Overview

One of the principle strengths of the modern electronic digital computer is its ability to be programmed to perform a wide variety of useful and disparate functions. Originally designed as "super-calculators" for limited use in military and scientific computation, computers have become one of the most ubiquitous technologies of late twentieth-century society. What makes the computer so powerful is its enormous flexibility: given the appropriate software, an inexpensive and mass-produced computer chip can emulate the function of many more costly, special-purpose devices. The remarkable success of the computer industry in the United States is in large part due to the ability of programmers to develop software applications that appeal to a broad range of corporate consumers. The cornerstones of this "software revolution" are the computer programming languages used to create versatile and efficient software.

Background