What developers call themselves

"The first computers weren't coded with words or languages, but by manipulating physical entities to do fairly basic calculations. "Programmers" would plug wires into sockets, set switches, turn dials, and spin rotors. It was, at the time, considered "women's work" because it was mostly clerical. But setting that aside, it was all mechanical in nature. These workers didn't call themselves "programmers" but "operators" because they physically operated the machine."

"It wasn't until the abstraction of a "computer language" came along that the term "programmer" was introduced. Programming languages allowed for a distinct separation between the logic used to execute a program and the physical device used to execute that logic. As computers became more generalized, the notion of being a "computer programmer" arose. Early on, computer programs were "linear" or task-bound-that is, they started at Point A and ran to Point B, most often doing calculations of some sort."

Early computers were operated through direct manipulation of physical components to perform basic calculations. Operators plugged wires, set switches, turned dials, and spun rotors to make machines run. The work was largely clerical and considered women's work, and operators did not use the label programmer. The arrival of computer languages created an abstraction that separated program logic from the physical device. As computers became more generalized, the role of a computer programmer emerged. Initial programs tended to be linear or task-bound, starting with input and producing output, with limited branching and looping.

Read at InfoWorld