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? History of Programming Languages - Full Stack Programmer Cour

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? History of Programming Languages - Full Stack Programmer Cour

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salau
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© © All Rights Reserved
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A Brief History of

Programming
Languages: Part I

 October 12, 2019  T.J. Kidder

Computer programming has long since stopped being


something only “geeks” and movie hackers did and has
matured into a respected profession that has its own
history. And while being versed in the history of 
computer programming languages isn’t a prerequisite
for attending a full stack programmer course in San
Diego and becoming a full stack developer, it’s still
something every aspiring computer programmer
should know.

In this article, we’ll take a break from contemporary


topics such as front-end vs back-end comparisons and
how to become a coder in just a few months. We’ll go
back to where it all began. And if you think the history
of popular programming languages only stretches back
a few decades and is therefore not much of a history at
all: well, you’re in for a surprise.

Table of Contents:

What was the first programming language?


What was the first widely used programming
language?
What was the first compiled coding language?
What old computer languages are still in use today?
What early languages were used at Microsoft and
Apple?
Where can I attend a top-notch full stack programmer
course in San Diego?


What was the first
programming language?
It’s generally accepted that Ada Lovelace’s “Algorithm
for the Analytical Engine” is the first computer
language ever created. Its purpose was to help Charles
Babbage with Bernoulli number computations and Ada
designed it in 1883. Lovelace describes her machine as
different from previous calculating machines because
of its ability to be programmed to solve problems of
any complexity. Her contributions to the computer
programming world are important because it showed
the capabilites of computed devices almost 100 years
before the thought of a modern programming
computer was realized.


What was the first widely used
programming language?
Assembly Language appeared in 1949 and soon saw
wide use in Electronic Delay Storage Automatic
Calculators. The Assembly was a low-level computer
language that simplified the language of machine code
ie. the specific instructions necessary to operate a
computer.

What was the first compiled


coding language?
Early computer languages came in many variants, all of
which were covered under a generic term: Autocode.
Autocode appeared in 1952 and, as the first compiled 
programming language, it could be translated directly
into machine code through a program called a
compiler.

What old computer languages


are still in use today?
Created in 1957 by John Backus, Fortran (short for
Formula Translation) is possibly the oldest
programming language that’s still in use today. It’s
designed to do complex statistical, mathematical, and
scientific work.

Other crucial languages from this period include:

Algol (1958), which stands for Algorithmic Language,


was designed by a committee for scientific use and

provided the beginning point for the development of
Java, C, C++, and Pascal.
COBOL (1959), ie. Common Business Oriented
Language, was made by Grace Murray Hopper as a
language that could run on all types and brands of
computers. Today, this popular programming language
is used in credit card processing, ATMs, government
and hospital computers, telephone systems, traffic
signals, and automotive systems.
LISP (1959) was first created to help with AI research.
LISP is the second oldest high level programming
language and can also be used to this day in situations
where Python or Ruby are used.

What early languages were


used at Microsoft and Apple?

BASIC, designed in 1964, was modified by Paul Allen
and Bill Gates and soon became the very first product
ever made by Microsoft. Apple developers, on the other
hand, used Pascal (1970) during their early years due to
how powerful and easy to learn it was.

In addition to that, the 1970s saw the development of


numerous important languages:

Smalltalk (1972), which enabled a computer scientist to


make changes to code on the fly, and introduced
things that are now present in vital languages such as
Java, Ruby, and Python.
C (1972) was the very first high-level language. The C
programming language made it possible for Unix to be
used on a broad variety of different computers. Its
influence can be seen in many popular coding
languages today.
SQL (1972) revolutionized databases and made it
possible to add, view, or remove data using queries.
MATLAB (1978) remains one of the top coding
languages for writing mathematical programs. It’s
primarily used in research, mathematics, and
education.


Where can I attend a top-notch
full stack programmer course in
San Diego?
Located in East Village, Learn Academy is the top
coding academy in San Diego. We’re especially famous
for our intensive four-month bootcamp which not only
teaches you everything you need to kick off your new
programming career as a software developer, but also
gives you a one-month internship at a reputable
company.

Enlist in one of our bootcamps today, or reach out to


us if you’d like to learn more about what we do. We
can’t wait to meet you.

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