Abstract: change the world programmers predecessors.
From: http://www.road2stat.com/cn/network_3c/grace_murray_hopper.html
This saw the body of cattle quotes a quoted two days reading "UNIX hate handbook": "The great thing about standards is that it can be a lot .-- Grace Murray Hopper." Google, the woman accidentally dug up cattle, would like to make a text to remember it. The following edited from the Department based on existing data.
Grace Murray Hopper
introduction
January 7, 1992, Washington, Arlington National Cemetery, the US Navy is in the early morning of New Year's sleep in peace, the retired naval officer daughter Grace Murray Hopper (Grace Murray Hopper) held a grand funeral. Navy honor guard of sailors and many solemn ritual in accordance with the Navy to make a final farewell to the venerable elders. Millions of Americans watched live televised funeral. January 6, 1996 after four years, the US Navy was held in Hong Kong in Bath, Maine (Bath, Maine) for it a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built a grand naming ceremony, named it "Hebe number." This is the first time since World War II, the US Navy throughout the second time in history to a woman named after a battleship.
Enlighten
Grace Hopper (1906-1992), the surname Murray, Hopper was married name. December 9, 1906 was born in New York, a Navy family, his grandfather had reached the rank of major general. Her grandfather is a senior civil engineer, often took her to work, she is also very pleased to helping Rotary red and white measuring rod, which cultivated her interest in geometry and mathematics. Grace's father, suffering from arteriosclerosis lead to amputation of both legs, long-term hospitalization, which makes the eldest daughter as she grew more sensible and diligent.
Grace memories of her childhood favorite classes are math, especially geometry class. Because in geometry class, she can put all the colored pencil case pen all out with. Although she was a girl, but a variety of protractor, slide rule like she used to play, study their principles and action. She also did some things that boys like to do: when she had six or seven years old, the family all the clocks apart, putting it back but not a success, it is also subject to severe penalties.
education
Before entering college, Grace enrolled in private Wardlaw-Hartridge School. In 1928 she graduated from Vassar College (Vassar College) and obtained dual bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics in the United States during the school gifted student fraternity (Phi-Beta-Kappa Society) members (PBK is a country with over two hundred year-old, very powerful student organizations. Bush, Clinton, Updike have is a member). Then entered the Masters studied mathematics at Yale University, obtained a master's degree in 1930. June 15, 1930 she married Vincent Foster Hopper (Vincent is a professor at New York University Department of English, died in 1945, he did not have children and Hopper). Married not long, Grace decided to pursue a Ph.D., then taught her side, while studying for a doctorate at Yale University and obtained a degree in 1934, before and after only took four years, which is quite fast. Her doctoral thesis entitled "algebraic equations can about a new criterion" (A New Criterion for Reducibility of Algebraic Equations), but so many people's surprise, she is proof of this criterion geometrically. As a female, received a doctorate in mathematics is a great achievement because achievement in mathematics and a PhD in itself is very difficult. According to statistics, from 1862-- 1934, the nation's total awarded a doctorate in 1279, the average per year less than 18 , and women PhD in mathematics is even more rare. In job search, usually only female mathematician to teach high school, college is extremely difficult to hope on the podium, but Grace did: her master degree at his alma mater, Vassar College after the appointment, just a few years rose from assistant professor, associate professor. However, until this stage, we can not see it she will have nothing to do with the computer.
Turning point
1941 Grace is a turning point in life. After Pearl Harbor, Grace had the idea of the army, she wanted to join the Navy. At that time women were doing army reserve soldiers, most of them are nurses, or else do logistics. If you are highly educated women, they will be appointed to do the work on calculating. As the family tradition, she chose WAVES Organization (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) to participate in the Navy. Massachusetts Northampton (Northampton, MA) Naval Academy after training, she was awarded the rank of Captain, considering her background in mathematics, she was sent to Harvard's Howard Aiken (1900-1973), Professor men involved Mark I development work. Aiken is a professor at Harvard Ph.D. in physics in 1939, and also Mark I, II, III, IV of this series motor design and computer maker.
Digression: Mark I original name is ASCC (Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator), built by a joint venture of Harvard University and IBM, completed in 1943, weight 35 tons, the internal wiring up to 500 miles. But after Mark I inauguration in 1944, on IBM and Harvard falling out, because Harvard think IBM is just a rich man's money, a major intellectual contribution is Harvard's credit, IBM also think to do on their own projects many research and innovation, and that innovation on the Harvard but those projects are not worth mentioning. (Cannian ..) so IBM will withdraw from the Harvard Mark program. Between the next decade, IBM partner in major academic, became Columbia University. (Cattle are cattle school in the school ah ..)
Grace had a habit of various slide rule, when she walked into Harvard's computing facility to see this motor computer, she said it was her read the most interesting slide rule. Before her, there are two boys wrote programs on Mark, the two boys later helped Grace wrote her first program within three days. So you figure, Grace is the world's third written procedures on the motor computer people. The photo below is of staff Mark program. Sitting in the middle of a professor Aiken, the only woman is Grace Hopper, background Mark I.
The Harvard Mark Team
glory
September 9, 1945, one pair in terms of the computer industry is very important anecdote occurred . The weather was very hot that day, the staff in the windows were open, and later there was a moth flew in, it would only result in a dead moth inside the relay, causing the circuit fails, the machine crashes, they can not calculate the results they want. After nearly a day of inspection, Grace found the bird moth, moth bird she managed to get out with her hairpin, also attached to the bird moth's body in her journal management, which read: "It's the Bug, harm can not complete our work today. "after the news spread, the laboratory whenever people asked why the boss has not made the results, are taking the blame on Bug. ( the lab people really happy ah .. )
Later, "bug" (bugs) and "debug" (de-worming) both had become ordinary vocabulary specific to the field of computer "error" and "exclusion error" inexplicably and special vocabulary spread so far. The following picture is then recorded bird moth and Grace.
Grace Hopper's Bug
After World War II, all reservists should be retired, but Grace Hopper has decided to resign from the faculty of Vassar College, to concentrate on to be a Programmer in Aiken laboratory. In 1949, Grace left Harvard to Philadelphia, enter Eckert and Mauchley and opened a computer company (Eckert-Mauchley computer Corporation) as a senior mathematician, the main job is to design software. The first set of the company designed the computer, but also a third of the world's computer, called UNIVAC I. 1950 due to poor management company, acquired by Remington Rand. Before long, Remington Rand any connection with the merger of several small companies established Sperry. Grace has been doing senior mathematicians and programmers in the company, to retire at age 65 in 1971, she left the company.
Grace对计算机界的贡献相当多，Bug这个名词的引用，其实只算是一个小小的插曲。她最大的贡献是发明了世界上第一个编译器 (Compiler), 名字叫做A-0. 当时是没有任何组合语言及程序语言存在的，所有的程序设计人员都要把程序翻译成机器码，即”0011000101011″这样的形式，在纸上打孔，再送到机器里去读。Grace在进入Eckert-Mauchley公司之后，便产生了一种想法，她想设计一种程序，让人可以用类似英文的语法，把想做的事写下来，然后用这个程序把英文翻译成机器的语法，交给机器去执行。这个想法就是今日的Compiler (编译器). 当初她提出这样的构想时，众人皆曰不可。所有人都告诉她计算机只能做计算，只能处理数字，计算机是不懂英文的。在50年代，大部分人都尚未意识到计算机是用来处理信息的工具，所有的人就认为计算机只是个计算器而已。Grace Hopper可能是第一个想到这个问题并且有机会做下去的人。尔后，她就到处去演讲以筹集资金来做这项计划。这段期间，有很多朋友问她：“你怎么这么勇敢呢? 万一搞砸了，你该怎么办?”Grace回答道：
“It is always easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.”
(以后要道歉，比现在要拿到钱简单多了。)
这句话后来成为她一生中的至理名言之一。
当初在写世界上第一个编译器A-0时，为了向能出钱的老板炫耀，Grace还设计了三个版本：英文版、德文版、法文版，表明编译器不仅看得懂英文，也看得懂德文跟法文。但后来德文版和法文版的编译器都没再做下去。到1956年，她开发出来一套很完整的程序语言，叫做FLOW-MATIC. 海军采用了这套系统 (这时Grace还是海军的一员)。因为海军幅员广大，如果各地自行稍加将编译器修改一小部分，就会发生A地的程序在B地无法执行的问题。于是Grace写了一套程序，用来检查这些程序之间是不是采用同样的编译方式，称作Validation. 后来影响到民间，渐渐发展出一套新的语言，偏向于商业使用的语法，这套程序语言就是著名的COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language). 这也是Grace Hopper对计算机界的第二个重大贡献。其实，在那个年代总共只有三种程序语言：COBOL、ART、FORTRAN (IBM的产品). 有人把Grace叫做“COBOL之母”，这个称号虽然被学术界的某些人所反对 (因为她没有直接参COBOL语言的设计工作)，但她对COBOL的形成与发展所起的重大作用却是世人一致公认的。据20世纪80年代初的统计，全美在运行中的程序有80%是用COBOL语言编写的，由此可见COBOL语言对计算机应用发展所起的作用。
下面这张，是Grace颁奖给Donald E. Knuth (神一般的存在) 的照片。前者是开创计算机程序设计语言的早期领袖之一，后者是计算机程序算法的当代领袖之一。这是一张难得的合影。(强大的气场，泪奔 ..)
Grace & Knuth
1966年，Grace Hopper满60岁。她当时的官阶是海军中校，而海军中校60岁就该退休了。退休的那一天，Grace说这是她一生中最悲伤的一天，因为别人已经告诉她：她太老了。但很快，海军发现离了Grace还不行——有个工资管理程序重写了823次还是不能正常运行。因此，她刚从海军退休半年就又被海军召回重新服役，负责海军系统计算机高级语言的标准化和普及工作，并且一干就是20年，直到1986年8月14日才正式最后退休。这期间她的军衔一再提升，1985年被提升为少将。由于这超过了美国法律规定的军官服役年龄，国会还通过了专门的法律使对Grace的任命合法化。在波士顿的“宪法号”战舰上向Grace授予“国防部优秀服役勋章”(Defense Distinguished Service Medal) 并为她退休举行的隆重仪式上，Grace在致词中自豪地说她是WAVES成员中最后一个离开岗位的人：她40岁时就被告知她太老了不宜继续在部队中工作，而她却仍然穿着制服又干了整整40年!
重返海军期间，她担任了好几个海军计算中心的主持者或是顾问，指挥海军的技术人员，到处去演讲，宣传她的观念。其中，有一件很有趣并且很有名的事情。她在演讲之中，总是没有办法让听众听懂什么是nanosecond (十亿分之一秒). 多长的时间是一个nanosecond? 而microsecond (百万分之一秒) 又跟nanosecond差多少? 这一点很难去解释，因为它们都是极短极短的时间，但相差了一千倍。 Grace想到了个点子，她跑到工程部切了段电线，这段电线长11.78 英寸 (约合0.3米)，她就拿着这将近1英尺的电线跟听众说：“这个长度就是电波在一个nanosecond可以跑的距离。”同时，她又拿了好几捆电线放到桌上，差不多有1000英尺 (约合300米) ，然后她就说：“这个长度就是电波在一个microsecond可以跑的距离。”此时，听众就明白了。所以她说：“你们要小心，绝对不要随便浪费一个microsecond的电。”
其间，有一位参议员，他从来没见过Grace. 但是他听说了这个人以后，就私下做了些调查，然后在国会里面主动提出了关于Grace的申请案。他认为这样重要的女性不应该在海军里面只做一个校官而已，觉得她应该做将官。国会很快就通过了这个提案，然后通知了海军，海军就将Grace升职了，于是，在1985年11月，Grace成为了海军少将，她是美国第一个到达这个官阶的女性。1986年，她七十九岁，是所有在世的、最年长的、尚未退役的美军军官。此时的她，即将正式退休。
尾声
Grace退休的Party上来了2000多人，有她认识的，也有她不认识的。在正式退休之后，她又跟Digital公司签约，Digital公司聘请她代表他们演讲、推销他们公司的产品。Digital公司当时主要的产品是Minicomputer. 事实上，在1986年时PC已经出现，那时叫做Microcomputer. 在海军里，Grace Hopper是极力推行使用PC的人之一。她在这方面也有一句名言。她说，在古老的时候，人们都是用牛和马来拉东西，后来人类社会发展得越来越蓬勃，东西越来越重，但是人们并没有使用更大更壮的物种来搬运东西。事实上，人们是用更多的牛和马来做这些更加粗重的工作。她用这个比喻来说，计算机不应该越做越大，而应该用小型的、大量的计算机一起来做要做的事情。(原来Grace在20多年前就提出了并行计算?)
Grace Hopper逝世于1992年1月1日凌晨，在参加了新年Party 之后，准确时间不明。她生前的一个心愿是活到1999年12月31日的晚上，因为她说她想参加那一场Party. 显然，Grace是个很喜欢Party的人。
Grave of Grace
后记
Grace Hopper是个非常amazing的人 (常被称为Amazing Grace)，崇拜她的人相当多。虽然她的事迹很多，但是还有很多有类似事迹的人并没有像她这样受到众人的崇拜。由其中一点我们可以看出来：从1947年开始 (二战结束后第二年)，她获得了第一个荣誉博士学位 (宾州大学)，从那以后，她先后被40多所大学授予荣誉博士学位，其中包括芝加哥大学、华盛顿大学、马里兰大学等知名学府。各种妇女社会团体和学术组织都曾授予Grace各种称号和奖励。1991年，布什总统在白宫授予她的“美国国家技术奖” (National Medal of Technology) 是其中的最高奖项，她也是至今惟一获此殊荣的美国女性。她的名言有很多，她自己最喜欢的，也是她最喜欢对所谓的“年轻人”说的 (在她年老时，她所谓的年轻人就是“年龄不到我的一半的人就叫做年轻人”)，这句话是：
“A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
语录
下面Grace的语录中有几句比较有意思的话。
- From then on, when anything went wrong with a computer, we said it had bugs in it.
- The most dangerous phrase in the language is, “We’ve always done it this way.”
- Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, “We’ve always done it this way.” I try to fight that. That’s why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise.
- Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one’s superiors; care for one’s crew.
- One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions.
- Someday, on the corporate balance sheet, there will be an entry which reads, “Information”; For in most cases, the information is more valuable than the hardware which processes it.
- We’re flooding people with information. We need to feed it through a processor. A human must turn information into intelligence or knowledge. We’ve tended to forget that no computer will ever ask a new question.
- To me programming is more than an important practical art. It is also a gigantic undertaking in the foundations of knowledge.
- They told me computers could only do arithmetic.
- In pioneer days they used oxen for heavy pulling, and when one ox couldn’t budge a log, they didn’t try to grow a larger ox. We shouldn’t be trying for bigger computers, but for more systems of computers.
- Life was simple before World War II. After that, we had systems.
- We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership. It might help if we ran the MBAs out of Washington.
- At any given moment, there is always a line representing what your boss will believe. If you step over it, you will not get your budget. Go as close to that line as you can.
- I seem to do a lot of retiring.
- I handed my passport to the immigration officer, and he looked at it and looked at me and said, “What are you?”
参考
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