Grace Hopper: Dominos Two-Fold
By Kelly Anne K. Shuster
Of all the great computer scientists that could be honored with a “Domino Award,” I believe that Grace Hopper is the most worthy recipient. In 1952 Grace Hopper developed “Flow-Matic,” the first English-language data-processing compiler. Not only did she set in motion a chain of “technical dominos” with her invention of this compiler, she also began a toppling of “social dominos” by setting a new precedent for women’s capabilities in the industry of technology.
The compiler is the essential tool which converts high-level code into code which a machine can understand. Grace Hopper toppled the first domino with her invention, which then led to the development of all modern compilers, as well as all compiled programming languages. Because of Dr. Hopper, computer scientists can now spend their valuable time creating efficient and complex algorithms, rather than painstakingly entering assembly or machine language. It is incomprehensible to imagine programming a red-black tree “insert” sub-routine in assembly language. With the high-level languages that use compilers, however, this complex data structure can be created with ease, and is currently one of the most widely-used ways to store and retrieve large amounts of data. In another example, a simple five-line for-loop in the compiled language of C++ would take several lines if programmed in assembly code. In general, working strictly in assembly is tedious, time-consuming, and prone to bugs. The advancement of complex algorithms is perhaps the most important progression in modern computer science, and is directly related to the development of the compiler. Grace Hopper’s invention of the compiler allowed the programmer the ability and opportunity to spend the majority of his or her time solving difficult problems, as opposed to the monotonous and frustrating task of typing assembly commands.
Not only has her invention allowed for the ability to implement new and advanced ideas in computer science, it has also allowed for those ideas to be spread more efficiently. Before the compiler existed, every machine had its own individual assembly language. A computer scientist would then have to understand the intricate details of the assembly code for each individual machine he or she worked on. Modern compilers will now take a high level language and do the translation into assembly code for any machine. Because of the invention of the compiler, the modern programmer can learn different high-level languages, and use these languages at their discretion on almost any machine.
While Dr. Hopper’s invention of the compiler has forever changed the world of computer science, the fact that she was a woman forever changed societal norms for the roles of women. At a time when women made up a very small portion of the workforce, especially in math and science related fields, Grace Hopper received her PhD from Yale and began working on computer research. The fact that a woman was the master-mind behind arguably the most monumental invention in computer science has inspired many other women to pursue careers in the computer science field. There are still more men than women in the computer engineering arena, and because of this my schooling can sometimes be more difficult. However, if times are especially trying, I think of all the obstacles Grace Hopper had to overcome as a woman in computer science in the 1950s, and I am inspired to continue on and never give up. Grace Hopper set “societal dominos” toppling by being a successful woman in a career path where women were not yet fully accepted, and she has cleared the way for future female computer scientists.
In both areas of her success, Grace Hopper always believed that change was important and necessary in every aspect of life. She was frustrated by the phrase “because that’s the way we’ve always done it.” She felt so strongly about the importance of doing things in a new way that she kept a counter-clockwise running clock on her desk to remind her fellow researchers not to pigeon-hole themselves into a certain type of thinking. This welcoming attitude towards change is what made Grace Hopper an extremely successful computer scientist. She set in motion two very different sets dominos, both which affected the computer science community forever. The combined effect of these two topples makes Grace Hopper the most influential computer scientist to date, and a role model for all aspiring computer scientists.