Computers need programming languages to function. That’s just a simple fact of life. However, these languages didn’t just ...

Tony Brooker, the mathematician and computer scientist who designed the programming language for the world’s first commercial computer, died Nov. 20 at a nursing home in Hexham, England. He was 94.

For decades, fierce debates have raged over the benefits of different programming languages over others: Java vs. C++; Python vs. Ruby; Flask vs. Django. While often waged with fervor by computer ...

In one form or another, C has influenced the shape of almost every programming language developed since the 1980s. Some languages like C++, C#, and objective C are intended to be direct successors to ...

The abacus, a simple counting aid, may have been invented in Babylonia (now Iraq) in the fourth century B.C. The Antikythera mechanism, used for registering and predicting the motion of the stars and ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Humanity’s love affair with technology stretches back more than ...

After meeting Alan Turing, Mr. Brooker went to work at the University of Manchester and wrote the programming language for the first commercial computer. By Cade Metz Tony Brooker, the mathematician ...