Programming Languages
Programming languages are fundemental tools that enable developers communicate with computers. Consisting of a set of instruction and syntaxes used to write software to perform specific tasks in order to solve problems. It is the backbone of software development, allowing developers to create application, control and manage data.
What is it?
Is a formal language comprising of a set of instructions that produce various kinds of outputs. They are used to implement algorithms and control the behaviour of machines by simplying binary code to a set of commands. They are designed to be read and written by developers, which the set of commands is then translate into machine code that is executed by the computer.
Programming Languages have syntax rules that define the structure of programs and semantics. Languages can be high-level, providing abstractions from the hardware, or low-level, offering a minimal abstraction from the computer’s instruction set architecture.
Use of Programming Languages
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Web Development
- HTML, CSS, Javascript, and PHP
- Used for Developing website and web related applications such as HTML or javascript video-games.
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Software Development
- Java, C++, Python, C#, C, etc
- Used to build software ranging from desktop applications to enterprise systems.
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Mobile App Development
- Swift, Kotlin, etc.
- Populair languages for developing IOS and Android applications.
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Data Science and Machine Learning
- Python, R, etc.
- Used for data analysis, statistical modelling and machine learning.
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Systems Programming
- C, Rust, etc.
- Used to develop operating systems (OS), or performance-critical applications.
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Game Development
- Python, C++, C#, Java, etc.
- Used for video game development in engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine & more.
These are brief examples what certain languages are capable of and not limited to these, but what they are commonly known for.
History
Ada Lovelace, born in 1815, is known as the first computer programmer for her work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. She wrote the first algorithm intended for implementation on a machine, marking the inception of programming. Her work laid the groundwork for the development of programming languages and served as a catalyst for the evolution of programming as a discipline. Her insights into the potential of computing to manipulate symbols and perform complex tasks foreshadowed the diversity of modern programming languages and their applications across various fields, shaping the landscape of technology and innovation.
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Early Language (1800s - 1940s)
- Ada Lovelance: Created the first algorithm intended for processing on an analytical engine.
- Assembly Language: First low-level programming language, providing a direct correspondance between machine instructions and their symbolic code.
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New beginnings (1950s - 1960s)
- FORTRAN: Developed by IBM, it was the first high-level programming language designed for scientific and engineering calculations.
- COBOL: Created for business data processing, emphasizing record-processing capabilities.
- LISP: Developed for artificial intelligence research, introducing the concept of symbolic computation.
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The advancement (1970s - 1980s)
- C: Developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs, C became the foundation for many modern languages and operating systems.
- Pascal: Designed for teaching structured programming, influencing future languages like Ada and Modula-2.
- Smalltalk: Pioneered object-oriented programming, significantly impacting the design of later languages like Java and Python.
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The expansion (1990s - 2000s)
- Java: Introduced by Sun Microsystems, Java emphasized portability and object-oriented principles, becoming widely used for web and enterprise applications.
- Python: Developed by Guido van Rossum, Python’s simplicity and readability have made it popular in diverse fields, from web development to data science.
- JavaScript: Created by Netscape, JavaScript became essential for dynamic web content and interactivity.
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Globalisation (2010s - Present)
- Swift: Apple’s modern language for iOS and macOS development, emphasizing safety and performance.
- Rust: Sponsored by Mozilla, Rust focuses on safety and concurrency, becoming popular for systems programming.
- Kotlin: Adopted by Google as the preferred language for Android development, known for its interoperability with Java.
This is a brief timeline of common languages, to read further on the upcoming sections and languages please head to the Table of Contents, which addresses these specifically.