The internet is not just big; it’s huge, gigantic and spreads its hand of influence across most business and personal aspects of our lives. And when we aren`t online, those applications we use for work, research, relaxation, fragging and general computer madness are made from a collection of magical 0`s and 1`s. A computer or server is just a mechanical machine that does as it’s designed to (well most of the time...), so without the instructions all we would have is a bunch of underground cables and metal boxes that could only remain if we classed them as “art”. These instructions are the programming of the computer and range from the core operational systems to the wonderful collection of online delights we use everyday on the internet.

Most people associate programming with the development of user applications like Microsoft’s Word or Xbox`s Halo range of video games. But this programming actually relies on further programming underneath to produce the building blocks for making all our little break time goodies. Programming is more correctly defined as a branch of engineering but because the completed component does not actually have a physical entity that we can hold, many people look at programming in a lesser light.

A computer is just a bunch of mechanical switches with electrons flying through at ridiculous speeds and to specific destinations based on these switches. When an electron flow is present we consider this point “on”, “open” or a “1”, and when it is not we consider this “off”,”closed” or a “0”. The art of coordinating these 0`s and 1`s to create a pattern that can become a structured language is also a form of programming even though it seems to be firmly encased in the range of computer engineering.

Programming languages then work on top of the symphony of 0`s and 1`s to produce more complicated and wider ranging instructions. This is because of the share size of information needed to perform simple tasks would cause most of us to die of old age before we code simply write an application with 1`s and 0`s. Some of the first recognised programming languages include FORTRAN, LISP and COBOL, all of which will still exist in some form in many locations. “Higher” languages like C, Ada and Pascal will generally reduce the workload of producing similar instructions even though the program is still automatically translated to a large complex “lower” language behind the scenes of the users monitor.

So it is these “higher” programming languages that people associate with the glass wearing nerd that sits in his dark corner of the software company and produces our magical applications that we find oh so fun. Next time you buy something online, play a game or use an application for work or study, give a thought to just how many levels of programming language translation is happening just for you to click a button or shoot the boss level monster. Just think of how many 0`s and 1`s it takes to translate one click of a mouse or a touch of a button into a complex command. Think of it as trying to tell someone the way home with Morse code, first you need to know how to use Morse code and then they need to understand it. And finally you need the huge amount of time it takes to describe a serious of actions in a 2 letter alphabet. Programming, for those that have never quite realised, is a magical thing, or so says this nerd from his dark corner of the office (but without the glasses).