The most important software innovations ever

Ajax may be the coolest thing since sliced arrays (*ducks*), but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really compare to many of the things on David A. Wheeler's list of The Most Important Software Innovations. The updated-for-2006 list spans more than 150 years, from the birth of software (with Babbage's Analytical Engine in 1837) to the first compiler in 1952 to the spreadsheet in 1978 and so on. After his timeline, Wheeler takes a few moments to talk about software patents ("Software patents have essentially no relationship to software innovation.") and what makes an innovation important and what doesn't. Overall, an educational and, if you're a history-of-computing geek like me, entertaining read.

Tags: computers, David A Wheeler, DavidAWheeler, geek, innovation, programming, software, timeline