Why is a mistake in a computer program called a ‘bug’? It was popularised by Grace Hopper in 1947, after an error while testing an early computer was caused by a moth trapped inside!
Grace was extremely important in early computing, because she made programming easier. The first programs were in ‘machine code’, made of the simplest instructions a computer can follow. This is like giving directions in the street by saying exactly where to put your feet!
Her innovation was a ‘compiler’, a special program which means you can write in a simpler language—like saying ‘walk up the street and turn left’—which the compiler then turns into the really detailed machine code. Grace’s work led to a popular early programming language called COBOL.
Programming is now easier, but programmers still need to carefully test and debug their code… because if they make a mistake, they can’t blame a moth!
Lesson from the past: Programmers still make mistakes, even though it’s easier than it was
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