The evolution of interactive computing through time-sharing and networking
Judy E. O'Neill · 1992
The purpose of this dissertation was to trace the development of interactive computing from the middle 1950s through the early 1970s. It begins with an examination of the military computer projects, Whirlwind and SAGE, and contrasts the interactive approach with the batch processing method of computer use. It then shows how the people exposed this new type of interactive computer use developed time-sharing, particularly at MIT and through the establishment of the Information Processing Techniques Office of the Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The dissertation describes the development of the wide-area packet-switching computer networking, specifically the ARPANET, and how it emerged from both the technological limits of time-sharing as well as the increased awareness of the benefits and possibilities of sharing. The role of the Department of Defense in the development of this technology and the importance of these developments to human communication are also examined.