Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

It is easy to forget that those of us who write computer programs are basically simulating machines to perform useful tasks.

That wonderful computer program known as Visicalc was credited with being the world’s first electronic spreadsheet. The name Visicalc was short for “visible calculator.” Great stuff that transformed many aspects of business and what we came to call home computing.

The software simulated a machine that added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided numbers, a.k.a., a calculator. There were mechanical calculators. These machines went back decades or centuries or however old the abacus is. The source code for Visicalc was the design of a machine. When combined with other software (the other software being designs for other machines), Visicalc simulated and advanced form of a calculator.

• Microsoft Word simulates an advanced form of a typewriter.
• Microsoft Excel, when used in different ways, simulates an advanced form of a filing cabinet.
• WordPress (what I am using at this moment) simulates an advanced form of a printing press.

I could go on with examples.

Computer programmers—we call ourselves “developers” these days—simulate machines. The machines do useful work for us. It is easy to forget what we are doing. At times we should try to remember the “useful work” part of the prior sentence.