* Not only a language... @ 2022-02-25 16:42 mockturtle 2022-02-27 6:23 ` 25.BX943 0 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread From: mockturtle @ 2022-02-25 16:42 UTC (permalink / raw) Now also a GPU is named after Ada Lovelace https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-next-generation-ada-lovelace-gpus-are-rumored-to-consume-scary-amounts-of-power/ ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: Not only a language... 2022-02-25 16:42 Not only a language mockturtle @ 2022-02-27 6:23 ` 25.BX943 2022-02-27 7:55 ` Robin Vowels 0 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread From: 25.BX943 @ 2022-02-27 6:23 UTC (permalink / raw) On 2/25/22 11:42 AM, mockturtle wrote: > Now also a GPU is named after Ada Lovelace > https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-next-generation-ada-lovelace-gpus-are-rumored-to-consume-scary-amounts-of-power/ That's nice ... but does it have anything to do with her thoughts on computing machines ? :-) Babbage knew how to build a computer - but he was fixated on using them to create math tables for navigation and such. Lovelace/Byron saw the potential far better - realized that anything that could in some way be rendered into numbers could be manipulated by computing machines. Poor Babbage ... he had it right, but the hardware of the time was gears and cogs. ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: Not only a language... 2022-02-27 6:23 ` 25.BX943 @ 2022-02-27 7:55 ` Robin Vowels 2022-03-08 1:55 ` 25.BX943 0 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread From: Robin Vowels @ 2022-02-27 7:55 UTC (permalink / raw) On Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 5:24:01 PM UTC+11, 25.BX943 wrote: > On 2/25/22 11:42 AM, mockturtle wrote: > > Now also a GPU is named after Ada Lovelace > > https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-next-generation-ada-lovelace-gpus-are-rumored-to-consume-scary-amounts-of-power/ > That's nice ... but does it have anything to do with > her thoughts on computing machines ? :-) > > Babbage knew how to build a computer - but he was fixated > on using them to create math tables for navigation and such. . That's how it started, but he progressed to develop an "analytical engine" -- a computer, for which Ada Lovelace wrote programs. . > Lovelace/Byron saw the potential far better - realized that > anything that could in some way be rendered into numbers > could be manipulated by computing machines. > > Poor Babbage ... he had it right, but the hardware of the > time was gears and cogs. ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: Not only a language... 2022-02-27 7:55 ` Robin Vowels @ 2022-03-08 1:55 ` 25.BX943 2022-03-09 21:06 ` Robin Vowels 0 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread From: 25.BX943 @ 2022-03-08 1:55 UTC (permalink / raw) On 2/27/22 2:55 AM, Robin Vowels wrote: > On Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 5:24:01 PM UTC+11, 25.BX943 wrote: >> On 2/25/22 11:42 AM, mockturtle wrote: >>> Now also a GPU is named after Ada Lovelace >>> https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-next-generation-ada-lovelace-gpus-are-rumored-to-consume-scary-amounts-of-power/ >> That's nice ... but does it have anything to do with >> her thoughts on computing machines ? :-) >> >> Babbage knew how to build a computer - but he was fixated >> on using them to create math tables for navigation and such. > . > That's how it started, but he progressed to develop > an "analytical engine" -- a computer, for which Ada Lovelace > wrote programs. Timeline ... she came in as he was trying to raise money for the 'analytical engine'. I think he'd sold exactly two of his 'difference engines' (to the Royal Navy I think) but nobody else was interested. Those were VERY complicated devices in and of themselves, very expensive to make. Babbage dropped in on Ada's hubby with a sales pitch. She sat in on his overly-tekkie description of the AE. The next morning she'd written a small program for the hypothetical device (it had one small bug). Her interest piqued, she struck up a closer association with Babbage (as pen-pals and 'biz partners' apparently, nothing naughtier was ever mentioned). She wrote up what amounted to sales ads for the thing - which tended to be half her own expositions on the subject. However Babbage never really did seem to see the wider possibilities of his AE. He still saw the use as doing practical math - just with more flexibility than the old DE. Ada was the only one who seemed to grasp the more exotic implication - anything that *could* be represented as numbers could be manipulated/analyzed/ transformed by such a machine. So, while Babbage is the god of computers, Lovelace is the goddess of modern "computing". Babbage's vision was severely limited by the hardware of the era - gears and cogs and cams. Lovelace's vision was not dependent on the hardware, you can easily code her programming examples into Python or Pascal, 'C' ... or Ada ... and they work. Alas her life was rather short - some disease, maybe cancer - and she spent her last couple of years totally doped-up and unable to pursue her ideas. In any case, they both had it right - but Babbage was the one thwarted by the tech. A remarkable set of people, just 100 years too early. The proto Woz and Jobs ??? Oh, and let's not forget that Babbage got his idea for the AE from the Jacquard loom when he visited Jacquard's factory - another inspired bit of tech. And yes Jacquard had his own 'systems programmer' in the back room, the only guy who knew how the control cards should be punched - the machine was probably HIS idea, but he gets no credit and nobody even seems sure of his name ... the boss slapped HIS name on it and that's all anyone remembers (sound familiar ? :-) ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: Not only a language... 2022-03-08 1:55 ` 25.BX943 @ 2022-03-09 21:06 ` Robin Vowels 0 siblings, 0 replies; 5+ messages in thread From: Robin Vowels @ 2022-03-09 21:06 UTC (permalink / raw) On Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 12:55:17 PM UTC+11, 25.BX943 wrote: > On 2/27/22 2:55 AM, Robin Vowels wrote: > > On Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 5:24:01 PM UTC+11, 25.BX943 wrote: > >> On 2/25/22 11:42 AM, mockturtle wrote: > >>> Now also a GPU is named after Ada Lovelace > >>> https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-next-generation-ada-lovelace-gpus-are-rumored-to-consume-scary-amounts-of-power/ > >> That's nice ... but does it have anything to do with > >> her thoughts on computing machines ? :-) > >> > >> Babbage knew how to build a computer - but he was fixated > >> on using them to create math tables for navigation and such. > > . > > That's how it started, but he progressed to develop > > an "analytical engine" -- a computer, for which Ada Lovelace > > wrote programs. > Timeline ... she came in as he was trying to raise money > for the 'analytical engine'. I think he'd sold exactly two > of his 'difference engines' (to the Royal Navy I think) > but nobody else was interested. Those were VERY complicated > devices in and of themselves, very expensive to make. > > Babbage dropped in on Ada's hubby with a sales pitch. She > sat in on his overly-tekkie description of the AE. The next > morning she'd written a small program for the hypothetical > device (it had one small bug). Her interest piqued, she > struck up a closer association with Babbage (as pen-pals > and 'biz partners' apparently, nothing naughtier was ever > mentioned). She wrote up what amounted to sales ads for > the thing - which tended to be half her own expositions > on the subject. > > However Babbage never really did seem to see the wider > possibilities of his AE. He still saw the use as doing > practical math - just with more flexibility than the > old DE. . That was important enough in itself, and anything more would have been of no interest to those Babbage was trying to interest as backers. . > Ada was the only one who seemed to grasp the > more exotic implication - anything that *could* be > represented as numbers could be manipulated/analyzed/ > transformed by such a machine. > > So, while Babbage is the god of computers, Lovelace is > the goddess of modern "computing". Babbage's vision was > severely limited by the hardware of the era - gears and > cogs and cams. Lovelace's vision was not dependent on > the hardware, you can easily code her programming examples > into Python or Pascal, 'C' ... or Ada ... and they work. > > Alas her life was rather short - some disease, maybe cancer - > and she spent her last couple of years totally doped-up and > unable to pursue her ideas. > > In any case, they both had it right - but Babbage was the > one thwarted by the tech. A remarkable set of people, just > 100 years too early. The proto Woz and Jobs ??? > > Oh, and let's not forget that Babbage got his idea for the AE > from the Jacquard loom when he visited Jacquard's factory - > another inspired bit of tech. And yes Jacquard had his own > 'systems programmer' in the back room, the only guy who knew > how the control cards should be punched - the machine was > probably HIS idea, but he gets no credit and nobody even > seems sure of his name ... the boss slapped HIS name on it > and that's all anyone remembers (sound familiar ? :-) ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
end of thread, other threads:[~2022-03-09 21:06 UTC | newest] Thread overview: 5+ messages (download: mbox.gz / follow: Atom feed) -- links below jump to the message on this page -- 2022-02-25 16:42 Not only a language mockturtle 2022-02-27 6:23 ` 25.BX943 2022-02-27 7:55 ` Robin Vowels 2022-03-08 1:55 ` 25.BX943 2022-03-09 21:06 ` Robin Vowels
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