The Brief History of Programming Languages

Summary

This video script offers a historical journey through the evolution of programming languages, starting with Ada Lovelace's work on the analytical engine in 1883. It highlights key milestones, including the creation of assembly in 1949, Fortran in 1957, and influential languages like Algol, COBOL, Lisp, and C. The script also covers modern languages like Python, Java, and Swift, showcasing the development of computing and the ongoing relevance of these languages in various fields.

Takeaways

• 😀 Ada Lovelace is often recognized as the first computer programmer for her work on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine in 1843.
• 🔧 The first assembly language was created in 1949, closely tied to machine code and first implemented in the EDSAC at the University of Cambridge.
• 🔢 Auto-code in 1952 was a term for a family of early programming languages, with the first being developed at the University of Manchester.
• 📈 Fortran, developed in 1957, is still widely used today, especially for mathematical calculations and benchmarking the world's fastest supercomputers.
• 🔠 Algol, introduced in 1958, was influential in the development of languages like Pascal, C, C++, and Java, and introduced nested function definitions and lexical scoping.
• 💼 COBOL, developed in 1959, was designed for business applications and is still found in systems like ATMs and telephone networks.
• 📝 Lisp, created in 1959, is one of the oldest high-level programming languages and has been pivotal in the study of artificial intelligence.
• 🎓 BASIC, introduced in 1964, was designed to be accessible to students without a strong math background, and was later adapted by Bill Gates and Paul Allen for one of Microsoft's first products.
• 🎨 Pascal, developed in 1970, was known for encouraging good programming practices and was used in early Apple software development.
• 🗣️ Smalltalk, created in 1972, allowed for dynamic code changes and inspired features in modern programming languages like Python.
• 🔩 C, developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie, is considered the first true high-level programming language and has influenced many subsequent languages.

Q & A

Who is considered the first computer programmer and what was their contribution?

Ada Lovelace is considered the first computer programmer. She developed the algorithm for the Analytical Engine, which was used to compute Bernoulli numbers for Charles Babbage, the originator of the concept of a digital computer.

What is the significance of the year 1949 in the history of programming languages?

In 1949, the low-level language known as assembly was created. It had a strong relationship between the instructions within the language and machine code instructions and was first widely implemented in the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC).

What was the first programming language to run through a compiler?

Auto-code, developed at the University of Manchester by Alec Glenny for the Manchester Mark I, is believed to be the first programming language to run through a compiler.

What does Fortran stand for and what is its significance?

Fortran stands for Formula Translation. It was developed by IBM for complicated mathematical calculations and is still widely used today, including in programs that benchmark the world's fastest supercomputers.

What is the full form of COBOL and why was it created?

COBOL stands for Common Business-Oriented Language. It was originally developed by Dr. Grace Murray Hopper and was designed to run on all brands of computers, focusing on business finance and administrative systems.

What is the significance of Lisp in programming language history?

Lisp, standing for List Processing Language, is considered the second oldest high-level programming language after Fortran. It is known for its use of linked lists as a key data structure and became popular for the study of artificial intelligence.

What was the purpose of creating the BASIC programming language?

BASIC, which stands for Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, was created by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz at Dartmouth College. It was designed for students without a strong background in mathematics to enable them to effectively use computers.

What is the origin of the programming language Pascal and its intended use?

Pascal was developed by Niklaus Wirth and named after the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It was designed to be relatively easy to learn and was favored for teaching computer programming, encouraging good programming style and structure.

What is the main innovation of Smalltalk and how did it influence modern programming languages?

Smalltalk's main innovation was allowing programmers to change code on the fly. It was primarily used for educational purposes and inspired several features found in modern programming languages, including Python.

Why was C programming language considered the first truly high-level programming language?

C, developed by Dennis Ritchie, is considered the first truly high-level programming language because it was the first to be designed to be closer to human language rather than machine code, enabling UNIX to run on different types of computers.

What is the significance of the year 1995 in the development of programming languages?

1995 was significant for the creation of several influential programming languages: Java, PHP, Ruby, and JavaScript. Each of these languages has had a substantial impact on various aspects of software development, particularly in web development and data science.