Thread:Introduction to Programming (1)

Programming Language
 * Computer program is a set of computer instructions used to solve a problem.
 * Computer programmers write programs in programming language which have special rules and statements.
 * There are many different programming languages that have been developed.
 * There are FOUR classes/generations of programming languages.

- consist of 0s and 1s - lowest level of programming language - use of short codes to represent instructions eg (ADD, STO, SUB, ETC) - does not depend on the machine - programmer doesnot have to focus on the machine. He can pay attention on solving the problem - programs written in high level language uses English like statements and are easier to write example:pascal, basic, C, fortran, cobol etc.
 * First Generation or Machine Code/language
 * Second Generation/Assembly language
 * Third Generation/High Level Language:

- Uses English like statements like 2nd Generation. - Easier to write than any other generation. - User friendly messages and commands appear on the screen as icons. eg:- Visual Basic, Visual Fox Pro. - Use built-in function and wizards that make it easier to arrive a solution to the problem.
 * Fourth Generation Language (4GL)