Q) Briefly explain different Generations of Programming Languages. 10 Marks Q)Programming Languages Q)What do you mean by programming languages?

What are language processors? 20 Marks Q)Explain the difference between interpreter and Compiler Q)4th Generation Languages Q)3rd Generation Language v/s 4th Generation Language Q)Briefly explain different generations of programming languages 2009,2007,2006,2003,2001,2000 Generation of Programming Languages A programming language or computer language is a standardized communication technique for expressing instructions to a computer. It is a set of syntactic and semantic rules used to define computer programs. A language enables a programmer to precisely specify what data a computer will act upon, how this data will be stored / transmitted, and what actions will be taken under various circumstances. There are five generations of computer programming language. They are explained below: a) First Generation Programming Language (The Machine Language) A first-generation programming language is a machine-level programming language. It consists of 1s and 0s. Originally, no translator was used to compile or assemble the firstgeneration language. The first-generation programming instructions were entered through the front panel switches of the computer system. The main benefit of programming in a first-generation programming language is that the code a user writes can run very fast and efficiently since it is directly executed by the CPU, but machine language is somewhat more difficult to learn than higher generational programming languages, and it is somewhat more difficult to edit if errors occur, or for example, if instructions need to be added to memory at some location, then all the instructions after the insertion point need to be moved down to make room in memory to accommodate the new instructions. Doing so on a front panel with switches can be very difficult. Furthermore portability is significantly reduced in order to transfer the code to a different computer; it needs to be completely rewritten since the machine language for one computer could be significantly different from another computer. Architectural considerations make portability difficult too. b) Second Generation Programming Language (Assembly Language) A second-generation programming language is a term usually used to refer to some form of assembly language. Unlike first-generation programming languages, the code can be read and written fairly easily by a human. But it must be converted into a machine readable form in order to run on a computer. The conversion process is simply a mapping of the assembly language code into binary machine code (the first-generation language). The language is specific to a particular processor family and environment. Since it is the native language of a processor it has significant speed advantages, but it requires more programming effort and is difficult to use effectively for large applications. The Assembly languages were developed to reduce the difficulties in writing language programs. Assembly languages are known as Symbolic Languages because symbols are used to represent operation code and storage locations. Convenient alphabetic abbreviations called mnemonics (memory aids) and other symbols are used. Advantages: Alphabetic abbreviations are easier to remember and they are used in the place of the numerical addresses of the data. This generation of language simplified programming to an extent. Disadvantages: Assembly language is machine oriented because the language instructions correspond closely to the machine language instructions of the particular computer model used. i.e. it was computer dependant. Tip: Assembly language or simply assembly is a human-readable notation for the machine language

that a specific computer architecture uses. Machine language, a pattern of bits encoding machine operations, is made readable by replacing the raw values with symbols called mnemonics. c) Third Generation Programming Language (High Level Language) The third-generation language is also known as compiler languages. Instructions of HLL (high level language) are called statements and they closely resemble human language or standard notation of mathematics. A third-generation language is a programming language designed to be easier for humans to understand, including things like using named variables e.g. x=b+c, where x is the variable. Some examples of third-generation languages are BASIC, C, C++, Java, COBOL and FORTRAN. Advantages: Easy to learn and understand Have less rigid rule forms Potential for error is reduced It does not depend on the make or model of the machine Disadvantages: It is less efficient than the Assembly language program. It requires a greater amount of time for translation into machine instructions, d) Fourth Generation Programming Language The fourth-generation programming language is used to describe a variety of programming languages that are more procedural and conversational than prior languages. Natural languages are fourth-generational and are very close to English or other human languages. While using fourth-generation languages, the programmers only need to satisfy the results they want, while the computer determines the sequence of instructions that will accomplish those results. Examples of such generation languages are FOXPRO, Oracle and Dbase. Advantages: Ease of use and technical sophistication Natural query languages that impose no rigid grammar rules Disadvantages: Not very flexible Difficult for an end user to override some of the pre-specified formats or procedures of a fourth-generation language. The machine language codes generated by 4 GL programs are less efficient compared to earlier languages. Unable to provide reasonable response times when faced with a large amount of real-time transactions. e) Fifth Generation Programming Language (Artificial Intelligence) The fifth-generation languages are those which work on Artificial Intelligence techniques. Artificial Intelligence is a science and technology based on disciplines such as Computer Sciences, Biology, Psychology, Linguistics and Mathematics. The major focus on this generation of languages is the development of computer functions normally associated with human intelligence such as reasoning, inference, problem solving etc. The term AI was coined by John McCarthy at MIT in 1956. The domains of AI are Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Robotics, Natural Language etc.