A Science of Operations: Machines, Logic and the Invention of Programming

Today, computers fulfil a dazzling array of roles, a flexibility resulting from the great range of programs that can be run on them.

A Science of Operations examines the history of what we now call programming, defined not simply as computer programming, but more broadly as the definition of the steps involved in computations and other information-processing activities. This unique perspective highlights how the history of programming is distinct from the history of the computer, despite t...