Since computer science graduates today are predominantly male, it is surprising to learn that the first programmer was a woman.? I think it?s even more important to consider not that she?s the first programmer, but the first person to think critically about what it means to create programs for machines to run.? The fact that she conceptually thought up what it means to have loops, subroutines, and if statements, over a century before these very routines were to be used in a programming computers, is downright astounding.
I do feel that since she was a woman, that her role is under-emphasized.? Here is someone who at a theoretical level invented programming, as we know it today.? On the other hand, had she succeeded, there is no doubt that her significance would be much greater, having changed computing history and introduced modern computing to the world 100 years sooner.? Perhaps had she been a man, she would have greater success in reaching a larger audience in her own time, rather than have her principles overlooked for another 100 years with the advent of modern computing.
What is particular sad about her story is her early death, and gambling debts.? Perhaps had she lived on for another decade, she would have been able to complete her vision shared with Babbage.? Today we all know that hardware and software are both equally important in computer technology, and left without a software specialist, Babbage lacked the partner needed to realize his mechanical vision.
It is important when looking at this story to see not only that Ada Lovelace was the founder of programming but also that no one else at the time had thought of this either.? She was the only with the knowledge and interest to explore this further, and the fact that she happens to be a woman makes it even more intriguing.? Once Ada Lovelace had passed away, there was no other software confidante to fill her place, leaving this machine uncompleted, as Babbage continued to refine his creation always before completion, rather than finish a prototype first.
He could have learned a thing or two from today?s software process, by first creating an alpha or beta version, before trying to continuously upgrade.? Perhaps had Ada lived on, having been the first person to think about computing software, could have helped him to realize this and complete the first difference engine, rather than upgrading all the way to version 3.8, before even finishing version 1.0.
Daniel Bachelis
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