
The mathematical genius Alan Turing, now well known for his crucial wartime role in breaking the ENIGMA code, was the first to conceive of the fundamental principle of the modern computer-the idea of controlling a computing machine's operations by means of a program of coded...


The mathematical genius Alan Turing (1912-1954) was one of the greatest scientists and thinkers of the 20th century. Now well known for his crucial wartime role in breaking the ENIGMA code, he was the first to conceive of the fundamental principle of the modern computer-the idea...

During World War II Alan Turing's work on Colossus enabled the Allies to crack German ciphers. After the war he worked on the ACE, or automatic computing engine. This volume traces the genesis and development of ACE and examines how it became the forerunner of the modern computer...