Adele Goldberg: Foundation of Programming

Written By: Julia C

Adele Goldberg was essential in developing and expanding the field of computer science. She was born on July 22, 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in 1967 that she would get her bachelor's in mathematics at the University of Michigan. She would later receive a master’s in 1969 and PhD in 1973, both of which were in information science. During these few years, Goldberg would begin to take an interest in computer science as a future career for herself. She taught herself programming and her dissertation was an AI application created by Goldberg herself.

In 1973 she became a research scientist in Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), soon after being promoted to a manager for the System Concepts Laboratory. This PARC would be one of the foundations necessary for GUI (graphical user interface) which we use to this day.

For programming, Goldberg would go on to create many essential things. One example of this is her contributions to SmallTalk-80- a new programming language for her time. SmallTalk was an easier language to use, and customizable. As mentioned previously, GUI is an important base for graphics that we still use in our devices today. SmallTalk-80 created GUI, allowing the implementation of windows, icons, menus, and more. She was essential in promoting SmallTalk as well, introducing it to communities of programming, later going on to write books about Smalltalk. Her books on Smalltalk consisted of user interface ideas and programming tools. Her promotions were going so well that even Steve Jobs asked for a demonstration of SmallTalk. She rejected this, thinking that Apple would take her original ideas for their own. She later accepted his offer, in which Steve Jobs would use SmallTalk in creating the Macintosh Computer.

Adele Goldberg giving a speech

Goldberg became the President of the Association for Computing Machinery from 1984 to 1968. In 1988, Goldberg left her old home of PARC, and became a founder of ParcPlace Systems instead. ParcPlace Systems would give programming tools and training to those who wanted to create applications using SmallTalk-80. She was the chairwoman from 1995 and CEO to 1992. Not only this, she co-founded another company called Neometron. Inc, which would create new ways to use remote group work. She also co-founded AgileMind, which gives internet access to K-12 students and teachers. Her accomplishments do not stop there, as she is also the deputy chair of the Science Advisory Board for the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies. In addition, she is on the board for Cognito Learning Media, which educationally gives multimedia services. 

For her extensive list of achievements, Goldberg has received many awards. In 1987 she received the ACM Software Systems Award with Ingalls and Kay for developing SmallTalk, also becoming a Fellow of ACM in 1994. In 1990 she received the PC Magazine Lifetime Achievement Reward, the 2002 Dr. Dobb’s Magazine Excellence Reward, the 2012 University of Chicago Alumni Professional Achievement Award, and was included in Forbes’s “20 Who Matter”. In addition she received honorary degrees from the University of Michigan and the Open University. 

Adele Goldberg’s life serves to show how important she was in computer science, from her development of the programming language SmallTalk-80 to her contributions to many schools and companies, giving new education and tips to people across the world. Her accomplishments should be remembered for the hard work and talent put into her creations.

Sources:

“Adele Goldberg.” CHM, 8 Sept. 2022, computerhistory.org/profile/adele-goldberg/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.

“Adele Goldberg.” WITI, witi.com/halloffame/100883/Adele-Goldberg-Founding-Chairman-ParcPlace-Systems,-Inc/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.

“The Centre for Computing History.” Centre For Computing History, www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/47368/Adele-Goldberg/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.