What is the oldest possible book anyway?
It probably should be this work from 1842:
Sketch of
The Analytical Engine
Invented by Charles Babbage
By L. F. MENABREA
[...]
With notes upon the Memoir by the Translator
ADA AUGUSTA, COUNTESS OF LOVELACE
which reputedly contains the first-ever computer programme — except that it’s too short to be a book. :-(
So it’s quite possibly this book from 1864:
Passages from the Life of a Philosopher by Charles Babbage
in which Chapter VIII is devoted to the Analytical Engine.
:-)
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computer programme
So, i started looking up when the English adopted "programme" as the new spelling of "program." I've just seen "19th century," and i'd like to match the year. Though, it seems less likely to make a difference, as even the English use "program" to refer to computer programming.
But then i looked again. You come from Australia, where "programme" is indeed used for computer programs, though there are confusing reports, with one article claiming it is political.
On further thought, though, Australia had not yet achieved nationhood in the 19th century. So, i figure the best term is indeed "computer program," at least when referring to this example. :)
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Hi chacham,
Interesting research. I’d always just assumed that “program” was the American spelling, in the same way that “color,” “behavior,” “center,” “check,” and “sulfur” are the American spellings of the British words “colour,” “behaviour,” “centre,” “cheque,” and “sulphur,” respectively. Seems I may have to re-think my usage on this one.
I wasn’t aware of the political ramifications of the programme/program distinction in current Australian federal politics. I don’t read The Canberra Times, and judging by this excerpt from the linked article:
(In fact, the English had used "program" for hundreds of years – it appears in Shakespeare's works – and only switched en masse to "programme" during that era of francophilia, the 19th century.)
I won’t be starting any time soon. A simple search of Shakespeare’s works:
finds NO hits for either “program” or “programme.” :-(
BTW, I today ordered a long black coffee with pouring cream from a waitress with an American accent, and was given milk when I was expecting cream. Then I remembered (too late!) that in America, “coffee with cream” means what I would call “coffee with milk.” So (since your homepage says you live in Michigan), how should I phrase my order when requesting coffee with cream from an American speaker?
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