Nathan L. Ensmenger

Covers the transition of computing from its early origins and division between largely male scientists/engineers building the machines and mostly female "coders"/programmers through a process of masculinization and professionalization, as well as the creation of academic "computer science" and its fight for legitimacy as an independent field rather than merely a subset or melange of mathematics, electrical engineering, business, or other existing fields with which it overlaps.

I found the discussion of the divide between industry and academia in defining what computing encompassed, and the different approaches to professionalization of computing careers to be particularly interesting (and somewhat amusing), with industry complaining about the uselessness of computer science graduates and academics distancing themselves from engagement with physical computing machinery in pursuit of scholarly legitimacy. That divide is particularly interesting given my position as a systems adminstrator at a college with a very strong computer science program that is still working out the balance between preparing graduates for industry and academia.… (altro)