A Synopsis of the Book Alan Turing and his Contemporaries: Building the World's First Computers

Lavington, Simon

doi:10.1093/comjnl/bxs015

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The 2007 Alan Turing Building at the University of Manchester houses the School of Mathematics there. Some accounts of Turing and his contemporaries, with regard to building early computers, appeared for the 2012 centenary of Turing's birth in a collection of contributions edited by the British historian of computing Simon Lavington [111]. The collection includes a section covering the legacy of Turing in the context of early British computers [112].…”

Section: Historical Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Alan Turing: Formal Methods and Beyond

Bowen

2019

Engineering Trustworthy Software Systems

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, we discuss the influence and reputation of Alan Turing since his death in 1954, specifically in the field of formal methods, especially for program proving, but also in a much wider context. Although he received some recognition during his lifetime, this image was tarnished by the controversy at the time of his death. While he was known and appreciated in scientific circles, he did not enter the public's consciousness for several decades. A turning point was the definitive biography produced by Andrew Hodges in 1983 but, even then, the tide did not turn very rapidly. More recent events, such as the celebrations of his birth centenary in 2012 and the official British royal pardon in 2013, have raised Turing's fame and popularity among the informed general public in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Cultural works in the arts featuring Turing have enhanced his profile still further. Thus, the paper discusses not only Turing's scientific impact, especially for formal methods, but in addition his historical, cultural, and even political significance. Turing's academic 'family tree' in terms of heritage and legacy is also covered.

show abstract

Section: Historical Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Alan Turing: Formal Methods and Beyond

Bowen

2019

Engineering Trustworthy Software Systems

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…He was appointed the Deputy Director of the University's computing laboratory, working on software for the Manchester Mark 1 'Baby', an early stored-program computer [37]. Turing worked on software for the Mark 1 and even produced what may have been the first proof of correctness for a program [51].…”

Section: Post-warmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alan Turing: Founder of Computer Science

Bowen

2017

Engineering Trustworthy Software Systems

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. In this paper, a biographical overview of Alan Turing, the 20th century mathematician, philosopher and early computer scientist, is presented. Turing has a rightful claim to the title of 'Father of modern computing'. He laid the theoretical groundwork for a universal machine that models a computer in its most general form before World War II. During the war, Turing was instrumental in developing and influencing practical computing devices that have been said to have shortened the war by up to two years by decoding encrypted enemy messages that were generally believed to be unbreakable. After the war, he was involved with the design and programming of early computers. He also wrote foundational papers in the areas of what are now known as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and mathematical biology shortly before his untimely death. The paper also considers Turing's subsequent influence, both scientifically and culturally.

show abstract

“…An authoritative book by four CCS members entitled Alan Turing and His Contemporaries was published as part of the celebrations marking the centenary of Alan Turing's birth 1. The CCS website gives information about the society and its program of events.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%