Computer Science: A Historical Perspective and a Current Assessment

We begin with a brief review of the early years of Computer Science. This period was dominated by large, remote computers and the struggle to master the complex problems of programming. The remedy was found in programming languages providing suitable abstractions and programming models. Outstanding was the language Algol 60, designed by an international committee, and intended as a publication language for algorithms. The early period ends with the advent of the microcomputer in the mid 1970s, bringing computing into homes and schools. The outstanding computer was the Alto, the first personal computer with substantial computing power. It changed the world of computing.