Mary Allen Wilkes
| Mary Allen Wilkes | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 25, 1937 |
| Fields | Programming, Hardware engineering |
| Institutions | MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Washington University in St. Louis |
| Alma mater | Wellesley College |
| Known for | Work with LINC computer |
Mary Allen Wilkes (born September 25, 1937) is a former computer programmer and hardware engineer, most known for her work with the LINC computer. She left computer science and became an attorney.[1] She is a graduate of Wellesley College, class of 1959.[2]
Contents |
[edit] MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Wilkes worked in the MIT Lincoln Laboratory from 1959 to 1963. While there, she simulated the LINC on the TX-2 computer.[1] She also wrote many LINC operating systems and designed the LINC console.[3] During that time, she used a computer in her home, usually considered to be the first home computer user.[4] This claim is dependent on the definition of a "home computer."
[edit] Washington University
In 1965, Wilkes left MIT and began working at the Computer Systems Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. In St. Louis, she designed the multiply macromodule.
[edit] Notability
She is noted in the field of Computer Science for:
- Developing the assembler-linker model used in modern programming compilers.
- Some consider her to be the first person to use a home computer, which she built.[4][5] Depending on the definition of "home computer", Konrad Zuse is cited as being a home computer user before Wilkes.
- Conceptualized and implemented the first operating system to sit between a program and the actual computer hardware.[6]
[edit] Selected publications
- LAP6 Handbook
- Programming the LINC with Wesley A. Clark
[edit] References
- ^ a b Biography of Mary Allen Wilkes
- ^ Early Biography from 1970
- ^ LINC History
- ^ a b The LINC: A Paradigm Shift
- ^ 10th Vintage Computer Festival
- ^ [1]
| P ≟ NP | This biographical article relating to a computer scientist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
