A BRIEF HISTORY OF

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Jones Apawu
Department of Maths Education
University of Education, Winneba
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 Why Programming
Languages
• In order for computers to accept
commands from humans and
perform tasks vital to productivity
and e-commerce, a means of
communication must exist.
Programming languages provide
this necessary link between man
and machine. ICTD 121 2
 What is programming
language?
• A programming language is a set
of written words, symbols, and
codes, with a strict set of usage
rules called the language syntax,
that a developer uses to
communicate instructions to a
computer.
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 TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
Hierarchy of programming Languages
• Basically, programming languages can be
classified as low-level and high-level
languages.
• A low-level language is a programming
language that provides little or no
abstraction of programming concepts and
is very close to writing actual machine
instructions.
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 TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
Hierarchy of programming Languages
• Low-level languages are considered to be closer
to computers. In other words, their prime
function is to operate, manage and manipulate
the computing hardware and components.
Programs and applications written in a low-
level language are directly executable on the
computing hardware without any
interpretation or translation.
• Two good examples of low-level languages are
machine language and assembly language.
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 TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
Hierarchy of programming Languages
• Machine language, which is referred to as
a first generation programming language,
is used to communicate directly with the
computer and uses 0s and 1s to
communicate with the computer.
• Lying between machine language and
high-level languages is assembly
languages.
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 TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
Hierarchy of programming Languages
• Assembly language uses the same
instructions and structure as machine
language but the programmer is able to
use meaningful names or abbreviations
instead of numbers.
• Assembly language is similar to machine
language, but it is much easier to program
in because it allows a programmer to
substitute names for numbers.
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 TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
Hierarchy of programming Languages
• Machine language consists of
numbers only.
• Assembly language is referred to as a
second generation programming
language.
• An assembler translates assembly
language into machine code.
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 TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
Hierarchy of programming Languages
• High-level programming languages,
are often referred to as third
generation programming languages
(3GL) and were first developed in the
late 1950s.
• High-level programming languages
have English-like instructions and are
easier to use than machine language.
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 TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
Hierarchy of programming Languages
• High-level programming languages,
while simple compared to human
languages, are more complex than
the language the computer actually
understands, called
• machine language

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 TYPES OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
Hierarchy of programming Languages
• Languages such as C, C++, BASIC (Beginners
All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code),
ALGOL (ALGorithmic Oriented Language,
released in the 1960s), COBOL (COmmon
Business-Orientated Language, the initial
specifications being released in April 1960),
Java etc. are all high-level languages.

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 Other HLLs
• FORTRAN
• Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual
Foxpro, Visual J++/Java
• Scala, F#, Clojure and Lisp (LISt
Processing).
• Java, C# and C++, object Pascal,
Smalltalk, Simula, Ada, Eiffel
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 Note
• Regardless of what language you
use, 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
• interpret the program
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 Compiler
• A compiler is a program that
converts an entire program into
machine code before the
program is executed.

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 Interpreter
• An interpreter program executes other
programs directly, running through
program code and executing it line-by-
line.
• As it analyses every line, an interpreter
is slower than running compiled code
but it can take less time to interpret
program code than to compile and then
run it ICTD 121 15
 4GL
• Lying above high-level languages are
languages called fourth-generation
languages (usually abbreviated 4GL). 4GLs
are far removed from machine languages
and represent the class of computer
languages closest to human languages.
• A fourth generation language is designed
with making problems in a specific domain
simple to implement.
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 4GL
• Some examples include: SQL (Structured
Query Language), SAS (Statistical Analysis
System), R, MATLAB's GUIDE, ColdFusion
(Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid
web application development platform
created by JJ Allaire in 1995. The
programming language used with that
platform is also commonly called
ColdFusion), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets),
etc. ICTD 121 17
 5GL
• Many researchers speak of 5GL
languages as constraint systems. The
programmer inputs a set of logical
constraints, with no specified algorithm,
and the AI (Artificiconstraint systemsal
Intelligence)-based compiler builds the
program based on these constraints.
Some examples include: Prolog
(Programming in Logic), Mercury, etc.
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 The Best Programming Language
• The question of which language is best is one that
consumes a lot of time and energy among
computer professionals. Every language has its
strengths and weaknesses. For example, FORTRAN
is a particularly good language for processing
numerical data, but it does not lend itself very
well to organizing large programs. Pascal is very
good for writing well-structured and readable
programs, but it is not as flexible as the C
programming language. C++ embodies powerful
object-oriented features, but it is complex and
difficult to learn. ICTD 121 19
 The Best Programming Language
• The choice of which language to use
depends on the type of computer the
program is to run on, what sort of
program it is, and the expertise of the
programmer.

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 Some Factors to be Considered in
Selecting a Programming Language
• Nature of the task on hand
• Company policy
• Availability of the language
• Availability of trained staff
• Reliability
• Development and maintenance cost
• etc.
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 PROGRAMMING
What is programming?
• Computer programming (often shortened to
programming or coding) is the process of writing,
testing, debugging/troubleshooting, and
maintaining the source code of computer
program.
• It can also be the act of writing computer
programs, which are a sequence of instructions
written using a Computer Programming Language
to perform a specified task by the computer.
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 PROGRAMMING
Getting Started/Choosing a Language
• Many people think they must choose a
specific programming language in order
to become a programmer, believing that
they can only do that language. They
ask themselves, "Should I be a C
programmer or a Java programmer?
That's completely the wrong question.
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 PROGRAMMING
Getting Started/Choosing a Language
• The right question is "How can I become a
good programmer?" It is not necessary to
master many different languages or even
more than one – a programmer could excel
in one language and have only a vague
working idea how to program others. It is
useful to know many different methods for
solving computer problems, also known as
algorithms. ICTD 121 24
 PROGRAMMING
Getting Started/Choosing a Language
• Different languages tend to be used to
create different types of programs, however,
so choose a language that you feel is
relevant to what you want to do. If you
decide that a language does not suit your
needs, you can always move on to a new
language.

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 Why learn Computer Programming?
• Programming teaches you how to solve problems
• You may not be programming, but knowing a little
bit about Programming will help you work with
people who do.
• Programmers make lots of money.
• Programming really is fun.
• Programming is very intellectually rewarding.
• Learning Programming teaches you real life
lessons.
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A computer is a tool for solving
problems with information,
hence writing a program
without knowing what
problem one is trying to solve
is the equivalent of swinging a
knife without knowing what it
is that one wants to cut.
 PROGRAM
What is a program?
A program is a set of step-by-step instructions
that directs the computer to do the tasks you
want it to do and produce the results you
want.
Computer program also known as an app,
application, software application or software
program is the most common software on the
computer that performs a special function or
task. ICTD 121 28
 Apps Vs. Program
• When Apple introduced the iPhone they
popularized the term 'App,' but an app
(application) and program are really the same
thing. Today, most people think of an 'app' as an
application on an Apple computer or a program
on a smartphone or tablet and a program as
something that runs on a computer.
• With all the different ways companies and people
use these terms it is best to think of an
application, app, and program as the same things.
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 Some Examples of Computer
Programs
• There are millions of different programs
available for computers, phones, and other
devices today.

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Some Examples of Computer
Programs

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 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE
• Software development life cycle (SDLC) is a
process that consists of a series of planned
activities to develop or alter the Software
Products. Also, program development life
cycle is a set of phases and steps that are
followed by developers to design, create,
and maintain a computer program.
• The phases of the program development life
cycle are:
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 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE
• Gather and Analyze the Program Requirements
— The developer must obtain the information
that identifies the program requirements and then
document these requirements.
• Design the User Interface — After the developer
understands the program requirements, the next
step is to design the user interface. The user
interface provides the framework for the
processing that will occur within the program.

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 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE
• Design the Program Processing Objects
— A computer program consists of one
or more processing objects that perform
the tasks required within the program.
The developer must determine what
processing objects are required, and
then determine the requirements of
each object.
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 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE
• Code the Program — After the
processing object has been designed,
the object must be implemented in
program code. Program code consists of
the instructions written using a
programming language such as Visual
Basic that ultimately can be executed by
a computer.
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 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE
• Test the Program — As the program is
being coded, and after the coding is
completed, the developer should test
the program code to ensure it is
executing properly. The testing process
is ongoing, and includes a variety of
stages.

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 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE
• Document the Program/System — As a
program is being designed and coded, and
after that process is completed, the
developer should be documenting the
program. Documenting a program means
writing down in a prescribed manner the
instructions for using the program, the way
in which a program performs its tasks, and
other items that users, other developers,
and management might require.
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 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE
• Maintain the Program/System— After a
program is put into use, the program
likely will have to be changed, or
modified, sometime in the future. The
process of changing and updating
programs is called program and system
maintenance.

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 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE
• The program development life cycle
rarely is accomplished in a linear
fashion, with one phase complete
before the next phase starts. Rather,
programs are developed iteratively,
which means phases and steps within
phases might have to be repeated a
number of times before the program is
completed. ICTD 121 39
 Flowchart
• It is a chart that graphically presents
the detailed series of steps needed
to solve a programming problem.
The flowchart uses standard
symbols called ANSI (American
National Standards Institute)
symbols.
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Flowchart For Cash Register

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Flowchart

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 Flowchart
Common Flowchart Symbols

Terminator. Shows the starting and ending points of the program. A terminator has
flowlines in only one direction, either in (a stop node) or out (a start node).

Data Input or Output. Allows the user to inputdata and results to be displayed.

Processing. Indicates an operation performed by the computer, such as a variable

assignment or mathematical operation.

Decision. The diamond indicates a decision structure. A diamond always has two
flowlines out. One flowlineout is labeled the “yes” branch and the other is labeled the
“no” branch.

Predefined Process. One statement denotes a group of previously defined statements.

For instance, “Calculate m!” indicates that the program executes the necessary commands
to compute m factorial.

Connector. Connectors avoid crossing flowlines, making the flowchart easier to read.
Connectors indicate where flowlines are connected. Connectors come in pairs, one with
a flowline in and the other with a flowline out.

Off-page connector. Even fairly small programs can have flowcharts that extend several
pages. The off-page connector indicates the continuation of the flowchart on another
page. Just like connectors, off-page connectors come in pairs.

Flowline. Flowlines connect the flowchart symbols and show the sequence of operations
during the program execution.

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 Pseudocode
• It is a method of designing a
program, using English – like
statements to describe the logic and
processing flow. Pseudocode is
written in the programmer’s native
language and concentrates on the
logic in a program -not the syntax of
a programming language.
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 Pseudocode
• sum=0
• While More items do
• Input price
• sum=sum+price
• End While
• vat=sum x 0.25
• total=sum+vat
• Output sum, vat, total
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