What is computer program and programming

Programming is an art, skill, poetry that is mastered through immense practice, patience, and experience. Before I formally define programming, let us talk about what is a computer program?

What is a computer program?

A Program is a set of instructions compiled together in a file to perform some specific task by the CPU (Central Processing Unit). It is a series of binary numbers (0s and 1s) arranged in a sequence, which when given to the computer performs some task.

Computer is a dumb machine with expeditious computational speed. It can give quick results to many of the complex scientific calculations but it can’t perform a task on its own. A computer needs set of instructions to do some task. This set of instructions is contained in a computer program. Computer program is basically in binary language i.e. series of 0s and 1s. A large bunch of programs makes the computer functional without which the computer would be like a paralyzed machine.

You may think computer as an idiot person who does not know to cook. If you provide ingredients for cooking Pasta to that idiot person, you cannot expect a delicious dish. However, if you provide ingredients along with the full step-by-step recipe of cooking Pasta then you may expect a real Pasta from that idiot person. Same is the concept with computers, for computers the ingredients are data (might be an integer, string, images, videos or anything) and the recipe is a program.

Computer and computer program
Computer and computer program

In my early ages one question always ponders in my mind, how can I create my own programs? Smaller but effective and my own. Programs like Calculator, Notepad, Music Player, A Website and many complex as a Remote Administration Tool, Search Engine etc. I found programming is the only way through which I can create my own program. Surely you won’t be creating complex and big software’s in few days, with little or no programming knowledge and experience. But definitely, you can create different small programs designed for specific tasks.

What is Programming?

Programming is the process of writing an algorithm into a sequence of computer instructions. Or you can simply say it is the process of writing programs. We generally transform the solution of a specific problem into computer language. It is the only way through which we can create our own programs and can execute them on a computer. Programming requires skill, logical thinking and lots of experience.

Ada Lovelace
World’s first programmer – Ada Lovelace

Programmers are the person who writes programs in a specific computer programming language. They are highly skilled, hard working, problem solvers. The world’s first programmer was Ada Lovelace. She was widely known for her work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine (general-purpose mechanical computer).