Programmer’s Day is celebrated on the 256th day of each year (13 September, or 12 September in leap years).

The Origins of Programmers’ Day

This holiday was first celebrated in Russia, where it is an official public holiday for these professionals, and has since spread to the rest of the world.

The number 256 (2^8) was chosen for this date because 256 is the number of distinct values that can be represented by an eight-bit byte, a figure well known amongst programmers.

The Profession of a Programmer

A programmer, also known as a developer, coder or software engineer, is someone who programmes computers and writes software. As well as developing and/or writing software, a programmer may also maintain large systems. Programmers usually develop software based on specifications provided by engineers and systems analysts.

Quotes from Programmers

• One of my most productive days was when I threw out 1,000 lines of code. – Ken Thompson
• The art of programming lies in the art of organising and mastering complexity. – Dijkstra
• The problem with programmers is that you never know what they’re up to until it’s too late. – Seymour Cray