Editing Universal Turing machine (section)

==Introduction==
{{further|Register machine#Historical development of the register machine model}}
[[Martin Davis (mathematician)|Martin Davis]] makes a persuasive argument that Turing's conception of what is now known as "the stored-program computer", of placing the "action table"—the instructions for the machine—in the same "memory" as the input data, strongly influenced [[John von Neumann]]'s conception of the first American discrete-symbol (as opposed to analog) computer—the [[EDVAC]]. Davis quotes ''Time'' magazine to this effect, that "everyone who taps at a keyboard&nbsp;... is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine", and that "John von Neumann [built] on the work of Alan Turing".{{sfnp|Davis|2000|p=193 quoting ''Time'' magazine of 29 March 1999}}

Davis makes a case that Turing's [[Automatic Computing Engine]] (ACE) computer "anticipated" the notions of microprogramming ([[microcode]]) and [[RISC]] processors.{{sfnp|Davis|2000|p=188}} [[Donald Knuth]] cites Turing's work on the ACE computer as designing "hardware to facilitate subroutine linkage";{{sfnp|Knuth|1973|p=225}} Davis also references this work as Turing's use of a hardware "stack".{{sfnp|Davis|2000|p=237 footnote 18}}

As the Turing machine was encouraging the construction of [[computers]], the UTM was encouraging the development of the fledgling [[computer science]]s. An early, if not the first, assembler was proposed "by a young hot-shot programmer" for the EDVAC.{{sfnp|Davis|2000|p=192}} Von Neumann's "first serious program ... [was] to simply sort data efficiently".{{sfnp|Davis|2000|p=184}} Knuth observes that the subroutine return embedded in the program itself rather than in special registers is attributable to von Neumann and Goldstine.{{efn|In particular: {{harvp|Burks|Goldstine|von Neumann|1971}} [1946].}} Knuth furthermore states that

{{blockquote|The first interpretive routine may be said to be the "Universal Turing Machine" ... Interpretive routines in the conventional sense were mentioned by [[John Mauchly]] in his lectures at the [[Moore School of Electrical Engineering|Moore School]] in 1946 ... Turing took part in this development also; interpretive systems for the Pilot ACE computer were written under his direction.{{sfnp|Knuth|1973|p=226}} }}

Davis briefly mentions operating systems and compilers as outcomes of the notion of program-as-data.{{sfnp|Davis|2000|p=185}}