A brief history of software
Ever wondered what daily life would look like without the existence of software? Everything might come crashing down, and life, as we know it, would end. One example that comes to mind is; how would I access my finances? The fact that my finances only exist online through software is a scary thought… Is it secure? Can I trust it?
Fear aside though, what’s the story with software anyway? I want to dive into the origin, the “why” and the “how”.
I’m sure that most of us know about software. Very few people actually know exactly what it is and how it works. Well, here’s what I found.
What is software?
Software is a list of instructions compiled for a computer to interpret and execute. Humans communicating with computers, a user input/output interactive transaction. There are different types of software: applications software, systems software, and application development tools. There are also database management systems (DBMSs) and application development software or mixed software. Applications software is financial programs, word processors, and spreadsheets. Systems software is operating systems and utilities that make computers work. Application development tools are programming languages and query tools which help app developers. But how did it all come this far, and for what original purpose?
Why software? And how?
Now the thought arises: Why was software created? What was the need that triggered the development of software? A French dude called Jacquard created the earliest known form of programming in 1804. He designed a loom that performed predefined tasks by feeding it punched cards (the early form of software). He created this technology to improve the manufacturing of carpets and tissues. This meant lower skills were needed and fewer workers. This, in turn, saved money and increased his profit.
The same thing happened in England during the industrial revolution of 1760.
Backlash against software
The development back in the day was not met with excitement or delight, as we’d assume today. Rather, a movement of the Luddites arose. The Luddites were against technology, concerned citizens fighting to keep their jobs. This, of course, makes perfect sense. But isn’t this a daily dilemma today as well? Anyway, moving on…
People involved with the development of software
Charles Babbage is a well-known name linked to computer programming and software. Babbage designed a programmed analytical engine that performed complicated computations. He worked with Ada Lovelace (daughter of poet Lord Byron), who wrote what’s considered to be the first computer program specifically for his engine. This all happened in the mid-1830s.
Then, Tom Kilburn wrote the first piece of software at 11 a.m. on June 21, 1948. (But, the name “software” was only coined in 1958.) Kilburn was working at the University of Manchester in England at the time. It took about 52 minutes for the computer to solve a mathematical problem using the software. This was very impressive! In 1957, Fortran came into being. (Fortran is a higher-level programming language.) Cobol, BASIC, Pascal, and C came about in the following decades.
Thanks to mathematicians, a weaver, and a few ecstatically intelligent people, software might not have been with us today. The funny thing is that a need in the loom was what might have been the reason for the origin of software. Or so it seems… The development of software crosses decades and is still developing today. Let’s see where it goes from here!
