Programming language - Revision history

Cazle: added category

2024-03-29T05:31:31Z

added category

Eac: /* Assorted Languages */

2022-08-13T21:50:07Z

Assorted Languages

Eac: /* Imperative programming */

2022-08-13T21:48:41Z

Imperative programming

Eac: /* Data Types */

2021-03-27T19:38:11Z

Data Types

Eac: Minor clarification

2021-03-26T05:43:52Z

Minor clarification

Eac: Slight layout change

2021-03-25T07:06:17Z

Slight layout change

Eac: /* Programming Concepts */

2021-03-25T07:03:47Z

Programming Concepts

Eac: Removed stray character

2021-03-25T06:41:26Z

Removed stray character

Eac: Added comparison source code

2021-03-25T06:33:34Z

Added comparison source code

DavidB4: sp

2021-03-25T05:40:29Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:31, March 29, 2024
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	[[Category:Information Technology]]		[[Category:Information Technology]]
	[[Category:Computer Science]]		[[Category:Computer Science]]
		+	[[Category:Programming Languages\|*]]

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 :[[FORTRAN]] showed that a useful high-level language was possible.
-:[[COBOL]] provided a language especially for business use.
+:[[Cobol|COBOL]] provided a language especially for business use.
-:[[LISP]] provided a language suitable for symbol processing.
+:[[Lisp|LISP]] provided a language suitable for symbol processing.
 :Algol 60 was the first block-structured language and set a new standard in language definition (Backus-Naur form).
 ::Algol 60 was described by Edsger Dijkstra, as "a great improvement on many of its successors".

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 ====Imperative programming====
-This is the most common type of programming language, and many of the other paradigms are derived from or build on this. When using an imperative language, the programmer is responsible for giving precise instructions as to exactly what has to be done and in what order. Note that some programs, such as games, may have a random element included so that the results of a program are not necessarily predictable.
+Also known as '''Procedural Programming''', this is the most common type of programming language, and many of the other paradigms are derived from or build on this. When using an imperative language, the programmer is responsible for giving precise instructions as to exactly what has to be done and in what order. Note that some programs, such as games, may have a random element included so that the results of a program are not necessarily predictable.
 Early high-level programming languages were often intended for use in a particular problem domain:

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 ===Data Types===
-[[Data type|Data types]] indicate both how much data is stored as well as how that data can be processed and represented.  Some languages (such as [[PHP]]) are typeless, indicating that variables can store any type of data.  Other languages (such as [[C++]]) are strictly typed, indicating that each variable can only store data of a given type.
+[[Data type|Data types]] indicate both how much data is stored as well as how that data can be processed and represented.  Some languages (such as [[Python (programming language)|Python]]) are typeless, indicating that variables can store any type of data.  Some (such as [[PHP]]) are loosely typed, which means that variables can be given a defined type, but this is not always strictly enforced. Other languages (such as [[C++]]) are strictly typed, indicating that each variable can only store data of a given type.
 ===Literals===

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 ====Imperative programming====
-This is the most common type of programming language, and many of the other paradigms are derived from or build on this. When using an imperative language, the programmer is responsible for giving precise instructions as to exactly what has to be done and in what order. Note that some programs may have a random element included so that the results of a program are not necessarily predictable.
+This is the most common type of programming language, and many of the other paradigms are derived from or build on this. When using an imperative language, the programmer is responsible for giving precise instructions as to exactly what has to be done and in what order. Note that some programs, such as games, may have a random element included so that the results of a program are not necessarily predictable.
 Early high-level programming languages were often intended for use in a particular problem domain:

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 :[[C]] showed that operating systems and compilers could be written in a high-level language.
-==Programming Concepts==
+==Basic Programming Concepts==
 Certain concepts and constructs are common to most, if not all, programming languages.  The exact syntax and semantics will vary from language to language, but the basic concepts remain the same.  All languages support reserved keywords which define the vocabulary of the language.  Identifiers are user-specified words that can be used to name variables, functions, constants, and more.
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 ===Pragmas/Directives===
 Pragmas (aka directives) provide a way of changing options associated with a compiler.  For instance, a pragma may alter the memory alignment of data.  Conditional compilation is also provided by directives that enable or disable the inclusion of code depending upon external conditions (such as the platform that the program is being compiled upon).
 ===Synchronous vs. Asynchronous===

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 In Pascal:
 <pre>
-     P := pos( HT, S ) + 1 ;
+     P := Pos( HT, S ) + 1 ;
      while( S[ P ] <> HT ) do inc( P ) ;
 </pre>
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      mov edx,[ebp-8]
      cmp byte ptr [eax+edx-1],9
-     jnz loop:
+     jnz loop
 </pre>

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 ==Low-level vs High-level==
 Programming languages can be categorized by whether they are low-level or high-level.  They can also be referred to by "generation".  1st-generation languages are the machine code of the [[CPU]].  2nd-generation languages are the assembly languages.  3rd-generation languages are what most programmers use in the modern world and include such things as BASIC, C++, Pascal, and PHP.  4th-generation languages are domain-specific and offer productivity gains for programmers in those domains, but their narrow focus makes them unsuitable for solving problems outside of their specific domain.  1st- and 2nd-generation languages are categorized as low-level, while 3rd- and 4th-generation are categorized as high-level.  Each generation abstracts the programming concepts further away from the hardware that runs the program.  However, concepts and capabilities often cross these generational boundaries over time.
 ===Low-level languages===

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 The meaning or [[semantics]] of any particular construct in a programming language is most commonly described in fairly precise English.  Several unsuccessful attempts have been made to find a useful and formal way of describing the semantics.
-The more important programming languages have an internationally agreed official standard (ISO is the international standards organisation, ANSI is the standards body in the United States). In theory, programs which conform to the relevant standard should be usable on most types of computer; this works in practice most of the time, provided that the programmers have been careful to avoid machine dependencies. Such agreed standards are usually revised every 5 to 15 years, often with new features being added, and sometimes with old features being either removed or marked as obsolete.
+The more important programming languages have an internationally agreed official standard (ISO is the international standards organization, ANSI is the standards body in the United States). In theory, programs which conform to the relevant standard should be usable on most types of computer; this works in practice most of the time, provided that the programmers have been careful to avoid machine dependencies. Such agreed standards are usually revised every 5 to 15 years, often with new features being added, and sometimes with old features being either removed or marked as obsolete.
 Very few programmers learn a programming language directly from the formal definition, which exists primarily as a reference which can be consulted in cases of doubt.  There are usually plenty of books and training courses for the more common programming languages.