Computer programmer Ellen Ullman, who wrote her first computer program in 1978, takes a critical and historical look at where we've been and where we're headed in Silicon Valley, amidst the backdrop of the male-dominated industry. Ullman, who wrote ...
Computer programmer Ellen Ullman, who wrote her first computer program in 1978, takes a critical and historical look at where we've been and where we're headed in Silicon Valley, amidst the backdrop of the male-dominated industry. Ullman, who wrote
"Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology", joined "Salon Talks" to discuss technology's loss of innocence, how it has evolved as its role in culture has changed and the still rampant sexism and gender issues facing the inner workings of the industry.
"A woman stands out and you can't be just good. You have to be the best. Every flaw, every mistake you make, it's like you're just a dumb girl, you don't know what you're doing. I faced a lot of that," Ullman told Salon's Alli Joseph. "There were men who were very helpful and sympathetic. I was self-taught, if I didn't learn from my colleagues, I was not going to get anywhere. As I moved on to do C coding and get closer and closer to the kernel of the operating system, it gets complicated. Without a computer science degree, I had to learn on the job."
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