
Happy birthday, Ada Lovelace — the first computer programmer - tomazstolfa
http://blog.vox.io/post/37645656884/happy-birthday-ada-lovelace-the-first-computer
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mhartl
According to Wikipedia, it's probable that Lovelace's contributions are
overrated; it would appear that Lady Ada has little claim to the title of
"first computer programmer". [1] But if you're looking for a female computer
hero, you're in luck: Grace Hopper developed the first compiler, popularized
the term "debugging", and was an admiral in the Navy to boot. [2]

    
    
        In 1952 she had an operational compiler.
        "Nobody believed that," she said. "I had a 
        running compiler and nobody would touch it. 
        They told me computers could only do arithmetic."
    

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_lovelace#Controversy_over_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_lovelace#Controversy_over_extent_of_contributions)

[2] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_hopper>

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pilgrim689
I don't understand this comment. Why are we looking for one single all-mighty
"female computer hero"? Can't we recognize the different women in computer
science and appreciate their contributions individually without trying to put
one above all others?

~~~
mhartl
The "if" in "if you're looking..." isn't merely rhetorical. As it happens, I'm
not particularly looking for a female computer hero, but many others are, as
evidenced by those well-intentioned but misguided people who have promoted Ada
Lovelace well beyond her station. I'm merely pointing out that this is
unnecessary, because there is a first-rate example in Grace Hopper.

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Surio
Related discussion. Happened a while back here on HN:

Marie Curie day: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4658763>

P.S: Posted previously on another Lovelace thread, but thread discussion had
stopped by then.

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Posibyte
Ada Lovelace was a legitimate child of Lord Byron and his wife Anne Isabella
Byron. In fact, she was the only one. Just wanted to make that correction.

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sftueni
...I knew it, Dubstep and programming were meant to go together (referring to
the last paragraph ;)

