Open research questions in History of Computing Technologies
170 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,787 History of Computing Technologies papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The paper identifies the challenge of creating a resilient communication system that can survive partial destruction. It highlights the need to address the vulnerability of centralized communication systems. The development of ARPANET faced challenges such as creating a decentralized networking system and introducing packet switching.
Reaction to Sputnik and Cold War Reform: The Technological Revolution that Produced ARPANET · 2026 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in understanding the historical context of Cold War science policy and its impact on the development of ARPANET. It highlights the need to examine the dual influence of geopolitical pressures and technological innovation in the evolution of global communication systems.
Reaction to Sputnik and Cold War Reform: The Technological Revolution that Produced ARPANET · 2026 · DOIThe existing narrative of software innovation focuses on individual talent and meritocracy, - The social and institutional position of creators is often overlooked, - This paper aims to fill this gap by examining the economic, cultural, and social capital available to creators
Capital and Inequality in Software Innovation: From Operating System Founders to the Teams Behind Java and Python · 2026 · DOIGreen leafy vegetables are under-utilized despite high nutrient density. There is a need to preserve okazi leaf quality.
The paper identifies a gap in understanding between technologists, social scientists, and hard scientists. The author argues that there is a need for intercultural understanding to promote responsible use of technology.
The information industry is facing a new generation of information systems. Recent technological advances are driving the development of a generation of information systems fundamentally different from the present generation.
The lack of investigation into the mechanical component of later science. The need to understand the relationship between mathematics and the culture of mechanical invention.
The paper suggests that future research could compare the current findings to patents from ten or twenty years ago. Further study could examine the impact of scientific research on technological innovation. The authors hope to prove that the science-technology linkage has changed over time.
The current use of the word 'technology' is vague and can lead to chaos. The concept of technology needs to be clarified to understand innovation, communication, and human behavior.
There is a lack of understanding about who decides on technical changes and how they are made. The paper identifies a gap in the knowledge of how decisions are made and how they may be influenced.
The Social Shaping of Technology edited by Donald MacKenzie and Judy Wajcman (Open University Press, Milton Keynesand Philadelphia, 1985) pp. vii + 237, ISBN 0-335-15027-6 · 1985 · DOIThe paper notes that computers have far more restricted contexts of information than do human minds. It suggests that the role of contexts is not given its proper place because computers must be programmed so that they can only process a limited number of data types.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the role of contexts in decision-making. It notes a lack of discussion on the implications of advances in computer technology for the development of artificial intelligence.
The lack of colleges of university rank for engineering and allied subjects in Britain. The deficiency in British universities' focus on science and engineering courses.
The paper suggests that future research should continue to explore the history of the field of information science. The paper notes that the field is still evolving and that new research is needed to understand its current state and future directions.
The paper identifies a gap in the historical record of the field of information science. The paper notes that the field has a complex and amorphous history.
The program requires an Apple II Plus microcomputer and specific hardware environment. The program has a limited number of predictor nutrients. The program requires prior written agreement for modifications to other hardware environments.
Study related to the computer applications of the DINE in diet planning is ongoing. Revalidation of the system in different settings and updating of the food files is continuous.
The paper identifies challenges related to software generation, control, and piracy. The author highlights the need for careful consideration of these issues to ensure successful implementation of microcomputer technology. Teachers' limited knowledge and computer literacy are a significant challenge.
The paper identifies a gap in the development of high-quality health education software for microcomputers. The author highlights the need for further research and development to address the challenges related to microcomputer technology in school health education.
The gap between the perceived expertise required for computer literacy and its actual accessibility. The lack of understanding of how computers can be used in daily life.
Continuing to develop and publish information about microcomputers in testing, measurement, and assessment. Identifying new sources of information on this topic. Exploring new applications of microcomputers in testing.
The need for information about software developed for microcomputers in testing. The need for information about persons developing such software. The need for suggestions of persons who can contribute to this effort.
The paper identifies a gap in the theoretical foundations of Computer Science. It notes that Mathematics has missed out on being the science of man-made systems.
Many adults are intimidated by computers - There is a need for users to be able to use computer terminals and equipment - Computers are becoming increasingly prevalent in various areas
The authors mention the lack of satisfactory long-term series of statistics on innovations. The authors note that their own work on collecting and analyzing a data-bank on long-term trends in innovation is of a long-term nature.
Most-cited papers in History of Computing Technologies
- The advantages and limitations of using ChatGPT to enhance technological research · Technology in Society · 2023 · 97 citations
- Technology, objects and things in Heidegger · Cambridge Journal of Economics · 2009 · 55 citations
- The importance of education and training policies in supporting technological revolutions: A comparative and historical analysis of UK, US, Germany, and Sweden (1830–1970) · Technology in Society · 2022 · 41 citations
- How Machines Make History, and how Historians (And Others) Help Them to Do So · Science Technology & Human Values · 1988 · 40 citations
- Critical theory and the question of technology: The Frankfurt School revisited · Thesis Eleven · 2021 · 36 citations
- Technical reasoning is important for cumulative technological culture · Nature Human Behaviour · 2021 · 33 citations
- Future of work: a systematic literature review and evolution of themes · foresight · 2021 · 28 citations
- What is Techno-Optimism? · Philosophy & Technology · 2022 · 28 citations
- On the Social Shaping of Quantum Technologies: An Analysis of Emerging Expectations Through Grant Proposals from 2002–2020 · Minerva · 2021 · 24 citations
- The silicon future · New Media & Society · 2024 · 23 citations
Most recent work
- Formalizing Informal Communication: An Archaeology of the Early Pre-Web Preprint Infrastructure at CERN · Minerva · 2026
- The Life and Achievements of Dr. Dawon Kahng · Physics and High Technology · 2026
- Inventors – Industrial Engineers and Applied Scientists Before 1990 and After · Journal of Material Sciences and Engineering Technology · 2026
- Reaction to Sputnik and Cold War Reform: The Technological Revolution that Produced ARPANET · Universal Library of arts and humanities. · 2026
- Capital and Inequality in Software Innovation: From Operating System Founders to the Teams Behind Java and Python · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Who is in Control?: American Cultural Views of the Birth of Modern Computing, 1945 to 1969 · Stanford Digital Repository · 2026
- Conversations about conversational code: on the collaborative critical code studies reading of ELIZA · AI & SOCIETY · 2026
- Beyond Technology · Simulation in Healthcare The Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare · 2026
- Review of Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller · Communal Societies · 2026
- The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity · Journal of Cultural Economy · 2026
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