Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age (Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation) |  | Author: Kurt W. Beyer
Publisher: The MIT Press
List Price: $27.95
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 75295
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 408
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.8 x 1.4
ISBN: 026201310X
Dewey Decimal Number: 004.092
EAN: 9780262013109
ASIN: 026201310X
Publication Date: September 30, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780262013109 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
A Hollywood biopic about the life of computer pioneer Grace Murray Hopper (1906–1992) would go like this: a young professor abandons the ivy-covered walls of academia to serve her country in the Navy after Pearl Harbor and finds herself on the front lines of the computer revolution. She works hard to succeed in the all-male computer industry, is almost brought down by personal problems but survives them, and ends her career as a celebrated elder stateswoman of computing, a heroine to thousands, hailed as the inventor of computer programming. Throughout Hopper's later years, the popular media told this simplified version of her life story. In Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age, Kurt Beyer goes beyond the screenplay-ready myth to reveal a more authentic Hopper, a vibrant and complex woman whose career paralleled the meteoric trajectory of the postwar computer industry.
Hopper made herself "one of the boys" in Howard Aiken's wartime Computation Laboratory at Harvard, then moved on to the Eckert and Mauchly Computer Corporation. Both rebellious and collaborative, she was influential in male-dominated military and business organizations at a time when women were encouraged to devote themselves to housework and childbearing. Hopper's greatest technical achievement was to create the tools that would allow humans to communicate with computers in terms other than ones and zeroes. This advance influenced all future programming and software design and laid the foundation for the development of user-friendly personal computers.
Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation series
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
a good read December 3, 2009
M. Smith (Powell, Ohio USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this for my husband for his birthday. He is a computer engineer. He read the book in three or four days and enjoyed it. We bought a second copy for my sister for Christmas.
Grace Hopper is hot November 8, 2009
Justin J. Curtis
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
Well you only need to look at the cover of this book to realize that it is going to be a good read. When last did you see a computer programmer that looked like this! All I can say is . Not only does Grace look beautiful on the cover, but the black satin finish of this well proportioned hardcover adds to the appeal. The way she subtly grasps her left hand with her right while nonchalantly cradling her cigarette seems to say 'I mean business'. And her hair fading into the dark background suggests a military firmness that served her well. Of course none of that touches on the true greatness of this book, which is to herald a true pioneer of modern day computing. Without Grace Hopper, we might not have programming as it exists today. This is one rear admiral that truly floats my boat!
Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age November 3, 2009
Pam Gilberd (Carmel, CA USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
What a fascinating woman. What a fascinating era. Kurt Beyer brings her story to life and explains much about the early days of computers and programming that most of us don't know and simply take for granted. Beyer blends history, technological information and human interest into this worthwhile read. Thank you.
Inspiring for anyone - not just tecchies October 12, 2009
Maxine Moritz (San Francisco, CA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Think you have it hard in the corporate or academic world these days? Think again. Grace Hopper's courage, ability to grasp professional situations and make the best of them, and her ultimate contribution to computing today are absolutely awe-inspiring. Kurt Beyer has also highlighted the importance of individuals in the making of history, not just political and social forces. Individuals can STILL make a difference!
 Great story September 17, 2009
Doug Q. (San Francisco, CA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
An inspiring read for anyone who aims to achieve in spite of burdensome social constructs and overwhelming internal conflicts. By telling the story of Hopper's amazing journey to the top of the homogenous programming field, Beyer has presented us with a new and contrasting picture of the early years of computer innovation. This story of success, service and determination, in addition to the very readable prose not often associated with academic publications, make this an absolute read for even those with the slimmest of interest in technology.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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