In 1936, Alan Turing, a then young mathematician, published a paper that would fundamentally alter the course of computing and, indeed, human history. The paper, titled On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungs-problem, introduced concepts that would lay the groundwork for modern computer science. Turing's work addressed a critical question posed by David Hilbert: the Entscheidungs-problem, or "decision problem," which asks whether there exists a definitive method that can determine the truth of any given mathematical statement.

If you like profits, you shouldn't invest in Amazon. That was one of the provocative lessons Amazon shareholders could take away from Jeff Bezos' first letter til shareholders in 1997. Written during the nascent stages of Amazon, it laid down a blueprint for its long-term business approach, emphasizing customer satisfaction, long-term thinking, and innovation.

"Content is King," an influential essay written by Bill Gates in 1996, captures a pivotal moment in the evolution of the internet. At a time when the online world was still in its formative stages, Gates, already a prominent figure in the technology industry, made a prescient argument about the future value of digital content. This essay not only reflects Gates' foresight but also has shaped the strategic direction for countless businesses in the digital age.

A seminal work in software engineering and project management. Drawing from Brooks' experiences as the project manager for IBM's System/360 computer family and the OS/360 software, the book discusses the complexities and challenges of large-scale software development projects. Brooks introduces the concept of the "mythical man-month," the idea that adding manpower to a late software project only makes it later.

In the summer of 1945, as the world was transitioning from the turmoil of World War II into a period of reconstruction and reevaluation, Vannevar Bush, an American engineer and science administrator, published a visionary essay titled As We May Think. This essay, first appearing in The Atlantic Monthly, not only captured the imagination of its readers but also laid the conceptual groundwork for future innovations in information technology and knowledge management.

A landmark novel that not only helped to define the cyberpunk genre but also profoundly influenced our ideas about technology and the future. This visionary work transports readers to a dystopian world where data is as valuable as currency, and cyberspace is a vivid, immersive realm navigated by hackers and shadowy operatives.

In a rambling and shambolic memo, evidently dictated on the fly with little to no editorial revision, Licklider tries to glue together the ideas that would become ARPAnet - the origins of the internet.

The Agile Manifesto, unveiled in 2001 by a group of forward-thinking software developers, marked a pivotal shift in the approach to software development. Authored during a gathering of seventeen developers at a ski resort in Utah, this manifesto emerged as a response to the dissatisfaction with the traditional, rigid software development methodologies that often resulted in bloated, ineffective products delivered well past their due dates.

In "Suggesting the Smiley," Scott Fahlman presents a brief yet momentous communication that has had a lasting impact on digital interaction. This simple proposition, made in a 1982 message on an online bulletin board at Carnegie Mellon University, marks the inception of the first emoticons—the smiley :) and its counterpart, the frown :(. Fahlman's suggestion was a practical solution to a pressing issue in the nascent days of online communication: the difficulty of conveying tone and emotion through text.

A thought-provoking exploration into the foundational principles that keep the World Wide Web functioning as a cohesive and universally accessible network. In this insightful piece, Keith delves into the often overlooked yet crucial concept that the web's power and ubiquity are underpinned by a series of agreements—both technical and social—that enable disparate systems and organizations to interact seamlessly across a global infrastructure.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone on January 9, 2007, at the Macworld convention in San Francisco, it was a pivotal moment not just for Apple, but for the entire world of technology and communications. Addressing a packed audience, Jobs, with his characteristic showmanship and excitement, declared that Apple was going to reinvent the phone. This introduction set the stage for a presentation that was about to unveil a device that would fundamentally change how people interact with technology.

The Mozilla Manifesto, introduced by the Mozilla Foundation in 2007, articulates a set of principles aimed at preserving the internet as a global public resource that remains open and accessible to all. This manifesto is a reflection of Mozilla's commitment to promoting transparency, innovation, and opportunity on the internet, aligning closely with the organization's ethos as a pioneer of free, open-source web solutions like the Firefox browser.

Ken Thompson, one of the co-inventors of Unix, originally recited this essay in his acceptance speech for the Turing Award in 1983. Thompson delves into the issue of trust in the context of software development, and demonstrates how a compiler can be subverted to insert malicious code into a cl

Introduces the concept of "disruptive innovation," a process by which a smaller company with fewer resources is able to challenge established business giants. Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor, explores why well-managed companies often fail to stay on top of new technologies.

"The Open Source Definition" by Bruce Perens serves as a cornerstone document in the open source movement, meticulously outlining the criteria software must meet to be officially recognized as open source. Published as part of the Debian Free Software Guidelines, Perens adapted this definition in 1997 to set the stage for the launch of the Open Source Initiative, an organization dedicated to promoting open source software.

This visionary document explores the potential cooperative interaction between humans and computers, a concept that has deeply influenced the development of modern computing and information technology.

A visionary exploration into the future of technology, where the omnipresence of computing leads to a more intuitive, less intrusive integration with daily life. First introduced in the mid-1990s, the concept of calm computing was developed at Xerox PARC, where Weiser served as the Chief Technologist. This foundational piece posits that as technology advances, it should recede into the background of our lives, becoming as ubiquitous and unobtrusive as the air we breathe.

In the groundbreaking essay "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," first presented in 1997 and later expanded into a book, Eric S. Raymond offers a profound analysis of the contrasting development models in software engineering. Drawing from his observations and personal experiences within the open-source community, Raymond juxtaposes two fundamentally different approaches to software development: the "cathedral" model, which is structured, hierarchical, and often closed-source; and the "bazaar" model, which is open, chaotic, and collaborative.

In 2008, amidst a global financial crisis that shook trust in traditional banking systems, a pseudonymous individual or group known as Satoshi Nakamoto published a white paper titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." This seminal document proposed a revolutionary form of digital currency—Bitcoin—that could operate independently of any central authority. The white paper laid the groundwork for what would become the first decentralized cryptocurrency.

The GNU Manifesto, penned by Richard Stallman in 1985, is a foundational text that kicked off the GNU Project and the free software movement. Simply put, Stallman wrote it to challenge the norm of software being locked down by its creators. He wanted to make a case for software that everyone could use, change, and share without restrictions.