Maybe Linus Torvalds is more your speed. He was only two when Intel made its first microprocessor in 1971, yet he managed to turn the Gates world vision on its head by releasing the Linux operating system kernel with open source code in 1991.
Whether or not there is anything to it, both are rumoured to be fiercely competitive at board games, and keen - if somewhat dishonest - poker players. And not unlike today's code kiddies, both were writing computer programs at age 12.
Perhaps you fantasise about cracking German codes with Alan Turing in the early 1940s, or helping Grace Murray Hopper to break through the maths ceiling and prove to the world that computers could do more than arithmetic by launching the first code compiler, and later giving the world COBOL.
Maybe you imagine yourself nutting-out logic circuits with Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, the founders of Intel. Others might daydream about being holed-up with the two Steves (Jobs and Wozniak) as they spent less than US$2000 building a hybrid television typewriter which turned into the first Apple PC.
Alive or dead, from the last decade or the last century, ZDNet Australia wants you to name your own personal legend of the code, your hexadecimal hero, your gadget guru. Which IT wizard do you long to meet, and what did they do to inspire you?
Send your suggestions to nominations@zdnet.com.au.
If you are one of the first eight readers to respond with details of your computing hero, you will also receive a free copy of The Australian Guide to Online Business, written by Tony Stevenson, author of The Australian Guide to the Internet and a Director of MKD Software Consulting, which specialises in communicating information technology to both business people and the wider community. Valued at AU$32.95, the guide is filled with advanced techniques, tips, tricks and shortcuts to help you become an expert.
Simply include your postal details in your response e-mail and we will mail a copy of The Australian Guide to Online Business to the first eight respondents.
Please note your information will not be provided to a third party, as per the ZDNet Australia Security & Privacy policy.
