University of Cambridge Manchester University Essex University
Ralph Anthony Brooker (22 September 1925 – 20 November 2019),[1] was a British computer scientist known for developing the Mark 1 Autocode.[2]
He was educated at Emanuel School and graduated in Mathematics from Imperial College in 1945 and returned there in 1947 as assistant lecturer. His first computer project was the construction of a fast multiplier unit from electro-mechanical relays. This was taken over by Sid Michaelson[3] and K. D. Tocher and incorporated into ICCE, the Imperial College Computing Engine based on the same technology.[4] By then (1949)Brooker had moved to the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory to work for Maurice Wilkes on software development for EDSAC.
In October 1951 Brooker joined the Computing Machine Laboratory at Manchester University, where he took over from Alan Turing the task of writing programming manuals and running a user service on the Ferranti Mark 1 computer. It was his experience with the rather tedious Manchester machine-coding conventions that led him to devise what was probably the world's first publicly available High-Level Language. This was the Mark 1 Autocode available from March 1954 and therefore about two years ahead of the first Fortran compiler.
Throughout the 1950s Brooker led a group at Manchester working on the theoretical underpinnings of compilers. This culminated in the compiler-compiler, a seminal idea first presented at a British Computer Society Conference in July 1960 by Brooker and Derrick Morris.[5] This was subsequently implemented on the Ferranti ATLAS and used for high-level language development. The ATLAS was regarded as the world's most powerful computer when it was brought into service in December 1962.
In the mid-1960s Brooker helped to inaugurate the UK's first Computer Science degree course at Manchester. He moved to Essex University in 1967 to take up the university's founding Chair of Computer Science. The first Essex Computer Science graduates obtained their degrees in the summer of 1970. He retired in 1988[6] and died on 20 November 2019 in Hexham.[7][8][2]
^Cite error: The named reference Gregori, Hackaday, 2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abReilly, Edwin D. (2003). Milestones in Computer Science and Information Technology. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 311. ISBN 1573565210.
^"Imperial College Computing Engines".
^Hollocks, B. W. (2008). "Intelligence, innovation and integrity— KD Tocher and the dawn of simulation". Journal of Simulation. 2 (3): 128–137. doi:10.1057/jos.2008.15. S2CID 56974328.
^Lee, John A. N. (1995). International Biographical Dictionary of Computer Pioneers. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 138. ISBN 1-884964-47-8. morris computing manchest compiler -tim.
^"Staff in the Department: Emeritus Professors Professor TONY BROOKER". University of Essex School of Computer Science. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
^"Tony Brooker obituary". The Guardian. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
^Metz, Cade (13 December 2019). "Tony Brooker, Pioneer of Computer Programming, Dies at 94". The New York Times.
January 2020). "TonyBrooker And Autocode – The First High-level Language". Hackaday. Retrieved 2 January 2020. Sadly, one of them, [TonyBrooker], a pioneer...
TonyBrooker and Derrick Morris for the Atlas computer. The initial AA and AB compilers were written by Jeff Rohl and TonyBrooker using the Brooker-Morris...
TonyBrooks may refer to: Anthony Brooks (1922–2007), also known as TonyBrooks, British undercover agent in World War II TonyBrooks (American football)...
2008, Brooker and several other ex-writers were invited back to review a game for the 200th issue. Brooker reviewed Euro Truck Simulator. Brooker began...
Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented...
Sir Charles Antony Richard Hoare FRS FREng, also known as Tony Hoare or by his initials C. A. R. Hoare (/hɔːr/; born 11 January 1934) is a British computer...
film, The Producers, ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2007 and earned Brooks three Tony Awards. The project was remade into a musical film in 2005. He wrote...
2009. Retrieved 20 February 2024. Tony Blair and Global Warming Archived 8 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Brookings.edu, 18 November 2003. Retrieved...
"FACOM 128A and 128B Relay Computers". Retrieved 2017-07-26. "Profile for TonyBrooker at the University of Essex". www.essex.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-19. "From...
car and endurance racing. Joining the team were Jean Behra from BRM, TonyBrooks from Vanwall, and Cliff Allison from Lotus. After trying out in a couple...
professor at MIT Edward Bowell – astronomer, Lowell Observatory Professor TonyBrooker – Emeritus Professor of Computer Science, University of Essex Professor...
Anthony Brook is a former New Zealand rower. At the 1982 World Rowing Championships at Rotsee, Switzerland, he won a gold medal with the New Zealand eight...
after 246 laps whilst lying seventh, forcing drivers Reg Parnell and TonyBrooks to retire. Making a full debut in the 1957 World Sportscar Championship...
starting grid. The British teams were present and quick off the mark: TonyBrooks qualified on pole for Vanwall, ahead of Jean Behra for BRM and the Cooper...
EGOT, an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, is the designation given to people who have won all four of the major American performing...
returned to see Moss win again in a Vanwall; he took over his ill teammate TonyBrooks's car and stormed through the field to take victory. This was the first...
to Vanwall, who had not competed in the first race. He was joined by TonyBrooks, in his first full season. Between the first and second race of the season...
Key Bank before her Playboy appearance. She was previously married to TonyBrooks. She was also photographed by celebrity photographer William Shatner...
College Computing Engine, ICCE I, was constructed by Sidney Michaelson, TonyBrooker and Keith Tocher in the Department of Mathematics at Imperial College...
programming language. It is based on a proposal for ALGOL X by Niklaus Wirth and Tony Hoare as a successor to ALGOL 60. ALGOL W is a relatively simple upgrade...
and TonyBrooks moved to BRP (racing under Yeoman Credit Racing). Wolfgang von Trips was hired as their full-time driver for 1960. At BRP, Brooks would...
annual Notre Dame-USC game, Holtz suspended Watters and running back TonyBrooks for disciplinary reasons. Playing their biggest road game of the season...
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