Portal:Computer programming

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The Computer Programming Portal

Sample of a computer program (a minified version of the BootstrapJS library) on a screen
Sample of a computer program (a minified version of the BootstrapJS library) on a screen

Computer programming or coding is the composition of sequences of instructions, called programs, that computers can follow to perform tasks. It involves designing and implementing algorithms, step-by-step specifications of procedures, by writing code in one or more programming languages. Programmers typically use high-level programming languages that are more easily intelligible to humans than machine code, which is directly executed by the central processing unit. Proficient programming usually requires expertise in several different subjects, including knowledge of the application domain, details of programming languages and generic code libraries, specialized algorithms, and formal logic.

Auxiliary tasks accompanying and related to programming include analyzing requirements, testing, debugging (investigating and fixing problems), implementation of build systems, and management of derived artifacts, such as programs' machine code. While these are sometimes considered programming, often the term software development is used for this larger overall process – with the terms programming, implementation, and coding reserved for the writing and editing of code per se. Sometimes software development is known as software engineering, especially when it employs formal methods or follows an engineering design process. (Full article...)

Selected images

  • Image 1A lone house. An image made using Blender 3D.
    A lone house. An image made using Blender 3D.
  • Image 2Output from a (linearised) shallow water equation model of water in a bathtub. The water experiences 5 splashes which generate surface gravity waves that propagate away from the splash locations and reflect off of the bathtub walls.
    Output from a (linearised) shallow water equation model of water in a bathtub. The water experiences 5 splashes which generate surface gravity waves that propagate away from the splash locations and reflect off of the bathtub walls.
  • Image 3An IBM Port-A-Punch punched card
    An IBM Port-A-Punch punched card
  • Image 4An animation of the quicksort algorithm sorting an array of randomized values
    An animation of the quicksort algorithm sorting an array of randomized values
  • Image 5A view of the GNU nano Text editor version 6.0
    A view of the GNU nano Text editor version 6.0
  • Image 6Partial map of the Internet based on the January 15, 2005 data found on opte.org. Each line is drawn between two nodes, representing two IP addresses. The length of the lines are indicative of the delay between those two nodes. This graph represents less than 30% of the Class C networks reachable by the data collection program in early 2005.
    Partial map of the Internet based on the January 15, 2005 data found on opte.org. Each line is drawn between two nodes, representing two IP addresses. The length of the lines are indicative of the delay between those two nodes. This graph represents less than 30% of the Class C networks reachable by the data collection program in early 2005.
  • Image 7Stephen Wolfram is a British-American computer scientist, physicist, and businessman. He is known for his work in computer science, mathematics, and in theoretical physics.
    Stephen Wolfram is a British-American computer scientist, physicist, and businessman. He is known for his work in computer science, mathematics, and in theoretical physics.
  • Image 8Animation of a Non-uniform rational B-spline surface. Modeled and rendered in Cobalt.
    Animation of a Non-uniform rational B-spline surface. Modeled and rendered in Cobalt.
  • Image 9Partial view of the Mandelbrot set. Step 1 of a zoom sequence: Gap between the "head" and the "body" also called the "seahorse valley".
    Partial view of the Mandelbrot set. Step 1 of a zoom sequence: Gap between the "head" and the "body" also called the "seahorse valley".
  • Image 10Grace Hopper at the UNIVAC keyboard, c. 1960. Grace Brewster Murray: American mathematician and rear admiral in the U.S. Navy who was a pioneer in developing computer technology, helping to devise UNIVAC I. the first commercial electronic computer, and naval applications for COBOL (common-business-oriented language).
    Grace Hopper at the UNIVAC keyboard, c. 1960. Grace Brewster Murray: American mathematician and rear admiral in the U.S. Navy who was a pioneer in developing computer technology, helping to devise UNIVAC I. the first commercial electronic computer, and naval applications for COBOL (common-business-oriented language).
  • Image 11A head crash on a modern hard disk drive
    A head crash on a modern hard disk drive
  • Image 12Bill Gosper's Glider Gun in action
    Bill Gosper's Glider Gun in action
  • Image 13Margaret Hamilton standing next to the navigation software that she and her MIT team produced for the Apollo Project.
    Margaret Hamilton standing next to the navigation software that she and her MIT team produced for the Apollo Project.
  • Image 14GNOME Shell, GNOME Clocks, Evince, gThumb and GNOME Files at version 3.30, in a dark theme
    GNOME Shell, GNOME Clocks, Evince, gThumb and GNOME Files at version 3.30, in a dark theme
  • Image 15This image (when viewed in full size, 1000 pixels wide) contains 1 million pixels, each of a different color.
    This image (when viewed in full size, 1000 pixels wide) contains 1 million pixels, each of a different color.
  • Image 16Deep Blue was a chess-playing expert system run on a unique purpose-built IBM supercomputer. It was the first computer to win a game, and the first to win a match, against a reigning world champion under regular time controls. Photo taken at the Computer History Museum.
    Deep Blue was a chess-playing expert system run on a unique purpose-built IBM supercomputer. It was the first computer to win a game, and the first to win a match, against a reigning world champion under regular time controls. Photo taken at the Computer History Museum.
  • Image 17Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognize that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and to have published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. As a result, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.
    Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognize that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and to have published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. As a result, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.
  • Image 18A screenshot of GNU Emacs 22.0.91.1, from Ubuntu’s emacs-snapshot-gtk package.
    A screenshot of GNU Emacs 22.0.91.1, from Ubuntu’s emacs-snapshot-gtk package.

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Computer programming news

21 January 2025 – Infrastructure policy of Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump unveils a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, called Stargate. With planned funding of up to $500 billion in the next four years, the project aims to build data centers and computing infrastructure across the United States to power AI development and create over 100,000 jobs. (The Guardian)
21 January 2025 –
U.S. President Donald Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road. Ulbricht was serving a life sentence for charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, hacking, and drug trafficking. (Axios)
17 January 2025 – 2024 United States telecommunications hack
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctions a cybersecurity company and hacker, both with ties to China's Ministry of State Security, for their alleged roles in hacking American telecommunications companies. (Reuters)

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