What is Computer Programming?

If you’ve never written software before, the topic seems like a huge, foreboding black hole. When I tell people I’m a software developer I typically receive blank stares followed by a change of topic.
But it’s really not so complicated. Computer programming, also known as programming, coding, or software development (there are subtle differences between each term), is the process of writing instructions that a computer can execute.
As an example: if you’ve ever written an Excel macro, you could say you’ve programmed a computer. If you’ve ever built an HTML page you could say you’ve written code (some would argue with this, but it fits the definition). And if you’ve ever written code in a mainstream programming language like BASIC, Pascal, C, Java, JavaScript, or PHP, you’ve definitely been inaugurated into the world of computer programming.

Why is Programming Necessary? 

Programming is needed because computers are not very smart. Without someone telling them what to do they are nothing more than a hunk of hardware and some flashing lights. Software is what runs on top of the hardware, and it’s where the really interesting things happen (says me, a software developer). A computer program, also known as an application, or computer software, is a collection of instructions, or “code,” written by one or more programmers and then executed on computers. The code can be written in any one of a number of computer languages (a.k.a. programming languages), such as C, C++, Java, Visual Basic, Perl, PHP, etc… There are literally hundreds (thousands?) of programming languages, each with its own niche. But only a handful are widely used at any given time, and languages tend to last for a few years and then slowly slip away as new languages replace them. Some languages, however, stick around for decades (COBOL, C, and C++ are examples of long-lasting languages). The computers that this software runs on can be desktop computers internal to a company, external customer computers, web servers, or other lesser-known specialized computers that run in cars, elevators and your microwave. Microsoft Word, and the entire office suite, is a program that runs on many of our desktop (or laptop) computers.
Amazon.com’s website is a massive, custom piece of software called Obidos that runs on thousands of Amazon web servers all over the world. When you open Firefox or Internet Explorer, it sends a request to one of these web servers, and an instance of Obidos replies with the information you request.

There’s More to It Than Just Coding 

While programming can be described as the basic act of “coding,” or more simply described as “typing computer instructions into an editor,” being a programmer is not just about writing code. Software Development, a term you’ve probably heard used interchangeably with computer programming, is an umbrella term that encompasses the process of going from concept to finished product. While programming is the act of typing instructions, software development is the entire act of creating software, with a multitude of tasks, including:
Speaking with users (or potential users) of your software to generate new feature ideas

• Writing spec documents to describe how software will function
• Discussing features and design approaches with other programmers 
• Writing code (i.e. programming) 
• Writing tests
• Testing your code 
• Fixing bugs 
• Preparing software for release 
• Releasing it to a production environment or to manufacturing, where it will be distributed to its users
• And others… 

While the act of programming is the most enjoyable part of the job for many programmers, numerous steps are required before and after you sit down at your computer and pound out a few thousand lines of code.