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[ Early Computer Technology] Proceedings of the Western Joint Computer Conference, "Contrasts in Computers." Presented at Los Angeles, Calif., May 6 8, 1958. Published March 1959. New York: American Institute of Electrical Engineers, 1959. First edition. Original printed blue wrappers; 304 pages. First edition of the printed proceedings from the landmark Western Joint Computer Conference (WJCC) held in Los Angeles in May 1958, a pivotal gathering during the dawn of digital computing. This volume contains a range of seminal papers documenting the evolving state of computer science during the Cold War era, with particular focus on applied computing, logic design, language translation, and system architecture. Sponsored jointly by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the WJCC was among the most important forums for computer professionals before the eventual merger of AIEE and IRE to form the IEEE in 1963. Among the notable contributions is David L. Johnson s essay, "The Role of the Digital Computer in Mechanical Translation of Languages," a foundational document in the history of machine translation (MT) and natural language processing. Johnson, affiliated with the University of Washington, writes that "Projects are under way for many universities and centers in England, Italy, and Russia; however, because of the language difference, the problem is emphasized by the need for an accommodation speed rating one language to another." He explains that MT was "one of the most difficult and frustrating elements of machine translation, [involving] the structure of the problem itself," noting that while digital systems could provide accurate word-for-word translations, "the intelligibility is subject to considerable reinterpretation." Johnson details challenges with dictionary storage, explaining that "the raw dictionary output must then be logically processed to provide a clear output translation," emphasizing the need to divide translation tasks into "general technical literature from Russian to English." His discussion anticipates many of the same issues later tackled by NLP models decades later. Equally important is the illustrated report, "The Univac M-460 Computer," by J. E. Thornton, M. MacAulay, and R. H. Toth, which includes ten technical diagrams and photographs detailing the computer s internal hardware and system layout. The Univac M-460 was a highly advanced, solid-state military computer developed for the U.S. Air Force. Diagrams depict circuit flow and logical block structures, while large photographs show modular logic boards, memory chains, and operator console units positioned in checkered-tile machine rooms. One image shows a labeled core memory stack, and another features technicians assembling modular panels by hand. The report gives clear internal specifications and logic diagrams evidence of an era where digital computing was transitioning from vacuum tubes to transistorized architectures. The conference s central theme, "Contrasts in Computers," reflects the field s burgeoning diversity both in hardware design and application domains. Across its proceedings, contributors debate centralized versus distributed memory, analog versus digital logic, and the increasing necessity for linguistic, mathematical, and symbolic computation to support military, scientific, and commercial ambitions. This period coincided with the U.S. government s heavy investment in computing, fueled by Cold War anxieties and the launch of Sputnik (1957), which gave rise to ARPA and ultimately the internet. Scarce in commerce, especially with original wraps intact and internal illustrations complete. Light toning and edgewear to wraps; spine clean and uncreased. Very good.
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