Computing Applications
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The structure of microcomputer file systems
With an understanding of the structure of microcomputer file systems and what causes incompatibilities between them, it is possible to write software that will enable one system to read files written by another—provided they have physically compatible hardware.
Andrew: a distributed personal computing environment
The Information Technology Center (ITC), a collaborative effort between IBM and Carnegie-Mellon University, is in the process of creating Andrew, a prototype computing and communication system for universities. This article traces the origins of Andrew, discusses its goals and strategies, and gives an overview of the current status of its implementation and usage.
How not to lie with statistics: the correct way to summarize benchmark results
Using the arithmetic mean to summarize normalized benchmark results leads to mistaken conclusions that can be avoided by using the preferred method: the geometric mean.
An empirical study of the impact of user involvement on system usage and information satisfaction
"User involvement" in information system development is generally considered an important mechanism for improving system quality and ensuring successful system implementation. The common assumption that user involvement leads to system usage and/or information satisfaction is examined in a survey of 200 production managers. Alternative models exploring the causal ordering of the three variables are developed and tested via path analysis. The results demonstrate that user involvement in the development of information systems will enhance both system usage and the user's satisfaction with the system. Further, the study provides evidence that the user's satisfaction with the system will lead to greater system usage.
The relationship between benchmark tests and microcomputer price
A highly accurate model predicts microcomputer price based on benchmark performance by analyzing the impact on predicted price of fluctuations in system configuration and benchmark results.
A model curriculum for a liberal arts degree in computer science
This report proposes developing a rigorous undergraduate curriculum for a B.A.-degree program in computer science. The curriculum is intended as a model not only for high-quality undergraduate colleges and universities, but also for larger universities with strong computer science programs in a liberal arts setting.
A comment on “a fast parallel algorithm for thinning digital patterns”
A fast parallel thinning algorithm for digital patterns is presented. This algorithm is an improved version of the algorithms introduced by Zhang and Suen [5] and Stefanelli and Rosenfeld [3]. An experiment using an Apple II and an Epson printer was conducted. The results show that the improved algorithm overcomes some of the disadvantages found in [5] by preserving necessary and essential structures for certain patterns which should not be deleted and maintains very fast speed, from about 1.5 to 2.3 times faster than the four-step and two-step methods described in [3] although the resulting skeletons look basically the same.
Program style analysis: a natural by-product of program compilation
Analyzing program style may be properly considered an integral part of program compilation—as successfully implemented in two style-analysis tools for Fortran 77: AUTOMARK and ASSESS. The authors look forward to the day when all major language compilers routinely provide a standard style-analysis vector for users to interpret as they see fit.
A note on the Berry-Meekings style metric
A modification of the Berry-Meekings "style metric"—applied to software from the corporate environment—finds little relationship between this style metric and error proneness.
Organizational power and the information services department: a reexamination
In a recent application of the theory of strategic contingencies in three large multinational firms, Lucas found that information services departments were perceived by others as having low levels of power and influence and suggested a variety of reasons for the results. This note continues the application of the theory of strategic contingencies to the information services department by describing a study of intraorganizational power that uses basically the same procedures as the Lucas study and obtains similar results. In an effort to stimulate future power-related research in the information systems area, this note concludes by suggesting several reasons, beyond those given by Lucas, for the levels of power attributed to information services departments.
Complexity and parallel processing: an interview with Richard Karp
In the following interview, which took place at ACM 85 in Denver, Karp discusses the relation of his work to leading-edge computing topics like parallel processing and artificial intelligence. Tracing his experience as a pioneer in highly theoretical computer science, Karp describes how the decision to go against established wisdom led to the work for which he is best known and how a colleague's findings led him to see links between two previously unrelated areas. Throughout, he stresses the exchange of ideas with colleagues that helped yield fundamental insights.
The advantages of user-defined distfix operators—a syntactic convenience that enhances the readability of programs—can be obtained as an extension of almost any programming language without requiring dynamic changes to the parser.
Combinatorics, complexity, and randomness
The 1985 Turing Award winner presents his perspective on the development of the field that has come to be called theoretical computer science.
Shape the Future of Computing
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