Programming Languages

Programming Languages BitWise has used:

Timeline Graph

1976

1977

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1980

1981

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1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

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2001

2002

2003

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2018

2019

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2023

2024

Assembly

Commodore BASIC

6502 Assembly

BBC Basic

APL

Z80 Assembly

BCPL

PDP-8 machine code

FORTRAN 77

68k Assembly

AWK

C++

Java

XSLT

MIPS Assembly

SC/MP Assembly

Assembly

1976–

Cut my teeth on ICL 4-30 assembler (basically IBM 3/60 with some of the good bits removed) on the school main frame. Still write in assembly for various micro-controllers and micro-processors for fun.

Commodore BASIC

1978–1982

I used Commodore PETs at school and college to write all manner of non-sense.

6502 Assembly

1978–

I first wrote 6502 code on the school's Commodore PET and later on my BBC Microcomputer. I still write 6502 for my emulators and minimal (three chip) single board computers.

BBC Basic

1981–1993

I loved my BBC but my wife said it had to go when I got my first IBM PC. Twenty years later I bought one back on eBay!

APL

1981–1988

The first language I earnt money programming in. MicroAPL (CP/M 1.4), VizAPL (CP/M 2.2), IP Sharp (Online), IAPL (IBM PC) and IBM APL2

Z80 Assembly

1981–

I've experimented with Z80 on various real CP/M systems in the past (including my BBC with Z80 second processor) and more recently on emulators.

BCPL

1981–1988

I read the book in '81 but had to wait until '84 to try BCPL on my BBC Micro. Acorn had a utility to make the resulting code ROMable and I used it on a couple of projects.

1981–

I obtained a copy of K&R in '81 but didn't get to use it in anger until '84 at University. During my first jobs I did a lot of C programming on Motorola UNIX boxes, IBM PCs, HP Unix Workstations and SUN SPARCStations learning the Joy of X.

PDP-8 machine code

1983–1984

On my degree course we had to write some PDP-8 code to run on Intersil 6100 based single board computers.

FORTRAN 77

1985–1993

My final year degree project was an implementation of the the Graphical Kernel System in Fortran 77. I also wrote some oil field data analysis applications between 1989 and 1993 using the language.

68k Assembly

1986

Used 68K assembler on a defence project I can't talk about.

AWK

1988–1995

Its amazing what this language can be made to do.

C++

1988–2002

I worked on a number of C++ projects in the '90s mostly in investment banks. My first OO language. Good fun but gives you plenty of rope to hang yourself with.

Java

1998–

A good language spoilt by an excess of competing incompatible frameworks.

2003–

Personally I prefer C# to Java, I find I write less code to do the same job, especially when processing XML or implementing WebServices.

XSLT

2003–

Possibly the best tool for turning XML into err... more XML.

MIPS Assembly

2009–

I have been playing with MIPS 4K assembly code on the Microchip PIC32 line of micro-controllers.

SC/MP Assembly

2014–

I'm using a micro-controller to emulate a SC/MP processor and have been writing some new software with it.