Category Archives: Programming
The Web Goes Public, First Email From Space, Grace Murray Hopper and COBOL
August 1, 1967 The US Navy recalls Grace Murray Hopper to active duty. From 1967 to 1977, Hopper served as the director of the Navy Programming Languages Group in the Navy’s Office of Information Systems Planning and was promoted to … Continue reading
Posted in Computer history, email, IBM, Programming, World Wide Web
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Alan Turing On Computable Numbers
Today in 1936, Alan Turing delivered to the London Mathematical Society his paper “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem.” In the paper, Turing described the Universal Machine, which later became known as the Turing Machine. This was an idealized … Continue reading
Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson Present UNIX
40 years ago today (October 15, 1973), Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson presented their first paper on Unix at the fourth ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles (SOSP) held at Purdue University. The paper will later be published in the … Continue reading
First (?) Mention of Computer Programs
Today in 1836, Charles Babbage wrote in his notebook: “This day I had for the first time a general but very indistinct conception of the possibility of making an engine work out algebraic developments. I mean without any reference to the value of the letters. My … Continue reading
Posted in Analog, Computer history, Programming, Software
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The History of Programming Languages (Infographic)
The History of Programming Languages infographic Source
Posted in Infographics, Programming, Software
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From the Archives: First Mention of Computer Programs?
Today in 1836, Charles Babbage wrote in his notebook: “This day I had for the first time a general but very indistinct conception of the possibility of making an engine work out algebraic developments. I mean without any reference to the value of the letters. My … Continue reading
Posted in Computer history, Programming
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From the Archives: Computer Programming Born
Today in 1949, the Electronic Delayed Storage Automatic Computer (EDSAC), the first practical stored-program computer, ran its first program and performed its first calculation. “… a thin ribbon of paper containing the program [to print a table of the squares of the integers] … Continue reading
Grace Hopper and Other Programmers
Nathan Zeldes writes about Grace Hopper: “…whenever I see this photo, I am reminded vividly of Dr. Susan Calvin, Robopsychologist at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation, as featured in Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot…. Calvin is a strict, prim, spinsterish lady who … Continue reading
Posted in Computer history, Programming, Quotes
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The Story of Information 