Softalk Open Discussion Project
What was computing culture like from the user's point of view, when computers were just beginning to circulate as commercial products? In this ongoing project, I am working with Kevin Driscoll at Microsoft Research New England to data mine letters from readers published in Softalk, an Apple II enthusiast magazine that circulated 1980–84.
Softalk had a peak circulation of about 256,000, and spanned a key period in computing history between the release of the first home PCs in 1977 and the video game industry crash in 1984. The magazine’s letters to the editor section, called Open Discussion, served as an open forum for its readers. Someone would submit a letter or query in one issue, and often someone else would write a reply in subsequent issues. These letters display a remarkable variety of subjects, diversity of authorship, and level of camaraderie. Together they form a window into a tight-knit early computing community.
Driscoll and I have built an intake system that allows us to capture data from each letter, such as the age and gender of the writer, the letter’s geographical origin, and the general theme or issues discussed. Eventually, we want to map these conversations so that you can watch the chains of letters grow across the country. We hope that the project will diversify our understanding of computing history by showcasing the wide range of participants and interests that existed at this early period.
In this effort we are collaborating with Jim Salmons and Timlynn Babitsky at the Softalk Apple Preservation Project. Kevin and I both received their 2014 Researcher of the Year Award. I also serve on that project’s advisory board.
Driscoll and I have built an intake system that allows us to capture data from each letter, such as the age and gender of the writer, the letter’s geographical origin, and the general theme or issues discussed. Eventually, we want to map these conversations so that you can watch the chains of letters grow across the country. We hope that the project will diversify our understanding of computing history by showcasing the wide range of participants and interests that existed at this early period.
In this effort we are collaborating with Jim Salmons and Timlynn Babitsky at the Softalk Apple Preservation Project. Kevin and I both received their 2014 Researcher of the Year Award. I also serve on that project’s advisory board.