It is said that the world today can never function normally without the aid of computers. If this is an accepted fact, it is therefore undeniable that the men behind the development of the greatest computer-related technologies are true heroes indeed. Get to know these ten men who are known for their intelligence and heroism in the realm of computerization.
Alan Turing - Father of Artificial Intelligence
Born: June 23,1912
From: Maida Vale, London, England
He was born in a generation when microchips and digitization are nowhere to be found. However, such a scarcity didn't prevent this guy from inventing his own mechanical computer that paved the way to the seemingly intelligent computer gadgets that we know today. He may have killed himself while trying to deal with his homosexuality, but his legacy is still very much alive to this day.
Steve Jobs - Founder of Apple Computers
Born: February 24, 1955
From: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Design perfection is his ultimate goal and as we look upon his legacy, we can't help but agree. Popularizing some of the best products and digital business models in the history of computing, Steve Jobs deserves to be called a heroic entity, though he is no longer within the land of the living.
Mark Zuckerberg - Inventor of Facebook
Born: May 14, 1984
From: White Plains, New York, U.S.
Just when you think the word 'billionaire' is only attributed to hard-faced middle-aged guys, you may want to rethink the notion once you get to know this baby-faced billionaire. Armed with ingenuity and a great sense of work ethic, this young fella skyrocketed himself to the top of the social networking niche and became an Internet and mass media sensation.
Bill Gates - Founder of Microsoft
Born: October 28, 1955
From: Seattle, Washington, U.S.
As the chairman and chief software architect of the world's biggest software company, he became one of the richest men in the world. The greatest number of PCs in the world today are running on Windows, his flagship product. Though he was accused of practicing unfair business methods and of being the Antichrist, Bill Gates will always be one of, if not the greatest computer evolution hero.
Bjarne Stroustrup - Developer of C++
Born: December 30, 1950
From: Denmark
Writing programs is the 'holy grail' of computerization. After all, how can computers ever function without the programs that work within them? Such activity won't exist without programming languages. And who should get the best recognition than Bjarne Stroustrup? He is the developer of C++, the most powerful programming language of all time. All of the apps, games, and websites that you love or hate in your whole digital lifestyle is a by-product of his creation. This makes it apparent that Mr. Stroustrup should be hailed as one of the greatest computer heroes there is.
Tim Berners Lee - Inventor of the Internet
Born: June 8, 1955
From: London,England
The Internet is a universe within planet Earth itself – a virtual one, but a universe nonetheless. It is a whole new dimension where digital environments exist. If the inhabitants within it should seek for their god, then they should look up to Tim Berners Lee. He engineered it first and with the help of other brilliant people, cyberspace became bigger with an expansion activity similar to the one that the big bang has given.
Charles Babbage - Father of Computing
Born: December 26, 1791
From: London, Great Britain
All of the geeks on this list are great, but they must not disregard the fact that before they came to be, there was Mr. Babbage, the one who started it all – the one who first envisioned the machine that we now know as the computer. His works were considered outrageous and foolish by most people of his era. If they only knew the effect of Charlie's efforts today, they would most likely treat him like a god by then.
Linus Torvalds - Father of Open-Source
Born: December 28, 1969
From: Helsinki, Finland
Most software manufacturers may think that piracy is their biggest enemy, but they're only partially correct. They have a more formidable foe, and it is called open-source. While still a student, a guy named Linus wrote an OS kernel which became the template for all the Linux distributions today. It's neither expensive nor cheap... because it's absolutely free. Should the open-source scheme grab a stronger foothold into the computing masses, commercial software may greatly lose its luster or evolve into something useless.
Larry Page - Co-founder of Google (with Sergey Brin)
Born: March 26, 1973
From: East Lansing, Michigan, USA
The Internet though widely popular, is still a world with lots of uncharted regions. Thanks to guys like Larry Page, cyberspace is a lot more accessible, easier to navigate and has lesser hitch-hikers than before. By cleverly providing searching algorithms and user services, Larry has built a giant so big that the ever-expanding Internet seems to appear a little smaller because of it.
Sean Parker - Inventor of Napster
Born: December 3, 1979
From: Herndon, Virginia, USA
Every creator should receive due payment for his or her work, a rule in business and lifestyle that has been going on for countless generations. But when this guy reached adulthood, he raised a finger into the greedy corporate people and spurned them to anger when he created Napster – a music downloading software. His creation has since been banned and shutdown but the method he started has changed the way information is downloaded and shared in the web forever.
Though some of them were considered as villains, they are actually regarded as heroes too. Who do you think among them is the greatest?
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