|
Programming
Languages |
|
| A program is a list of
instructions that a programmer writes for the computer to follow in order to perform a
specific task that the programmer wants the computer to do. There are many programming
languages that are available and are used by different business today. The procedures used
for all programming languages the same. There are five-steps that all programmers follow,
when they write a program. These steps are setup to make organize programming, consider
the user, the procedures the program should follow, and the different approaches they
should to solve problems. The following gives you the five-steps and what the steps
consist. |
|
| Steps |
Description |
|
| Define the Problem |
Defining the problem require
six steps:
- Specify Objectives & User: What are you trying to accomplish and who are
the people that will be using this program.
- Specify the Desire Output: What kind of output are you expecting from this
program
- Specify the Desire Input: Since you know what the output is you can specify
what the input should be.
- Specify the Desire Processing: What processing should the input be in order for
it to provide the necessary output (online or patch).
- Study the Feasibility of Implementing the Program: How will the program budget
be spread-out to accomplish this task.
- Document the Analysis: Analysis the notes that you have gathered from the above
steps and study them.
|
| Design The Program |
This second step consist of
three mini-steps:
- Determine the Program Logic, Using Top-Down Approach: Setting up an outline and
the layout of the program. Defining the top module and then breaking it down in to
hierarchy all the way to the lowest level.
- Design Details, Using Pseudocode and/or Flow-chart: In order to show the
details of the program design you can draw them by using flowcharts or Pseudocode.
- Do a Structured Walkthrough: A group of programmers in your team go through the
design and see if there are anything that has been left out of correct any errors that
need to be corrected.
|
| Code the Program |
This step is where the actual
writing of the program starts. It consist of two main steps:
- Select the Appropriate Programming Language: This is the step where you select
what tip of programming languages should be used that is suitable for the task you are
trying to accomplish.
- Follow the Syntax: Once the programming language has been selected you start
writing the program. Most programming languages has different syntax, you must follow
those syntax.
|
| Test the Program |
In order to test a program
there are three things you must do:
- Perform Desk-Checking: Going through the program making sure it is logic works.
- Debug the Program: Going through the program and detecting programming error,
than locating it, and final removing. Making sure that all the programming errors are
corrected and there is on bug in the program.
- Testing the Program with Real-World Data: After you make sure that the program
is correct then you must test the program by providing it with input and seeing what the
output is. You use a real-world data as input.
|
| Document the Program |
This final step is where you
write the purpose and the process of you program. This requires two type of documentation.
- Write User Documentation: This is a manual that you are setting up for the user
to have in order to operate the program you wrote.
- Write Programming Documentation: This will is a note about your program for the
individual that will be fixing and maintaining the program. This is usually applied when
the original programmers are not the once maintaining the program.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| There are many
programming languages that can be used to write a program. These languages have taken five
generations of evolving staring from machine languages into natural languages. These are
the languages that programmer use to write programs or create other kinds of software.
There are some third and forth generation languages that are used today, in addition to
the fifth generation languages. Here is a list of the programming Languages that are used
currently in our generation. The following list contains the date and the name of the
company that created them, the name of the programming languages, and a brief description
of the programming language. If you would like more information on any of the following
programming languages send us a request and we will be glade to post your request on a Web
page for you. |
|
| Date/ Developer |
Programming Languages |
Description of Languages |
|
| 1950's |
ALGOL |
The ALGOL Programming Language
started out in the late 1950s. For
more info click here. |
| IBM, in 1954 |
FORTRAN (Formula-Translator) |
First high level language used to express
mathematical formulas, scientific problems, and engineering problems |
| 1960 |
COBOL(Common Business
Oriented Languages) |
A language used by majority mainframe users. The
latest version of this programming language is COBOL-85. |
| John Chimney & Thomas Kurtz, in 1965 |
BASIC(Beginner's All-purpose
Symbolic Instruction Code) |
A very easy to learn language that has the is
interactive. there are many version of this language the most popular are QuickBASIC, True
BASIC, and Visual BASIC. |
| 1964 |
Pascal(17 century mathematician
Blaise Pascal) |
A language that uses structured programming mostly
used for teaching purposes. Pascal is and easy to learn language that is an alternative
for BASIC. |
| Bell Laboratories, in 1970 |
C |
A language used mostly to write operating-systems,
database management software, and scientific applications. C is a general-purposes
language that can be portable among many computers. |
| U.S. Department of Defense, in 1979 |
Ada |
A language that is extremely powerful structural
language. Ada is based on Pascal |
| At MIT by John MicCarthy, in 1958 |
LISP(List Processor) |
A language used to construct artificial
intelligence programs. |
| IBM, in 1964 |
PL/1(Programming Language
1) |
A language that contains many best features of
COBOL & FORTRAN. PL/1 is by both businesses and scientific applications which is
flexible and easy to learn. |
| IBM, in 1964 |
RPG(Report Program
Generator) |
A language used to help generate business report.
The new version of this programming language is RPG III which provides a menu oriented
choices for programmers. |
| At MIT by Seymour Papert, 1967 |
Logo |
A language primarily setup to teach children
problem-solving and programming skills. |
| Kenneth Iverson, in 1968 |
APL(A Programming
Language) |
A Programming language that uses a special
keyboard symbols to enable users to solve problems that is mathematical related in one
step. |
| Charles Moore, in 1971 |
FORTH(Fourth
Generation Language) |
A language designed for real-time control task,
businesses application, graphics application. FORTH language is a vary high speed run-time
and requires very little memory space. |
| Alan Colmerauer, in 1972 |
PROLOG(Programming Logic) |
A language used to develop artificial intelligence
applications program like natural language and expert system. |
| Niklause Wirth, in 1981 |
Modula-2(Modular Language-2) |
A language that is similar to Pascal used to write
system software programs. This program is highly structural and is used in colleges and
universities for teaching purposes. |
| Wayne Ratliff, in 1982 |
dBASE |
A language that is similar to Pascal used to
control the structure of a database and a means to access data. |
| Alen Kay, 1970 |
Smalltalk |
The first object-oriented programming language. |
| Bjarne Stroustrup, |
C++ |
An object-oriented programming language that was
originally an extension of C. It is now a powerful language. |
|
Java |
For more info visit: http://java.sun.com/ |
|
Oberon |
Native Oberon Operating System for
more info go to http://www.oberon.ethz.ch/native/ |
|
|
Turbo Pascal |
An object-oriented version of Pascal
programming. |
|
Philippe Kahn, 1984 |
Perl |
A simple programming software you
can use to substitute for C program program. Perl is easy to learn and
apply. |
|
|
|
|
|
Send us your comments & suggestions |