1906 — 1992. American scientist, computer programmer, and rear admiral of the United States Navy. She developed the first compiler for a computer programming language and advanced the concept of machine-independent programming languages. A United States Navy destroyer and a supercomputer are named after her.
Quotes:
1. It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.
2. Life was simple before World War II. After that, we had systems.
3. 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.
4. Go ahead and do it. You can always apologize later.
5. I’ve always been more interested in the future than in the past.
6. The wonderful thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.
7. A ship in port is safe; but that is not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things.
8. They come and ask me: “Do you think we will succeed?” I say: “Keep trying."
9. I had a running compiler and nobody would touch it… they carefully told me, computers could only do arithmetic; they could not do programs.
10. The most dangerous phrase in the language is, “We’ve always done it this way.”
