How History Has Shaped Today’s Software Development Jobs

Software development jobs have been integral to companies' success for decades. To get a better idea of how influential software development has been over the years, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane and looked at the history of software development and its impact on today’s jobs. There’s quite a lot to go through, but we’ve got some handy headings outlining the key decades. 

We’re obviously not going to give too much away in this introduction - we want you to read our guide! 

1940s - 1950s: The Early Days  

It’s often suggested that contemporary computers were founded upon the genius designs of the Turing Machine in 1936 - if you’re not sure what we’re on about, give  The Imitation Game a watch. Fast-forward to the 1940s, and we see the birth of the first fully electronic digital computers. The world was at war again, so it’s little surprise that these technological developments were primarily for military purposes. 

These machines were costly and cumbersome, so much so that a British computer was called the Colossus! This chunky bit of equipment predated what’s considered the first computer: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Computers and programming methods (programming instructions in this period) were early in its inception, and ENIAC’s programming was a laborious task that could take days. 

Machine Code 

Towards the backend (yep, that’s a software development gag) of the 1940s, machine code was introduced. It is the lowest-level programming language executed by a computer and consists of instructions written in binary code. Here are the key elements of machine code: 

• Formed by binary digits, 0s and 1s. 
• Executed by the computer’s central processing unit (CPU). 
• It must match the computer’s instruction set architecture.
• Humans struggle to read and write this code.
   

1950s - 1960s: Emergence of High-Level Programming Languages 

Software developers found machine code a chore and welcomed the introduction of high-level programming languages like Fortran in 1957. Let’s take a look at the computer programming language that represents a significant advancement in software development in closer detail. 

Fortran

Short for Formula Translation, Fortran is a computer programming language created by John Backus and his team at IBM. It aimed to improve the accessibility and efficiency of computer programming, especially for scientific and engineering calculations. Despite its relative infancy, Fortran had several impressive features: 

• High Performance: Specifically built to deal with applications in science and engineering. 
• Array Operations: Performs complex operations and provides support when working with arrays. 
• Static and Strong Typing: Detects errors early and enables efficient code generation. 
• Parallel Programming: Supports parallel programming with its syntax. 
• Versatility: Imperative, procedural and object-oriented programming paradigms are supported. 

Testament to the efficacy of these features, Fortran is still a force today and is used for: 

• Efficiently dealing with complex numerical computations. 
• Providing an extensive legacy codebase in scientific fields. 
• Optimising compilers for performance-critical applications. 
• Backwards compatibility.
• Portability across various computer systems.
   

1960s - 1970s: Operating Systems 

Operating systems (OS) are integral to software development as they are the building blocks for software product development. In 1957, IBM was busy developing Fortran. Not happy to settle with this contribution, in 1964, IBM introduced OS/360 as a revolutionary operating system for IBM mainframes. It was packed with features and capabilities: 

• Batch Processing: A batch-oriented operating system that allows for the execution of jobs in batches. 
• Memory Management: Over time, this OS included expandable memory management systems.
• Data Management: Handled multiple functions like tape and unit record equipment management, device control, and telecommunications activities.
   

Unix

Because it was 1969, AT&T Bell Labs decided to join the party with Unix. Developed by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and others, Unix’s modular architecture and use of C programming language made it one of the first portable operating systems. It had a host of features: 

• Multiuser and Multitasking: Multiple users could simultaneously access the system while operating multiple processes, which was suitable for servers and personal computers. 
• Hierarchical File System: Organises files in a structure simplifying file management and access. 
• Command-Line Interface (CLI): Users interact through a CLI, allowing for effective scripting and automation.
• Security: Incorporates a stringent permission-based system that safeguards files and processes.
   

Software Engineering Becomes Recognised 

Margaret Hamilton is an American computer scientist whose influence on software development jobs is out of this world. Hamilton was the director of the Software Engineering Division at MIT’s Instrumentation Laboratory and made substantial contributions to the Apollo Program. Her team developed the onboard flight software for NASA’s Apollo command and lunar modules. This work covered:

• Error detection and recovery software.
• Priority displays for astronauts. 
• Asynchronous software design. 
• Systems theory and software design concepts. 

Hamilton’s software was pivotal during the Apollo 11 landing. Her error detection and recovery programs enabled real-time communication between the software and astronauts. Her legacy is huge. Hamilton is credited with coining the term ‘software engineering’ and giving it a status that separated itself from other engineering disciplines.

1970s - 1980s: The Software Crisis and Structured Programming 

Many people will have fond memories of the Swinging Sixties. Software developers, not so much. As the 1960s neared its conclusion, the Software Crisis began to take hold in the 1970s. In essence, the complexity and scale of software projects were growing due to increased computer power, and the software industry was struggling to develop reliable and cost-effective software systems. 

Edsger Dijkstra summed things up with his Turing Award Lecture (seriously, you should watch The Imitation Game) in 1972:

"The major cause of the software crisis is that the machines have become several orders of magnitude more powerful! To put it quite bluntly: as long as there were no machines, programming was no problem at all; when we had a few weak computers, programming became a mild problem, and now we have gigantic computers, programming has become an equally gigantic problem."

A crisis might seem extreme, but you know it’s serious when NATO holds Software Engineering Conferences to try and establish best practices. They were concerned with resolving the following: 

• Software projects cost too much money and time.
• Comprehensive debugging requirements.
• User needs are not being satisfied due to poor software. 
• High maintenance costs.
• Projects were not being abandoned because of code that was difficult to maintain.  
   

Structured Programming Languages 

It wasn’t all doom and gloom, though. This decade saw structured programming languages enter the software scene. 

• Pascal: In 1970, Niklaus Wirth created Pascal, which had a clear, readable syntax and a strong typing system. 
• C: Bell Labs’ Dennis Ritchie developed C in 1972. It featured structured programming support, efficiency, high performance, and portability across different platforms. 
• Modula-2: Wirth couldn’t get enough of making programming languages. In 1978, he returned with this to succeed Pascal. It included an improved module system, better support for separate compilation, and more robust type checking. 
• Ada: Developed for the United States Department of Defense in 1980, Ada strived to support complex systems, be safe and reliable, and provide extensive error checking.
   

1980s - 1990s: Object-Oriented Programming Languages 

Personal computers were on the rise and subsequently, software development evolved in the form of object-oriented programming languages. In 1985, building upon the C language, C++ was released and introduced and had a range of features, such as: 

• General-Purpose Language: Designed for system and application programming, meaning it can be used for multiple software development tasks. 
• High-Performance: C++ is a compiled language and delivers efficiency, making it suitable for resource-intensive applications. 
• Standard Template Library: C++ has pre-built data structures and algorithms to improve productivity and code reusability. 
• Object-Oriented Programming: Comprehensive support for object-oriented concepts. This includes encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism. 

The aforementioned three concepts were instrumental in creating modular, maintainable and scalable software architectures that could handle complex, large-scale systems. Let’s learn how: 

• Encapsulation: Bundles data within a single unit or object. It hides the internal details of how an object works and creates an interface for interaction with it. The benefits are that implementation is hidden, access to object data is controlled, and internal changes can be made without impacting external code. 
• Inheritance: Allows a new class to be based on an existing class, and properties and behaviours are inherited. The derived class can then add or override functionality when necessary. This encourages the reuse of code and supports the creation of hierarchical relationships between classes. 
• Polymorphism: This enables objects of different types to be interacted with through one interface. Flexible code can work with objects from several derived classes. This allows for runtime determination and supports code extension without altering existing functionality. 
  
  

1990s - 2000s: The Internet Age 

Software development was revolutionised by the World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee was also responsible for bringing HTML to the world. Without this markup language, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy our really good guide. Here’s why: 

• Purpose: It structures content on the web, instructing browsers how to display text, images and other elements. 
• Structure: Elements, represented as tags, define aspects of a web page like headings, paragraphs, links and images. 
• Hypertext: Enables the creation of hyperlinks (a handy example for you, you’re welcome) so that users can navigate pages easily. 

Web technologies continued to advance. In 1991, Python slithered into the software development space and became one of the most in-demand programming languages because of its simplicity. 

Four years later, 1995 was a big year for software development. James Gosling developed Java and had an array of key features:

• Platform Independence: Java creates the ‘Write Once, Run Anywhere’ principle. Code can run on any device with a Java Virtual Machine. 
• Object-Oriented: Code reusability and modularity are championed.
• Strongly Typed: Strict type checking at compile time. 

In the same year, Brendan Eich developed JavaScript. This high-level scripting language allows software developers to create interactive web content. Its main features are: 

• Client-side Scripting: Runs in web browsers for dynamic content manipulation. 
• Loosely Typed: More flexible with variable types in contrast to Java. 
• Multi-Paradigm: Very versatile. It supports object-oriented, imperative and functional programming styles.
   

The Surge of SaaS and Salesforce 

Founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff, Salesforce is the Ole Gunnar Solskjær of SaaS - a key player! Salesforce is recognised as one of the best-ranked CRM providers worldwide in 2024. It changed business software dramatically by introducing the Software-as-a-Service model. This pioneering approach eradicated costly expenses, intricate expenses, and arduous implementation processes - software became smooth. 

Complemented by emerging tech such as broadband, mobile devices, internet security and APIs, Salesforce has cemented itself as a global force. As of 2024, Salesforce has a market cap of $275.09 billion. Its proven success has meant SaaS dominates the tech industry. Testament to this, many of the world’s largest organisations offer SaaS solutions.

2000s - Present: Changes to Software Development Lifecycle 

In the 2000s, the Waterfall model for software development dried up and was replaced with agile approaches. In fact, a group of 17 software developers were so fed up with the sequential approach of Waterfall that they created The Agile Manifesto. What did it entail? Well, it had four core values:

1. Individuals and interactions take precedence over processes and software development tools. 
2. Functional software should be prioritised over detailed documentation. 
3. Collaborating with customers is more important than contract negotiation. 
4. Be adaptive to change rather than be rigid with a plan. 

Not stopping with four core values, these software developers were so passionate about the Agile methodology that they added twelve principles:

1. The main priority is to satisfy the customer with early and continuous delivery of valuable software. 
2. Even in late development, changing requirements must be embraced for the customer’s competitive advantage. 
3. Regularly provide functioning software with as short a timescale as possible. 
4. There must be a collaboration between business people and software developers during the project. 
5. Software projects are to be built around motivated individuals. 
6. Face-to-face interaction is the best way to share information. 
7. Working software is the key measurement of progress. 
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. 
9. Attention to excellence and good design results in agility. 
10.  Simplicity is imperative. 
11.  Self-organised teams create superior architectures and designs. 
12.  Regular intervals will be established so the team can assess how to become more effective.
     

Wrapping Up: How History Has Shaped Today’s Software Development Jobs

Software development jobs have evolved throughout history. From different software development tools, the most in-demand programming languages and software development methodologies, it’s a field that’s been changing since its inception. From Alan Turing to John Backus creating FORTRAN, each period delivered innovative solutions that could be built upon again for further advancements.

Operating systems have risen to prominence, and the importance of object-oriented programming languages can’t be overlooked. The Internet age changed the world and how businesses operate, particularly with SaaS making waves in software development. From here, the Agile Manifesto marked a shift in how developers develop software products. These adaptations illustrate that software development will always be pivotal - what changes might we see in a few more decades? 

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