Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Computer Bug


Gary Larsen
            
                                                                     SCIENCE
First Computer Bug
Stuff I knew but you prolly didn't

Res Ipsa Loquitor

In 1946, when Hopper was released from active duty, she joined the Harvard Faculty at the Computation Laboratory where she continued her work on the Mark II and Mark III. Operators traced an error in the Mark II to a moth trapped in a relay, coining the term bug. This bug was carefully removed and taped to the log book. Stemming from the first bug, today we call errors or glitch's [sic] in a program a bug. (wiki)

Marc the Sharc Miller


8 comments:

Esteve said...

That would be Admiral Hopper, sir. Her retirement from the navy was a big deal back in 1985 as she was pushing 80.

Rodger the Real King of France said...

I don't recognize women Admirals. It's unnatural.

Anonymous said...

Grace Hopper was a gem!
Tim

Juice said...

If I learned that in computer classes long ago, I don't remember it, so I guess you knew something I can't remember?
Never say die, Juice

Anonymous said...

If ADMIRAL Hopper had been CINCPAC in 1943, the Japanese would have beaten into submission before Christmas of that year and MacArthur would have been an organ-grinder's monkey on a street corner in Adelaide.

- One Man Gang

Anonymous said...

I'm about a mile from the Grace Hopper building as the crow flies.

Casca

MAX Redline said...

The first system I worked with used tubes and ferromagnetics, took up 3.5 walls in a large office, and needed debugging regularly. Coding was done in binary by flipping toggle switches. Output was to a large fan-fold dm printer.

Anonymous said...

When I was active, I once was responsible for teaching young Naval officers about radio wave propagation, modulation and multiplexing and other magical shit they needed to know to do their job. These young gentlemen held RADM Hopper in such reverence that you could hear the capital letter in the personal pronoun. I regret I never had the chance to meet her - she was active before I was born, and retired only five years before me!
PvtCdr(SS) MichigammeDave

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