Processing Information
Access Restrictions
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Biographical/Historical Note
Scope and Content of the Collection
Separated Material
Title: Ned Chapin papers
Identifier/Call Number: X7438.2015
Contributing Institution:
Computer History Museum
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
18.5 Linear feet,
9 record cartons, 7 periodical boxes, and 1 oversize folder
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1955-1975
Date (inclusive): 1955-1995
Abstract: The Ned Chapin papers, ranging in date from 1955 to 1995, consist of published manuals and documentation, technical reports,
conference proceedings, data sheets, brochures, books, and software. The bulk of the papers consist of manuals, technical
documentation, and data sheets from a range of companies, while a quarter of the collection consists of APL documentation
and publications. In addition, the collection contains conference proceedings, approximately 70 books about computer science,
and a small amount of oversize posters. Also included is software on 8 inch floppy disks, 5.25 inch floppy disks, and digital
cassette tapes. Articles, workbooks, lecture notes, and books by Ned Chapin are scattered throughout the collection.
creator:
Chapin, Ned
Processing Information
Collection surveyed by Sydney Gulbronson Olson, 2018.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying
any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce any portion of the
Computer History Museum's collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder (if applicable) and the Computer
History Museum.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], [Date], Ned Chapin papers, X7438.2015, Box [#], Computer History Museum.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Elaine Chapin and Suzanne Chapin, 2015.
Biographical/Historical Note
Dr. Ned Chapin was a leader in the field of computer science and the discipline of software maintenance. Chapin was born on
the Olympic Peninsula and grew up living in various locations in Washington, Oregon, and California. He attended Stanford
University, and he received an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1949. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during
the Korean War. He then earned a doctorate in Business Administration and Economics from the Illinois Institute of Technology
in 1959, after which he moved to Menlo Park, California.
Chapin worked as a Systems Analyst at SRI, researching new and improved techniques of systems analysis and systems design.
After leaving SRI, Chapin became an independent consultant in the computer and information systems fields, operating his own
company, InfoSci Inc., beginning in 1965. He also served as Professor, and later Professor Emeritus, of Information Systems
in the California State University system. During his career, he published more than 250 papers and conference proceedings
and wrote eight books, including
An Introduction to Automatic Computers, published in 1955, and
Computers: A Systems Approach, published in 1971. He was the founding editor of the
Journal of Software Maintenance and Evolution.
Dr. Chapin passed away on December 27, 2014 at the age of 87.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Ned Chapin papers, ranging in date from 1955 to 1995, consist of published manuals and documentation, technical reports,
conference proceedings, data sheets, brochures, books, and software. Additionally, articles, workbooks, lecture notes, and
books by Ned Chapin are scattered throughout the collection.
The bulk of the papers consist of manuals, technical documentation, and data sheets from a range of companies, such as Honeywell,
IBM, Univac, Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), Remington Rand, Litton, Bendix, Micro Computer
Machines, Inc (MCM), Sylvania Electronic Systems, General Electric (GE), National Cash Register (NCR), Philco, Scientific
Data Systems (SDS), Packard Bell Computer, and RAND Corporation. Examples of machines and systems represented include Honeywell
400 and 800; IBM System/360, 650, 1401, 1620, and 7090/94; Datatron; Univac I, II, III, 1110, and UNIMS; RW-300; GE-210, 655,
and 400 series; MCM/70 and MCM system 800; RCA 601 and 301; NCR 315; MOBIDIC; Philco 2000; SDS 930 and 925; PB 250; and MonRobot
Mark XI . Most of these manuals and reports range in date from the mid-1950s to mid-1960s. Other topics include flowcharts,
decision tables, and COBOL.
About a quarter of the collection consists of APL documentation and publications, including technical reports, newsletters,
and manuals. Most of the APL manuals, which cover topics like APL\360, APL\1130, and Sharp APL, are from 1968 to the early
1980s. The collection also includes newsletters related to APL, including incomplete runs of Quote Quad, APL News, APL Market
News, and Interlink. There are also conference proceedings from APL86 through APL92.
The papers also contain conference proceedings such as the Eastern and the Western Joint Computer conference (1955-1960) and
Proceedings of the Electronic Business systems Conference (1955), as well as publications such as the Punched Card Annual
(1953-1958) and the Computer Industry Annual (1967-1970). There are also some periodicals and newsletters, such as Computer
Digest (1966), CrossTalk (1992), Data Management (1972-1973), and Periodical Guide for Computerists (1975-1977).
The collection includes approximately 70 books about computer science published between the 1960s and the 1990s, as well as
a small amount of oversize posters.
Additionally, the Chapin papers contain a small amount of software. Contents include nine 5.25 inch floppy disks, which include
the Microsoft MS-DOS operating system version 5.0 windows series, as well as sixteen 8 inch floppy disks, most of which appear
to be utilities for MCM and disks holding research data. There are also 108 MCM digital cassette tapes, including programs
like multiple version of Text 700 as well as cassettes labeled "MCM APL tapes," numbered 33-152.
Separated Material
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Micro Computer Machines, Inc..
APL (Computer program language)