Adele Goldberg
Xerox PARC researcher who co-developed Smalltalk
- Age
- 81 yrs
- Birthday in 244 days
- Works listed
- 1
- Book
- Honours
- 2
- Most recent 2010
- Profile views
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Adele Goldberg is an American computer scientist who co-developed the Smalltalk-80 programming language and its environment at Xerox PARC. Her books documenting Smalltalk spread object-oriented programming, and she co-founded ParcPlace Systems.
Biography
Education
Goldberg studied mathematics at the University of Michigan and earned her PhD in information science at the University of Chicago in 1973.
Smalltalk
At Xerox PARC from 1973 she worked with Alan Kay and Dan Ingalls in the Learning Research Group on Smalltalk and its graphical environment, testing it with children. She managed the group that released Smalltalk-80 to the wider world.
Steve Jobs’s visit
Goldberg was reluctant to give Steve Jobs a full demonstration of Smalltalk during his 1979 visit to PARC, fearing he would copy it; Xerox management overruled her.
ParcPlace and beyond
She co-founded ParcPlace Systems in 1988 to commercialise Smalltalk, and was president of the ACM from 1984 to 1986. She has worked on educational technology.
Timeline
-
1945
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States
-
1973
PhD; joins Xerox PARC
-
1979
Demonstrates Smalltalk to Steve Jobs
-
1980
Smalltalk-80 released
-
1983
Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation
-
1984
President of the ACM
-
1988
Co-founds ParcPlace Systems
Notable works
-
1983
Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation Book
With David Robson.
Awards and honours
-
ACM Software System Award
1987
-
Women in Technology Hall of Fame
2010
Did you know?
-
1
Her 1983 Smalltalk-80 book is known to programmers as the “Blue Book”.
-
2
She has worked on educational technology for schools.
-
3
Smalltalk influenced Objective-C, Ruby and Python.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Adele Goldberg?
Adele Goldberg is an American computer scientist who co-developed the Smalltalk-80 programming language and its environment at Xerox PARC. Her books documenting Smalltalk spread object-oriented programming, and she co-founded ParcPlace Systems.
How old is Adele Goldberg?
Adele Goldberg is 81 years old, born on 7 July 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
Where is Adele Goldberg from?
Adele Goldberg was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
What is Adele Goldberg known for?
Adele Goldberg is best known for Smalltalk-80; the Smalltalk books; co-founding ParcPlace Systems.
What awards has Adele Goldberg received?
Notable honours include ACM Software System Award (1987), Women in Technology Hall of Fame (2010).
References
- Adele Goldberg (computer scientist) — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Adele Goldberg (computer scientist) — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Adele Goldberg (computer scientist) — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Adele Goldberg (computer scientist) (Q11605) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Adele Goldberg (computer scientist)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Adele Goldberg.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/adele-goldberg
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