Percy Ludgate published the world's second design of a programmable digital computer over a hundred years ago and died in Dublin a hundred years ago this year. His published papers lay un-noticed for another sixty years until unearthed and highlighted by Professor Brian Randell. Both Ludgate and his machine then remained shrouded in mystery for a further fifty years. This book presents much of the original material, plus lifts the veil with extensive new information on the family, life and work of Percy Ludgate, including two very significant discoveries.
BRIAN COGHLAN is a retired Senior Lecturer with the School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland. He is curator of The John Gabriel Byrne Computer Science Collection.
BRIAN RANDELL is an Emeritus Professor of Computing Science, and a Senior Research Investigator with the School of Computing, Newcastle University, U.K. His book The Origins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers was first published in 1973, by Springer Verlag.