Computer Science: Disciplinary Perspective
by Dr. Dan Kaiser
Computer science is the systematic study of automated computation. Computer science became a discipline in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The field grew out of the efforts of electrical engineers and mathematicians to build devices capable of automated mechanical computation. Computer scientists study how to build the physical devices that comprise computing systems, how to create the algorithms and software systems that control these devices, and the more theoretical questions pertaining to what problems even have algorithmic solutions.
Professional organizations/networking
The two main organizations associated with computer science for both professionals and scholars are the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) founded in 1947 and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) founded in 1963.
There are also numerous blogs and discussion/help/advocacy groups that have extensive following by both academics and computing professionals. Many would argue that some them are indispensable. Two of the most popular and longest-lasting blogs are Blown to Bits and its successor Bits and Pieces by Harry Lewis at Harvard. These blogs are so popular they have become part of many introductory computer science curricula.
Stack Overflow is a site where developers (student and professional) can pose questions or report issues that arise in practice. The immensely popular site has over 1.3 million registered users and boasts that over 90% of the questions posed receive a satisfactory answer in a median time of just 11 minutes.
Documentation in Computer Science