History of Computers - Origin of the Term “Debug”
Contents
Intro
The term “debug” was coined by naval officer and mathematician Grace Murray Hopper in 1945. [1]
Overview
On September 9, 1945, Hopper discovered a moth stuck between relay contacts in the Harvard Mark II Computer. [3] The term now refers to the removal of errors or malfunctions in a computer program. [4] Debugging is a very important step in the process of creating a computer program: a tiny error can cause an entire program to stop working. [5]
Importance
The origin of the term debug is important because it is one of the most prevalent slang words in the history of computers. Knowing the origin of the term promotes understanding of the current meaning.
Links
White, Ron. How Computers Work. Seventh ed., QUE, 2004. (Page 66).
http://www.computerhistory.org/tdih/September/9/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debug
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper
References
- ↑ White, Ron. How Computers Work. Seventh ed., QUE, 2004. (Page 66).
- ↑ Logbook Entry of the Incedent.
- ↑ Computer History on the Logbook Entry (Accessed 9/14/18).
- ↑ Merriam Webster Definition of Debug (Accessed 9/14/18).
- ↑ Forbes Article Exemplifying the Importance of Debugging (Accessed 9/14/18).
By James Redding
