Each of us takes advantage of the capabilities of computers and the Internet. But few people think about those great computer scientists and programmers who gave us the opportunity to use modern computer technology, communicate using Internet networks, and also work and relax using computer programs. In this collection, we will talk about great personalities whose contribution to the development of computers and information technology cannot be underestimated.
Wilhelm Schickard (1592-1635)
Do not be surprised to see the dates of birth and death of this scientist. Indeed, the question may arise, what relation could he have to such areas of science as computer science and programming in those years. However, there is a reason that allows us to consider him one of the most famous and great computer scientists and programmers in the world.
The fact is that it was Wilhelm Schikkard who became the inventor of the world's first mechanical device that performed calculations. It was a six-digit prototype of a modern calculator, which had the ability to add and subtract integers. The Shikkard mechanism consisted of the summing and subtracting mechanical components, which worked by means of gears, an auxiliary wheel to move numerical blocks and windows to display and store information.
All the equipment that we use is built on computing, and the first who was able to mechanize the computing process was Wilhelm Schikkard.
Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)
Speaking of the great programmers, one should not forget about the British mathematician Ada Lovelace. She can rightfully be considered the first female programmer. Byron's only daughter had an amazing intellect that was well ahead of her time.
Since childhood, showing interest in mathematics, she devoted her life to understanding the Babbage computing device, including developing several options for improving this machine.
Unfortunately, the merits of Ada Lovelace were recognized only decades after her death, but her contribution to science is so great that she definitely deserves to be considered a great programmer.
Charles Babbage (1791-1871)
An honorable place in our selection is occupied by the English scientist Charles Babbage. It was he who at the beginning of the 19th century (and more specifically in 1833) became the creator of a unique prototype of an electronic computer. Having devoted a considerable part of his life to the creation of a mechanical computing system, he came up with the idea of creating an analytical device capable of performing various preset calculations through programming.
It is curious that the project included the main components that have been preserved in modern computers: this is memory and the mechanical “brain” responsible for computing.
Unfortunately, during the life of Babbage, the creation of a computer apparatus did not receive proper development, since the general level of technological development of society did not correspond to such an invention - they can be appreciated much later. Now it can be honorably ranked among the great programmers of the world. Babbage's developments became fundamental when the world was ready for the creation of computers.
Alan Turing (1912-1954)
Among those who can be called great programmers, Alan Turing, a British scientist who developed the prototype of a computer, and the first person to be called a hacker, take pride of place.
During World War II, Turing was offered cooperation with the military departments, during which he worked on hacking the algorithms of the German Enigma encryption machine, which encoded signals for the fleet and air forces. After about six months, Turing was able to decrypt the Enigma codes - this was, without a doubt, a success that allowed the British army to gain a significant advantage over the enemy.
After the war, Turing received a well-deserved reward and began work on the first computer. He created the first chess program, but it could not work because the computer that could support it did not exist.
Björn Straustrup (born 1950)
You can argue for a long time about who should be considered the greatest programmer, but there are outstanding personalities whose achievements are familiar to everyone. Almost everyone knows a programming language such as C ++. It has written a huge number of diverse programs used in various fields of activity.
The creator of this language is Danish programmer Bjorn Straustrup. He was the first to implement C ++ in the 80s of the 20th century.
Straustrup is one of the founders of object-oriented programming, at the moment he is also a member of the team to develop and revise the ANSI / ISO standard for C ++. His books have been translated into dozens of languages, and in 2004 Björn Straustrup was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Tim Bernes-Lee (born 1955)
The British scientist Tim Bernes-Lee can be ranked among the great programmers as the creator of the World Wide Web, the inventor of the Internet.
It can be considered the founder of the HTML web markup language, URL and HTTP protocols. He is the head and founder of the World Wide Web Consortium. This is an organization that creates and revises standards for the operation of the Internet.
Linus Torvalds (born 1969)
A programmer and developer hailing from Finland, Linus Torvalds, became world famous after creating the open source Linux operating system.
Initially, the project to create your own operating system did not go beyond hobby, but after Torvalds shared the source code of the future Linux OS, it gained a huge number of admirers. It happened in 1991.
Now there are a large number of modifications and distributions of this system, both ordinary users and large corporations work with it, and most programmers and IT developers recognize Linux as the optimal operating system to perform their tasks.
In 2004, Linus Torvalds was included among the most influential people according to the Times.
Richard Stallman (born 1953)
The ideology of Richard Stallman has had a great influence on the modern IT community. He is considered the founder of the free software movement and the author of the GNU project.
He advocates the idea that software should be open source to enable the user to freely use, process, exchange and modify programs.
Stallman is categorical in his beliefs and does not use commercial software in principle and is ready to fundamentally abandon such amenities as a mobile phone due to the restrictions that they impose on the user.
Finally
Among the great people, programmers and computer scientists occupy one of the most significant places, because it is difficult to deny the fact that the future of all mankind is behind information technologies and their development.
We tried to highlight the most significant figures in the field of IT and in the history of computer science, but their list is incomparably larger - in each area of the computer industry, there are many outstanding personalities. Many scientists made a contribution to computer science, starting from the time when the existence of computers and computers was not even discussed to the present.