10 Surprising Facts About Computer Programming

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Facts About Computer Programming

In today’s technological era, almost everything around us has been programmed to work a certain way and complete specific tasks.  

It’s no wonder, then, that recent career reports show that there are as many as 7 million job openings that require coding skills. What’s more, compared to the market average, the computer programming careers sector is experiencing a growth rate of 12 percent. 

In short, coding is the language of the future. 

Which is ironic, considering the number of computer programming languages out there!

Want to find out just how many there are? Interested in learning more cool facts about computers and programming? Then keep reading to find out!

1. There Are Over 700 Programming Languages 

Yes, you read that right, one of the top computer programming facts is that there are a whopping 700 coding languages! And this impressive list doesn’t even include Markup languages like HTML. 

While it’s unlikely that anyone knows all those languages, when you hire a computer programmer, you can expect them to have a good grasp of several since many are used in conjunction with others to fulfill different tasks. 

2. The First Programming Language Was Called Fortran 

It all started with Fortran (FORmula TRANslation), created back in the 1950s by John Backus and his team at IBM.

3. Smartphones Use More Code Than NASA’s 1969 Computers 

This crazy computer programming fact means that the code used to send a man into space was less complex than the code used to program the phone in your pocket!

In fact, NASA still uses computer programs developed in the 70s to control their spacecraft. It would be expensive and time-consuming to write and test new codes. And, since the old technology still serves NASA well, there’s no need to rewrite it. 

4. The First Coder Was a Woman

Males might dominate the history of computers and hold around 80 percent of the computer programming jobs out there. But the first coder was a woman called Ada Lovelace.

Born in 1815 and the daughter of English poet Lord Byron, Ada was a brilliant mathematician. After working with renowned mechanical engineer Charles Babbage, Ada went on to write about the possibility of programming a machine with a code to calculate Bernoulli numbers. And so, the very first algorithm carried out by a machine was born. 

5. The Famous Programming Language “C” Had a Predecessor Called “B”

As any computer programmer would know, one of the most popular languages in the history of computers and coding is “C”. This programming language from 1973 forms the basis for many modern languages, including C++, C*, Java, and Perl. 

However, what few people realize is that there there was a predecessor programming language called “B” developed at Bell Labs in 1969 by Ken Thompson. While many people claim that the “B” stands for “Bell” or “Byte”, others suggest that it might be named after an earlier language by Thompson called “Bon”.

6. The First Programmed Computer Game Didn’t Make Any Profits

Many computer programming jobs are in the games industry, which now generates as much as $180 billion a year in revenue. But, did you know that the first programmed computer game didn’t make any money at all?!

Credited as the first true digital computer game by historians, “Spacewar!” launched in 1962. The game involved two fighter spaceships battling it out to destroy their component and win. The twist was a tiny dot at the center of the screen that represented a star and would kill you if you hit it. 

Using the most innovative technology at the time, MIT programmer Steve Russell and his team spent 200 hours developing the code for “Spacewar!” But, although it was popular within the computer programming community, this never translated into any commercial or financial success. 

7. Python Wasn’t Named After a Snake

Python’s Dutch creator, Guido van Rossum, has remained active in the development of his programming language. So much so that he’s earned the nickname, “Benevolent Dictator for Life”. As for where he got the name from, that comes from the British comedy troupe, Monty Python rather than the slithering serpent. 

 

8. Image Processing Algorithms Still Use a 1970s Playboy Magazine Picture

How about this for strange computer programming facts? A picture from the November 1972 issue of Playboy magazine is still widely used for all kinds of image processing algorithms.  

The cropped photo shows Lena Söderberg looking back wearing a feathered hat with nothing more on show than a bare shoulder. But, experts believe the picture is so popular because it includes a good mixture of detail, space, shading, and texture, offering a good basis for testing the capabilities of image processing software.  

9. Java Was Created by Accident

Java’s creator, James Gosling, was working as Sun Labs in the early 90s, leading a team responsible for building a set-top box. They began by “cleaning up” the earlier language C++ and ended up creating Java (or Oak as it was first called) by accident! 

10. A Teenager Created the First Infamous Computer Virus 

No list of facts about computers would be complete without at least one teenage hacker genius somewhere in the mix. Here, that honor goes to Rich Skrenta who created the infamous computer virus Elk Cloner as a 15-year-old back in 1982. 

While it wasn’t the very first virus, it was the first to get lost in the wild and make history. Despite being a “dumb practical joke” the virus managed to ruffle more than a few feathers in the computing world. 

Surprising Computer Programming Facts 

Which of these facts surprised you the most? 

As anyone interested in perusing a computer programming career knows, the history of computers is full of cool and quirky facts that are great for impressing your friends. Especially since we’re betting that at least some of these computer programming facts were news to you!

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