3.4. History of computer
software
Report on the history of the software.
Different kinds of computing software.
3.4. History of computer software.
1. Lead-in activity: The exhibition, Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing, was organized by museum professionals called curators.
CHM curators are scholars who have studied computer history and who used their research to make choices about the computers, events,
and stories that they thought were most important for visitors to know about. They also thought about how those innovations would be
displayed in the Museum. They had to make choices about which computers they would include and which they would leave out, as well
as how to organize everything, what to write on the labels, and what to include in all the movies and photographs.
2. Watch this video about History of Computer and work in small groups and discuss these questions:
Where would you have started the history if they had curated the exhibition? Do you agree that the abacus, quipu, and the Antikythera mechanism are
precursors to modern computers? What about the Babbage Engine and Herman Hollerith’s tabulator? Discuss the reasoning behind your answers.
Some people consider the history of computing to have started before than these, with humans’ earliest uses of symbols to communicate, approximately
5000 years ago. Is this when the revolution really started?
What computer technologies do you think should have been included in the exhibition? Did the Museum leave anything out? Did they include something that
you think should not have been there? Why would you recommend these changes?
Where is history headed? What is the future of technology and how could it be incorporated into the exhibition? What innovations do you want to invent,
and why?
Where would you have started the story if you had created Revolution?
3. Role play: Work in groups and Curate an exhibition.
Visit the website Computer History Museum - Timeline of Computer History
Choose a theme for an exhibition - this is the story that the exhibition will tell. You may also want to choose a name for the exhibition.
Select 5 to 10 objects that are important for the story. You can use images from Revolution Online, or you may want to add drawings or photographs of