Compiler Pioneer

August 11, 2020 3:00 AM

Frances Allen, Who Helped Hardware Understand Software, Dies at 88 (NYT). Allen worked at IBM for 45 years on software compilation, publishing a series of landmark papers on Program Optimization. Allen was the first woman to win the Turing Award and will be honoured by the IEEE with a new medal in her name. In an oral history from 2001, Allen talks about her education, getting a job at IBM, the changing place of women in technology from the 50s to 70s, managing teams, and the rewards of a career in computing.

If you've used up your NYT reads this month, here is a link to the unlocked article.

posted by adrianhon (25 comments total)

Thank you, Ms. Allen. I owe a large part of my career in tech to you.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 3:34 AM on August 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

Did my CS degree in the mid 70s. One of my subjects was compiler design, looking specifically at FORTRAN compilation and for my final year project I produced a table driven cross-assembler written in (oh, God!) FORTRAN. There were, of course, almost no jobs involving working on compilers in the UK in those days (or indeed, now). Happy, simpler, days.

RIP Ms Allen, a cruel end to such a fine mind.
posted by epo at 3:46 AM on August 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

My thesis adviser was her ex.
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:18 AM on August 11, 2020

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posted by introp at 8:16 AM on August 11, 2020

I can't tell you what it meant to this female CS undergrad to see her get that Turing Award in 06. I've gotten to see her speak a couple times over the years and she struck me as humble and sharp as a tack. Unbelievable that she grew up without electricity and ended up where she did. What a ride the 20th century was.

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posted by potrzebie at 8:30 AM on August 11, 2020 [9 favorites]

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posted by suetanvil at 3:07 PM on August 11, 2020

If you're doing FORTRAN, those .s better start in card column 7, kids.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 8:54 PM on August 11, 2020

C Sadly I never learned about her until now. I wish CS programs covered more of
C the history of CS, technical and social.
posted by away for regrooving at 12:45 AM on August 12, 2020

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posted by equalpants at 6:18 AM on August 12, 2020