Programming Languages Timeline

By fupoer

  • Plankalkul

    Kalkul is German for formal system, so Plankalkul means a formal system for planning.

  • Fortran

    A portmanteau of "Formula Translation."

  • MATH-MATIC

    Marketing name for the AT-3 Compiler (Algebraic Translator 3)

  • Lisp

    Derived from "LISt Processor."

  • COBOL

    Stands for "COmmon Business-Oriented Language."

  • RPG

    Stands for "Report Program Generator."

  • BASIC

    Stands for "Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code."

  • Logo

    An educational language that uses "turtles" to give feedback.

  • B

    A contraction of BCPL, another language which B is derived from.

  • Pascal

    Named after the French mathematician Blaise Pascal.

  • C

    Simply named after the letter "C."

  • ML

    Stands for "Meta Language."

  • SQL

    Stands for "Structured Query Language."

  • Ada

    Named after Augusta Ada, Countess of Lovelace.

  • C++

    Named after C, which it is an extension of.

  • Python

    Named after the comedy group Monty Python.

  • Visual Basic

    A derivative of BASIC with visual elements, hence the name.

  • Delphi

    Named for Delphi, the Ancient Greek city.

  • PHP

    Originally stood for "Personal Home Page," but now stands for "PHP: Hypertext Processor."

  • Java

    Named after Java coffee.

  • Javascript

    Suspected to be named so to catch on to Java's popularity.