This book is the fruit of a collection of experiences from 40 years of academic research and education at the Department for Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) at Stockholm University and Royal Institute of Technology. It is being presented at the occasion of the Department’s 40th Anniversary.

The Department started its activities in the middle of 1966. During these 40 years that have passed, many organizational changes, research advancements, and educational modernizations have taken place.

In this book we have collected contributions that show the development of these activities at the Department from a number of different angles. We have tried to make this collection of impressions as broad as possible. Therefore we have approached numerous early teachers and researchers, and asked them to contribute personally to the book. Here, we have stressed the word “personally”. We wanted the reader to receive an impression of academic activities in a wide and expanding environment.

Responsibility for the different chapter contributions where author names are given, rests with each author. For the rest of the book, an editorial group consisting of professors Janis Bubenko, Carl Gustav Jansson, Tomas Ohlin and Louise Yngström, and Head of Department Anita Kollerbaur, is responsible. The editing and graphical presentations are made by Hardy Hedman.

This book should rather be viewed as a “documentary” than an exact recollection of “what happened”. Our memories might be inadequate, and contributions may overlap.

The Book is also complemented by information on the Web. We wish the reader good and inspiring reading about a 40 year development that in our opinion has had the touch of pioneering academic activities. We welcome any attempt to do it again, starting from now. Stockholm in October 2006

For the Editorial group

Anita Kollerbaur