The Golden 80s

Machine Languages -The language of the CPU (The central processing unit of the computer, which does the "thinking"). The lowest level language, this is composed of 0's and 1's. Assembly Languages -Abbreviations for machine language High-Level Languages -Use program statements, words and algebra-type expressions. Developed in the 50's and 60's. After a program is written in one of the high-level languages, it must be either compiled or interpreted. A compiler program rewrites the program into language that the CPU can understand. A compiled program is generally considerably larger than the original. An interpreter program translates the program statements into machine language one line at a time when the program runs. An interpreted program will be smaller than a compiled one, but will take longer to execute. Fourth Generation Language (4GL)-Very high-level language. These are results oriented and include database query languages. There are fewer options for ...

The different levels of computer programming are: 1. First generation-Language the computer can obey instantly. In the form of 0's and 1's. The command tells the computer what to do and the operand tells the computer where to find and store the data. 2. Second generation-Also called Assembly language. In this language 0's and 1's are replaced by symbolic codes written by humans. This include mnemonic codes and symbolic addresses. The instructions are of 3 parts;Label or tag (symbols defined by coders), OP code (code that tells the computer what to do) and Operand (tells the computer where to store and locate information). 3. Third- Also called High-level languages-More procedure and problem solving oriented. Language is written using alphabets, numbers and special characters. Rules called Syntax is developed. Eg: C, Fortran, COBOL, Java. 4. Fourth-Non-procedural, Very High-Level language. Applications can bew created and information easily gathered. Eg: IBM's Que...