A developer is someone who creates or improves something over time, such as software, buildings, or land. In technology, it usually means a person who writes and maintains computer programs.
From "develop" plus the agent suffix "-er." "Develop" comes from Old French "desveloper" meaning "to unwrap" or "unfold," suggesting bringing something out into the open or making it grow.
A developer is literally an "un-wrapper"—someone who brings hidden possibilities into reality. Whether it’s code, a neighborhood, or a product, developers turn ideas into working systems you can actually use.
In computing and software, 'developer' has been socially coded as male due to hiring practices, cultural stereotypes, and media depictions from the mid-20th century onward. This obscured the foundational work of women in early programming and systems design.
Use 'developer' as a gender-neutral term and avoid defaulting to 'he' or male imagery; highlight diverse developers when giving examples.
["software engineer","programmer","coder"]
Women and gender-diverse people have been central to software development from early mainframe programming to modern open-source ecosystems, though their roles were often minimized or reclassified as 'clerical' work.
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