Integrative Programming and Technologies 1

1
Overview of Programming Languages

Module 01 Overview of Programming Languages

Course Learning Outcomes:

1. Apply fundamental programming concepts, using an object oriented
programming language, to solve substantial problems.
2. Understand basic types and the benefits of static typing for object oriented
programs.

Background

Computers can do such a wide variety of things because they can be programmed. This means that
computers are not designed to do just one job, but to do any job that their programs tell them to do. A
program is a set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task.

Two commonly used programs, Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop. Microsoft Word is a word
processing program that allows you to create, edit, and print documents with your computer. Adobe
Photoshop is an image editing program that allows you to work with graphic images, such as photos
taken with your digital camera.

Programs are commonly referred to as software. Software is essential to a computer because it

controls everything the computer does. All of the software that we use to make our computers useful
is created by individuals working as programmers or software developers.

A programmer, or software developer, is a person with the training and skills necessary to design,
create, and test computer programs. Computer programming is an exciting and rewarding career.
Today, you will find programmers’ work used in business, medicine, government, law enforcement,
agriculture, academics, entertainment, and many other fields.

Course Module
 Integrative Programming and Technologies 1
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Overview of Programming Languages

Computer Program
A program is a set of instructions following the rules of the chosen language. Without programs,
computers are useless. A program is like a recipe. It contains a list of ingredients (called variables)
and a list of directions (called statements) that tell the computer what to do with the variables.

Programs are usually stored on a secondary storage device such as a disk drive. When you install a
program on your computer, the program is typically copied to your computer’s disk drive from a
CD-ROM, or perhaps downloaded from a website. Although a program can be stored on a secondary
storage device such as a disk drive, it has to be copied into main memory, or RAM, each time the CPU
executes it. For example, suppose you have a word processing program on your computer’s disk. To
execute the program you use the mouse to double-click the program’s icon. This causes the program
to be copied from the disk into main memory. Then, the computer’s CPU executes the copy of the
program that is in main memory.

Programming Language

A vocabulary and set of grammatical rules (syntax) for instructing a computer to perform specific
tasks. Programming languages can be used to create computer programs. The term programming
language usually refers to high-level languages, such as BASIC, C, C++, COBOL, FORTRAN, Ada, and
Pascal.
You eventually need to convert your program into machine language so that the computer can
understand it. There are two ways to do this: Compile the program and interpret the program.
Compile is to transform a program written in a high level programming language from source code
into object code. This can be done by using a tool called compiler. A compiler reads the whole source
code and translates it into a complete machine code program to perform the required tasks which
is output as a new file.
Interpreter is a program that executes instructions written in a high-level language. An interpreter
reads the source code one instruction or line at a time, converts this line into machine code and
executes it.

Computer Programming
Computer programming is the process of writing, testing, debugging/troubleshooting, and
maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in a programming
language like C++, JAVA, Perl etc.

Course Module
 Integrative Programming and Technologies 1
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Overview of Programming Languages

Computer Programmer
A programmer is someone who writes computer program. Computer programmers write, test, and
maintain programs or software that tell the computer what to do.

What Skills are Required to Become a Programmer?

Programming - Writing computer programs for various purposes.

Writing - Communicating effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the
audience.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related
documents.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different
approaches.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of electric circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer
hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Mathematics - Knowledge of numbers, their operations, and interrelationships including
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will
understand.

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Hennefeld, J., Baker L.. (2016). Using C++: An Introduction to Programming (2nd edition)
Brooks/Cole: Thomson Learning Inc.

2. Johnson, Richard. (2017). An Introduction to Java Programming and Object-Oriented

Application Development, 1st Edition. Cengage Learning

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. https://ftms.edu.my/v2/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/PROG0101_CH02.pdf
2. https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/0/3/2/1/0321537114.pdf

Online Instructional Videos

1. C Programming Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CpG3oATGIs

Course Module