I am pleased to report that a documentary on the first software developers, the 6 women who were hired to program the ENIAC -- the first electronic computer -- has after many years received a funding grant sufficient to produce it.

Back in the 90s, my close friend Kathy Kleiman was researching computer history and came upon photos of the ENIAC and wondered who the unnamed women in the photos were. At first, she was told they were models hired to decorate the computer, but further investigation revealed they were the ones programming it.

The six women were professional computers, which was a job title early in the century -- people with math degrees hired to perform calculations, in particular ballistic firing tables for the war. Because of the war, skilled women got these jobs, and the best of the team were asked to write software to get the machine to do the tables they were doing by hand. They were given no instruction, just the wiring diagrams and other machine designs, and created the first software applications, including inventing things like the first sort routine and many other things fundamental to our profession.

Because nobody knew the history of these founders of our profession, Kathy sought them out, and was able to record video interviews with 4 of them. These interviews have languished in the can for many years, and alas, all 6 of them are now deceased. I've been trying to help for many years, but in a fortuitous lunch, I was able to make the introductions necessary to arrange funding through the efforts and support of my friends Megan Smith, Anne Wojcicki and Lucy Southworth.

Kathy got to make the announcement at Google I/O in a special session about female techmakers featuring an array of accomplished women in technology. She showed a small section of the movie's trailer. Her section can be seen 9 minutes into the video, and the programmers at 11:30. (Megan accidentally called me Brad Feldman, but I forgive her :-)

Software development is perhaps the most important new profession of the 20th century -- and there were many -- and the story of the six unsung founders of that profession will finally be presented to a large audience. I'll announce when the documentary is released.