Reading the list I think there are frequent misuses of the term "invented". I think terms such as implemented, developed, or even created are more accurate. To

Reading the list I think there are frequent misuses of the term "invented". I think terms such as implemented, developed, or even created are more accurate. To say someone "invented" Rails is peculiar: there wasn't much about Rails' concept that was revolutionary, what was (perhaps) revolutionary was its implementation. I am perhaps focusing a bit too much on the trees rather than the forest. :) As jey's comment points out, selecting the programmers is going to be an arbitrary process. For example its clearly in the vogue to dislike Aaron Swartz, but I can't see why we'd want to focus on Robert Morris if you are going to suggest that the Internet Worm was his great accomplishment (its notoriety is largely the result of a mistake in the implementation causing it to propagate too quickly, or at least so the story goes).