5 Editor’s Letter
Open, Closed, or Clopen Access? By Moshe Y. Vardi
6 Publisher’s Corner Communications’ Annual Report Card By Scott E. Delman
8 Letters To The Editor Inspire with Introductory Computer Science
10 blog@CACM
Sharing Ideas, Writing Apps, and Creating a Professional Web Presence
Greg Linden reveals his new approach to reading research papers, Mark Guzdial discusses how to encourage students to write computer programs, and Tessa Lau shares her ideas about the importance of Web visibility.
12 CACM Online
Moving Forward and Backward By David Roman
45 Calendar
116 Careers
120 Q&A
Liskov on Liskov
Barbara Liskov talks about her groundbreaking work in data abstraction and distributed computing. By Leah Hoffmann
Association for Computing Machinery Advancing Computing as a Science & Profession
13 Contemporary Approaches to Fault Tolerance
Thanks to computer scientists like Barbara Liskov, researchers are making major progress with cost-efficient fault tolerance for Web-based systems.
By Alex Wright
16 Toward Native Web Execution Several software projects are narrowing the performance gap between browser-based applications and their desktop counterparts.
In the process, they’re creating new ways to improve the security of Web-based computing.
By Kirk L. Kroeker
18 Are We Losing Our Ability to Think Critically?
Computer technology has enhanced lives in countless ways, but some experts believe it might also be affecting people’s ability to really think.
By Samuel Greengard
20 Liskov’s Creative Joy
Barbara Liskov muses about the creative process of problem solving, finding the perfect design point, and pursuing a research path.
By Karen A. Frenkel
23 Master of Connections
Jon Kleinberg is honored for his pioneering research on the Web and social networking. By Alan Joch
25 ACM Award Winners
Among this year’s distinguished honorees are Barbara Liskov of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Jon Kleinberg of Cornell University.
28 Legally Speaking
The Dead Souls of the Google Book Search Settlement Why the Google Book Search settlement agreement under consideration could result in an extensive restructuring of the book industry.
By Pamela Samuelson
31 Technology Strategy and Management Globalization of Knowledge-Intensive Professional Services Does the trend toward standardization and modularization of professional services make outsourcing inevitable?
By Mari Sako
34 The Business of Software The Cliché Defense
A guide to playing the ploys frequently employed by cliché-driven management. By Phillip G. Armour
37 Viewpoint
Why Computer Science
Doesn’t Matter
Aligning computer science with high school mathematics can help turn it into an essential subject for all students.
By Matthias Felleisen and Shriram Krishnamurthi
41 Point/Counterpoint
CS Education in the U.S.:
Heading in the Wrong Direction? Considering the most effective methods for teaching students the fundamental principles of software engineering.
By Robert Dewar and Owen Astrachan
References:
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