Computer programming was the process of writing instructions for a computer to perform specific actions. One who performed this action was known as a programmer.
In 2268, when Leonard McCoy expressed his desire to stay out of experiments that would prove the M-5 multitronic unit could run the USS Enterprise more efficiently than humans could, Spock noted, "The most unfortunate lack in current computer programming is that there is nothing available to immediately replace the starship surgeon." (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")