I suspect many computer scientists, like me, like to believe that, on the whole, computing benefits humanity. Thus, it is disturbing to realize computing is also making a major contribution to military technology.
The 2015 Grace Hopper celebration of women in computing is expected to bring together more than 12,000 — mostly female — computer scientists! But this impressive number should not be taken to mean all is well on the gender-diversity front. Far from it!
In 1992, Yuri Gurevich wrote, "It is amazing, however, how different computer science is, especially theoretical computer science, in Europe and the U.S." How did such a sharp division arise between TCS in North America and Europe?
When Wendell Phillips (an American abolitionist and reformer) told a Boston audience in 1852 that "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," he did not anticipate the advent of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). WSNs are a new technology that will help us be vigilant. Wireless networks and sensors are not new. However, deploying very large […]
Security experts have long been saying that secure systems, and especially security standards, need to be designed through an open process, allowing review by anyone. Unfortunately, even openly designed standards sometimes result in flawed cryptographic systems. A recent example is the IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standard, in which several serious cryptographic failures were found (see […]
Gerard J. Holzmann's article "Mars Code" (Feb. 2014) demonstrated a nonblocking implementation of concurrent double-ended queues to not work through an application of Holzmann's own Spin model checker. However, the demonstration seemed too shallow.
This article describes the sometimes fraught relationship between K–12 computer science teachers and university computer science faculty. It decribes how CSTA has navigated this divide and attempted to bring hamony to this often troubled union.
Peter J. Denning's "The Science in Computer Science" (May 2013) explored the ongoing dispute over scientific boundaries within computer science. However, the boundaries separating the sciences, and knowledge in general, have never been clear and definite.
Former FCC Chairman William Kennard recently characterized the Internet network neutrality debate as nothing but a battle between the "extremely wealthy" and the "merely rich," suggesting it was a distraction from truly important telecom-related issues. Kennard misses the point. The outcome of this controversy will affect everybody who comes into contact with the Internet, and […]
"Another reason to ditch ACM," thundered an ACM member in a social-media posting during recent debate over the Research Works Act, introduced by Congress in 2011. While deep concerns with the bill were widespread, the nasty tone of the posting was surprising to me.
Communications of the ACM (CACM) is now a fully Open Access publication.
By opening CACM to the world, we hope to increase engagement among the broader computer science community and encourage non-members to discover the rich resources ACM has to offer.
