History of Programming Languages
Programming languages have played a crucial role in shaping the world of technology as we know it today.
From the early days of machine languages to he modern high-level languages, the history of programming languages is fascinating journey that showcases the evolution and innovation in the field.
In this blog article, we will delve into the rich history of programming languages, the impacted they have had on the development of software and computer science.
What is a programming language ?
A programming language is a formal language that is used to communicate instructions to a computer. It is a set of rules and symbols that allows programmers to write code, which is then translated into a form that a computer can understand and execute.
Programming languages are used to develop software applications, websites, and other computer programs. Some popular programming languages include Python, Java, C++, and JavaScript.
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Why programming language is important ?
Programming language is important for several reasons
Communication between human and computers as it allow programmers to communicate their instruction to the computer effectively
Flexibility as different programming languages are designed to fulfill the various needs and requirements. Whether you are building a website , mobile app or a complex system , having the knowledge of different programming language allow you to choose the most suitable one for your project
Problem Solving as it provide us to break down complex problems into smaller task making it easier to find solutions
Career Opportunities in programming as it opens a wide range of carrier opportunities . From software development to web, app development , data analysis, artificial intelligence across various industries.
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The first programming language
Did you know? that Ada Lovelace is considered the first computer programmer. She developed an algorithm for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine in the mid-1800s, which is considered to be the earlies form of a computer program.
Her pioneering ideas laid the foundation for subsequent programming languages and the field of computer science as we know it today.
History of programming languages
The history of programming languages dates back to the mid-20th century, when the first high level programming languages were developed. Here are some significant programming languages along with the years they have developed :
1843: Ada Lovelace's machine algorithm
Ada Lovelace developed an algorithm for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine in the mid-1800s, which is considered to be the earlies form of a computer program. Ada Lovelace's contribution to the world of programming continue to be celebrated and recognized for their significance in shaping the modern technological landscape
1957: FORTAN
FORTAN (Formula Translation) developed by IBM (International Business Machine) was the first high-level programming language and revolutionized scientific and engineering computing
1958: LISP
Created by John McCarthy, LISP was one of the earliest programming language dsined for artificial intelligence and symbolic processing
1958: ALGOL (Algorithmic Language)
ALGOL or Algorithmic Language was created by an international committee. It heavily influenced the design of subsequent programming languages.
1959: COBOL
COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) was developed for business application and is still used in this day primarily for banking
1964: BASIC
Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code or BASIC was developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz. The language was written for students who did not have a strong understanding of mathematics or computers. The language was developed further by Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen and became the first marketable product of the company.
1970: PASCAL
Pascal is a procedural programming language, designed in 1968 and published in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth and named in honor of the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It was developed as a language particularly suited to structured programming, and was widely used in computer science education. It is a general-purpose, high-level language, intended to be easy to learn and to use.
1972: C
Developed by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system. It is a general-purpose, procedural programming language and the most popular programming language till now.
1972: SQL
SQL was developed at IBM by Donald D. Chamberlin and Raymond F. Boyce. Nowadays the language is an acronym – SQL, which stands for Structured Query Language.
1978: MATLAB
It stands for MATrix LABoratory. It is used for matrix manipulation, implementation of an algorithm, and creation of a user interface.
1983: Objective-C, C++
C++ is the fastest high-level programming language. Earlier, Apple Inc uses Objective-C to make applications.
1987: Perl
Perl is a family of script programming languages that is similar in syntax to the C language. It is an older, open source, general use, interpreted language. Perl was developed with usability in mind. Its efficient design lets developers do a lot with a little bit of code.
1990: Haskell
Haskell is a general-purpose programming language named after the American logician and mathematician Haskell Brooks Curry. It is a purely functional programming language meaning it’s primarily mathematical.
1991: Python
Python was developed by Guido Van Rossums widely regarded as one of the most popular programming language due to its simplicity , versality and readability. Its simplicity and readability make it a popular choice among developers.
1991: Visual Basic
Developed by Microsoft, Visual Basic allows programmers to utilize a drag-and-drop style of choosing and changing pre-selected chunks of code through a graphical user interface (GUI).
1993: Ruby
Ruby is an open-source object-oriented scripting language invented in the mid-90s by Yukihiro Matsumoto. Unlike languages such as C and C++, a scripting language doesn't talk directly to hardware. It's written to a text file and then parsed by an interpreter and turned into code.
1995: JAVA, PHP, JavaScript
Java is a high level, robust, object-oriented and securing programming language. Java has the largest community repositories and support , it has spread its root into every software framework.
PHP is a popular general-purpose scripting language that is specially suited to web development. It is a server scripting language and a powerful tool for making dynamic and interacting web pages.
JavaScript enables interactive web pages. JS is the most popular programming language. JS is famous for building a web application. It makes our page interactive.
2000: C#
Developed at Microsoft with the hope of combining the computing ability of C++ with the simplicity of Visual Basic, C# is based on C++ and shares many similarities with Java. The language is used in almost all Microsoft products and is seen primarily in developing desktop applications.
2009: Go
GO language is developed in Google by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson. Go has gained popularity among some of the largest tech companies around the world such as Google, Uber, Twitch, and Dropbox.
2011: Kotlin
Kotlin is developed by JetBrains. It is used for making an android application.
2014: Swift
Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language for all Apple platforms. It is a general-purpose programming language built using a modern approach to safety, performance and software design patterns.
What old programming languages are still used today ?
Despite the rapid advances in technology, some old programming languages are still in use today. Examples include Fortran, the oldest high-level programming language created in the 1950s; COBOL, created in 1959; and BASIC, created in the 1960s.
These languages are still used in legacy systems, especially in the business sector, where they are used to maintain a large number of applications. For example, the banking industry still relies heavily on Cobol, and many government agencies still use Fortran for its speed and efficiency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the history of programming languages has seen a great evolution over the last century. From the early days of FORTRAN and COBOL to the modern languages like Java and Python, programming has come a long way.
As technology continues to evolve, so too will the programming languages used to make the most of it. As the world moves towards a more digital future, it is clear that programming languages will remain an integral part of our lives.
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