How machines learned to follow instructions through physical hardware
In short: Before software was digital code, it was a physical reality. This video traces the evolution of programming from 19th-century textile looms to the complex switchboards and punch cards that paved the way for modern home computing.
The history of programming began with Joseph Marie Jacquard’s 1801 textile loom, which demonstrated the necessity of giving machines specific instructions. This video explores the mechanical and physical evolution of these instructions, moving from punch cards and paper tape to the use of plugboards and switch consoles. This progression highlights the technological limitations faced by early pioneers before the development of accessible programming languages in the mid-1970s.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Early Programming: Crash Course Computer Science #10
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