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When Compilers Were the 'AI' That Scared Programmers
Video version of this. The early history of high-level languages and compilers is fascinating. It is a tale of the pioneers of computer science charting new territory, but also of deep resistance to new ways of doing old things. And I think it has a lot to teach us about how our tribe of programmers is wrestling right now with the idea of AI and LLMs, writing code. Early Compilers In the early decades of computing, programming was done at the most granular level, hand coding in machine code or assembly language. This was painstaking work. Programmers had to manage operation codes and memory addresses directly, which one early pioneer likened to hand-to-hand combat with the machine.
It enabled scientists and engineers to write formulas and algorithms in a more natural mathematical notation, which the compiler would then convert to machine instructions. It enabled individuals with domain expertise, such as in accounting or inventory, to learn programming without needing a deep computer science background. In both cases, a fundamental change in how code is written is occurring, leading to initial skepticism, gradual adoption, and ultimately, a redefinition of what it means to be a programmer.
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