Evolution of app dev:
The last 50 years
In the last 50 years, software programming and application development have changed the world. Join us on a journey from punch cards to code to visual interfaces…and to see where application development is headed next.
1970s
Microcomputer revolution
1974
The U.S. enables software to be copyrighted.
1976
The first Microsoft product, a punched tape BASIC interpreter for the mail-order Altair 8800 microcomputer, allows hobbyists to develop programs.
1977
Personal computer revolution is fully underway as the “trinity” (Apple II, Commodore PET 2001, and Tandy TRS-80) is released.
Desktop software and networking era
1980s
University network BITNET offers email, LISTSERV, file transfer, and, later, relay chat.
Microsoft releases MS-DOS, licensing it to 70+ companies within a year.
Intel releases its 8088 (x86) architecture on the IBM PC model line.
Microsoft releases Excel, considered by many to be the first no-code platform.
The Free Software Movement is started by Richard Stallman, creator of the open-source GNU operating system.
1982
The personal computer is the first non-human Time magazine “Man of the Year.”
1986
The influential paper “No Silver Bullet” by Fred Brooks offers several ways to improve software engineering.
1987
Imperial College London introduces the world's first 3-year bachelor's degree in software engineering.
1988
PC Week coins the term “killer app.”
1989
Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web (www), which is released publicly in 1991.
The internet and streamlined app development
1990s
1993
Netscape Navigator develops Secure Sockets Layer to facilitate encrypted data transmission.
Rapid Application Development by James Martin presents a flexible prototype-based alternative to waterfall methods.
Microsoft releases Visual Basic, which provides a graphical user interface for development.
1994
Geocities enables anyone to build their own website with a visual drag-and-drop editor.
1995
SCRUM development process is presented at a programming conference by Ken Schwabe.
1981
1985
1991
Dreamweaver launches with both WYSIWYG and HTML code editors.
IBM Deep Blue defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
1997
1998
The term “open source” is created by a group of free software advocates.
The first hackathon is held in Alberta.
Salesforce launches the first SaaS built from scratch.
Kent Beck authors Extreme Programming Explained.
1999
The rise of Agile, mobile, and no-code point solutions
2000s
Salesforce and eBay launch web APIs.
The Dotcom Bubble peaks and begins deflating.
2000
“Shift-left” is coined by Larry Smith to indicate testing earlier (“left” on the timeline).
The Manifesto for Agile Software Development is created by 17 developers.
2001
2002
Amazon Web Services launches, ushering in public cloud computing.
2002
Amazon Web Services launches, ushering in public cloud computing.
2002
OutSystems launches Hub Edition 1.0.
OutSystems offers first low-code platform.
2003
Myspace users learn HTML and CSS to customize their profiles, creating a generation of code-comfortable teens.
2007
First iPhone launches, setting off the mobile app revolution.
The first Android phone launches.
Apple App Store opens with ~500 apps, seeing 10 million downloads in three days.
2008
The first DevOps Days conference is held.
The term “citizen developer” is first used at the 2009 Gartner Symposium/ITxpo.
2009
Cloud, DevSecOps, and low-code proliferate
2010s
First coding boot camp appears.
Apple releases AI assistant Siri.
2011
React, an open-source JavaScript library, signals an incoming wave of JS frameworks and libraries.
Docker unleashes the popularity of containers.
2013
2014
2015
Kubernetes 1.0, an open-source container orchestrator, is released.
2017
Google researchers publish a paper on Transformer architecture, which accelerates natural language processing and large language model training.
2018
GDPR pushes data privacy and governance into the development sphere, inspiring a host of other regulations.
The rise of generative AI
2020s
2020
Global pandemic leads to unprecedented remote work and acceleration of digital and cloud transformation.
2022
ChatGPT arrives for public use.
OpenAI releases Dall-E for image AI.
OutSystems Developer Cloud enables low-code cloud-native development
2021
2023
The year of generative AI: Major companies add gen AI features, GPT-4 and Google Bard are launched, and Microsoft invests in OpenAI.
Late 2010s
Low-code is amped up with real-time data and systems integrations, mobile, and enterprise-grade back-end services.
As generative AI, machine learning, AR/VR, and cloud-native mature—and other new technologies emerge—OutSystems will evolve alongside them. We’ll be using it all to incorporate new functionality that keeps our customers on the leading edge of low-code application development.
Learn more about current development trends in The State of Application Development Report.
2024 and beyond
Programming Languages
Pascal, C, SQL
2020s
OutSystems adds
AI-driven development, automation, and cloud-native development to low-code.
Pre-1970s
Software development slowly evolved from adjusting wires and switches to writing programs via punch cards and magnetic tape. During the 1950s-1970s mainframe era, most software was written in-house or bundled with the mainframe. But the microprocessor revolution of the mid-1970s caused a seismic shift.
Early 1980s
Young programmers get their start in school computer labs, learning BASIC and avoiding dysentery on the Oregon Trail.
Early 2000s
With the ability to deliver patches and updates electronically, error tolerance becomes higher, and organizations realize faster time to market. Many no-code point solutions are launched, including Mailchimp in 2001 and WordPress and Tableau in 2003.
2010s
Microservices begin to replace monolithic application architectures
that are hard to update.
Forrester coins the term “low-code.”
Smalltalk80, C++, Perl, PostScript, Objective-C
Programming Languages
Python, HTML, PHP, Java, JavaScript, CSS
Programming Languages
C#, Visual Basic .NET, Scratch, Nim, Go
Programming Languages
Kotlin, Swift, Crystal, Dart, Elixir, Elm, Julia, Rust, TypeScript
Programming Languages
Download now
Evolution of App Development:
2021
OutSystems Developer Cloud enables low-code cloud-native development.
This design is optimized for landscape viewing. Please rotate your device.
Tap anywhere to continue.
Evolution of app dev:
The last 50 years
In the last 50 years, software programming and application development have changed the world. Join us on a journey from punch cards to code to visual interfaces…and to see where application development is headed next.
1970s
Microcomputer revolution
1974
The U.S. enables software to be copyrighted.
1976
The first Microsoft product, a punched tape BASIC interpreter for the mail-order Altair 8800 microcomputer, allows hobbyists to develop programs.
1977
Personal computer revolution is fully underway as the “trinity” (Apple II, Commodore PET 2001, and Tandy TRS-80) is released.
Desktop software and networking era
1980s
University network BITNET offers email, LISTSERV, file transfer, and, later, relay chat.
Microsoft releases MS-DOS, licensing it to 70+ companies within a year.
Intel releases its 8088 (x86) architecture on the IBM PC model line.
Microsoft releases Excel, considered by many to be the first no-code platform.
The Free Software Movement is started by Richard Stallman, creator of the open-source GNU operating system.
1982
The personal computer is the first non-human Time magazine “Man of the Year.”
1986
The influential paper “No Silver Bullet” by Fred Brooks offers several ways to improve software engineering.
1987
Imperial College London introduces the world's first 3-year bachelor's degree in software engineering.
1988
PC Week coins the term “killer app.”
1989
Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web (www), which is released publicly in 1991.
The internet and streamlined app development
1990s
1993
Netscape Navigator develops Secure Sockets Layer to facilitate encrypted data transmission.
Rapid Application Development by James Martin presents a flexible prototype-based alternative to waterfall methods.
Microsoft releases Visual Basic, which provides a graphical user interface for development.
1994
Geocities enables anyone to build their own website with a visual drag-and-drop editor.
1995
SCRUM development process is presented at a programming conference by Ken Schwabe.
1981
1985
1991
Dreamweaver launches with both WYSIWYG and HTML code editors.
IBM Deep Blue defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
1997
1998
The term “open source” is created by a group of free software advocates.
The first hackathon is held in Alberta.
Salesforce launches the first SaaS built from scratch.
Kent Beck authors Extreme Programming Explained.
1999
The rise of Agile, mobile, and no-code point solutions
2000s
Salesforce and eBay launch web APIs.
The Dotcom Bubble peaks and begins deflating.
2000
“Shift-left” is coined by Larry Smith to indicate testing earlier (“left” on the timeline).
The Manifesto for Agile Software Development is created by 17 developers.
2001
2002
Amazon Web Services launches, ushering in public cloud computing.
2002
Amazon Web Services launches, ushering in public cloud computing.
2002
OutSystems launches Hub Edition 1.0.
OutSystems offers first low-code platform.
2003
Myspace users learn HTML and CSS to customize their profiles, creating a generation of code-comfortable teens.
2007
First iPhone launches, setting off the mobile app revolution.
The first Android phone launches.
Apple App Store opens with ~500 apps, seeing 10 million downloads in three days.
2008
The first DevOps Days conference is held.
The term “citizen developer” is first used at the 2009 Gartner Symposium/ITxpo.
2009
Cloud, DevSecOps, and low-code proliferate
2010s
First coding boot camp appears.
Apple releases AI assistant Siri.
2011
React, an open-source JavaScript library, signals an incoming wave of JS frameworks and libraries.
Docker unleashes the popularity of containers.
2013
2014
2015
Kubernetes 1.0, an open-source container orchestrator, is released.
2017
Google researchers publish a paper on Transformer architecture, which accelerates natural language processing and large language model training.
2018
GDPR pushes data privacy and governance into the development sphere, inspiring a host of other regulations.
The rise of generative AI
2020s
2020
Global pandemic leads to unprecedented remote work and acceleration of digital and cloud transformation.
2022
ChatGPT arrives for public use.
OpenAI releases Dall-E for image AI.
OutSystems Developer Cloud enables low-code cloud-native development
2021
2023
The year of generative AI: Major companies add gen AI features, GPT-4 and Google Bard are launched, and Microsoft invests in OpenAI.
Late 2010s
Low-code is amped up with real-time data and systems integrations, mobile, and enterprise-grade back-end services.
As generative AI, machine learning, AR/VR, and cloud-native mature—and other new technologies emerge—OutSystems will evolve alongside them. We’ll be using it all to incorporate new functionality that keeps our customers on the leading edge of low-code application development.
Learn more about current development trends in The State of Application Development Report.
2024 and beyond
Programming Languages
Pascal, C, SQL
2020s
OutSystems adds
AI-driven development, automation, and cloud-native development to low-code.
Pre-1970s
Software development slowly evolved from adjusting wires and switches to writing programs via punch cards and magnetic tape. During the 1950s-1970s mainframe era, most software was written in-house or bundled with the mainframe. But the microprocessor revolution of the mid-1970s caused a seismic shift.
Early 1980s
Young programmers get their start in school computer labs, learning BASIC and avoiding dysentery on the Oregon Trail.
Early 2000s
With the ability to deliver patches and updates electronically, error tolerance becomes higher, and organizations realize faster time to market. Many no-code point solutions are launched, including Mailchimp in 2001 and WordPress and Tableau in 2003.
2010s
Microservices begin to replace monolithic application architectures
that are hard to update.
Forrester coins the term “low-code.”
Smalltalk80, C++, Perl, PostScript, Objective-C
Programming Languages
Python, HTML, PHP, Java, JavaScript, CSS
Programming Languages
C#, Visual Basic .NET, Scratch, Nim, Go
Programming Languages
Kotlin, Swift, Crystal, Dart, Elixir, Elm, Julia, Rust, TypeScript
Programming Languages
Download now
Evolution of App Development:
2021
OutSystems Developer Cloud enables low-code cloud-native development.
This design is optimized for landscape viewing. Please rotate your device.
Tap anywhere to continue.