Computers in Swedish Society Documenting Early Use and Trends

• Main Author: Lundin, Per
• Format: eBook Book
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer Verlag London Limited 2012; Springer; Springer London, Limited; Springer London
• Edition: 1. Aufl.
• Series: History of Computing
• Subjects: Computer Science; Computer science > Sweden > History; Computers; Computers > Social aspects > Sweden > History; Computers and Society; Economic history; Ekonomisk historia; Electronic data processing; Historical Method; Historical Sources; Historieämnen; Historisk-filosofiska ämnen; History; History - 1945; History and philosophy subjects; History of Computing; History of Science and Technology; History subjects; HUMANIORA och RELIGIONSVETENSKAP; HUMANITIES and RELIGION; Information Technology; Oral History; Social aspects; Sweden; Grundlagen; Computer Einsteiger
• ISBN: 1447129326; 9781447129325; 1447158571; 9781447158578; 1447129334; 9781447129332
• ISSN: 2190-6831; 2190-684X
• DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4471-2933-2

This book reviews the shift in the historiography of computing from inventors and innovations to a user-perspective, and examines how the relevant sources can be created, collected, preserved, and disseminated. The text describes and evaluates a project in Sweden that documented the stories of around 700 people. The book also provides a critical discussion on the interpretation of oral evidence, presenting three case studies on how this evidence can inform us about the interaction of computing with large-scale transformations in economies, cultures, and societies. Features: describes a historiography aimed at addressing the question of how computing shaped and transformed Swedish society between 1950 and 1980; presents a user-centered perspective on the history of computing, after explaining the benefits of such an approach; examines the documentation of users, describing novel and innovative documentation methods; discusses the pros and cons of collaborative projects between academia and industry.