Adele Goldberg (computer scientist)
Encyclopedia
Adele Goldberg is a computer scientist
who participated in the development of the programming language
Smalltalk-80 and various concepts related to object oriented programming while a researcher at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, PARC, in the 1970s.
Goldberg began working at PARC in 1973, and eventually became manager of the System Concepts Laboratory where she, Alan Kay
, and others developed Smalltalk-80. Goldberg and Kay also were involved in the development of design templates, forerunners of the design patterns
commonly used in software design. In 1988 Goldberg left PARC to co-found ParcPlace Systems, a company that created development tools for Smalltalk-based applications.
She served as president of the Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM) from 1984 to 1986, and, together with Alan Kay and Dan Ingalls, received the ACM Software Systems Award in 1987. She also received PC Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. In 1994 she was inducted as a Fellow
of the Association for Computing Machinery
.
Many of the concepts developed by Goldberg and her team at PARC became the basis for graphically based user interfaces, replacing the earlier command line based systems. According to Goldberg, Steve Jobs
demanded a demonstration of the Smalltalk System
, which she refused to give him. Her superiors eventually ordered her to, at which point she complied, satisfied that the decision to "give away the kitchen sink" to Jobs and his team was then their responsibility. Apple eventually used many of the ideas in the Alto and their implementations as the basis for their Macintosh desktop
.
She cofounded, and is currently working at Neometron, Inc., of Palo Alto
, California
.
Goldberg was born in Cleveland, Ohio
, and grew up in Chicago
, Illinois
. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics at the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor, and a master's degree in information science from the University of Chicago
. She received her PhD in information science from the University of Chicago in 1973. She also served as a visiting researcher at Stanford University
.
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
who participated in the development of the programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
Smalltalk-80 and various concepts related to object oriented programming while a researcher at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, PARC, in the 1970s.
Goldberg began working at PARC in 1973, and eventually became manager of the System Concepts Laboratory where she, Alan Kay
Alan Kay
Alan Curtis Kay is an American computer scientist, known for his early pioneering work on object-oriented programming and windowing graphical user interface design, and for coining the phrase, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."He is the president of the Viewpoints Research...
, and others developed Smalltalk-80. Goldberg and Kay also were involved in the development of design templates, forerunners of the design patterns
Design Patterns
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software is a software engineering book describing recurring solutions to common problems in software design. The book's authors are Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson and John Vlissides with a foreword by Grady Booch. The authors are...
commonly used in software design. In 1988 Goldberg left PARC to co-found ParcPlace Systems, a company that created development tools for Smalltalk-based applications.
She served as president of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
(ACM) from 1984 to 1986, and, together with Alan Kay and Dan Ingalls, received the ACM Software Systems Award in 1987. She also received PC Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. In 1994 she was inducted as a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
.
Many of the concepts developed by Goldberg and her team at PARC became the basis for graphically based user interfaces, replacing the earlier command line based systems. According to Goldberg, Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
demanded a demonstration of the Smalltalk System
Smalltalk
Smalltalk is an object-oriented, dynamically typed, reflective programming language. Smalltalk was created as the language to underpin the "new world" of computing exemplified by "human–computer symbiosis." It was designed and created in part for educational use, more so for constructionist...
, which she refused to give him. Her superiors eventually ordered her to, at which point she complied, satisfied that the decision to "give away the kitchen sink" to Jobs and his team was then their responsibility. Apple eventually used many of the ideas in the Alto and their implementations as the basis for their Macintosh desktop
Desktop computer
A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright...
.
She cofounded, and is currently working at Neometron, Inc., of Palo Alto
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Goldberg was born in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and grew up in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Ann Arbor, and a master's degree in information science from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. She received her PhD in information science from the University of Chicago in 1973. She also served as a visiting researcher at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Selected publications
- Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation (with David Robson), Addison-Wesley, 1983, ISBN 0-201-11371-6 (out of print; known as the "blue book" to Smalltalk people)
- Smalltalk-80: the Interactive Programming Environment, Addison-Wesley, 1984, ISBN 0-201-11372-4 (the "orange book")
- Smalltalk-80: The Language (with David Robson), Addison-Wesley, 1989, ISBN 0-201-13688-0 (the "purple book" - a revision of the "blue book")
External links
- A brief biography
- Smalltalk FAQ (reference for publications)
- Neometron