Program: A program is a set of instructions that the computer needs to execute a task or series of tasks.
Programming Language: This is a computer language that is a standard means of communication technique for expressing instructions to a computer. It is a language that specified instructions to be executed on a computer.
Programming: This is the act of writing programs. It is also the act of writing programs which instruct the computer on what to do, how to do and when to execute task.
TYPES OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
There are mainly two types of programming languages:
- Low Level Language (LLL)
- High Level Language (HLL)
- Low Level Language (LLL): Low level language is a computer programming language that is machine dependent. A low level language is either (1) Machine Language or (2) Assembly Language.
- Machine Language or Machine Code: A machine language or machine codes are computer understandable language. It consist of sequences of binary numbers, or bits, represented by 0s and 1s which are the basic instructions that guide the operation of a computer.
It is tedious and time consuming, errors are difficult to detect because programs are made up of 0s and 1s.
- Assembly Language: It is a low-level language which statement corresponds directly to a single machine instruction. It uses terms like SUB for a subtraction operation, MPY for multiplication operation. STO for storing information, all these are used to represent specific instructions in machine code.
- High Level Language: These are programming language that enable development of a program in much simpler programming context and is generally independent of the computer’s hardware architecture. High level languages are designed to be used by the human operator or the programmer. Their programming style and context is easier to learn and implement.
Examples of programming languages
- BASIC – Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code
- QBASIC – Quick BASIC
- ALGOL – ALGOrithmic Language, the first structured procedural programming language used mainly for solving mathematically problems.
- COBOL – Common Business-Oriented Language is an English-like programming language. It emphasizes data structures; COBOL is widely used in businesses.
- FORTRAN: FORmular TRANSlation. It is a high level complied language used in many fields.
- PERL: Practical Extraction and Report Language. It is suitable for text manipulation. It is a text processing language.
- C: Compiled structured programming language has been widely used for development of operating systems and compilers.
- C++: Advanced version of C. It is used in numerous fields such as accounting and finance systems, and computer aided design.
- Java: Originally developed for use in set-top boxes but transitioned to the world wide web
- LSP – List Processing
- LOGO – Meaning word used with children, it is gotten from a Greek logos. It features a simple drawing environment.
- PASCAL
- PL/1
- HTML
EVALUATION
What is the difference between low-level language and high level language