Ellen Ullman

Ellen Ullman is an American computer programmer and author. She has written novels as well as articles for various publications, including Harper's, Wired, the New York Times and Salon. Her essays and novels analyze the human side of the world of computer programming.

Sourced

• I have a suggestion for Microsoft — no fancy programming required. Just let us users hang out a "Do Not Disturb" sign. Then leave us alone. We're dreaming.
  • "The Boss in the Machine". The New York Times (San Francisco): p. A15. 19 February 2005. ISSN 03624331. 

• To listen to Mr. Engelbart that day almost five years ago was to realize that the computer industry, when it started, was not simply about becoming a chief executive or retiring on stock options at 35. It was to remember that real innovation — the stuff that made computers so much more than "crummy factors of production" — comes from mysterious places, wild people, dreamers and tinkerers, and to remember all the skepticism they had to endure.
  • "The Orphans of Invention". The New York Times (San Francisco): p. A33. 22 May 2003. ISSN 03624331. 

• "We build our computers the way we build our cities--over time, without a plan, on top of ruins."
  • "The dumbing down of programming" Salon Tue-May-12-1998