Editing Programming language (section)

===1960s and 1970s===
[[File:IBM Electronic Data Processing Machine - GPN-2000-001881.jpg|thumb|Two people using an [[IBM 704]] [[mainframe]]—the first hardware to support [[floating-point arithmetic]]—in 1957. [[Fortran]] was designed for this machine.{{sfn|Sebesta|2012|pp=42–44}}{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=524}}]]
Around 1960, the first [[mainframes]]—general purpose computers—were developed, although they could only be operated by professionals and the cost was extreme. The data and instructions were input by [[punch cards]], meaning that no input could be added while the program was running. The languages developed at this time therefore are designed for minimal interaction.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|pp=523–524}} After the invention of the [[microprocessor]], computers in the 1970s became dramatically cheaper.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=527}} New computers also allowed more user interaction, which was supported by newer programming languages.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=528}}

[[Lisp (programming language)|Lisp]], implemented in 1958, was the first [[functional programming]] language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twobithistory.org/2018/10/14/lisp.html|title=How Lisp Became God's Own Programming Language|website=twobithistory.org|access-date=10 April 2024|archive-date=10 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410060444/https://twobithistory.org/2018/10/14/lisp.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Unlike Fortran, it supported [[recursion]] and [[conditional expression]]s,{{sfn|Sebesta|2012|pp=47–48}} and it also introduced [[dynamic memory management]] on a [[heap (computer science)|heap]] and automatic [[Garbage collection (computer science)|garbage collection]].{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=526}} For the next decades, Lisp dominated [[artificial intelligence]] applications.{{sfn|Sebesta|2012|p=50}} In 1978, another functional language, [[ML (programming language)|ML]], introduced [[type inference|inferred types]] and polymorphic [[Parameter (computer programming)|parameter]]s.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=528}}{{sfn|Sebesta|2012|pp=701–703}}

After [[ALGOL]] (ALGOrithmic Language) was released in 1958 and 1960,{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|pp=524–525}} it became the standard in computing literature for describing [[algorithm]]s. Although its commercial success was limited, most popular imperative languages—including [[C (programming language)|C]], [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]], [[Ada (programming language)|Ada]], [[C++]], [[Java (programming language)|Java]], and [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]—are directly or indirectly descended from ALGOL 60.{{sfn|Sebesta|2012|pp=56–57}}{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=524}} Among its innovations adopted by later programming languages included greater portability and the first use of [[context-free grammar|context-free]], [[Backus–Naur form|BNF]] grammar.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=525}} [[Simula]], the first language to support [[object-oriented programming]] (including [[subtypes]], [[dynamic dispatch]], and [[inheritance (computer science)|inheritance]]), also descends from ALGOL and achieved commercial success.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|pp=526–527}} C, another ALGOL descendant, has sustained popularity into the twenty-first century. C allows access to lower-level machine operations more than other contemporary languages. Its power and efficiency, generated in part with flexible [[Pointer (computer programming)|pointer]] operations, comes at the cost of making it more difficult to write correct code.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=528}}

[[Prolog]], designed in 1972, was the first [[logic programming]] language, communicating with a computer using formal logic notation.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=531}}{{sfn|Sebesta|2012|p=79}} With logic programming, the programmer specifies a desired result and allows the [[interpreter (computer science)|interpreter]] to decide how to achieve it.{{sfn|Gabbrielli|Martini|2023|p=530}}{{sfn|Sebesta|2012|p=79}}