Celebrity is a fickle thing, as Ada Lovelace's famous father, the poet Lord Byron, learned to his cost -- sexual scandals and seesawing public opinion drove him into exile and to his death. For his daughter, however, the ups and downs of fame have mostly been posthumous.

Recent years, a century and a half after her death in November 1852 at the age of 36, have witnessed a fierce (and often mudslinging) battle over Ada Lovelace's reputation. Her disputed claim to fame rests on the assertion made by her champions that she was the first computer programmer.

Does Ada deserve the title?