In this Tutorial, We will Learn About Programming Languages
classification of Programming Languages Low-level languages Machine Language: Assembly Language: High-Level Languages (HLLS) Procedural and Structured Languages Object-Oriented Programming Languages Uses of Low-Level Languages Uses of High-Level Languages Programming LanguagesA programming language is a structured and systematic method of communicating instructions to a computer. It consists of a set of predefined commands, syntax, and rules that allow programmers to write instructions, enabling the computer to perform specific tasks or solve problems. It serves as a means of communication between a human programmer and a computer, facilitating the development of software and applications. Programming languages can be classified into two categories, that is, low-level languages and high-level languages.
Low-level language is machine-oriented language. To understand low-level language, detailed knowledge of the internal workings of computers is required. Low-level languages include machine language and assembly language.
Machine Language: A programming language that is directly understood by computer hardware is known as machine language. Machine language is associated with the architecture of computers. It consists of OS and 1S. It is almost impossible for humans to use machine language because it entirely consists of numbers.
Assembly Language: Assembly language consists of symbolic codes or abbreviations known as mnemonics. It was developed to make computer programming easier than machine language. A program known as assembler is used to translate assembly language into machine language. Some important characteristics of Assembly language are:
• Assembly language allows programmers to have access to all the special features of the computer they are using. Certain types of operations which are not possible in high level languages are easily programmed using assembly language.
• Generally, a program written in assembly language will require less storage and less running time than one prepared in a high-level language.
• Assembly languages are still the best choice in some applications, but their use is gradually declining.
High-Level Languages (HLLS)
High-level languages are English-oriented languages, and they are commonly used for writing computer programs. These languages use English language words such as print, goto, if, end, etc. Therefore, they are easy to learn and use. Some examples of high-level languages are Visual Basic, C, Java, and Pascal.
A program known as compiler/interpreter is required to translate a high-level program into machine language. Coding and debugging of a high-level language program is much easier than a program written in a low-level language.
High-level languages can be classified into procedural, structured, and object-oriented programming languages.
Procedural and Structured Languages
Procedural programming is based on the concept of modular programming. In modular programming, programs are divided into smaller parts known as modules. Modular programs consist of one or more modules. A module is a group of statements that can be executed more than once in a program. Each module in a program performs a specific task. It is easy to design, modify, and debug a program in a procedural language since it provides better programming facilities.
Structured languages consist of three fundamental elements, which are sequence, selection, and repetition.
Sequence: It means, writing program statements in a logical sequence. Each step in the sequence must logically progress to the next without producing any undesirable effects.
Selection: It allows the selection of any number of statements based on the result of the evaluation of a condition which may be true or false. Examples of statements that implement selection in programming are if, else-if, switch, etc.
Repetition (loops): It means executing one or statements a number of times until a condition is satisfied.
Some examples of structured and procedural languages are FORTRAN, Pascal, C, BASIC, ALGOL, PL/1, and Ada Pascal.
Object-Oriented Programming Languages
Object-oriented programming (OOP) refers to a programming method that is based on objects such as students, vehicles, buildings, etc. Object-oriented programming language provides a set of rules for defining and managing objects. An object can be considered a thing that can perform a set of activities. For example, the object vehicle can be defined as an object that has a number of wheels, number of doors, color, number of seats, etc.
Complicated large computer programs are difficult to design, develop, maintain, and debug. The concept of object-oriented programming solves this problem. The most widely used object-oriented programming languages are C++, Visual Basic, C#(known as C Sharp), and Java.
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