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[[File:von Neumann architecture.svg|thumb|Design of the [[von Neumann architecture]], 1947]]
The theoretical basis for the stored-program computer was proposed by [[Alan Turing]] in his 1936 paper ''On Computable Numbers''.<ref name=Turing-1937-1938/> Whilst Turing was at [[Princeton University]] working on his PhD, [[John von Neumann]] got to know him and became intrigued by his concept of a universal computing machine.{{sfn|Copeland|2004|pp=21-22}}
Early computing machines executed the set sequence of steps, known as a '[[computer program|program]]', that could be altered by changing electrical connections using switches or a [[patch panel]] (or [[plugboard]]). However, this process of 'reprogramming' was often difficult and time-consuming, requiring engineers to create flowcharts and physically re-wire the machines.{{sfn|Copeland|2006|p=104}} Stored-program computers, by contrast, were designed to store a set of instructions (a [[computer program|program]]), in memory – typically the same memory as stored data.
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