Visual Programming Languages :: Essays Papers

Visual Programming Languages The way programmers have created applications over the years has changed dramatically, and so has the amount of knowledge required to create applications as well as use them. In the 1950's a computer was a machine that took up the space of an entire room and cost millions of dollars that had less processing power than modern day calculators. The technicians required extensive knowledge of the electronic and mechanical components as well as specific combinations of switches to create responses from the massive mainframe. Upon creation of microprocessors and personal computers text based programming languages were possible, such as, BASIC and Turbo C++. These languages enabled programmers to create applications without knowing the specifics of the machine itself. Easily understandable words could be used in conjunction with each other to create programs that the machine would understand. This was done with a compiler, which is another application that takes the code the programmer created and turns it into something the machine can understand. This method of software creation was so efficient that thousands of companies started to have software created for them that never considered the possibility of computer aided business. Not only was the commercial world taking advantage of the wonders of technology but also was the government. The Department of Defense was the first non-educational use of what is now known as the internet. The internet not only made it easy for people or groups to communicate quickly between each other, it also created an idea of user friendly and platform independent design. HTML was a standard created initially so groups of researchers could relay their findings back to the main laboratories without worrying about document compatibility. Browsers on all platforms including Macintosh, Windows and UNIX will all understand HTML and therefore anyone on any machine can view what is on the internet. This increased further to include not only applications but also programming software. Today millions of Americans have access to the Internet in their homes and in addition to that many of them also have their own web page on some server on the internet. Many of these people don't even know what HTML stands for (HyperText Markup Language) but they do know how create a web page from scratch and maintain it. All of this is possible because web page creation software as become more user friendly over the years. Microsoft's Frontpage is one of the most frequently used webpage publishing software currently used and is even used by people who know HTML because of the efficiency of the product.