Maszyny Matematyczne, women, and computing: The birth of computers in the Polish communist era.

The history of computing usually focuses on achievements in Western universities and research centers and is mostly about what happened in the United States and Great Britain. However, in Eastern Europe, particularly in war-torn Poland, where there was very little state funding, many highly original...

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Publicado en:History of Science Vol. 61; no. 3; pp. 409 - 436
Autor principal: Petrocelli, Carla
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Sep2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Maszyny Matematyczne, women, and computing: The birth of computers in the Polish communist era.
      aug:
        au: Petrocelli, Carla
        affil: Dipartimento di Ricerca e Innovazione Umanistica, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Italy
      su:
        College curriculum
        Women in war
        Computer programming
        Computer engineering
        Computer science
        World War II
        Poland
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          Poland
          College curriculum
          Women in war
          Computer programming
          Computer engineering
          Computer science
          World War II
      keyword:
        History of computer science
        history of programming languages
        Polish People's Republic
        social history
        women in computer science
      ab: The history of computing usually focuses on achievements in Western universities and research centers and is mostly about what happened in the United States and Great Britain. However, in Eastern Europe, particularly in war-torn Poland, where there was very little state funding, many highly original hardware and software projects were initiated. The small number of publications available to us, especially those in English, led to the belief that technological progress was the result of research carried out in Western countries alone. This article aims to fill this knowledge gap by focusing on the numerous research projects initiated in Polish universities and computer industries that unfortunately turned into dead ends as the result of socialist policies. These are references that cannot be ignored, not only for a historical reconstruction of the evolution of technology but also with regard to the social effects recorded in Poland immediately after the Second World War. The communist ideology, which pursued gender equality policies after the end of the war, encouraged women to pursue education, enabling the many female students enrolled in mathematics degree courses to specialize in " Maszyny Matematyczne " (mathematical machines) and become, like men, experts in computer programming and design. As well as highlighting the role that Poland played in the nascent "computer science" and providing detailed information on what women contributed, this article will explain why the success of the Polish computer industry was limited due to the nonexistent coordination between the communist states (Comecon).
      pubtype: Academic Journal
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      src: R
    language: English
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