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What Is The First Programming Language?

Computer programming is critical in our modern world today, as we can see, all the technology devices we use every day easier need to be programmed to function properly. So, do you ever think about the first programming language? Do you know how programming language history has developed since the early day?


The First Programming Language
What Is The First Programming Language?

1. What is the first programming language?


The first programming language history began in 1883 when a woman named Ada Lovelace worked with Charles Babbage on his mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. While Babbage was concerned with simply computing numbers, Lovelace saw that the numbers the computer worked with could represent something other than just show the number.


What is the first programming language?
Figure 1. Basic function example of first programming language - Analytical Engine

Then, she wrote an algorithm for the Analytical Engine that was the first of its kind. Because of her contribution, Lovelace is credited with creating the first computer programming language, help to create the modern world we are living in today. After more than 130 years in programming language history, it became the most important thing in our modern world.


2. What is the first programming language to use on a computer?


In 1957, the first of the major languages appeared in the form of FORTRAN. Its name stands for FORmula TRANslating system. The language was designed at IBM for scientific computing, for the first time in programming languages history. The components were very simple and provided the programmer with low-level access to the internal component of the computer. Today, this programming language would be considered limited since it only allowed for IF, DO, and GOTO statements, but these commands were revolutionary at the time. FORTRAN pioneered the use of logical variables (TRUE or FALSE), integer, real, and double-precision numbers, which are still used today.


What is the first programming language to use on a computer?
Figure 2. A hello world program is written in FORTRAN

FORTRAN programming language was good at handling numbers but it couldn't handle input and output well, which mattered most to business computing. And COBOL was created as a result of the growing popularity of business computing in 1959. It was designed from the ground up to be a business programming language. It only had two data types: numbers and text strings. It also allowed these to be grouped into arrays and records, allowing for better data tracking and organization. It's worth noting that a COBOL program is structured similarly to an essay, with four or five main parts that combine to form a beautiful whole. COBOL statements have a syntax that is very similar to English, making them very simple to understand. All of these features were created to make learning and implementing them simpler for the average company.


3. How about the future of programming languages?


As we can see, programming languages history has changed so much since the beginning, it has become more and more easier to learn and to code. But the future of programming does not lie in the pursuit of flawless code or the creation of a new programming language. It's all about writing less code, or even no code in certain situations.

The use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to automate much of coding would be the most critical development in programming for the next decade.


How about the future of programming languages?
Figure 3. Soon, the easier need developer doesn’t need to “code” anymore

AI and machine learning can help programmers write faster and better code by automating coding. When used in conjunction with intelligent “Integrated Development Environment” software (software used by programmers when writing code in a particular platform, such as Visual Studio), it can save businesses a significant amount of time and money.


Final thoughts

Most computer programming languages were inspired by or built upon concepts from previous computer programming languages history. The first programming language still serves as a strong foundation for new ones and lets newer computer programming languages make programmers’ work simpler.

Source: Internet



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