Jude Milhon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judith Milhon
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| Born | March 12, 1939 |
| Died | July 19, 2003 (aged 64) |
| Occupation | hacker and author |
| Employer | Horn and Hardart; senior editor at Mondo 2000, frequent contributor to Boing Boing |
| Known for | Coining the term cypherpunk Co-creator of Community Memory Early contributor to the Berkeley Software Distribution |
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Notable work
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The Cyberpunk Handbook (1995), How to Mutate and Take Over the World (1996) |
| Movement | Founding member of the cypherpunks |
Judith [Jude] Milhon (March 12, 1939 – July 19, 2003), also known as St. Jude, was an American computer programmer, writer, and activist. She taught herself how to program computers. Milhon was a strong supporter of civil rights and helped women get involved in technology. She lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Milhon is famous for creating the word "cypherpunk". She was also one of the first members of the cypherpunk group. She passed away from cancer in 2003.
Contents
About Her Early Life
Judith Milhon was born on March 12, 1939, in Washington D.C. She grew up in Indiana in a military family. In 1961, she married Robert Behling. They had one daughter named Tresca Behling.
Milhon was interested in new ways of living and thinking. She moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio, and set up a shared home with her family and friends. Later, in 1968, she moved to San Francisco. She was survived by her daughter, Tresca Behling, and her grandson, Emilio Zuniga.
Her Work in Technology
Milhon learned computer programming by herself in 1967. Her first job was at a vending machine company in New York. After that, she moved to California. She wanted to join the growing movement of people exploring new ideas.
She worked at the Berkeley Computer Company. There, she helped create a system that allowed many people to use a computer at the same time. In 1971, she joined other activists and tech experts. They worked on a project to create the Bay Area's first public computer bulletin board system.
Creating Community Memory
In 1973, Milhon and others started a project called Community Memory in Berkeley. This was one of the first public computer systems. It allowed people to share information and ideas. Later, she also worked on BSD. This was a special computer operating system.
Milhon was a member of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. This group works to make sure technology is used for good. She also wrote several books. She was a senior editor for Mondo 2000 magazine. She also wrote often for Boing Boing, a popular website.
Her Activism and Ideas
St. Jude was involved in many important causes. In the 1960s, she was active in the Civil Rights Movement. She helped organize a famous march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. She was even arrested for protesting in Alabama and Mississippi.
Milhon also worked hard for change in the computer world. She strongly encouraged women to use the internet and learn about hacking. She told them to be strong and not let criticism bother them. At a time when most people using the internet were men, she spoke up for women's right to technology.
She often said, "Girls need modems." She believed women were great at typing fast and could do amazing things with computers. Milhon noticed there weren't many women who built computer hardware. She worked to change this. At Community Memory, she helped new users try out the system. She would ask fun questions like, "Where can I get a good bagel in the Bay Area?" This made people curious and encouraged them to explore the system.
She also wrote a book called "The Cyberpunk Handbook." She created the term "cypherpunk" for people who use computers to protect their online privacy. They do this by using special codes called encryption.
See also
In Spanish: Jude Milhon para niños
