Introduction
Module One of the T171 deals primarily with the history and development of the technology we have come to know as the personal computer. In order to understand how we have arrived at the current position it is clear that an understanding of the past is required. Section 2 of the Module gives a brief history which includes Charles Babbage and mentions almost in passing his link to Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace. I found much more information on the person Babbage called his "enchantress of numbers" and her importance to computer technology in a site dealing primarily with her life and achievements at http://www.well.com/user/adatoole/index.htm 1. Babbage and Countess Lovelace are considered by many to be the founders of scientific computing and her table of instructions for the Bernoulli numbers are now considered the first program. Her visualisation of the punch card to programme is without doubt of the most important technology of early computing.
right to left
Ada Lovelace (2)
Ada the entranchness of
Ada Lovelace Age 19[4.1]
Ada Lovelace 1850[4.2]
Ada Lovelace Age 27[4.3]
of numbers(3)
This Sites Use to T171 Students
I feel that this particular site provides helps to highlight where the technology to programme came from and by its use of a particularly clear timeline linked to world historic events clearly defines the time span involved. This can be seen from the shortened extract below at Table 1. It leaves you without any doubt that programming is not a recent event but that the original programming concepts where being developed nearly 160 years ago. It shows that computers like other technologies have been result of previous knowledge being developed and expanded Thus It helps to cement the past with the current and thus onto the future. This site gives a slightly different emphasise that that shown in the T171 printed text.
Year
1641
Blaise Pascal develops one of the first calculating machines
1791
Charles Babbage (Ada's closest friend) is born
1815
Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke wed (January 2) Augusta Ada Byron is born in London (December 10)
1828
Ada designs a flying machine
1833
Ada meets Charles Babbage and his Difference Engine
1834
Babbage conceptualizes the Analytical Engine
1838
Ada becomes Countess of Lovelace (June 30)
1840
Babbage goes to Italy to discuss the Analytical Engine Ada begins studying mathematics with De Morgan
1842
Ada returns after a nine-month absence to her mathematical studiesL. F. Menabrea's description of the Analytical Engine is published in Switzerland (October)
1843
Ada's translation and Notes are published (August)
1852
Ada dies (November 27)
1871
Charles Babbage dies (October 18)
1890
Hollerith of the United States uses the punch card for sorting and tabulating information for the United States Census
1980
Language named "Ada" in her honor
1984
"Ada" becomes a trademark of the United States Department of Defense .
Special thanks to www.thorburn.co.uk/ecafolder/doc1.htm
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