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Coding is full of fascinating and funny anecdotes!
Programming is not only about complex and incomprehensible languages. There are a lot of exciting stories hidden inside coding, which will make any story buff curious. Here are 11 facts about computer programming that you should know.
Although coding seems to attract boys, a woman named Ada Lovelace created the first computer program. Born in London, this Englishwoman made an intelligent algorithm that a machine could read. The former mathematician is now recognized as the founder of computer science.
While Grace Cooper, an American computer scientist, was in the middle of building a new computer, a moth accidentally got stuck in the machine, causing the device to malfunction. Because of this unfortunate event, the word “bug” was born in 1947. Since then, this expression has been used when talking about problems that cause an anomaly in the functioning of computers.
Coding allows today to program an incalculable number of things, particularly software. It is an integral part of the computer world, so much so that more than 700 are worldwide. There are all types of software, from simple languages to teach children playfully to more sophisticated and difficult-to-understand systems for adults. It doesn’t matter what language you learn; when starting coding, any beginner – whether young or adult, can be in constant tension because of a lack of understanding of a task or problem or get confused. So when it gets tough to understand a language and nothing works while dealing with complex projects, many refer to professional programmers and ask for help with programming assignments. No one is perfect in programming, though many experienced programmers would always love to help a novice.
On the contrary, video games make millions and millions of dollars annually. However, knowing that the first video game did not make any money is essential. It was the tic-tac-toe game known by the more famous name of tic-tac-toe. Created in 1952 by Alexander S. Douglas, the game was set up on a computer called Bertie the Brain and allowed you to play against an artificial intelligence system.
The viruses did not have the utility that we know nowadays. They were to prove that it was possible to move files from one computer to another so that it replicates. Indeed, when the first virus named “Creeper” passed on a new device, it displayed the message “I’m the Creeper, catch me if you can! This one was harmless and therefore did not affect the machines. Its only purpose was to propagate itself in the network.
Rasmus Lerdorf created the PHP language in 1994, a language that was to be used only for his website. With this program, he intended to track who would look at his resume. Over the years, Rasmus multiplied the features so much that he decided to make his code public to make it available to as many users as possible. This code allowed the creation of great sites such as the encyclopedia Wikipedia or the famous social network Facebook.
You would think sending men to the moon would be complicated, but no! It is with the help of a microcomputer named Block II and weighing no more than 30 kg that the trip to the moon was possible. And the funniest thing in all this is that this robot was much less potent than a smartphone, ten thousand times more precise.
How many of us have been saved by the CTRL + Z keys to cancel an unwanted action? Keyboard shortcuts have greatly simplified the lives of many Internet users. But did you know that most shortcuts have been carefully chosen to make them easier to remember? CTRL + C means Copy, CTRL + P means Print, and so on.
Becoming an astronaut is hard enough, yet there is programming in addition to all the skills they have to learn during their training. Being in constant contact with digital material and knowing how to code has become an obligation, especially when setting up simulations of various phenomena and analyzing them.
Did you know that the technology sector is not the one with the most programmers? More than 70% of the jobs where coding is valid are not in this field. Programming is used for many jobs that we don’t even know about.
If a woman was the pioneer of computer science, it is also a woman who is at the origin of the code that allowed the safe arrival of the Apollo 11 shuttle on the moon. This lady is Margaret Hamilton, an American computer scientist.
Programming is not an ordinary occupation, requiring both accurate knowledge and creativity. Everyone who does or knows at least a little about programming is a brilliant person with a broad outlook and great ambition. Maybe some of the facts were not new to you, but I think some surprised you. But then again, in the process of learning programming and coding itself, you can run into many exciting surprises and unexpected features.
