Evolution of programming languages
The evolution of programming languages began with low-level machine languages and assembly languages in the 1940s and 1950s, progressing to higher-level languages like FORTRAN, COBOL, and LISP in the 1950s and 1960s, which were designed to make programming more accessible. In the 1970s and 1980s, structured programming languages like C and Pascal emerged, followed by the rise of object-oriented languages such as C++ and Java, which revolutionized software development in the 1990s. The 2000s saw the growth of web and scripting languages like JavaScript, PHP, and Python. More recently, languages like Go, Rust, and Kotlin have prioritized performance, safety, and simplicity, reflecting modern computing needs. Throughout this evolution, the focus has shifted from low-level hardware interaction to higher levels of abstraction, enabling more efficient, readable, and maintainable code.