Wikipedia

Programmer

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sheikh haris Raza (talk | contribs) at 02:19, 16 July 2025 (→Globalization: improving). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about people who write computer software. For other uses, see Programmer (disambiguation).
"Coder" redirects here. For other uses, see Coder (disambiguation).

A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code – someone with skill in computer programming.

Computer programmer
Betty Jennings and Fran Bilas, part of the first ENIAC programming team
Occupation
NamesComputer Programmer
Occupation type
Profession
Activity sectors
Information technology, Software industry
Description
CompetenciesWriting and debugging computer code
Education required
Varies from apprenticeship to bachelor's degree, or self-taught

The professional titles software developer and software engineer are used for jobs that require a programmer.

Identification

Sometimes a programmer or job position is identified by the language used or target platform. For example, assembly programmer, web developer.

Job title

The job titles that include programming tasks have differing connotations across the computer industry and to different individuals. The following are notable descriptions.

A software developer primarily implements software based on specifications and fixes bugs. Other duties may include reviewing code changes and testing. To achieve the required skills for the job, they might obtain a computer science or associate degree, attend a programming boot camp or be self-taught.

A software engineer usually is responsible for the same tasks as a developer plus broader responsibilities of software engineering including architecting and designing new features and applications, targeting new platforms, managing the software development lifecycle (design, implementation, testing, and deployment), leading a team of programmers, communicating with customers, managers and other engineers, considering system stability and quality, and exploring software development methodologies.

Sometimes, a software engineer is required to have a degree in software engineering, computer engineering, or computer science. Some countries legally require an engineering degree to be called engineer. [1][2][3]

History

 
Ada Lovelace is considered by many to be the first computer programmer.[4]

British countess and mathematician Ada Lovelace is often considered to be the first computer programmer. She authored an algorithm, which was published in October 1842, for calculating Bernoulli numbers on the Charles Babbage analytical engine.[4] Because the machine was not completed in her lifetime, she never experienced the algorithm in action.

In 1941, German civil engineer Konrad Zuse was the first person to execute a program on a working, program-controlled, electronic computer.[5] From 1943 to 1945, per computer scientist Wolfgang K. Giloi and AI professor Raúl Rojas et al., Zuse created the first, high-level programming language, Plankalkül.[6][7]

Members of the 1945 ENIAC programming team of Kay McNulty, Betty Jennings, Betty Snyder, Marlyn Wescoff, Fran Bilas and Ruth Lichterman have since been credited as the first professional computer programmers.[8][9]

The software industry

Main article: Software industry

The first company founded specifically to provide software products and services was the Computer Usage Company in 1955. Before that time, computers were programmed either by customers or the few commercial computer manufacturers of the time, such as Sperry Rand and IBM.[10]

The software industry expanded in the early 1960s, almost immediately after computers were first sold in mass-produced quantities. Universities, governments, and businesses created a demand for software. Many of these programs were written in-house by full-time staff programmers; some were distributed between users of a particular machine for no charge, while others were sold on a commercial basis. Other firms, such as Computer Sciences Corporation (founded in 1959), also started to grow. Computer manufacturers soon started bundling operating systems, system software and programming environments with their machines; the IBM 1620 came with the 1620 Symbolic Programming System and FORTRAN.[11]

The industry expanded greatly with the rise of the personal computer (PC) in the mid-1970s, which brought computing to the average office worker. In the following years, the PC also helped create a constantly growing market for games, applications and utility software. This resulted in increased demand for software developers for that period of time.[12]

Nature of the work

Computer programmers write, test, debug, and maintain the detailed instructions, called computer programs, that computers must follow to perform their functions. Programmers also conceive, design, and test logical structures for solving problems by computer. Many technical innovations in programming — advanced computing technologies and sophisticated new languages and programming tools — have redefined the role of a programmer and elevated much of the programming work done today. Job titles and descriptions may vary, depending on the organization.[13]

Programmers work in many settings, including corporate information technology (IT) departments, big software companies, small service firms and government entities of all sizes. Many professional programmers also work for consulting companies at client sites as contractors. Licensing is not typically required to work as a programmer, although professional certifications are commonly held by programmers.[13] Programming is considered a profession.[14][15][16]

Programmers' work varies widely depending on the type of business for which they are writing programs. For example, the instructions involved in updating financial records are very different from those required to duplicate conditions on an aircraft for pilots training in a flight simulator. Simple programs can be written in a few hours. More complex ones may require more than a year of work, while others are never considered 'complete' but rather are continuously improved as long as they stay in use. In most cases, several programmers work together as a team under a senior programmer's supervision.[17]

Types of software

Programming editors, also known as source code editors, are text editors that are specifically designed for programmers or developers to write the source code of an application or a program. Most of these editors include features useful for programmers, which may include color syntax highlighting, auto indentation, auto-complete, bracket matching, syntax check, and allows plug-ins. These features aid the users during coding, debugging and testing.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Programmer vs. Software Engineer: What's the Difference?". ce.arizona.edu. University of Arizona. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. ^ Heinz, Kate (23 February 2021). "Software Engineer Vs. Programmer: What's the Difference?". builtin.com. Built In. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ Jacob, Freya (16 March 2020). "6 Key Differences Between a Software Engineer and a Programmer". simpleprogrammer.com. The Simple Programmer. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b Fuegi, J.; Francis, J. (October–December 2003). "Lovelace & Babbage and the creation of the 1843 'notes'". IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. 25 (4): 16–26. doi:10.1109/MAHC.2003.1253887.
  5. ^ "Konrad Zuse". computer.org. IEEE. 2 April 2018. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  6. ^ Giloi, Wolfgang K. (1997). "Konrad Zuse's Plankalkül: The First High-Level 'non von Neumann' Programming Language". IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. 19 (2): 17–24. doi:10.1109/85.586068. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023.
  7. ^ Rojas, Raúl; Göktekin, Cüneyt; Friedland, Gerald; Krüger, Mike (February 2000). "Plankalkül: The First High-Level Programming Language and its Implementation". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Memorials". ENIAC Programmers Project. First Byte Productions. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  9. ^ Donaldson James, Susan (4 December 2007). "First Computer Programmers Inspire Documentary". ABC News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  10. ^ Elmer C. Kubie (Summer 1994). "Recollections of the first software company". Annals of the History of Computing. 16 (2): 65–71. doi:10.1109/85.279238. S2CID 5733812.
  11. ^ "1620 Data Processing System". IBM Archives. 23 January 2003. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  12. ^ Beckhusen, Julia (16 August 2016). "Occupations in Information Technology". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Computer Programmers : Occupational Outlook Handbook". U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  14. ^ "How to Become a Computer Programmer". Coursera Inc. 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023. Computer programmers often take courses and seek certifications to enter the field and stay current in their skills in this ever-evolving profession.
  15. ^ "11 Types of Programming Jobs (With Duties and Salaries)". Indeed. 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  16. ^ Sartore, Melissa (22 December 2022). "What Is a Computer Programmer?". computerscience.org. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023. Explore this profession and discover how you can thrive in a computer programming career.
  17. ^ "Computer Programmers". Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  18. ^ "BBC Bitesize - GCSE Computer Science - Programming software and the IDE - Revision 4". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2021.

Further reading

  • Weinberg, Gerald M., The Psychology of Computer Programming, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1971
  • An experiential study of the nature of programming work: Lucas, Rob (March–April 2010). "Dreaming in Code". New Left Review (62): 125–132. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012.
  • Thompson, Clive (2019). Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World. Penguin Press. ISBN 978-0735220560.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Programmer&oldid=1300727707"