Quantum Mechanics demystified, a try
Quantum Computing is softwarewise still at it’s infancy.
We are programming at gate level. Gates like NOT, CNOT, HADAMARD, SWAP etc. Like we were programming traditional binary computers in 1940’s. With machine language commands describing bitwise AND, NOT, XOR etc operations between registers.
Later on assemblers were developed for binary computers to ease the programming a bit. Assemblers were still hardware dependent, each make had it’s own assembler. This was a bit like the SWIFT language by MIT, currently developed for a specific make of quantum computer. Even if it’s aim is just fully different from assemblers. But I would regard the phase being about the same.
In late 1950’s higher level programming languages like Fortran and Cobol were created for binary computers. These already could be used platform independently, in some amounts at least. With quantum computing we are far from this state. Ten or more years, if the pace would be the same. If we ever will actually evolve in this direction with qubit computers.
Later on environments for binary computers have evolved with ever increasing speed. We are far, far away from having quantum computing in a state where binary computers with their advanced ecosystems currently are. Internet, WEB 3.0, Clouds and so on.
Of course binary computers were also made use of at their infancy, like Eniac was :-(. And so will quantum computers. Some useful benefits from quantum computing might thus be obtainable in few years to come. That is if the hardware development permits.
But to reach the full power of quantum computing is tens and tens of years away. If the old signs hold true. And nobody is able to tell which direction the evolution will go. Like nobody was anticipating in 1940’s what binary computers nowadays are.