The fact that Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer, the woman who greeted computing, became the center of controversial discussions. debate?
Ada Lovelace for a moment
In October 1843, just before the 100th anniversary of the birth of the first modern computer, the Countess of Lovelace (August Ada King) issued a series of instructions that a machine should follow to “read” the famous era. Numbers by the mathematician Bernoulli.
The machine Ada is talking about is an analytical machine developed by Chales Babbage, a powerful mathematician who shares his friendship and work with Ada.
Defenders of Babbage raised dust and controversy, claiming that he wrote the article before it should be considered the first algorithm in history.
fact
In the winter of 1842-1843, Lovelace was commissioned by the Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea to translate an article describing the working principle of the analyzer. At the suggestion of Babbage and in collaboration with him, Lovelace added his own ideas to a series of footnotes, which tripled the length of the original text.
However, the relevance of these notes is at the center of Ada Lovelace’s inquiry.
Ada Lovelace and the birth of the computer
We interviewed Quique Royuela, the co-founder, director and editor of the magazine in principle. When we mention controversy, Royuela will light up:
“Although Lovelace is the first person to publish a computer program, this is not his most impressive achievement. Babbage may have written program fragments before, and Lovelace’s writing is more detailed and comprehensive, (he Also published earlier), his real breakthrough was the realization that any machine that can read numbers can also read and use symbols. Such a machine can, for example, create music.
Controversies and attacks on Lovelace
Unexpectedly, at the end of the 20th century, people used knives against Ada Lovelace.
In 1985, Dorothy Stein wrote a biography, with a preface at the beginning, arguing that Lovelace’s reputation was based on Babbage’s experience of “generous tribute” to her in her memoirs “The process of mystification”. Bruce Collier (1990), Allan Bromley (1990), Doron Swade (2000) and Benjamin Woolley (2000) The skin was added shortly after depriving Lovelace of abilities.
With the advent of the Internet age, criticism of Lovelace has become stronger and stronger. They have made it clear that Lovelace cannot write Bernoulli’s programs at all, and Babbage must be worthy of the title of the first programmer in history.
But: “Lovelace’s vision for a general-purpose computer and its impact on various fields such as mathematics, music, and art are unique and unique to him,” said Quique Royuela.
Despite the long history of computing devices, the idea that machines can create music or graphics is absolutely novel.
Lovelace is familiar with the techniques of automata, which look and function similar to humans or animals, but are driven by complex cams and lever gears. Indeed, Babbage has a so-called “Mrs. Silver” who can “bend over and lift her glasses from time to time.”
Babbage’s work for the analysis engine is surprising, but none of his colleagues seem to really understand its importance. Except Lovelace.
A century before the beginning of the computer age, Ada Lovelace imagined that the computer commonly used today would be a computer. A machine that can be programmed according to instructions.Not only can it perform calculations, but it also has the ability to create, because it “likes Jacquard screen Weaving flowers and leaves”, as described by Ada Lovelace.
The computer he is writing, the analysis engine or Differential It came from Babbage and was never built, but his work in the computer field made Lovelace the first person to program a computer.
Quique Royuela explained: “This information will become a key concept in the digital age.” Any type of content, data or information can be represented by numbers: music, text, photos, numbers, symbols, sounds, videos». All.
Quique Royuela, editor of Principia, did not want to leave any cracks: «No one would doubt that Ada Lovelace was the creator of computers. It is the first calculation in history. “
A basic problem
since in principle; They initiated a project led by Ada Lovelace.its about «Pioneer of science, difficult problem»
This is a series problem Regarding the history of scientists, they are an important part of history, and in this way they seek to change the references of girls/boys and adults in an entertaining and educational way.
Why start with Ada Lovelace? “First of all, because she is not only a pioneer in the field of science, but also because she is a symbol of how she changed the world, of course, she is also the representative of creating the first algorithm in history and thus becoming the first computer programmer,” Royuela emphasized.
The problem of “Science Pioneer Project” is currently being ” Crowdfunding written: https://vkm.is/puzzlelovelace
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