Prosecution of Alan Turing Petition

[mattx]

Petition to: apologize for the prosecution of Alan Turing that led to his untimely death. | Number10.gov.uk

[Little-Miss]

OMG! That's shocking!!

[john]

That somone's made the petition or about what occured with him.

Me personally, I think it was disgraceful what happened to him, he was a key person in a lot of areas and to be persecuted because of his love life choices made him take his own life, if that hadn't happened then who knows what else he would have discovered

[SC-UK]

Me personally, I think it was disgraceful what happened to him, he was a key person in a lot of areas and to be persecuted because of his love life choices made him take his own life, if that hadn't happened then who knows what else he would have discovered

Very well said.

[tech_guy]

I personally think that Turing's fall from grace and untimely demise set the development of computing/computer technology back by around twenty years, and heavens knows what else he would have done.

It was very poor form to treat him the way he was treated.

[jcollings]

If you ever get the chance to see the play "Breaking the code" it's well worth watching. An excellent drama about a true genius.

[Little-Miss]

lol because of what happened!!!

[powdarrmonkey]

<sarcasm> Good thing that whoever started the petition understands the difference between persecution and prosecution... </sarcasm>

[DrPerceptron]

Umm... didn't he die 55 years ago? or is there a different one now?

If it was 55 years ago... what's the significance of an apology? much less how many people would actually know who he was?

[Jax]

I suppose the sigificance was that back then his life choices were illegal. In that respect he was hounded to death. It was and is disgraceful that a so called civilised country behaved in such a way towards it's citizens. Thankfully we have come a long way since, but there are still elements in this country that make the lives of lesbians and gay men horrendous. Our sexuality is only a tiny element of what makes us who we are, it does not determine how I run a network or fix a pc.
I for one would have liked to see what Mr Turing could have achieved in his life and what wonders he could have brought to the IT world.

[PiqueABoo]

For all we know he might have had all his really good ideas already (not uncommmon). And Turing Machine, Turing Test, "father of modern computing". the WWII cryptoanalysis are all firmly embedded in history/science, so it's not like this rescues his name from obscurity.

I think peoples energies would be better spent stopping some "persecuction" that's happening to someone right now - it's not like you'd wouldn't be be spoilt for choice.

[beeswax]

I suppose the sigificance was that back then his life choices were illegal. In that respect he was hounded to death. It was and is disgraceful that a so called civilised country behaved in such a way towards it's citizens. Thankfully we have come a long way since, but there are still elements in this country that make the lives of lesbians and gay men horrendous. Our sexuality is only a tiny element of what makes us who we are, it does not determine how I run a network or fix a pc.
I for one would have liked to see what Mr Turing could have achieved in his life and what wonders he could have brought to the IT world.

Well said.

[witch]

Whilst what happened to him was appalling and, as has been said, disgraceful, I do not see the point of a government who had no part in writing the laws that were in force at the time apologising. Expressing sorrow for what happened to him, yes, of course, but other than that?
There have always been laws in the past that we now consider unfair and inhuman, but that was then and this is now. Becoming an apologist for past history is a bit of a pointless exercise.
What about all the other people who perhaps committed suicide when arrested for the 'offence' of being homosexual? Or for committing any other offence which is now not illegal?If you feel that one deserves an apology, then don't they all?

[Jax]

You are right Witch apologies are useless. Thankfully those in power have seen sense and changed these archiac laws. It is much the same as some local councils etc 'apologising for and pardoning' people hanged and burnt as witches in times gone past. It hasn't changed anything at all for them as the treatment meted out was done and they are gone. Am glad we are living in more enlightened times.

[FN-GM]

I was told that when apple computers introduced the apple logo with the bite in it was a tribute to Turing. Not sure if its true.