Computing Before Computers (1990) • Hacker News Board

Re: Computing Before Computers (1990)

#11

Post by jonjacky » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 4:08 PM UTC

mr_overalls wrote: post #4

I've recently been thinking about the various paper-based technologies (not strictly computational) that were used in offices and libraries to store, organize, retrieve, display, and send information before widespread computer usage. E.g., encyclopedias, paper archives, Rolodexes, card catalogs, pneumatic tubes, mechanical calculators, etc. Can anyone recommend a book or resource on non-computational, paper/mechanica…

Computer: A History of the Information Machine by Martin Campbell-Kelly et al. has some interesting chapters on pre-computer data processing in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Re: Computing Before Computers (1990)

#12

Post by jefurii » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 4:21 PM UTC

mr_overalls wrote: post #4

I've recently been thinking about the various paper-based technologies (not strictly computational) that were used in offices and libraries to store, organize, retrieve, display, and send information before widespread computer usage. E.g., encyclopedias, paper archives, Rolodexes, card catalogs, pneumatic tubes, mechanical calculators, etc. Can anyone recommend a book or resource on non-computational, paper/mechanica…

Look for library science textboks from before ~1996. We used Organizing Knowledge, 2nd ed., by Jennifer Rowley for my intro to LIS back in the day. I wish I could remember the name of the text for my reference class. Ask any reference librarian, they'll be glad to hook you up.

Libraries are huge machines, consisting of paper and humans and furniture and architecture, for accumulating and processing knowledge and making it available. The reference section is the TTY of the library.

Re: Computing Before Computers (1990)

#13

Post by techbio » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 4:29 PM UTC

mr_overalls wrote: post #4

I've recently been thinking about the various paper-based technologies (not strictly computational) that were used in offices and libraries to store, organize, retrieve, display, and send information before widespread computer usage. E.g., encyclopedias, paper archives, Rolodexes, card catalogs, pneumatic tubes, mechanical calculators, etc. Can anyone recommend a book or resource on non-computational, paper/mechanica…

"Word By Word" by Kory Stamper, an editor of the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, includes a section and conveys a culture around coordinating a team of definition writers from paper citations using intra-office mail/notes and a physical archive.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30781490-word-by-word

Re: Computing Before Computers (1990)

#14

Post by dang » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 8:19 PM UTC

messe wrote: post #3

Well, this feels bizarre, I'd just started planning out a series of blog posts with that exact title when this pops up on HN's front page. Guess I'll go back to consuming rather than creating for now as I dive right into this book over the weekend. Maybe I'll write a review of this instead.

Please submit it if you do!

Also, in case it's relevant: rather than covering a list of topics in one go, it's better to focus on one topic at time, starting with the most interesting, and go deep rather than broad. Lists, unfortunately, don't lead to interesting online discussions since attention is diluted across a bunch of disparate things. That's probably why the current submission, despite the general theme being fascinating, didn't do better.