11 interesting facts from tech history

The world of software development is attracting more and more people. Some of the technologies are now available not only to programmers and developers but anyone. In this article, we want to cater to those who are interested in IT, technology, and software development. Here are some interesting facts from tech history!

11 interesting facts about software development

1. 700 programming languages exist
There are over 700 languages to choose from for those who want to enter the world of software development. That's a huge number and a good indication of how complex the field is. Among the hundreds of languages, some are still popular today, such as Javascript, Python, PHP, Ruby, and C#, some are obsolete and new programming languages are constantly being created thanks to new technologies.

2. Programmers speak several languages
As we have seen, there is a wide variety of languages when it comes to programming languages. The average programmer knows and uses between 4 and 6 languages.

3. The first programmer was a woman
Although the representation of women in the world of programming is very low, the first programmer was indeed a woman, Ada Lovelace, who was also the daughter of Lord Byron. A mathematician born in the first half of the 1800s, she wrote a specification for the first mechanical computer. She is considered to be the first programmer, as some believe that she also wrote programs for unique machines.

4. The first computer virus
It is 1986 and we are in Pakistan. A pair of brothers, Amjad and Basit Farooq Alvi, created the first computer virus; Brain. They created it to prevent customers from copying the software they were selling without permission. This is considered the first computer virus, but the fact is that Brain did no damage, it merely left a copyright 'message'.

5. The first programming language
The first programming language was created in 1964 by John Backus and his team. It was called FORTRAN and is still used today, almost 60 years later. It is mostly used when complex tests need to be executed.

6. Codes played a major role in the end of World War II
In the professional community, Alan Turing is the father of modern computing. He earned his name by cracking the Enigma, which encrypted Nazi messages, and helped end World War II.

7. Formative school years
Statistics show that one in three developers write their first code when they are still in high school.

8. A video game is a good entry
In the tech world, it is common to start with some kind of game development to give you the first push and experience. This was the case for Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who achieved their first success with the development of the video game Breakout.

9. Hackers with hats
Ethical hackers are known in the jargon as white hat hackers, while malicious attackers are known as black hat hackers. The dividing line between the two is that an ethical hacker has permission to break into a system, while a malicious attacker does so illegally. There are also grey hat hackers, who fall somewhere in between: they break in illegally but do not harm, preferring to make money by drawing attention to bugs and fixing them.

10. The first computer game ran without profit
Computer games are now a big business, but that wasn't always the case. The first game, called Spacewar, made no profit at all for its creators Steve Russell and his team.

11. NASA uses decades-old technology
One might think that NASA uses cutting-edge technology in its expeditions, but this is only partially true. They stick to tried and tested programmes, sometimes 70 years old, because it would be risky to introduce new ones, not to mention the huge amount of money that would be spent on testing.

Programming and software development is an interesting and exciting field. At SynerinSoft, it is our passion, we listen, we follow trends, and we keep up to date with new solutions, so that we can bring the best solution to our customers in every situation. Click here to discover our services!