Since computer science was recognized as a distinct academic field in the 1960s, it has made great strides especially in making things easier for humans. One of the problems it solved was the way the problems that needed to be addressed were translated into code or a format that computers could understand. There are many great and ingenious solutions used for such problems. Here is an introduction to computer programming that will give you a greater understanding of this exciting discipline.
In order to pass instructions to computers, programming languages are used. Designed by humans, these languages are based on what are called grammars and semantics. These days, a wide variety of languages are created, employed, and discarded.
Programming languages usually don’t last that long. They come out but after only a few years of staying in the industry you will feel that the language needs some improvement or that you need something that your language of choice can’t provide. It won’t be long until that particular language is replaced by a more flexible one.
Programming languages evolve because there is a constant search for efficient conversion of human language into machine code. Produced languages usually start with ideas that hide hardware and use representations that are most suitable for human programmers. Another critical aspect of language design is dealing with program complexity. As software has become larger and more refined, developers have realized that there are types of languages that are easier to support on large systems. Because of this, event-driven and object-oriented languages have become widely used.
Types of Programming Languages: An Overview
Due to the development of this field, there is no specific standard in the classification of programming languages. One way to characterize them is through the programming paradigm. These classifications include:
or object oriented
Object-oriented programming is not just the latest; It is also the most powerful among the models. In object-oriented programs, the designer refers to the data structures as well as the classes of operations that can be performed on them. The set of data and the operations that can be performed is called an object.
o procedural
Procedural programming includes a list of actions that a program needs to perform in order for it to achieve a certain goal. This is a simple model where the program is divided into a starting phase, a list of operations to be done, and an end phase. Also called imperative programming, procedural programming involves the idea of calling a procedure.
or organized
A unique type of procedural programming, structured programming offers additional tools that can be used to deal with problems produced by larger programs. In structured programming, the program is divided into small, easily understandable codes. Often, structured programming is associated with a top-down approach that begins with an overview of the system.
Computer programming languages are artificial and designed to manage computers. To come up with a new and better language, a developer needs to put in hard work and many hours of work. Through this introduction to computer programming, I became familiar with the different types of languages based on paradigms.