Programming is the art of creating computer software using a specific language. It’s currently the fastest-growing profession in the world and has completely changed the world as we know it in recent years. Every piece of modern technology that we interact with is only usable thanks to the programming language underneath that provides the instructions for the hardware.
It’s also a fairly recent invention, with many of the most popular programming languages only being created over the last 50 years. And all of them by extremely talented and innovative individuals that devoted their lives to contributing to the progress of technology. Here we will look at some of the most notable programmers of all time.
Linus Torvalds
Most people have heard of the name “Linux” at some point or another, but many don’t truly appreciate how important Linux is to the world of technology. It runs most of the world’s servers and smartphones and is a great alternative to operating systems like Windows. Linux was created by Linus Torvalds, a software engineer that invented the operating system during his time at the University of Helsinki.
He has received countless awards over the course of his career, and many widely consider him to be among the most influential people in the world of modern computing. Torvalds is still very much involved with the Linux project and still contributes to it regularly.
Dennis Ritchie
Before there was Linux, there was the UNIX operating system, which set an entirely new standard for computing. Along with Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie is attributed with creating the C programming language, which is used throughout the world for this day, and is the main language for Linux.
In fact, without C, there would be no Chrome, Windows, Firefox, Xbox, and just about any other device in the world, regardless of whether it’s being used for servers or as a smartphone for playing the Bingo Canada offers. Almost all software in the world is written in C and its derivatives, and it’s one of the reasons that Ritchie is regarded as so important in the realm of IT.
Richard Stallman
Known both for his contributions to computers as well as being a proponent of free and open software, Richard Stallman is a highly regarded individual that continues to work toward a brighter future for software development to this day.
He is closely affiliated with GNU, including the GNU Compiler Collection and GNU Emacs, and is the creator of the GNU General Public Licence. Many are finding that his warnings about surveillance capitalism and proprietary software are turning out to be true in the 21st century.
Tim Berners-Lee
Without this British computer scientist, it’s likely that the internet would not be what it is today. Berners-Lee is credited with creating three important technologies related to the Internet: HTTP, URL, and HTML, and would ultimately be the one to introduce everyone to the World Wide Web, as well as being the first to show off the capabilities of the Internet. He was won numerous awards for his work and currently works as the director of the World Wide Web Consortium.