Generations of Programming Languages

Generations of Programming Languages

Generation Language / Type

1 Machine language

2 Assembly language

3 Imperative languages

4 Object oriented languages

5 Logic languages

Machine Language

Low level language 1s and 0s Complex and long-winded for programming High level of developer control

Ultimately everything is translated into machine language.

Assembly Language

Low level language. Shortened instructions. Needs thousands of instructions to perform

one useful task. Assembler program is needed to translate.

Imperative languages

High level language Must have some form of translation. Usually written for a specific area of use:

COBOL – business language BASIC – beginning programmer’s instruction code FORTRAN – scientists and engineers

Structured and sequential – logical sequence 3 control structures

Object Oriented & Event Driven Languages High level language. Object oriented languages organise coding

around objects. Specific characteristics: inheritance,

polymorphism, classes etc… Event driven – the event triggers the outcome

(eg: a click event). Non-proceduralExamples: VB.NET, C++

Logic Languages

High level language. Associated with Artificial Intelligence. Uses knowledge bases and expert systems. Less programmer control.

Example: Prolog

Choice of language:

Availability of programming translator program.

Cost of language translator and cost in time to create program.

Strengths and weaknesses of the programmer.

Suitability of approach. Ease of programming in that language. Future viability of the language.