Guide to the Adele Goldberg papers
Finding aid prepared by Bo Doub, Kim Hayden, and Sara Chabino Lott
Processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered
through the Council on Library and Information Resources' Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant.
Computer History Museum
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA, 94043
(650) 810-1010
research@computerhistory.org
December 2015
Title: Adele Goldberg papers
Identifier/Call Number: X5774.2010
Contributing Institution:
Computer History Museum
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
15.209 Linear feet,
12 record cartons, 1 half manuscript box
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1973-1998
Date (inclusive): 1973-2010
Abstract: The Adele Goldberg papers consist of Goldberg’s working files related to the development and licensing of Smalltalk, a programming
language she co-developed at Xerox PARC, plus periodicals, books, manuals, conference material, and reports related to object-oriented
programming and other computer science topics Goldberg was interested or involved in. The collection also contains videotapes
of some of Goldberg’s public talks. Records date from 1973 to 2010, with the bulk of material from 1973 to 1998.
Languages: The collection is primarily in English, with a small amount of material in Japanese and French.
creator:
Goldberg, Adele, 1945-
Processing Information
Collection processed by Bo Doub and Kim Hayden, 2015.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying
any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce any portion of the
Computer History Museum’s collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder (if applicable) and the Computer
History Museum.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], [Date], Adele Goldberg papers, Lot X5774.2010, Box [#], Folder [#], Catalog [#], Computer History
Museum.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Adele Goldberg, 2009.
Biographical/Historical Note
Adele Goldberg was born July 7, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio. She received a BA in mathematics from the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor and a master’s in information science from the University of Chicago. In 1969, Goldberg began studying for her
PhD in information science at Stanford University as a visiting University of Chicago student; she then became a research
associate at Stanford while working on her dissertation. She earned her PhD from the University of Chicago in 1973.
After receiving her PhD, Goldberg went to work at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (Xerox PARC) as a laboratory and research
associate, and in 1979 she became the manager of its System Concepts Laboratory. At Xerox PARC, Goldberg was a co-creator
of the highly influential programming language Smalltalk-80, along with Alan Kay, Dan Ingalls, and other designers. The first
object-oriented programming language, Smalltalk introduced many of the characteristics seen in personal computers today, including
the graphical user interface, overlapping windows, point-and-click menus, dragging and dropping, and icons. Goldberg wrote
much of the documentation for Smalltalk-80, including the books Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation (1983),
Smalltalk-80: the Interactive Programming Environment (1984), and Smalltalk-80: The Language (1989), co-written with David
Robson and considered the definitive books on the subject.
From 1984 to 1986, Goldberg was the president of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). In 1988, she co-founded a
spin-off business from Xerox called ParcPlace Systems that commercialized Smalltalk-80 and provided licensing of and support
for it. She left ParcPlace in 1995, and in 1999 she co-founded the technological consulting firm Neometron. She has also acted
as CTO for various companies, served on advisory boards, and designed online college courses in math and science.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Adele Goldberg papers contain Goldberg’s working files relating to the programming language Smalltalk; periodicals, manuals,
and other publications she collected throughout her career; and material relating to conferences and other events she participated
in. The records span 1973 through 2010 with the bulk of the collection being from 1973 to 1998.
Goldberg’s Smalltalk files document the development, licensing, and documentation of various versions of Smalltalk – from
its beginnings at Xerox PARC to its licensing and use elsewhere. Her collection of periodicals, books, and manuals form a
comprehensive body of knowledge on object-oriented programming (OOP) and also on what Xerox PARC was researching and developing
throughout the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s.
Conferences and events relating to object-oriented programming and other facets of Goldberg’s work are also well-documented
in this collection. Aside from the textual conference proceedings and material, there are videos of Goldberg’s public talks
contained in this collection’s unprocessed audiovisual material – including keynote speeches at ACM’s 1986 SIGCHI (Special
Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction) and the 1989 SCOOP conference.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 5 series:
Series 1, Smalltalk, 1973-2010, bulk 1973-1995
Series 2, Periodicals, technical papers, and articles, 1973-1998
Series 3, Conferences, workshops, and symposia, 1974-2000
Series 4, Books and manuals, 1978-1996
Series 5, Unprocessed AV material, 1978-1997
Series 6, Unprocessed software, 1995
Separated Material
Ephemera were separated from the main collection, including pins, buttons, and T-shirts relating to Smalltalk or conferences
that Goldberg attended. To view catalog records for separated material search the CHM catalog at
http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/ .
Related Collections at CHM
Adele Goldberg oral history, Lot X5823.2010, catalog number 102701984 (pdf) and 102702319 (video).
Related Collections at Other Repositories
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Goldberg, Adele, 1945-
Kay, Alan (Alan Curtis), 1940-
Object-oriented programming (Computer science)
Smalltalk (Computer program language)
Smalltalk-80 (Computer program language)
Smalltalk, Series 1,
Bulk, 1973-1998
1973-2010
Series Scope and Content
This series contains Goldberg’s files on the programming language Smalltalk – including memoranda, program listings, notebooks,
correspondence, manuals, newsletters, and promotional material. This material dates from 1973 to 2010 with the bulk from 1973
to 1995. A large part of this series consists of manuals for various versions of Smalltalk and systems related to Smalltalk.
The earliest manuals in this series were published by Xerox PARC, starting with early versions of the language such as Smalltalk-72.
As Xerox began licensing Smalltalk-80 and subsequent versions for outside use and distribution, other companies – notably
ParcPlace Systems – started publishing manuals and other material related to Smalltalk, which are also included in this series.
Much of the correspondence and notebooks in this series relate to the development of Smalltalk’s source code, its licensing
and distribution, and the publication of papers and books about the technology. Of special interest in this series is material
regarding the production of a book titled Smalltalk: Dreams and Schemes by Adele Goldberg, David Robson, and Larry Tesler.
This book eventually became 3 published Smalltalk books, which subsequently formed the basis for much of the legal disclosure
in the copyright infringement lawsuit that Apple Computer, Inc. filed in 1988 against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. Another
highlight of this series is material relating to a project called “Twinkle,” which proposed that Xerox create a smaller Star
Workstation for students, learning, and education. In this donation's lot files, Goldberg describes this 1982 project as accomplishing
many of the innovations of a 1984 Macintosh system, but implemented on earlier 68000 technology. This series is arranged alphabetically
by folder title.
102739342
Adele Goldberg and Smalltalk photographs
ca. 1982
102739394
Alan C. Kay papers
1977-1993
102739395
ENVY/Developer and VisualWorks 2.0
1994
102739396
L. Peter Deutsch papers
1983-1987
102739397
Model-view-controller (MVC)
1982-1986
102739343
NoteTaker
ca. 1979
102739390
Object-oriented programming promotional material
1994-1995
102739393
ParcPlace promotional material and newsletters
1988-1992
102739341
Shazam
1973-1976
102739321
Smalltalk : dreams and schemes
1978-1983
102739402
Smalltalk animation kit
1978
102739386
Smalltalk course material
1978; 1983
102739401
Smalltalk file directory
2010
102739348
Smalltalk history
1980-1983
102739366
Smalltalk manuals by various publishers
1975-1990
102739373
Smalltalk manuals published by ParcPlace
1988-1995
102739370
Smalltalk manuals published by Xerox
1976-1987
102739400
Smalltalk memoranda
1973-1982
102739339
Smalltalk newsletter
1983
102739398
Smalltalk presentation material
1985-1994
102739382
Smalltalk press and clippings
1983-2002
102739403
Smalltalk program listings
1974-1983
102739384
Smalltalk reference and status reports
1982-1983
102739361
Smalltalk syntax
1976-1981
102739337
Smalltalk-80 : the language and its implementation
1982
102739350
Smalltalk-80 Dandelion project
1982-1983
102739399
Smalltalk-80 Fuji Xerox video
ca. 1985
102739340
Smalltalk-80 licensing and distribution
1981-1983
102739344
Smalltalk-related technical papers and reports
1975-1990
102739352
TinyTalk
1978-1980
102739346
Virtual Memory Interest Group
1976-1980
102739336
World Class Objects
1994
102739360
Xerox research centers
ca. 1975
Periodicals, technical papers, and articles, Series 2,
1973-1998
Series Scope and Content
This series consists of magazines, journals, articles, and technical papers and reports that date from 1973 to 1998. A large
amount of material in this series is made up of periodicals published by SIGS Publications Inc. that are related to object-oriented
programming and technology, including Hotline on Object-Oriented Technology, Journal of Object-Oriented Programming, C++ Report,
Object magazine, and The Smalltalk Report. There is also a large number of technical reports from Xerox PARC’s blue and white
report series, the Université de Genève Centre Universitaire d’Informatique, and the Carnegie Mellon University Department
of Computer Science. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
102739323
C++ report
1988-1996
102739320
Carnegie-Mellon University technical reports
1976-1989
102739325
First class
1988-1994
102739532
HOOPLA!
ca. 1989
102739322
Hotline on object-oriented technology
1989-1993
102739326
Journal of object-oriented programming
1988-1996
102739327
Object magazine
1991-1997
102739537
Open computing
1994-12
102739328
Other articles and technical papers
1983-1993
102739329
PC AI
1992-1996
102739391
R'D Budget and Policy Project report
1986
102739330
Report on object analysis ' design
1994-1996
102739324
Saint Silicon clippings and promotional material
1991
102739331
Smalltalk report, The
1991-1998
102739535
Softwarové noviny
1991
102739332
Sony Computer Science Laboratory technical reports
1989-1993
102739536
Success
1992-09
102739539
TWA Ambassador
1982-06
102739333
Universite´ de Gene`ve technical reports
1987-1998
102739335
Women in computer science
undated
102739334
WRL technical note and research report
1986-1989
102739338
Xerox PARC technical reports
1973-1995
Conferences, workshops, and symposia, Series 3,
1974-2000
Series Scope and Content
This series contains proceedings, preprints, and other material related to conferences, workshops, and symposia from 1974
to 2000. Several of the conferences and symposia are focused on object-oriented programming, including SCOOP 1990, Woodman
1989, TOOLS 6, and the third European Symposium on Object-Oriented Software Development. Also represented are conferences
put on by the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).
Papers and presentations by Goldberg are included among the material for several conferences and symposia. Also included are
two folders containing hand-drawn slides, photographic slides, and handwritten notes for presentations by Goldberg from 1985
and 1986, including a presentation titled "What Do We Really Know About Design" that was given at SIGCHI '86 held in Boston,
and a presentation given at the ACM annual conference held in Denver in 1985. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder
title.
102739347
ACM Conferences on the History of Computing
1986-1987
102739392
Business Engineering with Object Technology seminar
ca. 1994
102739349
Eurographics 82
1982
102739356
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
1994
102739355
IISF/ACMJ International Symposium
1994
102739345
Information Processing 74
1974
102739354
Lecture Notes in Computer Science series
1987-2001
102739359
Presentation slides
1985-1986
102739351
Seminars and Conference in Object-Oriented Programming (SCOOP)
1990
102739358
Third European Symposium on Object-Oriented Software Development
1992
102739357
Woodman '89
1989
Books and manuals, Series 4,
1978-1996
Series Scope and Content
This series is made up of books and manuals published from 1978 to 1996. There are a number of XE programming guides published
by Helsinki University of Technology and manual drafts for DEMOS (Discrete Event Modelling on Simula). Also included is a
two-volume tutorial on object-oriented computing. Books include those published by Object Management Group, an overview of
Xerox 8000 series products, and an autobiography of Harold Hershey Hall. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder
title.
102739385
Apple facts 5.96
1996-05
102739374
DEMOS manuals
1978
102739375
Helsinki University of Technology XE programming guides
1989
102739381
HHHiStory : an autobiography
1995-1996
102739383
HP NewWave general information manual
1990
102739380
KickStart Initiative : connecting America's communities to the information superhighway
1996
102739387
Macintosh notebook : MacPaint
1985
102739379
More color computer applications : high-resolution graphics
1984
102739388
Neptune manual
undated
102739377
Object Management Group books
1994
102739378
Office systems technology : a look into the world of the Xerox 8000 series products
1982
102739376
Tutorial : object-oriented computing
1987
Unprocessed AV material, Series 5,
1978-1997
Series Scope and Content
This series consists of unprocessed audiovisual material from 1978 to 1997. Included are slides, photographs, VHS and Beta
tapes, ephemera, and a personal album with clippings and photographs. Some of the videos document public talks, including
“Computer Chronicles Women in Computing, September 1985” and Goldberg’s keynote speech at ACM’s SIGCHI (Special Interest Group
on Computer-Human Interaction). Also included are educational and/or promotional videos relating to Xerox PARC, Smalltalk,
VisualWave, LearningWorks, and other systems. This series is unarranged.
102724548
Adele Goldberg collection of scrapbooks, photographs, and moving images
1978-1997
Unprocessed software, Series 6,
circa 1995
Series Scope and Content
This series consists of unprocessed software from circa 1995. Included is a full software product in original packaging for
VisualWorks from ParcPlace/Digitalk. This series is unarranged.
102724549
Unprocessed software
ca. 1995