History of Programming Languages

Programming languages have undergone a remarkable evolution since the inception of computing. From the rudimentary binary code to the sophisticated high-level languages of today, each stage in this journey has contributed to making software development more accessible and efficient. Let’s delve into the history and development of programming languages.

Low Level languages

Machine Language or Binary Language

• Consists of 0s and 1s.
• Computers can only understand binary.
  • Unambiguous and simple.
  • Difficult for humans to read and understand.
  • Not suitable for representing complex data structures.
  • Machine-dependent due to differences in code architecture.

Assembly Language

• Uses mnemonics like ADD, SUB, MUL.
• Operands are represented in binaries.
• Language translators (Assemblers) were built to make computers understand mnemonics.
• Assembly language is translated into machine language by an assembler.

High Level languages

• Resemble English.
• Examples: BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, etc.
• Can’t be understood by computers directly, hence language translators are needed.
  • Compiler
  • Interpreter

High-Level Languages ➡️ Character User Interface

Fourth Generation languages

• Aimed to have minimum input and maximum output.
• Examples: Visual Basic (VB), SQL, etc.
• Time is saved because of shorter input, but it takes more memory, making it less efficient than High-Level Languages.

Fifth Generation Languages

• Designed for AI.
• Examples: LISP, PROLOG.