International Programmers' Day: Celebrating the Unsung Heroes

While programmers make invaluable contributions to improving our work and personal lives — the proof is the number and type of apps you have on your smartphone alone (I have more than 150) — they typically fly under the radar. However, one day a year, they get the recognition they deserve: International Programmers' Day, which falls on the 256^th day of each year.

That day, also called the Day of the Programmer, is celebrated on Sept. 13, or on Sept. 12 in leap years (like this year).

In 2002, Russian programmers Valentin Balt and Michael Cherviakov came up with the idea to have a day to honor programmers; in 2009, Russia became the first country to officially recognize it as a holiday, with other countries soon following suit in celebrating Sept. 13 as Programmers' Day.

What's the significance of the number 256? It's a nod to the binary system: 256 is the highest power of 2 that is less than 365, the number of days in a year. It is also the number of distinct values that can be represented by an eight-bit byte.

'Behind-the-Scene Heroes'

Vicky Giavelli, director of Product Management Performance Engineering and Virtualization at OpenText, calls programmers "behind-the-scenes heroes."

"These innovative tech professionals are integral in our pursuit of helping the world to do more with its data," she said. "I have the utmost appreciation for this discipline and the innovative thinkers who work to build and refine programs."

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And so does ITPro Today. We aim to empower both novice and experienced programmers with the resources to succeed in their careers, while keeping them updated on the latest software development trends and the most popular programming languages (see chart below).

Programming Language Cheat Sheets

With so many programming languages available, programmers can't be experts in all of them. So, ITPro Today has created a number of how-to and reference guides for understanding some of these languages, including cheat sheets for Python, JavaScript, and Rust. (Check back with ITPro Today soon for cheat sheets on Java and Visual Basic.)

Python Commands Cheat Sheet

While Python is beginner-friendly, some of its commands can be difficult to remember. Our Python commands cheat sheet focuses on the fastest and easiest ways to achieve most tasks.

JavaScript Cheat Sheet

JavaScript is one of the most widely used programming languages, and its simplicity makes it appealing to beginners. Check out this free guide of essential commands if you are looking to program in JavaScript.

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Rust Programming Language Cheat Sheet

While Rust is one of the most admired programming languages, mastering it can be much harder than some other languages. Our Rust cheat sheet will get you started learning the basics of Rust programming.

How to Write Apps for HoloLens

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Developing Immersive HoloLens Apps

Step into the world of augmented reality with our comprehensive three-part guide on developing HoloLens 2 applications.

Career Aids

We also provide technical explainers offering career tips, including a guide to becoming a software developer.

What Is a Software Developer and What's the Best Way to Become One?

This guide will teach you everything you need to know about getting started in a career in software development.

Choosing the Right Programming Language to Boost Your Cloud Computing Career

Although programming skills aren't a requirement for most cloud computing jobs, there are advantages to possessing them. These are the best programming languages to learn to advance your cloud career.

Mastering YAML: How the Programming Language Can Benefit IT Pros

This guide looks at how and why programmers should use the YAML data serialization language.

Top 7 Programming Languages for IT Engineers to Learn

ITOps engineers should learn one or more of these seven languages to do their jobs better.

Celebrate Your Programmers

This year, programmers share their special day with chocolate milkshakes, hugs and high-fives, encouragement, and videogames. So before the end of the day, give your programmers a milkshake, a hug (or at least a high-five if your HR policy forbids hugs at work), and some much-needed and well-earned encouragement — and put your pride aside and let them beat you in a videogame!