PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
BCS, the chartered institute for IT, has named Alan Turing the ‘ultimate information pioneer’ of all time, following a celebrity backed campaign to celebrate the often forgotten ground-breakers of the computing world.
Turing, who is credited with building the machine that cracked the Nazi Enigma code during WW2, received 39 per cent of the public vote.
The 150 strong list eligible for the title also included Gordon Moore, Clive Sinclair, and Tim Berners-Lee.
Celebrity Kate Russell, who fronted a short film in support of Turing’s bid, said: “I was thrilled that Alan Turing took such an early lead, even managing to fight off a sudden dash from Hedy Lamarr in week two of the voting! The fact that the votes for Turing have remained steady over the course of a month, securing him a solid victory, goes to show that his appeal and importance to the world of technology is as universal as his early machines were!”
Other celebrity endorsements came from Phil Tufnell, ex-England cricketer, for Sir Clive Sinclair – the ‘father of gaming’ who is credited with making computers affordable to the masses the ZX80 and the ZX Spectrum.
Meanwhile, comedian Dom Joly supported Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web.
