The different types of languages
There is a lot that can be done with computer programming, however not any language can do anything. There are limitations. Different languages are used for different tasks.
This lesson focuses on:
- Web languages
- Software application languages
- The different generations of languages
- Procedure oriented programming
- Object oriented programming
Web languages
Web languages are languages that are used for creating and editing web documents. Web languages can do anything from putting plain text on a webpage, to accessing and retrieving data from a database, and they vary greatly in terms of power and complexity.
A list of some web languages along with a short description of each:
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HTML
HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is the core language of the world wide web and is used to define the structure and layout of web documents by using various tags and attributes. Although a fundamental language of the web, HTML is a static language - content created with it does not change. HTML is used to specify the way webpages look, not how they function.
Learn more about HTML in our HTML section.
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XML
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. Just like HTML, it is designed for web documents, but unlike HTML, it allows for custom tags that are defined by programmers. Through the use of these custom tags, XML allows for the transmission of data between applications and organizations. XML was developed by the W3C.
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Javascript
A language developed by Netscape used to provide dynamic and interactive content on webpages. With Javascript it is possible to communicate with HTML, create animations, create calculators, validate forms, and more. Javascript is often confused with Java, but they are two different languages.
Learn more about Javascript in our Javascript section.
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VBScript
VBScript stands for Visual Basic Scripting Edition. VBScript is a scripting language developed by Microsoft that works only in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser and web browsers based on the Internet Explorer engine such as FlashPeak's Slim Browser. VBScript can be used to print dates, make calculations, interact with the user, and more. VBScript is based on Visual Basic , but it is much simpler.
Learn more about VBScript in our VBScript section.
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PHP
PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor (it is a recursive acronym). It is a powerful language used for many tasks such as data encryption, database access, and form validation. PHP was originally created in 1994 By Rasmus Lerdorf.
Learn more about PHP in our PHP section.
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Java
A powerful and flexible language created by Sun MicroSystems that can be used to create applets that run inside webpages. An applet is a program that is executed from within another program. Applets created by Java can be used for many tasks such as displaying graphics, getting input from the user, and playing sounds. Java is often confused with Javascript, but they are two different languages.
Learn more about Java in our Java section.
Software application languages
Software application languages are languages that are used for the purpose of creating executable programs. Software application languages can create anything from simple console programs that print some text to the screen to entire operating systems and they vary greatly in terms of power and complexity.
A list of some software application languages along with a short description of each:
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C
An advanced programming language used for software application development. C was originally developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in the 1970's and was originally designed to be a systems programming language but since then has proven itself to be able to be used for various software applications such as business programs, engineering programs, and even games. The UNIX operating system is written in C.
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C++
C++ is the descendant of the C language. The difference between the two languages is that C++ is object-oriented. C++ was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs and is a very popular language for graphical applications.
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Visual Basic
A language developed by Microsoft based on the BASIC language . Visual Basic is used for creating Windows applications. The VBScript language (also developed by Microsoft) is based on Visual Basic.
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Java
A high level, object-oriented, platform independent programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java can be used to write software applications as well as applets that run in web pages. Java is often confused with Javascript, but they are two different languages.
Learn more about Java in our Java section.
The different generations of languages
There are currently five generations of computer programming languages. In each generation, the languages syntax has become easier to understand and more human-readable.
A brief description of each generation and a demonstration of the evolution between each one:
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First generation languages (abbreviated as 1GL)
First generation languages signify the early, primitive computer languages. These languages consisted entirely of 1's and 0's - the actual language that the computer understands (machine language).
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Second generation languages (abbreviated as 2GL)
Second generation languages represent a step up from from the first generation languages that consisted entirely of 1's and 0's. Second generation languages allow for the use of symbolic names instead of just numbers. Second generation languages are known as assembly languages. Code written in an assembly language is converted into machine language (first generation language).
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Third generation languages (abbreviated as 3GL)
The third generation of computer programming introduced new languages whose syntax was much easier to understand. This was a step up from assembly language which only allowed for symbolic names and numbers. The third generation of computer programming allows for the use of words and commands instead of just symbols and numbers. Third generation languages are known as "high level languages" and include various languages such as C, C++, Java, and Javascript.
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Fourth generation languages (abbreviated as 4GL)
The fourth generation of computer programming paved the way for syntax that is very close to human language, closer to human language than any language of the previous generations. Fourth generation languages are typically used to access databases. Some fourth generation languages include SQL and ColdFusion.
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Fifth generation languages (abbreviated as 5GL)
Fifth generation languages are currently being used for artifical intelligence and neural networks. A nueral network is a form of artifical intelligence that attempts to imitate how the human mind works.
Procedure oriented programming
Procedure-oriented programming is a programming paradigm where a structured method of creating programs is used. With procedure-oriented programming, a problem is broken up into parts and each part is then broken up into further parts. All these parts are known as procedures. A main program centrally controls all these procedures.
Some procedure-oriented languages are COBOL, FORTRAN, and C.
Object oriented programming
Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm where data types of data structures are defined by the programmer as well as their properties and the things that can be done with them. With object-oriented programming, programmers can also create relationships between data structures and create new data types based on existing ones by inheriting characteristics from one data type to another.
In object-oriented programming, data types defined by the programmer are called classes. For example, if you were to create a data type that represents a vehicle - you could create a Vehicle class. Some of the properties of this class would be details about the vehicle such as model, year, color, and mileage. Some of the things that can be done with this class would include drive, reverse, open door, and park.
