My Young Day: The Evolution of Computer Science

In my young day, it was not really possible to do a degree in computer science. It wasn't until about two years after I had actually enrolled for chemistry that computer science degrees became available. This was around the mid-1960s, so I wasn't quite part of the first generation of computer scientists from the 1940s. Instead, I was in the early second generation of computer scientists.

I started out with a background in chemistry, and it was during this time that early computers were being used extensively in physics and chemistry for calculations on molecules and other scientific tasks. This is how I got into computing, and it's an experience that helped shape my passion for the field.

The transition from using computers as a useful tool to becoming completely consumed by them happened relatively easily in the early days. The reality of working with early computers was much different from what we have today. In those days, you had to be aware of every detail, similar to driving an early automobile - there wasn't an automatic gearbox to rely on. You needed to understand how to change gears, and this principle is similarly relevant in the context of early computing.

I was fortunate enough to end up doing my quantum chemistry in a mathematics department that showed a nascent interest in computers. Many people who worked with me came from the physical sciences, which delighted them when they could do their calculations on the computer. Some also came from mathematical logic and electronics engineering backgrounds, which complemented their work well.

Even though the early days were more about discovery, arts-based individuals played an important role. English language and linguistic specialists contributed an idea - that computer languages are similar to simplified natural languages. This helped many who had been educated in English to understand the syntax of programming languages easily.

Fast-forwarding a bit, when I started working with computers, they weren't commodities yet; they cost millions and were housed in air-conditioned basements. There was a sort of priesthood involved, and it's only in recent years that computing has become accessible for everyone, with decent computers available for less than 50 quid.

The impact on the profession of computer science has been significant. The shift from commodities to accessibility has made many tasks more desirable but also more challenging. While working in this field can be rewarding, especially considering there are still cutting-edge projects like making tablets run smoothly and developing software for apps, it's equally true that this ease of access has led to the profession becoming a target at social gatherings.

This reality highlights the difficulty inherent in being a computer scientist - whether you're dealing with nuclear explosions or MRI machines, professionals in this field have had their expertise diminished by widespread availability.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin my young day it was not really possible to do a degree in computer science about two years after i'd actually enrolled for chemistry computer science degrees did become available but you know you're talking in mid-60s so i wasn't quite in the first generation of computer scientists in the 40s but i was in the early second generation something like that i started out with chemistry and even at that stage i mean we are talking 1967-68 they early computers were being used a lot in physics and in chemistry for doing calculations on molecules and stuff like that that's how i got into computing yeah how do you make that jump from just using this as a useful tool to becoming this all-consuming uh passion well i think this was something that could happen easily in the early days less so now we're used nowadays to having macintoshes and windows with everything provided for us and layers of software in the early days you were right near the bare metal getting these things to run fast enough close to the hardware so you had to be aware a bit like driving an early automobile in the early days you couldn't rely on an automatic gearbox you had to know how to change gear it was the same with the early computers and got more mesmerized in terms of keeping the things working and not crashing and how all that happened that's how it began i was fortunate enough to end up doing my quantum chemistry in a mathematics department which had if you like an embryonic interest in computers a lot of people like me came from the physical sciences and really you know quite delighted and been able to do their calculations on the computer some of them as i've also indicated came from um mathematical logic and that sort of thing and they work quite well with electronics engineers doing ands and ores and stuff like this but even in those very early days arts based people were very very influential what were they bringing they were bringing in the case of um english language and linguistic specialist the idea of the fact that computer languages are like simplified versions of natural languages you know just as you you were well maybe you weren't made to pass english sentences into nouns adjectives and verbs but i certainly was and they just fell naturally for this so yeah languages like fortran java c they have a syntax and anybody who's been brought up in an english language environment just relates to that straight away does that still happen today that people from music and languages and the arts are drawn to computers or is it more separated now i think it is still the case although i'm talking about my own experience many years ago now i found the easiest people from the arts faculty to teach were musicians and english language specialists musicians because they're used to notation and you get a lot of that in computer science used to reading it interpreting it and so on and like i said the english people because they were absolutely at home when i said what you've written in the algal language looks sensible but it isn't legal it isn't syntactic draw a chart and tell me why it isn't they could just do that standing on their head is computer science now like it was then what has changed massively is that when i started computers were not a commodity yeah they absolutely were not they cost millions they were in air-conditioned basements and there was a sort of priesthood that had to tend to the things what has made our lives as computer scientists very rich and wonderful but also massively difficult is that they've become a commodity my colleagues in chemistry do not have to worry that your average amateur is going to be able to want to conflict a nuclear explosion yeah nor do physicists have to start worrying about magnetic resonance imaging parameters one of those machines cost tens of millions but in computing you can get a decent computer for 50 quid now and so in a way it's wonderful because what the underlying things are still there and there are still leading-edge things to be done on getting tablets to work making them fast enough making sure they don't drain the batteries doing the software for the apps all of that but it's all targeted in the end very largely towards making these things desirable commodities and the problem with that is that once you've got into that situation you become a target at parties at a cocktail party you should never be a medic a lawyer or a computer scientist because you'll be backed into a corner and it's either my leg hurts what's wrong or my neighbor is doing this how do i sue him or in my case it's listen have you got windows seven now i'm on release three now i pressed it you know you've just got to smile and enjoy it and you also got to be prepared to admit i just don't knowin my young day it was not really possible to do a degree in computer science about two years after i'd actually enrolled for chemistry computer science degrees did become available but you know you're talking in mid-60s so i wasn't quite in the first generation of computer scientists in the 40s but i was in the early second generation something like that i started out with chemistry and even at that stage i mean we are talking 1967-68 they early computers were being used a lot in physics and in chemistry for doing calculations on molecules and stuff like that that's how i got into computing yeah how do you make that jump from just using this as a useful tool to becoming this all-consuming uh passion well i think this was something that could happen easily in the early days less so now we're used nowadays to having macintoshes and windows with everything provided for us and layers of software in the early days you were right near the bare metal getting these things to run fast enough close to the hardware so you had to be aware a bit like driving an early automobile in the early days you couldn't rely on an automatic gearbox you had to know how to change gear it was the same with the early computers and got more mesmerized in terms of keeping the things working and not crashing and how all that happened that's how it began i was fortunate enough to end up doing my quantum chemistry in a mathematics department which had if you like an embryonic interest in computers a lot of people like me came from the physical sciences and really you know quite delighted and been able to do their calculations on the computer some of them as i've also indicated came from um mathematical logic and that sort of thing and they work quite well with electronics engineers doing ands and ores and stuff like this but even in those very early days arts based people were very very influential what were they bringing they were bringing in the case of um english language and linguistic specialist the idea of the fact that computer languages are like simplified versions of natural languages you know just as you you were well maybe you weren't made to pass english sentences into nouns adjectives and verbs but i certainly was and they just fell naturally for this so yeah languages like fortran java c they have a syntax and anybody who's been brought up in an english language environment just relates to that straight away does that still happen today that people from music and languages and the arts are drawn to computers or is it more separated now i think it is still the case although i'm talking about my own experience many years ago now i found the easiest people from the arts faculty to teach were musicians and english language specialists musicians because they're used to notation and you get a lot of that in computer science used to reading it interpreting it and so on and like i said the english people because they were absolutely at home when i said what you've written in the algal language looks sensible but it isn't legal it isn't syntactic draw a chart and tell me why it isn't they could just do that standing on their head is computer science now like it was then what has changed massively is that when i started computers were not a commodity yeah they absolutely were not they cost millions they were in air-conditioned basements and there was a sort of priesthood that had to tend to the things what has made our lives as computer scientists very rich and wonderful but also massively difficult is that they've become a commodity my colleagues in chemistry do not have to worry that your average amateur is going to be able to want to conflict a nuclear explosion yeah nor do physicists have to start worrying about magnetic resonance imaging parameters one of those machines cost tens of millions but in computing you can get a decent computer for 50 quid now and so in a way it's wonderful because what the underlying things are still there and there are still leading-edge things to be done on getting tablets to work making them fast enough making sure they don't drain the batteries doing the software for the apps all of that but it's all targeted in the end very largely towards making these things desirable commodities and the problem with that is that once you've got into that situation you become a target at parties at a cocktail party you should never be a medic a lawyer or a computer scientist because you'll be backed into a corner and it's either my leg hurts what's wrong or my neighbor is doing this how do i sue him or in my case it's listen have you got windows seven now i'm on release three now i pressed it you know you've just got to smile and enjoy it and you also got to be prepared to admit i just don't know\n"