I read this about Alan Turing

[Brook]

Hi,

 

I came across this story about Alan Turing, I found it really interesting.

 

No doubt it's already on the forum somewhere, but just wondered if anyone has read

the book mentioned on the link?

 

http://autism.about.com/b/a/257591.htm?ter...ith%20computers

 

Brook

Edited August 22, 2006 by Brook

[baddad]

Hi brook -

I'm probably miles behind (as per) but I'd never heard any of the alan turing/asd stuff before... I'll have to have a looksee. Having said that, father of the computer/asd connection - not a huge leap involved is there?

Thanks for the links 'n' stuff!

 

L&P

 

BD

[TheNeil]

Can I just be really pedantic (for once)? Turing had NOTHING to do with the Colossus machines that the article mentions

 

Turing was undoubtedly a genius but he is often credited with being the 'father of digitial cmoputing' and for cracking the Enigma code. The truth is, the Polish intelligence services made massive inroads into breaking Enigma and then passed their work onto the British who continued the work at Bletchley Park. Turing took the Poles work on the 'Bomba' machines (which could churn through Enigma data looking for 'cracks' - cracks that could then be used to decypher the messages) and refined it to be more streamlined, efficient and, most importantly, quicker. The Nazi's did not only use Enigma though and the higher eschelons on the German High Command used a far more advanced machine called Lorentz which Turing and his 'bombes' couldn't touch. To crack this the Colossus machine was developed but Turing had no involvement in this project at all (it was the work of Tommy Flowers and co.)

 

I know, I'm sad but this is something that I'm very much into (computing history) and hate it when people distort the facts. That said, a trip to Bletchley Park is an Austistic dream (check out the articles I've written about it on my site if you're that way inclined, and bore yourself stupid )

[Brook]

Hi Neil,

 

sounds like you know your stuff

 

Like BD I'd never heard about it before I came across that article, it did sound interesting but

I'm not so sure now.

 

Brook

[TheNeil]

Hi Neil,

 

sounds like you know your stuff

 

Like BD I'd never heard about it before I came across that article, it did sound interesting but

I'm not so sure now.

 

Brook

 

In this case it's something that fascinates me (all computer history does) and I suppose I have that 'encyclopaedia' thing going on (hey, unlike just about everything else in life, my brain just soaks this specialist field up like a sponge. Yes I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast most days but ask me to document the development of some obscure computer from the dawn of time and I'll ramble on for hours )

 

I didn't know about the ASD connection to Turing though (although I was aware of his preference for, ahem, men's bottoms )