General Literature
This article, written in Italian language, explores the contribution given by Bayes' rule and by subjective probability in the work at Bletchley Park towards cracking Enigma cyphered messages during WWII. -- In questo articolo, scritto in…
In this survey, we explore Andrei Nikolayevich Kolmogorov's seminal work in just one of his many facets: its influence Computer Science especially his viewpoint of what herein we call 'Algorithmic Theory of Informatics.' Can a computer file…
People usually regard algorithms as more abstract than the programs that implement them. The natural way to formalize this idea is that algorithms are equivalence classes of programs with respect to a suitable equivalence relation. We argue…
Research software has become a central asset in academic research. It optimizes existing and enables new research methods, implements and embeds research knowledge, and constitutes an essential research product in itself. Research software…
More than hundred years ago the 'classic physics' was it in its full power, with just a few unexplained phenomena; which however led to a revolution and the development of the 'modern physics'. Today the computing is in a similar position:…
The Oprema (Optikrechenmaschine = computer for optical calculations) was a relay computer whose development was initiated by Herbert Kortum and which was designed and built by a team under the leadership of Wilhelm Kaemmerer at Carl Zeiss…
The number of research papers written has been growing at least linearly -- if not exponentially -- in recent years. In proportion, the amount of time a reader allocates per paper has been decreasing. While an accessible paper will be…
These reminiscences are about the "dark ages" of algorithmic information theory in the USSR. After a great interest in this topic in 1960s and the beginning of 1970s the number of people working in this area in the USSR decreased…
Many of the computing systems programmed using Machine Learning are opaque: it is difficult to know why they do what they do or how they work. The Explainable Artificial Intelligence research program aims to develop analytic techniques with…
Over the last two decades, the majority of German universities adopted various characteristics of the prevailing North-American academic system, resulting in significant changes in several key areas that include, e.g., both teaching and…
The history of computing in Mexico can not be thought without the name of Prof. Harold V. McIntosh (1929-2015). For almost 50 years, in Mexico he contributed to the development of computer science with wide international recognition.…
Rankings are a fact of life. Whether or not one likes them, they exist and are influential. Within academia, and in computer science in particular, rankings not only capture our attention but also widely influence people who have a limited…
Scientific code is not production software. Scientific code participates in the evaluation of a scientific hypothesis. This imposes specific constraints on the code that are often overlooked in practice. We articulate, with a small example,…
The last decade witnessed a renewed interest in the development of the Italian computer industry and in the role of the Fifties pioneers in Rome, Milan, Ivrea, and Pisa. The aim of the paper is to retrace some steps of the CEP project,…
Personal reflections are given on being students of Helmut J\"urgensen. Then, we attempt to address his hypothesis that informatics follows trend-like behaviours through the use of a content analysis of university job advertisements, and…
Metrics can be used by businesses to make more objective decisions based on data. Software startups in particular are characterized by the uncertain or even chaotic nature of the contexts in which they operate. Using data in the form of…
It is possible to rely on current corporate law to grant legal personhood to Artificially Intelligent (AI) agents. In this paper, after introducing pathways to AI personhood, we analyze consequences of such AI empowerment on human dignity,…
We argue that the boldest claims of Big Data are in need of revision and toning-down, in view of a few basic lessons learned from the science of complex systems. We point out that, once the most extravagant claims of Big Data are properly…
The article presents the main milestones of the science and technology biography of Ivan Edward Sutherland. The influence of the family and the school on the development of its research competencies is shown, and little-known biographical…
Data Science is currently a popular field of science attracting expertise from very diverse backgrounds. Current learning practices need to acknowledge this and adapt to it. This paper summarises some experiences relating to such learning…