Programming

1. What is a computer program -a computer program is a sequence of instrunctions written to perform a specified task for a computer

2. Computer Languages

is an artificial language designed to express computations that can be performed by a machine, particulary a computer.

3. Generations of programming languages

First-generation language

is the lowest level computer language. Information is conveyed to the computer by the programmer as binary instructions. Binary instructions are the equivalent of the on/off signals used by computers to carry out operations.

Second-generation Language Assembly or assembler language was the second generation of computer language. By the late 1950s, this language had become popular. Assembly language consists of letters of the alphabet. This makes programming much easier than trying to program a series of zeros and ones.

Third-generation Language The introduction of the compiler in 1952 spurred the development of third-generation computer languages. These languages enable a programmer to create program files using commands that are similar to spoken English. Third-level computer languages have become the major means of communication between the digital computer and its user.

Fourth generation languages attempt to make communicating with computers as much like the processes of thinking

Computer Languages - Fourth-generation Language

Fourth-generation languages attempt to make communicating with computers as much like the processes of thinking and talking to other people as possible. The problem is that the computer still only understands zeros and ones, so a compiler and interpreter must still convert the source code into the machine code that the computer can understand.