Computer programming

 

Computer programming or coding is the composition of sequences of instructions, called programs, that computers can follow to perform tasks.[1][2] It involves designing and implementing algorithms, step-by-step specification of procedures, by writing code in one or more programming languages. Programmers typically use high-level programming languages ​​that are more understandable to humans than machine code that is directly executed by a central processing unit. Proficient programming typically requires expertise in several different subjects, including knowledge of the application domain, details of programming languages ​​and generic code libraries, specialized algorithms, and formal logic. Support tasks accompanying and related to programming include requirements analysis, testing, debugging (investigating and fixing problems), implementing build systems, and managing derived artifacts such as program machine code. Although sometimes considered programming, the term software development is often used for this larger overall process—with the terms programming, implementation, and coding reserved for writing and editing code per se. Sometimes software development is known as software engineering, especially if it uses formal methods or follows an engineering design process.