CSE 3323 -- The computer industry: historical, social and professional issues (2nd Semester 2005)

CSE 3323
The computer industry: historical, social and professional issues

2nd Semester 2005

NEWS

20 October 2005
Today we will go over the sample exam questions, which are a good guide to the real thing.
You will note that on the links below are comments on your assignments as well as sample exam questions. The second assignment will be available for collection at 4PM, after the lecture.
Come along for exam hints, and please make the effort to fill out the on-line unit survey about which you have received e-mail, especially if you are satisfied with the unit.
Feel free to contact me if you want advice or help before the exam.

10 October 2005

IMPORTANT Thursday 13 October 2-4PM, S4, Guest Lecture.
This Thursday 13 October we have a special session relating to obtaining employment. This will be of interest to all IT students who will soon be seeking employment.
PREPARE FOR PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT: Advice for IT students.
The session will cover key elements of jobseeking, writing applications and performing well at interview. There will be time for questions and discussion.
The presenter is Lynda Rohan, Monash University Careers and Employment.
www.careers.monash.edu.au
Following the guest presentation will be a repeat viewing of the 4-Corners Documentary video that some of you missed out on last month.
A guide to the examination questions is on the web, and will be discussed at the lecture on October 20.
In case you haven't noticed. Assignment 1 is marked and available for collection.
New (working) instructions for electronic submission of assignments are now on the web page (below).

22 Sept 2005

Today we will continue looking at privacy issues and privacy policies, but our main focus will be on employment issues such as contracting versus being an employee. We will also look at the mechanics of tendering, both as a means of getting work and as a means of getting a job done.
Coming events: A guest will present a session relating to vacation employment and techniques for getting jobs in general at the lecture on 13 October. More details will be given when available.
IMPORTANT: Given lots of requests the due date for Assignment 2 has been further extended to 12 Noon, Monday 10 October 2005.

7 Sept 2005

Please attend the Lecture on Thursday 8 Sept, Lecture Theatre S4, 2-4PM.
We will be looking at privacy and privacy laws and how they relate to the use of information technology in industry. After going through the privacy principles as defined in the Privacy Laws (see the website in the links page) I will be showing a documentary programme covering a real case that caused problems last month. We will then discuss the issues raised. There is a link to a transcript of the TV documentary also in the links page.
Privacy Commision Web site - contains lin ks to State privacy web sites and other goodies.
ABC Four Corners documentary about cyber-crime, identity fraud, privacy infringements etc. - contains a transcript of the programme and other material. The actual TV docume ntary will be shown in lecture on Sept 8.
IMPORTANT: Due to the delays in marking the first assignment, the due date for assignment 2 has been extended to 12 Noon, Monday 3 October 2005.

31 August 2005

Please attend the Lecture on Thursday 1 Sept, Lecture Theatre S4, 2-4PM. Dr. Ronald Pose will be there despite runours to the contrary, to introduce our guest speaker.
Peter Harding, Director PHA (www.pha.com.au) is going to give a guest lecture covering important information on what graduates need to be successful in gaining employment in IT.
PHA is an Australian IT development consultancy company founded in 1989. It has employed a number of Monash graduates over the years. Peter will outline what attributes he looks for in potential employees and talk about how the business operates. He will outline advantages and disadvantages of various forms of employment. Take the opportunity to come an hear and meet a potential employer and find out what life in the real world of commercial computing is like. Peter will be keen to answer your questions and give advice.
Prior to Peter giving us the benefit of his experience, David Albreacht will give a brief outline of the Computer Science honours degree programme. Some of you might be interested in improving your qualifications and job prospects by doing honours next year.
Also during the lecture the Monash MEQ survey will be held. This is your opportunity to give some feedback to the university management about the computer science, software engineering and other degrees. The reputation of the degrees can be affected by these surveys, so please boost the reputation and value of your degree by spending a few minutes to fill out the survey.
Please invite your friends studying Computer Science, Software Engineering, Business Systems, or other Clayton based IT related degrees along. Everyone is welcome to participate and maybe pick up some employment tips.

24 August 2005

In the past few weeks we have looked at the origins of software engineering and the important seminal work of Fred Brooks in 'Mythical Man-Month'. The relevant paper is in the handout called '2004 CSE3323 Exam Information Booklet'. We have also looked at the notion of intellectual property rights such as patents, copyright, etc. Related to that is the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a US law that has had dramatic effects around the world. The important issue of privacy is hitting the press in a big way right now. This has important legal and ethical issues for IT professionals. We can relate Privacy and IP rights to the ethics we discussed in the context of the IEEE, ACM, IEAust, and ACS codes of ethics.
See the Links page for links related to this material.
It is very important that you turn up to the lecture next week (1 Sept). I am trying to organize a guest lecturer and something different. Keep watching for more information.

18 August 2005

Electronic submission not yet working. Don't worry about it until I post the instructions here. Don't worry, I will be marking the hardcopy that should have been handed in.
So far we have looked at the historical material on the history of programming links. Today we will be looking at intellectual property, what it is, and how it can be protected. The following URL may be useful:
IP Australia web site
Note also that assignment 2 topics are now available on the link below.

28 July 2005

Assignment 1 details are now available on the web page.
CSE3323 Information booklet containing reading material handed out 28 July.

NEWS
20 October 2005 Today we will go over the sample exam questions, which are a good guide to the real thing. You will note that on the links below are comments on your assignments as well as sample exam questions. The second assignment will be available for collection at 4PM, after the lecture. Come along for exam hints, and please make the effort to fill out the on-line unit survey about which you have received e-mail, especially if you are satisfied with the unit. Feel free to contact me if you want advice or help before the exam. 10 October 2005 IMPORTANT Thursday 13 October 2-4PM, S4, Guest Lecture. This Thursday 13 October we have a special session relating to obtaining employment. This will be of interest to all IT students who will soon be seeking employment. PREPARE FOR PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT: Advice for IT students. The session will cover key elements of jobseeking, writing applications and performing well at interview. There will be time for questions and discussion. The presenter is Lynda Rohan, Monash University Careers and Employment. www.careers.monash.edu.au Following the guest presentation will be a repeat viewing of the 4-Corners Documentary video that some of you missed out on last month. A guide to the examination questions is on the web, and will be discussed at the lecture on October 20. In case you haven't noticed. Assignment 1 is marked and available for collection. New (working) instructions for electronic submission of assignments are now on the web page (below). 22 Sept 2005 Today we will continue looking at privacy issues and privacy policies, but our main focus will be on employment issues such as contracting versus being an employee. We will also look at the mechanics of tendering, both as a means of getting work and as a means of getting a job done. Coming events: A guest will present a session relating to vacation employment and techniques for getting jobs in general at the lecture on 13 October. More details will be given when available. IMPORTANT: Given lots of requests the due date for Assignment 2 has been further extended to 12 Noon, Monday 10 October 2005.
7 Sept 2005 Please attend the Lecture on Thursday 8 Sept, Lecture Theatre S4, 2-4PM. We will be looking at privacy and privacy laws and how they relate to the use of information technology in industry. After going through the privacy principles as defined in the Privacy Laws (see the website in the links page) I will be showing a documentary programme covering a real case that caused problems last month. We will then discuss the issues raised. There is a link to a transcript of the TV documentary also in the links page. Privacy Commision Web site - contains lin ks to State privacy web sites and other goodies. ABC Four Corners documentary about cyber-crime, identity fraud, privacy infringements etc. - contains a transcript of the programme and other material. The actual TV docume ntary will be shown in lecture on Sept 8. IMPORTANT: Due to the delays in marking the first assignment, the due date for assignment 2 has been extended to 12 Noon, Monday 3 October 2005.
31 August 2005 Please attend the Lecture on Thursday 1 Sept, Lecture Theatre S4, 2-4PM. Dr. Ronald Pose will be there despite runours to the contrary, to introduce our guest speaker. Peter Harding, Director PHA (www.pha.com.au) is going to give a guest lecture covering important information on what graduates need to be successful in gaining employment in IT. PHA is an Australian IT development consultancy company founded in 1989. It has employed a number of Monash graduates over the years. Peter will outline what attributes he looks for in potential employees and talk about how the business operates. He will outline advantages and disadvantages of various forms of employment. Take the opportunity to come an hear and meet a potential employer and find out what life in the real world of commercial computing is like. Peter will be keen to answer your questions and give advice. Prior to Peter giving us the benefit of his experience, David Albreacht will give a brief outline of the Computer Science honours degree programme. Some of you might be interested in improving your qualifications and job prospects by doing honours next year. Also during the lecture the Monash MEQ survey will be held. This is your opportunity to give some feedback to the university management about the computer science, software engineering and other degrees. The reputation of the degrees can be affected by these surveys, so please boost the reputation and value of your degree by spending a few minutes to fill out the survey. Please invite your friends studying Computer Science, Software Engineering, Business Systems, or other Clayton based IT related degrees along. Everyone is welcome to participate and maybe pick up some employment tips.
24 August 2005 In the past few weeks we have looked at the origins of software engineering and the important seminal work of Fred Brooks in 'Mythical Man-Month'. The relevant paper is in the handout called '2004 CSE3323 Exam Information Booklet'. We have also looked at the notion of intellectual property rights such as patents, copyright, etc. Related to that is the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a US law that has had dramatic effects around the world. The important issue of privacy is hitting the press in a big way right now. This has important legal and ethical issues for IT professionals. We can relate Privacy and IP rights to the ethics we discussed in the context of the IEEE, ACM, IEAust, and ACS codes of ethics. See the Links page for links related to this material. It is very important that you turn up to the lecture next week (1 Sept). I am trying to organize a guest lecturer and something different. Keep watching for more information.
18 August 2005 Electronic submission not yet working. Don't worry about it until I post the instructions here. Don't worry, I will be marking the hardcopy that should have been handed in. So far we have looked at the historical material on the history of programming links. Today we will be looking at intellectual property, what it is, and how it can be protected. The following URL may be useful: IP Australia web site Note also that assignment 2 topics are now available on the link below.
28 July 2005 Assignment 1 details are now available on the web page. CSE3323 Information booklet containing reading material handed out 28 July.

Links. (click here for reading and other material for this subject)

Subject Introduction and Assessment. (click here for introductory details about this subject and its assessment)

Assignment 1 (30%): due 12 Noon, Monday 15 August 2005. Electronic and paper submission required.

Assignment 2 (30%): now due 12 Noon, Monday 10 October 2005. Electronic and paper submission required.

Electronic submission instructions(text). Please submit electronically both ass1 and ass2.

Electronic submission instructions(pdf). Please submit electronically both ass1 and ass2.

Electronic submission link

Special CSE3323 Assignment cover sheet (pdf)

Special CSE3323 Assignment cover sheet (Microsoft Word doc format)

Final exam (40%)

Sample Exam Questions

Exam study guide

Assignment comments.

Subject handouts list 2005

**Some readings will be required, some recommended and some suggested -- these will be specified during lectures.

References for readings.

Entries preceded by § can be found in:
Seminal Papers in Computer Science: CSE3323 Readings, edited by Kevin Korb. (the green book)
A few copies are on reserve in Hargrave-Andrews Library.
The remaining readings will be distributed in lecture at the appropriate times during the semester!

§ Babbage, C. (1864) Passages from the Life of a Philosopher. London: Longmans Green and Co.

§ Backus, J. (1978) Can Programming Be Liberated from the von Neumann Style? Communications of the ACM, vol. 21, pp. 613-641.

§ Brooks, F. (1975) The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering. Addison-Wesley.

Brooks, R. (1986) A Robust Layered Control System for a Mobile Robot. IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 14-23.

§ Cerf, V. and Cain E. (1983) The DOD Internet Architecture Model. Computer Networks, vol. 7, pp. 307-318.

§ Codd, E. (1970) A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks. Communications of the ACM, vol. 13, pp. 377-387.

§ Dijkstra, E. (1968) Cooperating Sequential Processes. Programming Languages, F. Genuys (ed.), Academic Press, pp. 43-112.

Fidler, R. (1997) Mediamorphosis: Understanding New Media. London: Pine Forge Press.
Selected sections from chapters one and two.

Forrest, S. (1993) Genetic algorithms: Principles of adaptation applied to computation, Science, vol. 261, pp. 872-878.

Hertz, J., Krogh, A. and Palmer, R. (1991) Introduction to the Theory of Neural Computation. Sydney: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Selected sections from chapters one and two.

Hopcroft, J. and Ullman, J. (1979) Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation. Sydney: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Chapter 7. Turing Machines.

Lewis, H. and Papadimitriou, C. (1981) Elements of the Theory of Computation. Sydney: Prentice-Hall of Australia Pty. Limited.
Chapter 4. Turing Machines.

McCarthy, J. (1979) History of Lisp. History of Programming Languages, R. Wexelblat (ed.), Academic Press, 1981.

Miller, D. and Cliff, G. (1995) Tracking the Red Queen: Measurements of adaptive progress in co-evolutionary simulations. In Advances in Artificial Life: Proceedings of the Third European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL95), F. Moran, A. Moreno, J. J. Merelo and P. Cachon (eds.). Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence 929, Springer Verlag, pp.200-218.

Minsky, M. (1987) Society of Mind. London: Picador, 1988.
Chapter 1: Prologue.

§ Parnas, D. (1972) On the Criteria to Be Used in Decomposing Systems into Modules. Communications of the ACM, vol. 15, pp. 1053-1058.

§ Samuel, A. (1959) Some Studies in Machine Learning Using the Game of Checkers. IBM Journal of Research and Development, vol. 3, pp. 211-229.

§ Turing, A. (1936) On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem. In Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, vol. 42, pp. 230-265. Reprinted in P. Laplante (ed.) Great Papers in Computer Science, West Publishing, 1997, pp. 287-316.

§ Turing, A. (1950) Computing Machinery and Intelligence. Mind, vol. 59, pp. 433-460.

Turkle, S. (1995) Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. New York: Touchstone.
Chapter 7: Aspects of the Self.

§ von Neumann, J. (1945) First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC. Reprinted in N. Stern From ENIAC to UNIVAC: An Appraisal of the Eckert-Mauchly Computers, Bedford: Digital Press, 1981.