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Machine Language (First Generation Languages)
Before computers were even built, Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) made the first notes on how to control a mechanical computer. She is considered to be the first programmer. This analytical computer was designed by Charles Babbage (1791-1871) and was not implemented until 1991. He also designed a printer, implemented in 2000, an astonishingly complex device for the 19th century. His computer led to more complex designs. Alan Turing (1912-1954) designed a theoretical computer which allows us to explai -
High Level Languages (Third Generation Languages)
Improves on second generation by making a language architecture independent, i.e. no longer tailored to the processor or environment, which requires a compiler to make machine code for the CPU. Some, like Java, make use of an intermediate code which is run by a virtual machine, reaching further architecture independence. In such a case, only the virtual machine needs to be run by something that is architecture specific. Early language examples: Algol, Cobol (business), Fortran (scientific) -
Assembler Languages (Second Generation Languages)
Improves on first generation by providing code as human readable source code with logically structures. The source code must be assembled into machine code before it can be executed by a CPU. This assembly step is done by an assembler.
Such languages are sometimes still used for kernels and device drivers, i.e. the core of the operating system and for specific machine parts. More often, such languages are used in areas of intense processing, like graphics programming, -
Object-Oriented Programming Languages (Fourth GenerationLanguages)
These languages use brief statements for instructions (that are
more like English) and arithmetic notation for expressions.
Examples: COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language)
and FORTRAN (Formula Translation) are examples of high-
level languages that are already out of date, and more recent
languages such as Pascal or the language C. Each statement
in the langua -
Database Oriented Languages (Fifth Generation Languages)
They are significantly closer to English and utilization database access offices. Case in point, Structured Query Language is regularly used to perform database inquiries and controls. A SQL inquiry to acquire a rundown of GPA's that surpass 3.5 may be composed as: SELECT LAST_NAME, FIRST_NAME FROM STUDENT WHERE GPA > 3.5
