[smhenderson]

A good read. Although I was surprised the grandmother of programming, Ada Lovelace, wasn't mentioned.

Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. Because of this, she is often described as the world's first computer programmer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace

[Svip]

As interesting as Ada Lovelace's and Charles Babbage's story is, their efforts have had little (if any) influence on the computer we know today. In a sense, they are not completely relevant when talking about modern computing. I also feel Lovelace tend to distract the subject on women in computing.

[mhurron]

> I also feel Lovelace tend to distract the subject on women in computing.

Given that, as someone has already mentioned in the comments, there are people that hold the view that women are always at least second best to a man in regards to ability in computing because they are female, the fact that the first 'programmer' did so without documentation on a machine that existed in theory was a woman is very much central to the subject.

[PJDK]

I agree, really it's Grace Hopper that we should be celebrating as "the woman who founded modern computing", because we're still feeling her influence every day!

[tormeh]

Likewise Leibniz was the first computer scientist. As if anyone cares.

[MollyR]

I care. I like to know the truth not the marketing angle. Do you mind explaining ?

[andyjohnson0]

Probably a reference to Leibniz having discovered/invented the binary number system back in the 1679 [1]. He also worked on theories of algorithms and designed calculating machines [2].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_number#History

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Wilhelm_Leibniz#Compu...