To communicate with computer, we have special languages called computer language. Computer is a machine and it cannot understand our everyday language. A computer language is used to give instructions to computer, to perform the specific task. Computer languages are also called programming languages. It uses many symbols and characters in particular way to communicate.
There are many computer languages. Each language has its own set of instructions. A set of instruction, in a sequence, given to computer to perform a task is called a program. The process of writing program is called programming. There are basically three types of languages:
- Machine language
- Assembly language
- High level language
Machine Language
Machine language is the language that computer can understand directly. It is written in the Binary Number system, in codes of 0's and 1's. This language is very difficult to understand and write. Very few programmers could do this. In early computers, programmers had to give code in machine language directly. This language is faster to execute as computes, can understand it directly.
Assembly Language
After the machine language, assembly language were developed in 1950s. As programming in machine language was very difficult task, helping codes (mnemonic) and symbolic addresses developed. Today all computers have a mnemonic code. Machine language is still used by the computer but assembly language software convert the assembly language codes into machine language, which is understood by computer.
Assembly language program is not as fast as machine language because, it needs to be translated into binary codes. Lets understand assembly language by an example of program written for adding two numbers.
Assembly languages are machine oriented. It depends upon the model of processor of computer. Assembly language programs are called source program and are converted to machine language by an assembler, then it is called object program.
High Level Language (HLL)
With the development of computers, its languages also developed. After assembly language, came the use of High Level Language. High level languages can be used on any computer. Today, all the programs are written in high level languages. Many high level languages have been developed, according to the need, The high level languages have many advantages
Portable ⎼ program written in high level language can run on all machines without making changes.
Easily Readable ⎼ high level language program can be read easily than machine and assembly language.
Compiler
Compiler is a program, which rewrites the high level language program into machine language that can be understood by computer. A complied program is larger than the original high level language program. A compiler does its work at once.
Interprets
An Interpreter is a program that translate the high level language program into machine level language one line at a time, when program is running. It takes long time to execute but compiled program become smaller than the original.
Some High Level Languages
BASIC 𑁋 It stands for Beginners' All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. Easy to Know.
PROLOG 𑁋 It stands for programming in logic. It was developed in France in 1978. Prolog is very famous in Japan as it is adopted for fifth generation computer.
C 𑁋 C language was developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1970s. It is a several purpose structured programming language. Programs written in C are very portable.
C++ 𑁋 It is an Object-Oriented Programming language.
Pascal 𑁋 It is a high level language developed by Nickalus Wirth. It is a general purpose language.
JAVA 𑁋 James Gosling of Sun Micro system developed JAVA. It is an object-oriented programming language. It is used for Internet programming.
C# 𑁋 It is read as C sharp. It was developed by Microsoft. It is an object-oriented languages.
.NET 𑁋 It is develop by Microsoft as a language for Internet Age.
CORBA 𑁋 It stands for Common Object Request Broker Architecture.
4GL Language 𑁋 Fourth generation languages are called 4 GL. The SQL is a 4GL language.
