Module 1 website analysis

Augusta Ada Byron-King (1815-1852) known as Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace : Analyst, Metaphysician, and Founder of Scientific Computing & The Analytical Engine Leading to Programming Via Punch Cards

Introduction

Module One of the T171 deals primarily with the history and development of the technology we have come to know as the personal computer. In order to understand how we have arrived at the current position it is clear that an understanding of the past is required. Section 2 of the Module gives a brief history which includes Charles Babbage and mentions almost in passing his link to Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace.  I found much more information on the person Babbage called his "enchantress of numbers" and her importance to computer technology in a site dealing primarily with her life and achievements at  http://www.well.com/user/adatoole/index.htm _1. Babbage and Countess Lovelace are considered by many to be the founders of scientific computing and her table of instructions for the Bernoulli numbers are now considered the first program. Her visualisation of the punch card to programme is without doubt of the most important technology of early computing.

Ada Lovelace (2)	Ada the entranchness of	Ada Lovelace Age 19[4.1]	Ada Lovelace 1850[4.2]	Ada Lovelace Age 27[4.3]
	of numbers(3)

This Sites Use to T171 Students

I feel that this particular site provides helps to highlight where the technology to programme came from and by its use of a particularly clear timeline linked to world historic events clearly defines the time span involved. This can be seen from the shortened extract below at Table 1. It leaves you without any doubt that programming is not a recent event but that the original programming concepts where being developed nearly 160 years ago. It shows that computers like other technologies have been result of previous knowledge being developed and expanded Thus It helps to cement the past with the current and thus onto the future. This site gives a slightly different emphasise that that shown in the T171 printed text.

Table 1 ₅

Another very interesting link on this site is entitled information/misinformation http://www.well.com/user/adatoole/misinfo.htm. This raises both a number of very interesting questions which although directed at Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage could be equally applied to question the information the course notes and the text book for this section of the T171 course gives on other notable personalities in the computer industry. As well as giving suggestions that Ada’s work and influenced has reached out further than computing to inspire literature and films. Because of this I feel that it would help to enliven the interest of a new student at an early stage of the course.

The Relevance, Perspective and Opinions on the Site

This site appears to link directly with 171 Module 1 Section 2 Prehistory. It was Ada Lovelace who in effect first fully described a method of programming using "punch cards", a practice used in reality much later in the computer age. It also provides links within the websites text and the timeline to other pioneers of the computer and highlights uses of her work which we can still recognise today.

This site appears to be the personal site of Dr  Betty Alexandra Toole, a consultant and an adjunct professor of Computer Science living in California. Although clearly designed as a vehicle to promote and sell her books the quotes given on the website lend it an air of authority.

Personally I found the site to be interesting, well written and very easy to digest. I found it to be thought provoking, provided me with additional information which enhanced the other course materials.

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