• Rodney Brooks: For the advancement of robotics and consideration of its implications for humanity. 
• Thomas E. Kurtz: For the co-invention of the BASIC programming language, which brought the power of computers to beginners around the world, and the Dartmouth Timesharing System.
• Barbara Liskov: For practical and theoretical contributions to programming language and system design that continue to shape modern computing. 

The CHM Fellow Awards honor distinguished technology pioneers—unsung heroes and legends—for their outstanding merit and significant contributions to the advancement of computing and the evolution of the digital age. This year’s Fellow Awards gala, presented by headline sponsor Accenture, will take place on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at CHM

“Congratulations to the 2023 Fellow Award honorees for their outstanding achievements in advancing technology and building a better world,” says Accenture Group Chief Executive, Technology and Chief Technology Officer Paul Daugherty. “At Accenture, we celebrate the promise of technology combined with human ingenuity—which is why we are especially proud to support the Computer History Museum Fellow Awards and congratulate this year’s honorees.” 

This prestigious program is supported with collecting, education, research, and media efforts that reflect the seminal work of each Fellow honoree and preserve their stories for future generations. Fellows are selected annually through a public nomination process and honored at an exclusive gala ceremony. Selections are made by a panel of historians, researchers, industry leaders, CHM staff, and past Fellows. 

“CHM is delighted to welcome our new Fellows,” said President and CEO Dan’l Lewin. “Their achievements demonstrate not only how computing innovations can be used to extend the benefits of technology to children but also how crucial it is to consider the implications of these powerful tools for humanity.” 

Over its three-decade history, the Fellow Awards have demonstrated the diverse ways people have contributed to computing. Previous winners include Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, NASA mathematician and “hidden figure” Katherine Johnson, creator of Java James Gosling, software pioneer Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, semiconductor pioneer Gordon Moore, and World Wide Web creator Tim Berners Lee. 

For more information about the 2023 Fellow Awards and the history of the program, please visit the Museum’s website. 

### 

About CHM  

The Computer History Museum’s (CHM) mission is to decode technology—the computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to build a better world. 

Press contact: Carina Sweet, csweet@computerhistory.org, 650.810.1059 

The post Computer History Museum Names New Fellows to Honor Lifetime Achievements in Computing appeared first on CHM.

At CHM on May 22, 2023, Metcalfe and other networking pioneers will discuss the creation and development of Ethernet. A special live recording of The Vergecast podcast will follow, focusing on contemporary network issues from net neutrality to closing the digital divide. Learn more about the Ethernet@50 event here. 

On May 22, 1973, Metcalfe, a young researcher at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) sent a memo outlining his concept for connecting the research center’s personal computers. He called it Ethernet and developed the technology with colleague David Boggs. Fifty years later, Ethernet connects us all to each other and to the global internet. 

“It’s hard to overstate the impact of Bob Metcalfe’s invention,” says CHM curator Marc Weber. “Almost everything you do online goes through Ethernet at some stage.”  

Metcalfe was named a CHM Fellow in 2008 for fundamental contributions to the invention, standardization, and commercialization of Ethernet. 

This event is made possible by the generous support of Arista Networks and the Ethernet Alliance. 

What: Ethernet@50: Multiplying Connections and Impact
When: Monday, May 22, 6:30 p.m.
Where: CHM, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, Ca., and live online.  

Watch Online Here 
 

About the Turing Award and Bob Metcalfe
The annual A.M. Turing Award, given by the Association for Computing Machinery, is known as the highest distinction in computer science. Learn more here. 

About CHM    

The Computer History Museum’s mission is to decode technology—the computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to shape a better future.   

CHM press contact:  
Carina Sweet 
csweet@computerhistory.org 
650.810.1059   

The post CHM Welcomes Turing Award Winner Bob Metcalfe for a Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Ethernet appeared first on CHM.

A respected tech news website operated by Vox Media, The Verge’s mission “to examine how technology will change life in the future for a massive mainstream audience” complements CHM’s mission to decode technology for everyone—its computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity.

The two organizations will first take a closer look at Apple’s Lisa computer, whose innovative graphical user interface changed the way people relate to computers. As part of its Art of Code program, the Computer History Museum publicly released the source code of the Lisa. And on January 31 at 7 p.m. PT, the Museum is holding a live in-person and virtual event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Lisa. The event will include insider stories of the Lisa’s development, expert commentary on lessons learned, a demonstration of a working computer, and more. The Verge will offer a feature article, a new documentary about the Lisa, and more.

Later this year, CHM will work with The Verge to explore the past and future of networking and the internet on the 50th anniversary of ethernet and the Xerox Alto: the computer that pioneered the modern graphical user interface.

Visit our website to learn more.  

About CHM 

The Computer History Museum’s mission is to decode technology—the computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to shape a better future. 

CHM press contact:

Carina Sweet
csweet@computerhistory.org
650.810.1059

The post CHM is Partnering with The Verge to Look at Critical Innovations in Technology History appeared first on CHM.

The Apple Lisa shipped with a suite of applications including a word processor, spreadsheet, and charts—bundled with the system—which discouraged third party developers from writing their own software for it. The Lisa’s GUI was inspired by elements from Xerox PARC’s Smalltalk system, but also included new innovations that were validated by user testing. The Lisa sold for $9,995, two years after Xerox had released a commercial GUI-based workstation – the Star – for $16,595, which was similarly targeted towards office workers. The high price of both machines compared to the IBM PC, a command-line based PC released two years earlier and that retailed for $1,565, resulted in their eventual demise.  

Following Lisa’s launch in 1983, the Lisa 2 series was announced in January 1984 alongside the Apple Macintosh (known today as “Mac”). The Macintosh competed with Lisa and ultimately became the favored computer for its lower price and open software ecosystem. Other GUI-based operating systems like Windows were released after the Lisa and the Macintosh and were heavily influenced by both.  

Hansen Hsu, Curator of the Software History Center at the Computer History Museum, said, “The release of the Apple Lisa was a key turning point for the history of personal computers. Without the Lisa, today’s computers might not use mouse-driven GUIs, and perhaps the Macintosh, and even Microsoft Windows, might not exist either. We’re thrilled to publicly release the source code for the Apple Lisa—for the first time—and thank Apple, Inc. for their permission and support that led to this release.” 

For download options and more information about the release of this historic source code, please visit the blog post here and or download the source code here. For more information on the Art of Code series please visit the site here.  

About CHM Software Source Code 

The Computer History Museum has the world’s most diverse archive of software and related material. The stories of software’s origins and impact on the world provide inspiration and lessons for the future to global audiences—including young coders and entrepreneurs. The Museum has released other historic source code such as APPLE II DOS, IBM APL, Apple MacPaint and QuickDraw, and Adobe Photoshop. Visit our website to learn more.   

About CHM   

The Computer History Museum’s mission is to decode technology—the computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to shape a better future.  

CHM press contact: 
Carina Sweet
csweet@computerhistory.org
650.810.1059 

The post CHM Makes Apple Lisa Source Code Available to the Public as a Part of Its Art of Code Series appeared first on CHM.

Launched in 1984, PostScript was Adobe’s first product, and it became an essential ingredient in the desktop publishing industry, accelerating computing’s transformation of printing and driving Adobe’s growth as a renowned software company. Led by Adobe cofounder John Warnock, Adobe assembled a team of programmers to create this new programming language for high-quality printing, allowing text and images to be scaled, rotated, and moved to the users’ liking. 

PostScript technology led to the creation of the flagship digital document format, PDF, in the 1990s, and is the worldwide standard printers rely on to this day. Further fueling much of its momentum, PostScript contributed to the development of digital typefaces and the fonts that comprise them.   

David C. Brock, director of curatorial affairs at the Computer History Museum, said, “The story of PostScript has many different facets. It is a story about profound changes in human literacy as well as a story of trade secrets within source code. It is a story about the importance of teams, and of geometry. And it is a story of the motivations and educations of engineer-entrepreneurs. The Computer History Museum is excited to publicly release, for the first time, the source code for the breakthrough printing technology, PostScript. We thank Adobe, Inc., for their permission and support, and John Warnock for championing this release.” 

For information about the release of this historic source code, please visit the blog post here. The code can be downloaded here. 

About CHM Software Source Code 

The Computer History Museum has the world’s most diverse archive of software and related material. The stories of software’s origins and impact on the world provide inspiration and lessons for the future to global audiences—including young coders and entrepreneurs. The Museum has released other historic source code such as APPLE II DOS, IBM APL, Apple MacPaint and QuickDraw, and Adobe Photoshop. Visit our website to learn more.  

About CHM   

The Computer History Museum’s mission is to decode technology—its computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to shape a better future. 

CHM press contact:
Carina Sweet
csweet@computerhistory.org
650.810.1059 

The post Computer History Museum Makes Adobe PostScript’s Source Code Available to the Public as a Part of Its Art of Code Series appeared first on CHM.

Using drones, VR goggles and hacker tools, experience visitors complete tasks and earn rewards as they learn how technology is used in two virtual worlds – environmental conservation and automation. Enjoyable for the whole family, the experience invites players to discover the unique ways technology is being used to solve problems, learn about the way we live and make the world a better place for humans and animals alike, whether identifying zebras in a herd, protecting trees in the rainforest, or making a playground more accessible.  

The virtual TechQuest space includes an exhibit hall featuring artifacts from CHM’s collection and content revealing connections between historic stepping stones from computing history to today’s technologies, encouraging visitors to take action and see themselves as the builders, makers and innovators of tomorrow. In the Automation World – composed of a park, playground, candy factory, school and home – players can explore 3D printing in school and create an accessible playground, while in the Conservation World – composed of the African Savannah, Amazon Rainforest, farmland and ocean – they can set up heat sensors to identify animals in the rainforest and pilot robotic bee drones to help pollinate plants.    

Dan’l Lewin, President & CEO, Computer History Museum, said, “At CHM, we make technology accessible and relevant for people of all ages. TechQuest, our educational experience on the Roblox platform, pilots a new approach to engaging learners around the world. By exploring connections to computing history and applying technology in real-world settings, visitors will experience how technology can serve humanity.” 

Josh Neuman, President of MELON, said “Educational games on Roblox is a priority for us at MELON. We’re focused on creating exciting experiences where players are learning and having fun while exploring expansive, high-fidelity worlds.” 

Aimed at revealing how present-day tech is connected to computing history, TechQuest offers a fun way for students and educators to connect with CHM’s content and learn about computer history past, present and future on a popular immersive platform with a global audience. Initial support for the experience creation was provided by Chris and Irma Fralic, KLA Foundation and the Severns Family Foundation.  

The Computer History Museum game, TechQuest, on Roblox can be found here starting today at 2 p.m. PT.  

About CHM   

The Computer History Museum’s (CHM) mission is to decode technology–the computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to build a better world.

About MELON 

Founded in 2017, MELON is a powerhouse development studio for the metaverse. They are creating original game properties and building some of the most innovative experiences across sports, music, film/TV, fashion and brands on the Roblox platform and beyond. MELON’s partnerships with major music labels and consumer product IP have gathered and engaged hundreds of millions of visits around the world. 

The post CHM Teaches Students How Tech Can Solve Real-World Challenges Via Interactive Roblox Experience appeared first on CHM.

• Adele Goldberg: For the promotion and codevelopment of the Smalltalk programming environment and for contributions that advanced the use of computers in education. 
• Dan Ingalls: For the creation and codevelopment of the Smalltalk language and programming environment. 
• Don Bitzer: For pioneering online education and communities with PLATO and coinventing the plasma display.  
• Leonard Kleinrock: For his pioneering work on the mathematical theory of computer networks and roles in the ARPANET and in expanding the internet. 

The CHM Fellow Awards Program honors distinguished technology pioneers—unsung heroes and legends—for their outstanding merit and significant contributions to the advancement of computing and the evolution of the digital age. This year’s Fellow Awards gala, presented by headline sponsor Accenture, will take place on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at CHM.  

“At Accenture, we’ve seen what happens when the promise of technology meets human ingenuity, and the Computer History Museum exemplifies this with their focus on decoding technology —its computing past, digital present, and future impact on us all,” says Accenture’s Group Chief Executive, Technology and Chief Technology Officer Paul Daugherty. “The CHM Fellow Awards pay tribute to the amazing pioneers of this journey. Accenture is proud to support the 2022 awards, and we congratulate this year’s honorees.” 

This prestigious program is supported with collecting, education, research, and media efforts that reflect the seminal work of each Fellow Honoree and preserve their stories for future generations. Fellows are selected annually through a public nomination process and honored at an exclusive gala ceremony. Selections are made by a panel of historians, researchers, industry leaders, CHM staff and past Fellows. 

“At CHM, we’re committed to decoding technology and its impact on humanity,” said Dan’l Lewin, CHM’s CEO. “This remarkable Fellows class has made profound impact across the computing world, from programming to computer networks to online education. By shining a light on their impressive achievements, we can gain key insights while also sparking conversations on the importance of technology for the future of humanity.” 

Over its three-decade history, the Fellows awards represent the diverse ways people have contributed to computing. Previous winners include Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, NASA mathematician and “hidden figure” Katherine Johnson, creator of Java James Gosling, software pioneer Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, semiconductor pioneer Gordon Moore, and world wide web creator Tim Berners Lee. 

“We are proud to honor this outstanding class of Fellows, who are all pioneers in their respective fields,” said Ike Nassi, CHM Fellow Selection Committee Chair and longtime board member. “We’re excited to celebrate this distinguished group of individuals and their innovative work which continues to positively impact our lives to this day.” 

For more information about the 2022 Fellow Awards and the history of the program, please visit the Museum’s website. 

About CHM  

The Computer History Museum’s (CHM) mission is to decode technology–the computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to build a better world. 

Press contact: Carina Sweet, csweet@computerhistory.org, 650.810.1059 

The post CHM Honors Tech Industry Pioneers for Lifetime Achievements and Contributions to Humanity appeared first on CHM.

The event will bring together luminaries across the art, digital media and tech worlds to honor Lillian’s career, which has been distinguished by her creativity and innovation, courage and perseverance.  

WHO: 
Honoree 

• Lillian F. Schwartz, 2021 CHM Fellow Award Honoree 

Speakers/Presenters  

• Refik Anadol, Media Artist in the Aesthetics of Machine Intelligence  
• Andy Cunningham, Cohost, Founder of Zero1: The Art & Technology Network 
• Paul Daugherty, Group Chief Executive Technology & CTO, Accenture 
• Barbara London, Leading Curator and Expert of Video & Media Art    
• Dan’l Lewin, President & Chief Executive Officer, CHM 
• Zabet Patterson, Professor of Contemporary Art & Computational Media 
• Ken Thompson, Computer Science Pioneer and Cocreator of Unix 

WHAT: 

Lillian Schwartz will be presented with the 2021 CHM Fellow Award for her lifetime of contributions to art and computing.  

Schwartz made her debut on the New York art scene in 1968 with the appearance of her multimedia, interactive sculpture, “Proxima Centauri”, in the now famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) exhibition, “The Machine as Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age.”   

Shortly after, she began a decades-long residency at Bell Labs, the renowned research and development center. During her prolific career, Schwartz created a series of art films incorporating the emergent technology of computer animation, and often scored with fresh developments in computer music.  

Her work has been exhibited by MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney, and many other museums, and her archive is now preserved at The Henry Ford.  

As one of the CHM Fellow Award honorees for 2021, she joins other visionaries such as NASA mathematician and “hidden figure” Katherine Johnson, World Wide Web creator Tim Berners Lee, and software pioneer Rear Admiral Grace Hopper.  

At the event, attendees will have the opportunity to:  

• Learn about the dynamic interplay between computing and art in the work of Schwartz and artists today.  
• See selections from her groundbreaking computer art films depicting human experiences from sports to the nature of change.  
• Hear tributes from technology and art experts.  
• Meet a contemporary artist using cutting-edge machine learning to explore what it means to be human in the age of AI.    

The CHM Fellow Awards Program honors distinguished technology pioneers—unsung heroes and legends—for their outstanding merits and significant contributions to the advancement of computing and the evolution of the digital age. The program is supported with collecting, education, research, and media efforts that reflect the seminal work of each Fellow and preserves their stories for future generations. Fellows are selected annually through a public nomination process.  

CHM is celebrating the 2021 Fellows in a yearlong four-part series of thought-provoking virtual events and engaging digital content that explores the story and impact of each honoree and the present and future of tech for humanity. 

This year’s Fellow Awards is presented by headline sponsor Accenture. 

WHEN: 
Thursday, December 9, 2021 
5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. PT 
 

AGENDA: 

5 p.m. PT – Fellow Award Program with hosts Dan’l Lewin and Andy Cunningham  

• Tributes by computer art experts, including Zabet Patterson, professor of contemporary art and computational media and Barbara London, leading curator and expert of video and media art.    
• New video stories highlighting Schwartz’s creative contributions to technology and art as well as her courage and persistence to overcome her outsider status because of her class, gender, ethnicity, religion, and disability.  
• Selections from Schwartz’s groundbreaking computer art films, through a gracious loan from The Henry Ford.  
• Perspectives and examples of technology and art by media artist in the aesthetics of machine intelligence Refik Anadol.  

5:50 p.m. PT – Fellow Award Presentation  

• Award presentation by Ken Thompson, Schwartz’s Bell Labs colleague and legendary programmer and cocreator of Unix, C, Plan 9, and Go.   

6 p.m. PT 

• Award acceptance video from Schwartz.  
• Audience participation. 
• Closing remarks by Dan’l Lewin, and a selection from Schwartz’s film, “Metamorphosis.”  

WHERE: 
This event will be held online in CHM’s virtual venue. Please RSVP to gain access. 

About CHM 

The Computer History Museum’s (CHM) mission is to decode technology–the computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to build a better world.

The post CHM Honors Computer Art Pioneer Lillian F. Schwartz With Prestigious Fellow Award appeared first on CHM.