- Since the invention of the computer, people have needed to learn how to communicate with them using programming languages
- Early computers were complex and instructions would have to be in written in binary code, 0s and 1s
- This process was slow, taking days to program simple tasks
- Over time, new generations of programming languages have enabled people to become faster and more efficient at writing programs as they resemble human language
- Generations of programming languages can be split in to two categories:
- Low-level
- First generation
- Second generation
- High-level
- Third generation
- Low-level
Levels of Programming Languages (AQA GCSE Computer Science)
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Low-Level Languages
What is a low-level language?
- A low-level language is a programming language that directly translates to machine code understood by the processor
- Low-level languages allow direct control over hardware components such as memory and registers
- These languages are written for specific processors to ensure they embed the correct machine architecture
First generation
- Machine code is a first-generation language
- Instructions are directly executable by the processor
- Written in binary code
Second generation
- Assembly code is a second-generation language
- The code is written using mnemonics, abbreviated text commands such as LDA (Load), STA(Store)
- Using this language programmers can write human-readable programs that correspond almost exactly to machine code
- One assembly language instruction translates to one machine code instruction
- Needs to be translated into machine code for the computer to be able to execute it
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Complete control over the system components |
Difficult to write and understand |
Occupy less memory and execute faster |
Machine dependent |
Direct manipulation of hardware |
More prone to errors |
Knowledge of computer architecture is key to program effectively |
High-Level Languages
What is a high-level programming language?
- A high-level programming language uses English-like statements to allow users to program with easy to use code
- Most computer programs are now written in high-level languages
- High-level languages allow for clear debugging and once programs are created they are easier to maintain
- High level languages were needed due to the development of processor speeds and the increase in memory capacity
- One instruction translates into many machine code instructions
- Needs to be translated into machine code for the computer to be able to execute it
- Examples of high-level languages include:
- Python
- Java
- Basic
- C+
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Easier to read and write |
The user is not able to directly manipulate the hardware |
Easier to debug |
Needs to be translated to machine code before running |
Portable so can be used on any computer |
The program may be less efficient |
One line of code can perform multiple commands |
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