Some technologies are so ubiquitous that it’s difficult to imagine modern life without them. One of these technologies is the Graphical User Interface (GUI). A GUI is a system of interactive visual components that enables the interaction between humans and machines (explicitly computers & mobile phones). One of the pioneers who democratized the GUI and broadened its access is the American female mathematician and computer scientist - Adele Goldberg.

Early life and Education:

Adele was born in Ohio in 1945. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the University of Michigan. Goldberg worked at IBM over the summer between her junior and senior years of college. This sparked her interest in computer science and she began to teach herself programming during her breaks. This experience inspired her to pursue Computer Science and she went on to earn a Master’s degree and a PhD in Information Science from the University of Chicago.

The advent of SmallTalk-80:

Adele began working at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) in 1973 as a laboratory and research assistant. Later, she went on to become the manager of the System Concepts Laboratory and developed the programming language ‘Smalltalk-80’ with her team. This programming language was used to create one of the first modern graphical user interfaces (GUIs) featuring windows, icons, and menus.

Meeting with Steve Jobs:

Steve Jobs visited the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center along with his team in 1979 in search of inspiration. Aware of its significance and the potential duplication of the technology, Adele refused to show ‘SmallTalk’ and the interface to Steve Jobs and his team. Her decision, however, was ruled out by the senior management and she eventually shared the documentation and her research with Apple’s team. 

The fundamental user interface of the Macintosh operating system of the Apple computers was inspired by the work of Adele and her team. Without Adele’s work, the Apple desktop would not have its current appearance today. 

Honors and Accolades:

Goldberg has been awarded numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the development of modern computer systems. Adele was the president of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) from 1984 to 1986. In 1987, together with Alan Kay and Dan Ingalls, she won the ACM Software Systems Award. She was included in Forbes's "Twenty Who Matter". In 1994, she became a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery. She was also honored with the PC Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. In 2010 she was admitted to the Women in Technology International (WITI) Hall of Fame. Since 2014, she has been a member of the HITS Scientific Advisory Board. 

The Journey Ahead:

Adele left PARC to establish ParcPlace Systems & served as its chairwoman and CEO until its merger with Digitalk in 1995. Adele currently works at Neometron, Inc., an internet support provider she co-founded and is working with drug development teams, international research programs, and educational technology. Adele has long been an advocate of education and is also on the board at Cognito Learning Media, a company that provides multimedia software for educational purposes. She continues to pursue her love of education, creating computer sciences courses at community colleges in the USA and various schools internationally.

Adele Goldberg is amongst the prominent women in computer science who left their undeniable mark on the way the modern world operates. Her research at the Xerox PARC inspired Steve Jobs's creation of the first Apple computer, without whom, the Apple desktop environment may not look the way it does today. So, the next time you fire up your laptop, open a new window or interact with technology at large, just stop and think about all the women responsible for these life-changing technologies, without whom none of this would have been achievable.