Key Figures in Modern Computing

Charles Babbage

• Known as the "Father of Computers"
• Developed the Analytical Engine in 1834
  • Never built, but laid foundations for concepts like:
    • RAM
    • Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
    • Control Unit

Ada Lovelace

• Known as the first programmer
• Realized computers could perform more than calculations
• Based her work on Babbage’s Analytical Engine

Alan Turing

• WWII hero for breaking the German Enigma code
• Influential in theoretical computer science
• Developed the Turing Machine
  • An abstract model foundational for modern computers

Grace Hopper

• Naval officer who developed the compiler
  • Translates high-level programming languages to machine code
• Coined the phrase "a bug" in programming
  • Story of an actual bug in a relay causing a program failure

Jack Kilby

• Invented the integrated circuit at Texas Instruments
  • Led to the third generation of computers
  • Enabled dense packing of transistors and enhanced performance

Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn

• Developed TCP/IP
  • Critical protocol for internet functionality
• Vint Cerf is often called the "Father of the Internet"

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

• Founders of Apple
• Innovated with the Apple II
  • Made personal computers practical
• Introduced the Macintosh
  • First widely used GUI and mouse interface

Bill Gates and Paul Allen

• Founders of Microsoft
• Developed software for the Altair, the first PC
• Key products include:
  • MS-DOS
  • Windows
  • Microsoft Office

The next focus will be on data processing.