Dev tools · September 17, 2023
A reference implementation of Turing's paper “On Computable Numbers”
Hey HN! I've been curious about the history of computer science and decided to try to read Turing's 1936 paper where he conceptualizes the Turing Machine, etc. I had trouble understanding the paper, read The Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold (which is wonderful), but felt that reading a reference implementation would help formalize my understanding. When I couldn't find an open source implementation, I decided to write my own. The implementation includes: - Abbreviated tables (m-functions) - Conversions to Standard Descriptions and Description Numbers - A working universal machine - A…
A reference implementation of Turing's paper “On Computable Numbers” launched on September 17, 2023 with 63 votes, #1,275 of 4,228 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 3 years on.
In plain words
This is a reference implementation of Alan Turing's 1936 paper "On Computable Numbers," designed to help developers understand the theoretical foundations of computing. It includes abbreviated tables, conversions to standard descriptions, a working universal machine, and a section-by-section walkthrough connecting the paper's concepts to code. The project is aimed at computer science enthusiasts and students seeking to deepen their understanding of Turing machines through practical implementation alongside historical theory.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
A reference implementation of Alan Turing's 1936 paper, On Computable Numbers - planetlambert/turing
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hey HN! I've been curious about the history of computer science and decided to try to read Turing's 1936 paper where he conceptualizes the Turing Machine, etc. I had trouble understanding the paper, read The Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold (which is wonderful), but felt that reading a reference implementation…
Does a similar job
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Source: Show HN post ↗ · launch text quoted in part
