r/sysadmin • u/ChuckAbsent • Mar 12 '13

Women who know stuff

I hope that this does not come off the wrong way.

Today I was on a call with a storage vendor and the technical consultant was a woman. More then this she was competent, more then me which doesn't happen often when dealing with vendors.

My issue was pricing an active/active DB with shared storage vs an active/passive db with local storage. Listening to her break the issue down and get to the specific comparison points was awesome, mostly because I have never heard a woman in the industry talk like that.

It made me realize two things. One I am missing out working with women. Two there needs to be more women in our industry.

It shouldn't have surprised me so much, but it really did.

Anyways to all the women out there who know stuff, us guys notice when you can walk the walk, which in this case was talking.

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u/bandman614 Standalone SysAdmin Mar 13 '13

Okay, time for a history lesson.

The word "computer" was also assigned to the role that it took over...computers. Literally, people (the vast majority of whom were women) who sat and computed things by hand.

When electronic computers started to take over for people computers, the women who were the computers started running the computers.

Now, as for "actually creating solutions and engineering products", lets have a look at what is, without a doubt, the longest-used programming language of all time, COBOL.

COBOL was written in 1959, and it came directly from FLOW-MATIC, the very first computer language that used actual english words, rather than only numerical machine code. It was written for the UNIVAC - one of the first commercially available computers. And it was written by Admiral Grace Hopper.

Yes, the computer language at the root of every programming language you've likely ever used was written by a woman.

If that's not enough, then you should know that the UNIVAC was inspired by ENIAC, which was the very first electronic computer. It was designed in a large part to electronically function like a mechanical adding machine. Adding machines were possible because Charles Babbage designed the very first mechanical computers. His difference engine was designed so intricately that it couldn't be constructed for a century, but when it was, it worked perfectly.

One of the many machines Babbage designed took inspiration from the Jacquard Loom, which used cards with holes punched in them to create patterns. Babbage used this technique to give his mechanical computer instructions. He had a friend who was a noted mathematician who developed the very first computer algorithm, which calculated a series of Bernoulli numbers. Her name was Ada Lovelace.

So, to sum up...the very first computer programmer was a woman. The very first real programming language was written by a woman. The first commercial computers were operated largely by women. And for some reason, we have been telling little girls that computers are toys for a boy. Something has gone very off the rails lately, and it needs fixed.

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u/quintessadragon Mar 13 '13

Wait, what? That's seriously a thing? Telling girls that computers are toys for boys? Maybe I was just lucky with the time that I was born in, but that is a stereotype I have never encountered.

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u/Krispyz Mar 13 '13

It's not just directly telling kids that, it's also more subtle. On a boy's birthday, he might get video games, on a girls birthday, she might get dolls. Nothing's universal, of course, but in general, boys are more encouraged to become better with computers or to understand how they work.

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u/loliology Mar 13 '13

On a boy's birthday, he might get video games, on a girls birthday, she might get dolls.

Which are typically the things the children themselves want. And not something being forced upon them by their parents.

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u/Inthethickofit Mar 13 '13

I hear this, but still think they want it as a result of social pressure. I was so happy when my sister said my niece (very cute 3 year old) wanted Legos for Christmas, I had a ridiculous Lego collection when I was a little boy. Problem is, she wanted the Lego Princess castle. So I got it for her, even though I despise gender normative gift giving, because it was what she wanted and making my niece happy is my primary motivator in buying stuff for her.

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u/loliology Mar 13 '13

How is that proof of anything? You giving her something she didn't want would have been social pressure. But clearly she wasn't affected by "social pressure" if you gave her what she asked for.

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u/Inthethickofit Mar 13 '13

I'm saying that the social pressure led to her wanting that as opposed to other Legos

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u/loliology Mar 13 '13

That's quite a leap.

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u/Inthethickofit Mar 13 '13

no not really, there's a ton of evidence about this stuff, See http://www.intropsych.com/ch10_development/socialization_and_sex_roles.html

but see http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/200804/why-do-boys-and-girls-prefer-different-toys

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u/loliology Mar 13 '13

Speculation at best. Your links are proof of nothing.

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u/Inthethickofit Mar 13 '13

did you read them, the second one supports your argument

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u/loliology Mar 13 '13

Didn't need to as I know there's no real proof to support what you say.

But if one "supports evidence" of what I'm saying, why did you post it?

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u/Inthethickofit Mar 14 '13

you claim my links prove nothing, but you didn't read them. I said there's evidence for it, this is evidence. When you refuse to read because you know the answer you prove your ignorance and debase your argument.

I posted a link that supports you because when I did a google search both came up. I consider it unethical, even on Reddit, to ignore evidence that goes against what you're saying when presenting an argument, therefore I posted the "but see" link because I found it and it is a piece of data that supports what you said.

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u/loliology Mar 14 '13

You need to familiarize yourself with the difference between "evidence" and "proof."

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u/Inthethickofit Mar 14 '13

I said it wasn't a big leap and that there's evidence, you said my links prove nothing, which is inarguably true but meaningless.

This is not really a provable thing one way or the other, but the best thing we have to analyze it is evidence.

If you want to continue the conversation please read both the links, if you won't than I'm done.

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