One person who recognized the importance of the Analytical Engine from the very beginning was Lady Augusta Ada Lovelace, daughter of the famous English poet Lord Byron. Lovelace was a mathematician and a long-time supporter of Babbage. It was her who persuaded Babbage to use the binary system for his invention instead of the decimal system. She also thought of ways to program the machine, so that it would repeat the same set of instructions and carry out instructions if certain conditions existed. These techniques are still in use today to make computer programs more efficient. Because of her work, many consider Lovelace to be the first programmer. On her honour a programming language is used in American defence, called ADA.
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