Abstract
This paper describes the development of programming for the EDSAC computer at Cambridge University, beginning in 1948 and culminating in the publication in 1951 of the classic Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer by Maurice Wilkes, David Wheeler and Stanley Gill. The relationship to earlier programming studies conducted by Herman Goldstine and John von Neumann during 1947-1948 at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, is discussed. The subsequent diffusion of the Cambridge programming system and its influence are described.
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Campbell-Kelly, M. (2011). From Theory to Practice: The Invention of Programming, 1947-51. In: Jones, C.B., Lloyd, J.L. (eds) Dependable and Historic Computing. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6875. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24541-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24541-1_4
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