Konrad Zuse's Helix Tower [pdf]
iaarc.org78 points by xg15 5 days ago
78 points by xg15 5 days ago
Zuse invented many more things than the first computer and first programming language - for example, an "Apparatus for controlling headlights by counterlight" already in 1958!
Zuse was a genius, but I feel Moses Schönfinkel should get credit for the first programming language with his S,K combinators, pre-dating even Church's λ-calculus.
https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2020/12/where-did-combin...
Was really the first commercial, programable, turing complete, binary (digital) computer. There were many special purpose built computers before, both analog and digital.
For previous art (but not built until much later) was Charles Babbage. Later came ENIAC, which is much more what we identify today with a computer.
He was 79 years old when he started on this - I hope I retain that kind of mind that can play with ideas at that age
[dead]