Computer science/Catalogs/Breakthroughs

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Revision as of 17:09, 12 May 2007 by imported>Fredrik Johansson (if you're just using one name, "Joseph" is far more common)
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This is a list of people who have made major conceptual breakthroughs in computer science that we need to mention somehow in the history of computing article (which is currently organized as a timeline not amenable to inclusion of people per se). If unlinked, these are placeholders until an article can be written. The summary should describe briefly the most famous thing the person did.

This list should not include people just because they invented a new computer, operating system, or type of software, unless they devised an innovation which was so compelling that it was adopted by everyone later because it was such a good idea (and you can identify what that innovation was, and document it). Let's keep this for the really great ones for now.

This article might be renamed, moved or removed later once we figure out how to structure more of the CZ:Computers Workgroup articles.

Please also alphabetize by last name. Pat Palmer 16:06, 12 May 2007 (CDT)

  • Backus, John (1924-2007) - inventor of FORTRAN
  • Babbage, Charles (1791-1871) - early theorist for how a computing machine could be programmed
  • Bricklin, Dan - invention of the first spreadsheet
  • Church, Alonzo (1903-1995) - proof that first-order logic is undecidable; Church's thesis; creation of the lambda calculus
  • Fourier, Joseph (1768-1830) - invented of Fourier series (long before electronic computers), making possible imaging algorithms for radar, xrays, etc

References