FORTRAN

FORTRAN (Formula Translation) dates back to the mid-1950s and is the oldest programming language still in use. It was designed for scientific and engineering applications.

Originally, FORTRAN programs were stored on punchcards, which the programmer generated on keypunch machines and then handed in to a computing center, where the system operator (a priesthood comprising the only people who could actually touch the computer itself) would feed the cards to the computer, get a printed result (possibly consisting of an error message saying that the program was unable to compile or run) and hand it back to the programmer, perhaps days later.