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1 review for:
Sketch of the Analytical Engine Invented by Charles Babbage
Ada Lovelace, L.F. Menabrea
5.0 AVERAGE
1 review for:
Sketch of the Analytical Engine Invented by Charles Babbage
Ada Lovelace, L.F. Menabrea
5.0 AVERAGE
Totally fascinating. And once you get used to the early 19th century language it's a joy to read.
The notes are, of course, the main draw. That's where Ada (if you'll excuse the informality) really takes off. Yes, Mr. Menabrea wrote a workman's description of Babbage's Analytical Engine and history owes him a debt of gratitude. But Ada really gives the engine life, expanding on it's inner workings and explaining what Mr. Menabrea leaves to our assumptions.
And the real jewels are her observations in what the engine *can* do. (not that it was ever built) Her insight into the fact that it's not all about numbers is pure genius. We take this for granted today. We're told that computers are only about numbers but we see it playing games, mediating our communications, making moving pictures, and on an on. Intuitively we know it's more than numbers. Ada saw beyond that. A favorite quote: "We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves." This was her insight, that it was more than just numbers, that "the engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent."
Be sure to print out her diagram of the computation of the Bernoulli Numbers. That's what eventually took me so long to finish (besides reading it in the background. I must read it again someday soon as my main reading), printing the thing and finally sitting down to analyze it. As a programmer of modern day computers it was quite clear and no surprise but gave me a great insight into the workings of the Analytical Engine.
The notes are, of course, the main draw. That's where Ada (if you'll excuse the informality) really takes off. Yes, Mr. Menabrea wrote a workman's description of Babbage's Analytical Engine and history owes him a debt of gratitude. But Ada really gives the engine life, expanding on it's inner workings and explaining what Mr. Menabrea leaves to our assumptions.
And the real jewels are her observations in what the engine *can* do. (not that it was ever built) Her insight into the fact that it's not all about numbers is pure genius. We take this for granted today. We're told that computers are only about numbers but we see it playing games, mediating our communications, making moving pictures, and on an on. Intuitively we know it's more than numbers. Ada saw beyond that. A favorite quote: "We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves." This was her insight, that it was more than just numbers, that "the engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent."
Be sure to print out her diagram of the computation of the Bernoulli Numbers. That's what eventually took me so long to finish (besides reading it in the background. I must read it again someday soon as my main reading), printing the thing and finally sitting down to analyze it. As a programmer of modern day computers it was quite clear and no surprise but gave me a great insight into the workings of the Analytical Engine.