Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto, creator of the Ruby programming language in 1995
Have you ever wondered how computers got started and where programming languages came from?
In the beginning, Charles Babbage’s difference engine could only be made to execute tasks by changing the gears which executed the calculations. Thus, the earliest form of a computer language was physical motion. Eventually, physical motion was replaced by electrical signals when the US Government built the ENIAC in 1942. It followed many of the same principles of Babbage’s engine and hence, could only be “programmed” by presetting switches and rewiring the entire system for each new “program” or calculation. This process proved to be very tedious. (Photos)
Continue reading… “The history of programming languages”
