Title | “Logic and Computing in France: A Late Convergence” |
Publication Type | Web Article |
Year of Publication | 2012 |
Authors | Mounier-Kuhn, P |
Description | L. De Mol et G. Primiero (dir.), AISB/IACAP World Congress 2012 - History and Philosophy of Programming, ISBN978-1-908187-17-8, |
ISBN | ISBN978-1-908187-17-8 |
Keywords | Computer science, discipline building, France, Institut Blaise Pascal, Mathematical logic |
Abstract | How did mathematical logic interact with computing in the pioneer era ? Was the “Turing machine”, to sum up a common model, a decisive source of inspiration for electronic computers designers ? I tend to consider this model as a founding myth of theoretical computer science, an a posteriori reconstruction, more than an accurate historical account. Based on archival research and oral history interviews, a detailed investigation on the case of France – a mid-size country where computers appeared years later than in Britain and in the USA – suggests rather a late encounter than a filiation process. |
URL | https://www.academia.edu/5252629/Logic_and_Computing_in_France_A_Late_Convergence |