Ada Lovelace and The Very First Computer Program - Steven Goodwin - NDC London 2024

This talk was recorded at NDC London in London, England. #ndclondon #ndcconferences #developer #softwaredeveloper Attend the next NDC conference near you: https://ndcconferences.com https://ndclondon.com/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel and learn every day: / @NDC Follow our Social Media! https://www.facebook.com/ndcconferences https://twitter.com/NDC_Conferences https://www.instagram.com/ndc_conferences/ #javascript #people #programminglanguages We all know that Ada Lovelace is credited as the first computer programmer. But what did she write? What did it do? And how does it work? In this inspirational talk, developer, geek, and digital archaeologist, Steven Goodwin, breaks down the very first program ever written to explain what it does and how it works. We will simulate it within a JavaScript version of Babbage's analytical engine, rewriting it piece-by-piece until it looks like modern code, and thereby demonstrate what features of current languages that everyone now takes for granted. We finish up with a discussion on the controversy surrounding Ada's involvement in computing, aiming to answer the question once and for all - "Was she really the first programmer?"