Happy Birthday To Ada Lovelace, the First Computer Programmer 60
First time accepted submitter MrBeeudoublez writes "Honored by a Google Doodle, Ada Lovelace is the first computer programmer. From the article: 'Ada's life as a member of British society (first as the daughter of Lord Byron, and later as the wife of the Count of Lovelace), brought her into contact with Charles Babbage, whose concepts for mechanical calculating machines (early computers) she took a great interest in. Ultimately, her work on explaining Babbage's design for the Analytical Engine resulted in her being credited as the first true computer programmer in history, even if the computer she programmed for was not actually built until 2002.'"
Re:The first programmer was Hero of Alexandria (Score:5, Insightful)
I think we have to differentiate between a purely sequential program and one that can make decisions. For example in Lovelace's time automatic looms that were programmed with reels of punched paper existed, but they could only produce a fixed pattern from start to finish.
Such looms, along with mechanical pianos, mechanical dolls and Hero's cart are not computers. They are fixed function and their programs cannot respond to inputs. Lovelace was the first computer programmer.
Props to Hero for inventing the vending machine though.
Re:The first programmer was Hero of Alexandria (Score:0, Insightful)
I think we have to differentiate between a purely sequential program and one that can make decisions
Then Babbage is the first recorded computer programmer.
Lovelace is an inspirational woman but lying about her only serves to cover up the cultural inequities of the sexes.