9 extraordinary documents every developer should read

There are moments that expand what we think is possible in software development, and thus change the fabric of everything we do as developers. Certain historic documents capture the most crucial paradigm shifts in computing technology, and they are priceless. This article looks back over the past century (nearly) of software development, encoded in papers that every developer should read. 

9 defining papers in the history of software development

1. On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem
2. First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC
3. Specifications for the IBM Mathematical FORmula TRANSlating System, FORTRAN
4. Go To Statement Considered Harmful
5. New Directions in Cryptography
6. The Gnu Manifesto
7. Architectural Styles and the Design of Network-based Software Architectures
8. Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System
9. TensorFlow: A System for Large-Scale Machine Learning

1. Alan Turing: On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem (1936)

Here is the archetype of a paradigmatic document. Turing's writing has the character of a mind exploring on paper an uncertain terrain, and finding the landmarks to develop a map. What's more, this particular map has served us well for almost a hundred years.

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