SUMMARISED CSC 300

Programming Language – A programming Language can be defined as a language that is used to control the behaviours of electronic devices particularly computers. In a nutshell, a programming language is a language used to write computer programs.  A computer program is a set or series of instructions given to the computer by the programmer in a language understood by it to perform an operation.

TYPES OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Basically, there are three major types of programming languages namely:

1.                 Machine Language

2.                 Assembly Language

3.                 High Level Language

Machine Language:- Machine Language is the natural language of computer.  It uses the binary system written in series of zeros and one (0s and 1s) for all calculations and processes.

Assembly Language:- Assembly Language is a programming Language written in mnemonics or symbols to represent operations.  It uses op codes and operands, even then the language was too cumbersome and gave way to high level language.

High Level Languages:- High Level Languages are closed to English Language and are English readable.  They are easily understood, written and debugged by the programmer.  High Level Languages are broadly classified into two namely: problem oriented and procedure oriented languages.

Problem oriented languages handles problems specifically; they are designed to facilitate accurate expression of problems belonging to specific set of problem types e.g. BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, PASCAL, PILOT etc.  Procedure oriented languages are applications that uses parallel processing.  They restricts the programmer to follow certain predefined path from step one to step two sequentially.  They can also be called TACPOL (Tactical Procedure Oriented Languages).  Examples are algorithmic (ALGO),Mark IV and RPG (Report Program Generator) etc.

BASIC PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

BASIC stands for Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction’s Codes.  BASIC is a family of high level languages which was developed by Dr. John George Kemeny and Dr. Thomas Eugene Kurtz at Dart Moth College USA in the early 1960s as a simple computer programming language for beginners.  Their aim was to make the language easy for students to learn computer programming.

There are several versions of BASIC e.g. GWBASIC, QBASIC, Turbo BASIC, Visual BASIC etc.  the initials “GW” was named after Greg Whitten an early Microsoft employee who developed the standards in the Microsoft BASIC compiler line.

ADVANTAGES OF BASIC

1.                 The most striking feature of BASIC is its simplicity. It is easy to learn, understand and write.

2.                 Is instructive and interactive

3.                 It is applicable to both numeric and alpha numeric data processing

4.                 It allows the use of iterations (loops)

5.                 it allows the use of structure programming.

However, BASIC lacks some in capabilities and sometimes makes it impossible to write and handle complex programs.

ALGORITHM AND FLOWCHART

An algorithm is an English-Like step by step representation of the sequence needed in solving a given programming problem. 

While a flowchart is the diagrammatic or graphical representation of the steps in solving a given programming problem.