Programming
Programming is the act of creating a computer program, a concrete set of instructions for a computer to carry out.
Programs versus algorithms
An algorithm is, in one sense, an abstracted program - put differently, a program is an algorithm made concrete. However, all but the smallest programs are most easily thought of as a collection of smaller algorithms combined in a unique way - as a house is built from components.
Thus, an algorithm is a description of how a computer can be made to carry out a single, specific operation, such as sorting. A program, on the other hand, is an entity that actually implements one or more such operations in a way that is useful to people.
Programming languages
The program is written in a programming language, although it is possible to write directly in machine code, with a certain difficulty. Different parts of a program may be written in different languages.
Different programming languages work in different ways. So, programmers may create very different programs for different languages; although, theoretically, most languages can be used to create any possible program. For more information on those methods, see Programming language.
Software development
Software is a mass noun for computer programs and data.
Creating software involves:
- Recognizing the need for a program to solve a problem.
- Planning the program and selecting the tools to solve the problem.
- Writing the program in the programming language of choice.
- Translation: translating the human-readable source code into machine-readable executable code, which is done by compilers, assemblers and other tools.
- Testing the program to make sure it works; if not, return to step 3 (see code and fix).
- Documentation, deployment and delivery
These steps are collectively known as software development. Programming emphasizes steps 2, 3 and 4. Coding emphasizes step 3. The skills required to be a coder require the ability to mentally translate concepts of step 1 to expressions in the target programming languages (step 3). The more skillful coders can typically outproduce neophytes in both speed and accuracy of implementation and longevity of their product (which is the point of step 6). Thus source code in a source code control system is a valuable resource for a programmer. An enterprise which depends on only one programmer will typically fail if that critical person departs.
History
The earliest known computer programmer was Ada Lovelace, daughter of Anabella and Lord Byron (the poet). Anabella gave her love of mathematics to Ada, who after meeting Charles Babbage, translated and expanded a description of his analytical engine. Even though Babbage never completed construction of any of his machines, the work that he and Ada did on them earned her the title of the world's first computer programmer, see Ada Byron's notes on the analytical engine. The Ada programming language is named for her. (To do: find name of first programmer to complete all 5 steps, including compiling and testing.)
Alan Turing is often considered the father of computer science, and by proxy, programming. He was responsible for helping design and program a computer to break the German ENIGMA code during World War Two.
See also
External links
Referenced By
ABCL/1 | ABCL/R | ABCL/R2 | ABCL/c | ABCL/c plus | ABC (programming) | ABC ALGOL | ABC programming language | ABEND | ABLE | ABLE programming language | ABSET | ABSET programming language | Aard | Abstract machine | Application Binary Interface | Error | List of mathematical topics (P-R) | Object-Based Concurrent Language | Robust
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