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The Myth of the Coder.

This article explores the distinction between the role of a computer programmer compared to the role of the computer coder. First, the origin of the separation of these two roles in a report by Herman H. Goldstine and John von Neumann is discussed, followed by the its perpetuation in trade journals...

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Published in:Communications of the ACM Vol. 67; no. 9; pp. 20 - 24
Main Authors: Bullynck, Maarten, De Mol, Liesbeth
Format: Opinion
Published: Association for Computing Machinery Sep2024
Subjects:
Computer programmers
Occupational roles
Computer programming
Hopper, Grace Murray, 1906-1992
Goldstine, Herman H. (Herman Heine), 1913-2004
Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:This article explores the distinction between the role of a computer programmer compared to the role of the computer coder. First, the origin of the separation of these two roles in a report by Herman H. Goldstine and John von Neumann is discussed, followed by the its perpetuation in trade journals in the 1950s especially by article author Grace Murray Hopper.