Superstar Programmers
Programmers that Changed the World
If you have ever used a computer to access the internet, to talk with friends, or to do work online, chances are that the technology being used had to have been created by someone. That someone is most likely a programmer. In today’s world, almost every device that one utilizes requires programming in one way or another. Whether it is a machine that can format a design for clothing material, a device that can calculate mathematical problems or even an internet platform that millions of people can access daily and socialize, make purchases, or even create content for others to be entertained and amused by.
Five well-known programmers will be analyzed on this subject, and their background and history, challenges to overcome, and most significant achievements will be acknowledged. By reviewing their legacy, we will learn from them how someone can become a successful programmer in this growing field in modern society.
1. Ada Lovelace
Early Background:
Augusta Ada Lovelace was born in 1815. Early on, guided by her mentors' instruction, she exhibited an affinity for mathematics and science and developed a profound understanding of them.
Key Achievements:
Lovelace’s collaboration with the esteemed mathematician Charles Babbage resulted in her groundbreaking work, where she produced the first algorithm intended for machine processing. The publication of her notes in 1843 marked a significant milestone, as it displayed her visionary comprehension of computing devices' capabilities, securing her legacy as the pioneer of computer programming.
Challenges Faced:
In a male-dominated societal context, Lovelace confronted significant challenges, compounded by the powerful influence of her father’s controversial reputation. Nonetheless, her perseverance and intellectual abilities enabled her to overcome these obstacles, establishing herself as a foundational figure in computer science and a symbol of empowerment for women in STEM disciplines.
2. Grace Hopper
Early Background:
Grace was born on December 9, 1906, in New York City. She graduated from Vassar College in 1928 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics and later earned a master’s degree in mathematics from Yale University in 1930. Grace Hopper taught mathematics at Vassar College for several years. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale University in 1934. Her teaching career continued at Vassar until the United States entered World War II in 1941.
Key Achievements:
During World War II, Grace Hopper wanted to contribute to the war effort and applied for the U.S. Navy’s WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) program. She was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Navy and assigned to work on the Bureau of Ordnance Computation Project at Harvard University. This is where she started working on early computers like the Mark I. At Harvard, Grace Hopper worked on the Harvard Mark I computer, one of the earliest electromechanical computers. She also helped develop the first compiler, translating high-level programming languages into machine code. Her work on the A-0 compiler led to the development of COBOL. Grace Hopper was involved in developing COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), one of the first high-level programming languages. COBOL made writing code using English-like statements possible, making programming more accessible to non-IT specialists. This language is still in use today in legacy systems. Hopper received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including the National Medal of Technology in 1991 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2016.
Challenges Faced:
She faces gender discrimination and age discrimination. Due to Navy age restrictions, Hopper was forced to retire. She attempted to rejoin the Navy. She was initially denied because of her age, but she persisted and ultimately received a waiver to continue her service. She was also rejected for promotions in her workplace due to being a woman.
3. Larry Page & Sergey Brin
Early Background:
The most well-known internet search engine used is Google, so much so that it has its definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. To google something means using the Google search engine to find information online. While most people know of the Google search engine, its creators are mentioned less. Larry Page and Sergey Brin formed both the business and the search engine. He was born in Lansing, Michigan on March 26, 1973. Lawrence Edward Page was raised in a family of professional programmers, and technology magazines influenced his interests. Born in the USSR and immigrating to the United States at six to escape persecution, Sergey Brin grew up in a family heavily focused on education.
Key Achievements:
At Stanford University in California, Larry Page met Sergey Brin, and both would research patterns that linked different sites on the World Wide Web. Initially, internet search engines would output search results based on the appearance of a searched word on a web page. This would result in an endless list of websites irrelevant to the user’s prompt. Instead, Larry Page found that it was more efficient for search engine rankings to reveal websites based on how often they are linked to other websites. This led to Larry Page and Sergey Brin developing a prototype search engine known as ‘BackRub’ on an assortment of inexpensive computers that Page possessed. They were beginning to create a search engine that would be far more helpful than the current browsers of the 1990s.
Page and Brin continued working on ‘BackRub’ from 1995 to 1998. The application used a series of algorithms to provide users with websites frequently searched previously. The algorithms used a great deal of math to give the structure of an internet link, which determined the value of that web page. This would turn internet links into votes that evaluated which websites and pages were more relevant to any internet search. Larry Page and Sergey Brin put off their university studies to eventually found Google in 1998, where ‘BackRub’ eventually became ‘PageRank.’ Having grown into a major global enterprise, Google, the search engine and subsequent business, would become the world’s most popular search engine and further acquire other internet businesses such as YouTube. Page and Brin became billionaires due to the rapid stock growth in the 2000s, and their legacy from founding the Google search engine is one of the most famous profiles for technology and programming.
Challenges Faced:
Page and Brin started their Google business in a garage before moving to an office in Palo Alto, California, in 1998. With only eight employees and little funding, Google could have attracted potential shareholders from investing in the company. With some donations and even support from executives from other companies, Google eventually gained more investors in the stock market. Google also faced many trust issues with its customers. They were collecting large amounts of revenue from other company’s apps on Android’s Google Play Store, data theft, and complaints about its work culture. Brin has settled many of these issues by introducing more excellent protection for its systems, implementing the best workplace practices to reduce unnecessary problems, reducing commissions from the Google Play Store, and even combating competition from similar businesses through innovation. Larry Page and Sergey Brin went through some hardships before growing their small business into a globally recognized organization.
4. Guido Van Rossum
Early Background:
Guido was born in The Hague in the Netherlands in 1956. He was the oldest of 3 children. Guido received an electronics kit on his birthday, eventually becoming an electronic hobbyist as a kid. Guido was interested in Van Rossum and studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Amsterdam, where he received a master’s degree in 1982.
Key Achievements:
He started working on Python in the late 1980s, and the first official Python release, Python 0.9.0, was released in February 1991. Guido van Rossum continued to lead the development of Python for many years, serving as the “Benevolent Dictator For Life” (BDFL) until he stepped down from the role in July 2018. The BDFL title reflected his authority in making decisions about the direction of the language. Guido van Rossum has also been involved in other software projects and has contributed to developing programming languages such as ABC and the design of the Google App Engine. After stepping down as the BDFL of Python, he contributed to the Python community and the language’s development. Van Rossum has received the Free Software Foundation’s 2001 Award for the Advancement of Free Software and the 2003 NLUUG Award.
Challenges Faced:
The challenges that Guido faced were maintaining compatibility with previous versions while introducing new features and updates for Pythons. Another challenge was adapting Python to meet the changes in the software development industry and incorporating new features without compromising the language’s core principle.
5. Tim Berners-Lee
Early Background:
Tim was born on June 8, 1955. Tim Berners-Lee attended Sheen Mount Primary School in Richmond, London. In 1973, he studied physics at Queen’s College, Oxford, and graduated with a first-class degree in 1976. He worked as an independent contractor at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Switzerland, where he was involved in developing control systems for scientific experiments.
Key Achievements:
Berners-Lee developed the critical foundation for the World Wide Web, including using hypertext to link documents and the creation of a browser editor called “WorldWideWeb” -later renamed Nexus. He also introduced URLs (Uniform Resource Locators), HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), and HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) as essential components of the web. The first website, http://info.cern.ch, was launched on August 6, 1991.
A challenge that he faced was getting his proposal approved. Another challenge was getting all the funding and resources for the project. After the release of the World Wide Web, Berner faced the challenge of ensuring continuous development and web standardization- W3C. Another challenge he faced was ensuring the accessibility and openness of the platform.
Takeaway
Based on the insights provided, it’s evident that improving coding skills requires a multifaceted approach. Just like Ada Lovelace, it’s crucial to establish a strong foundation in math and computer science. Moreover, the significance of mentorship, collaboration with peers, and contribution to open-source projects cannot be understated. The motivation drawn from Grace’s persistence encourages innovative thinking and the pursuit of unique coding solutions, highlighting the importance of unconventional problem-solving. Additionally, the strategy employed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, which involves thorough analysis and observation to determine functionality, emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive planning and understanding of how coding operates. Thus, by combining these diverse strategies, one can attain growth and proficiency in coding.
