> To be fair, though, a LOT has changed about the nature of computer programming since 1965.
Has it though? The Von-Neumann-architecture was already a thing back then, programming languages (BASIC, Fortran, ...) already had many of the things you are still using today (such as for-loops) and any algorithm and data structure thought up back then is still perfectly usable today in most modern languages.
Sure, the whole tooling and library situation is not comparable to back then, but the fundamentals haven't really changed.
Consider these things:
- Binary search trees (1960)
- Linked lists (1955)
- Quicksort (1959)
- Hash tables (1953)
Looking back I rather have to say I am not impressed with advances in practical computer programming since then. The only major change was the introduction of type systems and OO imho, though these were technically a thing already back then too on an academic level.
True, programming is much easier now that you can use words to code, and have programs do all of the actual work of turning that code into usable machine code for you.
Probably the biggest change was the introduction of personal computers, which were primarily marketed towards boys at the time. It should come at no surprise that the result of a huge marketing apparatus appealing solely to one gender would create a generation or two of predominately male programmers.
When you examine the fundamental nature of programming though, not much has changed. In fact things have become significantly easier over time.
Has it though? The Von-Neumann-architecture was already a thing back then, programming languages (BASIC, Fortran, ...) already had many of the things you are still using today (such as for-loops) and any algorithm and data structure thought up back then is still perfectly usable today in most modern languages.
Sure, the whole tooling and library situation is not comparable to back then, but the fundamentals haven't really changed.
Consider these things:
- Binary search trees (1960)
- Linked lists (1955)
- Quicksort (1959)
- Hash tables (1953)
Looking back I rather have to say I am not impressed with advances in practical computer programming since then. The only major change was the introduction of type systems and OO imho, though these were technically a thing already back then too on an academic level.