It is well known that the development of science is impossible without learning the history of this science. Special attention should be paid to the History of Computer Science. During the several past decades, various branches of Computer Science and Information Technologies were developing at an unprecedented rate. Obviously, they have had a very strong influence on the society. Unfortunately, in Russia no research in the field of the History of Computing has been undertaken until the recent years. Beginning from the end of 1990's, fundamental investigations of the History of Cybernetics and Computer Science have been carried out in our Department. The results of this work were presented in several monographs published in 1998-2004:

  • "Essays on the History of Computer Science in Russia. (1998),
  • "Aleksey Andreevich Lyapunov" (2001),
  • "Kolmogorov and Cybernetics" (2001),
  • "Leonid Vital'evich Kantorovich: a Man and a Scientist. Volume 1" (2002),
  • "History of Computer Science in Russia: the Scientists and their Schools" (2003),
  • "Leonid Vital'evich Kantorovich: a Man and a Scientist. Volume 2" (2004).
Professor Sergey Demidov, the well-known historian of science, reviewing the "Essays" in the Journal "Problems of the History of Science and Technology" (2000, No.3), wrote: "On the one hand - this is an historical work, the first attempt to write the history of Russian investigations of one of the most important fields of contemporary knowledge . On the other hand - it is a human document filled with the breath of history". And, further, Demidov wrote: " The book under review is able to become a starting point for establishing in Novosibirsk of a Center for collection and investigation of materials on the History of Cybernetics (or Computer Science) in our country".
As a matter of fact, such a Center already exists, and one of its important parts is
"Virtual Archives on the History of Cybernetics and Computer Science":
We created this site in cooperation with the Novosibirsk State University. Now, the investigations on the History of Computer Science in our Department are going forward. The work appears to be quite promising in the context of the development in our country of this extremely important scientific and technological field. At the same time, our research work is a valuable contribution to the cause of conservation of cultural and scientific heritage.

Head of the project: Professor Ya. Fet