They are non-procedural languages, so named because they allow programmers and users to specify what the computer is supposed to do without having to specify how the computer is supposed to do it. The fourth-generation languages, or 4GL :įourth generation languages are also known as very high level languages. The third-generation languages are high-level languages, such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript, and Visual Basic They are designed to run on a number of different computers with few or no changes. Third generation languages, also known as high-level languages, are very much like everyday text and mathematical formulas in appearance. For example, it is much easier to remember L for Load, A for Add, B for Branch, and C for Compare than the binary equivalents i-e different combinations of 0s and 1s. This means a programmer can use abbreviation instead of having to remember lengthy binary instruction codes.
A mnemonic is an alphabetical abbreviation used as memory aid. Assembly languages use mnemonic operation codes and symbolic addresses in place of 1s and 0s to represent the operation codes. They are also classified as low-level languages because detailed knowledge of hardware is still required.
The first step in making software development easier and more efficient was the creation of Assembly languages. The second-generation languages, or 2GL : These languages, however must ultimately be translated into machine language before the computer can understand and use them. To make programming simpler, other easier-to-use programming languages have been developed. As a result, programmers were few in numbers and lacked complexity. Programmers had to know a great deal about the computer’s design and how it functioned.
Since the programmer must specify every detail of an operation, a low-level language requires that the programmer have detailed knowledge of how the computer works. Use of machine language is very tedious, difficult and time consuming method of programming. Machine language programs have the advantage of very fast execution speeds and efficient use of primary memory. In the computer’s first generation, programmers had to use machine language because no other option was available. For this reason, machine language is said to be machine-dependent (also called hardware-dependent). Each type or family of processor requires its own machine language. There is not, however, one universal machine language because the language must be written in accordance with the special characteristics of a given processor. It is a language made up of entirely 1s and 0s. Machine language is the only programming language that the computer can understand directly without translation.