Modern computing is often traced back to the first electronic computers developed during the Second World War, whose programming required physically rewiring the machine.

Since then, programming practices have evolved tremendously, as has the range of applications computers can run. Recovered historical code offers a valuable window into these technical and social transformations.

Exploring the first programming textbooks or Turing’s innovative sonic debugging techniques reveals the complexity of programming early screenless machines and the ingenuity of their creators. Although the first computers were devoted to numerical tasks, researchers quickly ventured into other domains – illustrated by ELIZA, the first chatbot, created in the mid-1960s.

In the 1980s, computer networks gained popularity. The code of early transfer protocols such as XMODEM sheds light on the spirit of these early online communities. Concurrently, computing permeated all sectors of society. The Latin American World Model illustrates how economists employed computers to optimize development pathways.