Computers need programming languages to function. That’s just a simple fact of life. However, these languages didn’t just spring up out of nowhere. They were developed by people for explicit purposes.

The Java language and virtual machine are almost two decades old, and while most developers would recognize the old and new models of Java as being related, there's no question that Java has changed ...

For decades, fierce debates have raged over the benefits of different programming languages over others: Java vs. C++; Python vs. Ruby; Flask vs. Django. While often waged with fervor by computer ...

While linguistics examines conveyance, processing, and the evolution of natural languages, computer science applies the same questions to programming.

For the rest of the history of modern programming languages -- because C was really just the beginning! -- check out the infographic below. You can click it to zoom in.

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C++ programming language: How it became the invisible foundation for everything, and what’s next Your email has been sent Powerful, flexible, complex: The origins of C++ date back 40 years, yet ...

How do programming languages get created, and what goes into design decisions? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better ...