Excellent piece! Thank you. I was a little surprised to find no mention of John von Neumann nor of his paper giving the first design of a stored-program digital electronic computer. (Eckart and Mauchly's ENIAC was digital and electronic, but not stored-program. Say what you like about software today, but at least it does not involve patch bays). See: "First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC," John von Neumann, Contract No. W-670 ORD-4926. Moore School of Engineering and University of Pennsylvania. June 30,1945. http://www.virtualtravelog.net/entries/2003-08-TheFirstDraft.pdf