Computer Languages

Language :
To communicate with someone, we need to use a language that they understand. Similarly, to communicate
with a computer, we need a language that it understands.
To perform any task on the computer we must give instructions in a language that is understandable by the
computer, and for this we use programs.
Programs :
A program is a set of instructions that tells the computer what to do.
Programming :
The process of writing specific instructions in a computer language is called Programming.
Each programming language has its own specific rules to write instructions, known as syntax.
The development of computer languages has been classified into four categories.
Computer Languages
● Machine Language (First Generation)
● Assembly Language (Second Generation)
● High-level Language (Third Generation)
● Fourth Generation Language
Machine Language (First Generation) :
Machine language is the only language that is understood by computers. It is a collection of binary digits 0 or 1
or bits that the computer reads and interprets. It is also called Machine Code, Object Code, or Binary
Language.
Each personal computer has a microprocessor that manages the computer’s arithmetical, logical, and control
activities. Each family of processors has its own set of instructions for handling various operations such as
getting input from the keyboard, displaying information on screen and performing various other jobs. These
sets of instructions are called “Machine language instructions”.
A processor understands only machine language instructions, which are strings of 1’s and 0’s where 0
represents “OFF” state and 1 represents “ON” state.
Machine language comes under the categories of Low-Level Language because the programs written in
machine language are machine dependent.
Advantage of Machine Language -
● The only advantage is that Machine language gets processed at a very high speed and with low
memory utilisation.
Disadvantage of Machine Language -
● A machine language program written for a computer may or may not run on another computer.
● It is very difficult to write and debug programs written in machine language.
● Programming in this language can only be done by specialised people.
Since machine language is too obscure and complex for use in software development. So, the low-Level
assembly language is designed for a specific family of processors.
Assembly Language (Second Generation) :
A second generation programming language is also known as an assembly language. A second-generation
language uses alphabet letters, so programming is technically easier than just using complex series of zeros
and ones. Second-generation languages offer various assembly mnemonics, which makes it easier for
programmers to remember the codes. Assembly language contains human-readable notations that can be
further converted to machine language using an assembler.
Assembler : Since a computer can only understand machine language, assembly language programs have to
be converted to machine language. Translator programs known as Assemblers were developed to convert the
assembly language programs into machine language.
Advantage of Assembly Language -
● It requires less memory and execution time
● It allows hardware-specific complex jobs in an easier way.
Disadvantage of Assembly Language -
● Like machine language, assembly language is also machine dependent
● Programing in this language is quite time-consuming
● Assembler is required
A program written in assembly language is called the Source Program
The program converted into machine language by the assembler is called the Object Program or Object Code.
High-level Language (Third Generation) :
A high-level language is a programming language that enables a programmer to write programs that are
simple, easily understandable, more user-friendly, and machine independent.
Examples :- Basic, C, C++, Python, Java, etc.
High-level language programs need to be translated into machine language using the Translator programs.
There are two types of translator programs - 1 - Interpreter
2 - Compiler
Interpreter -
An Interpreter translates a program written in high-level language into a low-level language program,
line-by-line.
It executes one instruction at a time. In case any error is found, it has to be removed immediately, so that the
next instruction can be processed, and the execution can continue.
Since the converted code is not stored anywhere, Every time it has to be generated at the time of execution.
The programs using interpreters are slow in their execution speed.
Compiler -
A Compiler translates a program written in high-level language into a low-level language program, whole
program at once.
It generates the object code for the program along with the list of errors.
Since the object code is saved, the Source program does not have to be compiled each time before it is
executed.
The execution speed of a compiler is faster as compared to an interpreter.
Fourth Generation Language :
Fourth generation languages (4GL) are more like human languages.
Non-procedural languages such as SQL, Oracle, postscript, Informix are some examples of 4GL.
These languages are machine independent and have a very high speed of execution.
4GL is designed to reduce the level of programming efforts and the overall time it takes to develop software.
Hence it helps in reducing the software cost as well.
In 4GL the user specifies only the output they want, while the computer determines the sequence of
instructions that will achieve those results.