Evolution and History of Programming Languages

To build programs, people use languages that are similar to human language.  The results are translated into machine code, which computers understand.

Programming languages fall into three broad categories:

•         Machine languages

•          Assembly languages

•          Higher-level languages

The Evolution of Programming Languages -

Machine Languages

•         Machine languages (first-generation languages) are the most basic type of computer languages, consisting of strings of numbers the computer's hardware can use.

•         Different types of hardware use different machine code.  For example, IBM computers use different machine language than Apple computers.

The Evolution of Programming Languages - Assembly Languages

•         Assembly languages (second-generation languages) are only somewhat easier to work with than machine languages.

•         To create programs in assembly language, developers use cryptic English-like phrases to represent strings of numbers.

•         The code is then translated into object code, using a translator called an assembler.

The Evolution of Programming Languages -
Higher-Level Languages

Higher-level languages are more powerful than assembly language and allow the programmer to work in a more English-like environment.

Higher-level programming languages are divided into three "generations," each more powerful than the      last:

•         Third-generation languages

•         Fourth-generation languages

•         Fifth-generation languages

Higher-Level Languages -
Fourth-Generation Languages

•         Fourth-generation languages (4GLs) are even easier to use than 3GLs.

•         4GLs may use a text-based environment (like a 3GL) or may allow the programmer to work in a visual environment, using graphical tools.

•         The following languages are 4GLs:

o   Visual Basic (VB)

o   VisualAge

o   Authoring environments                          

Higher-Level Languages -
Fifth-Generation Languages

•         Fifth-generation languages (5GLs) are an issue of debate in the programming community – some programmers            cannot agree that they even exist.

•         These high-level languages would use artificial intelligence to create software, making 5GLs extremely difficult to develop.

•         Solve problems using constraints rather than algorithms, used in Artificial Intelligence


Programing Languages by category 


Interpreted Programing Language:
Interpreted languages are programming in which programs may be executed from source code form, by an interpreter.

•      Ant
•      APL
•      J
•      Lisp  
•      Lush
•      MUMPS (an ANSI standard general purpose language
•      Python
•      S-Lang
•      VBScript
•      Windows PowerShell (Microsoft .NET-based CLI)

Procedural Programing Languages
Procedural programming languages are based on the concept of the unit and scope (the data viewing range of an executable code.

•      Alma-0
•      BASIC (BASICs are innocent of most modularity in (especially) versions before about 1990)
•      C
•      C++
•      C#
•      COBOL
•      Combined Programming Language (CPL)
•      D
•      DASL
  
•      Eiffel
•      Fortran  
•      Java
•      Pascal 
•      RPG

Scripting Programing Languages

•      AppleScript
•      ColdFusion
•      Javascript
•      F-Script
•      Frink
•      Game Maker Language (GML)
•      JASS
•      MAXScript
•      Perl
•      PHP (intended for Web servers)
•      R
•      S-Lang