Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site watmath.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!saquigley From: saquigley@watmath.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) Newsgroups: net.motss Subject: Re: Turing Biography and Discrimination Message-ID: <7950@watmath.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Jun-84 11:58:00 EDT Article-I.D.: watmath.7950 Posted: Tue Jun 5 11:58:00 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 6-Jun-84 06:19:14 EDT References: <3501@fortune.UUCP>, <300@cornell.UUCP> Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 25 What's this story about Babbage's wife? I never heard of her. The one woman I have heard of in connection with Babbage is Ada Byron Lovelace, first programmer, daughter of Lord Byron and wife of the count of Lovelace. She was a friend of Babbage, but I do not know enough about her to know whether there was any romantic involvement between the two of them. In any case the reason she is remembered and talked about in CS is not because she is some guy's wife, but because she "helped" Babbage with his work. What she did exactly, I don't know. I have hear rumours that she was not really a programmer, but "just" a proofreader. This is a typical view of women's work. I have heard of other women's work being denigrated before so I will reserve judgement until I find out more. If I may add my two-cents worth, the attitude of people that believes that the only way women can become famous is by being someone's wife is not much better than the attitude of people who believe that famous people's homosexuality should not be mentioned when it is relevant to their work. Sophie Quigley ...!{clyde,ihnp4,decvax}!watmath!saquigley