  A summary of relevant contributions, ordered in time, to the subject of
operator zeta functions and their application to physical issues is provided.
The description ends with the seminal contributions of Stephen Hawking and
Stuart Dowker and collaborators, considered by many authors as the actual
starting point of the introduction of zeta function regularization methods in
theoretical physics, in particular, for quantum vacuum fluctuation and Casimir
effect calculations. After recalling a number of the strengths of this powerful
and elegant method, some of its limitations are discussed. Finally, recent
results of the so called operator regularization procedure are presented.
