ACM Opens First 50 Years Backfile

This is arguably one of the most important archives of computer science and engineering information available. And 50 years of it is now free. Get out there and play while educating yourself on things you didn’t know were ancient history!

  • ttmrichterOP
    2·
    3 years ago

    It never fails, does it?

    Something good happens. Someone has to whine that it’s not good enough.

    This is why we can’t have nice things.

    • brombek
      11·
      3 years ago

      Sure, let’s praise evil villain for making a small concession. Science should not have been behind a paywall in the first place.

      • ttmrichterOP
        1·
        3 years ago

        Psych 102 time: you get the behaviour you reward. (Note that the wording isn’t “you don’t get the behaviour you punish”. There’s a reason for this. Of the means used to motivate people, punishment is the least effective and is more often than not entirely counter-productive.)

        If the ACM is rewarded for releasing some of the most important papers in CS/Eng. history to the public for free, they will be motivated to release more. If, however, some whiny jackasses scream and flap their arms like toddlers throwing a temper tantrum that it “isn’t enough”, they will remember that there’s no benefit to releasing stuff for free the next time it comes up and that’s the end of good things.

        So here’s a thought Sparky: there are a class of thoughts that you don’t actually have to put to voice. You can think them all you like, just don’t put them to words. These thoughts are easy to identify: they’re most of your thoughts. (And mine and anybody’s.) And putting many of these to words actually harms the causes you claim to support. (Leading me to believe that it’s not the cause you support, but rather the feeling of power you get when you delude yourself into thinking you’re forcing people to bend to your will.)

        • brombek
          1·
          3 years ago

          If the ACM is rewarded for releasing some of the most important papers in CS/Eng. history to the public for free, they will be motivated to release more.

          That is not how companies work. They do things because it is better for their base line, not because they fees some moral “reward” that they will seek further in future. They can be motivated by regulation, not applaud. They did not write this papers, some scientists did. They released stuff up to the dot-com bubble - a lot has changed in computer science since then, that they will keep around for next 50 years probably.

          I am happy that they did release what they did, since I said “cool” in my post - that was not in sarcastic way. But the bigger problem is still there - most of science (in this case computer) is behind paywall that not everybody can afford to jump. We should keep focus on the main problem when they do this stunts.

          • ttmrichterOP
            1·
            3 years ago

            They do things because it is better for their base line, not because they fees some moral “reward” that they will seek further in future.

            Who said anything about a moral reward?

            They can be motivated by regulation, not applaud.

            Please show me the regulation that motivated this 50-year dump.

            I am happy that they did release what they did, since I said “cool” in my post - that was not in sarcastic way.

            Of course it wasn’t, and neither are you backpedaling from this. Note that I’m absolutely not being sarcastic. Really.

            But the bigger problem is still there - most of science (in this case computer) is behind paywall that not everybody can afford to jump. We should keep focus on the main problem when they do this stunts.

            You know you can let things go out of focus for a bit, just to let people feel good a while before going back into the fight, right?

            No, of course you don’t. You’re young and stupid. I was pretty much the same way when I was 16. But you go ahead and fight tooth and nail 24×7 over every little thing, offering no respite and never actually enjoying (and more importantly, never actually letting anybody else enjoy) gains made along the way. I’m sure you’ll be just fine and your approach won’t even slightly undermine the cause you purport to serve.

            Again, I’m absolutely not being sarcastic in the slightest.

            • brombek
              2·
              3 years ago

              OK, I am sorry about this. I should have written:

              Great, I am happy that this massive dump of research documents is now free for all to access. I wish they will release the next 22 years soon as well, by themselves, as the last 22 years are the most interesting research (lots has changed after the dot com boom).

              Anyway, I wish that research was not behind paywalls as it is today and that people of all backgrounds that have access to basic computer and internet connection could help progress the state of computer science (computer science requires very little money otherwise to participate in). Perhaps some regulation will be needed in the future to help this to happen as companies that make lots of monies as gatekeepers are not sufficiently motivated.