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Installing Windows might take 5,000 years without the compiler, a remarkable innovation which made modern computing possible. Tim Harford tells a compelling story which has at its heart a pioneering woman called Grace Hopper who \\u2013 along the way \\u2013 single-handedly invented the idea of open source software too.

The compiler evolved into COBOL \\u2013 one of the first computer languages \\u2013 and led to the distinction between hardware and software.

Producer: Ben Crighton\\nEditors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon

(Image: Grace M. Hopper, Credit: Bettman/Getty Images)