Languages of computer

About computer languages

A programming language is an artificial language designed to express computations that can be performed by a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine, to express algorithms precisely, or as a mode of human communication. The earliest programming languages predate the invention of the computer, and were used to direct the behavior of machines such as Jacquard looms and player pianos. Thousands of different programming languages have been created, mainly in the computer field, with many more being created every year. Most programming languages describe computation in an imperative style, i.e., as a sequence of commands, although some languages, such as those that support functional programming or logic programming, use alternative forms of description. A programming language is usually split into the two components of syntax (form) and semantics and many programming languages have some kind of written specification of their syntax and/or semantics. Some languages are defined by a specification document, for example, the C programming language is specified by an ISO Standard, while other languages, such as Perl, have a dominant implementation that is used as a reference.

History of computer languages

Computer languages or programming languages were first developed thousands of years ago the first known algorithms are form 3000 BC to 1500 BC and were developed by Babylonians. Over the years, thousands of languages have been developed and implemented, most of which have made important contribution to the field of programming languages, Programming history can be divided into periods:

1 Languages of computer Apoorv Arora IX D

 1995-1965-The early languages 1965-1971-Development of ALGOL 1972 and after-Improvements in existing languages first developed thousands of years ago. The Early Languages 1954-FORTRAN: Designed for solving scientific problems. One of the earliest computer languages, FORTRAN (an acronym for Formula Translator) was designed to handle mathematical operations, originally on mainframe computers. FORTRAN was unable to handle text manipulations of any sort, could just barely place quoted text in its printed output. 1959-COBOL: Designed for use in business applications. The common Business Oriented Language, or COBOL, is almost the exact opposite of FORTRAN. COBOL was devised to permit programs to be written for business data processing applications, using English like statements. It is intended to handle business data records, so its mathematical capabilities are limited pretty much to dollars and cents, and percentages. 1960-ALGOL 60: Also designed for use in scientific problem solving but has features different from that of FORTRAN. This is another mathematically oriented language. ALGOL (Algorithm logic), does its work primarily in terms of numerical procedures called (surprise!) algorithms. Mid 1960s-BASIC: Its objective was to be easy for students to learn and use the interactive programming environment. BASIC, the beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, was the first interpreted language made available for general use. Its now in such widespread use that most people see and use this language before they deal with others. Pascal: Named after Blaise Pascal,

2 Languages of computer Apoorv Arora IX D