Programming language

M1-R5.1 & CCC · Chapter 1: Introduction to Computer · 3 min read

Programming language: 

  • A computer language is a means of communication used to communicate between user and computer.
  • With the help of computer language , a programmer tells a computer what he/she wants it to do.
  • All computer language can be broadly classified into the following three categories :
    • Low level programming language
      • Machine language
      • Assembly language
    • high level programming language

Low level programming language

1. Machine Language: 

  • There is only one language understood by the computer without using a translator program, this language is called machine language.
  • The machine language of a computer is normally written as streams or binary numbers(0,1).

Advantage of machine language:

1. Directly understood by the computer .

2. No translator of the program is required.

3. Programs executed very fast by the computer 

Disadvantage of machine language:

1. Machine dependency

2. Difficult to program

3. Difficult to modify

2. Assembly language: 

  • A language which allows instructions and storage location to be represented by letters and symbols instead of numbers is called an assembly language or symbolic language.
  • Introduction of assembly language in 1952 was the first step towards making programming tasks easier.

Advantage of assembly language:

• Easier to use.

• Easy to correct errors.

• Easy to modify

limitation of assembly languages:

• Machine dependent

• Need of translation

• machine level coding

High level programming language: 

High level programming language works designed to over complete limitations of low level programming languages (machine and assembly language ).

Advantage of high level languages:

• Machine independent

• Easy to use

• Easy to find errors

• Better documentation

• Easy to maintain.

Limitation of high level language:

• Need of translator i.e,compiler/interpreter .

• Execution time increases.

Some examples of High level programming language:

C++, Java, Python, PHP,FORTRAN, Cobol, Ruby,BASIC, PASCAL, logo, lisp, SQL etc.

FORTRAN–

Full form: (Formula Translation)

Developed by: IBM, led by John Backus

Released: 1957

Purpose: Scientific and engineering computations

COBOL–

Full form:Common Business-Oriented Language

Designed in: 1959

BASIC– 

Full form: Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code

Designed in: 1964

PYTHON–

             Designed in: 1991

             Developed by:Guido van Rossum

C Language–

         Developed by: Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs

 Released: 1972

Purpose: Used in developing application software and programs.