HIGH LEVEL PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

High level programming languages are machine independent that is they are not written in machine code or binary language instructions. In fact high level programming languages are abstract, easier to use and more portable than low level programming languages. Thus high level programming language must be translated into machine language prior to execution.

Depending on the high level language, the program has been written in, the program is either translated using a compiler or using an interpreter to make the translation into machine code.

A compiler is a program that translates a high level language into a separate machine language program. The machine language program can be executed anytime it is needed.

An interpreter is a program that both translates and executes the instruction of a suitable high level programming language to machine code. The interpreter converts each line of individual instruction of the high level language program and converts to machine code sequentially. Since interpreters combine translation and execution they do not create a separate machine language program.

High level language programs are usually written in a text editor and saved in the computer memory and thereafter the program is translated into a machine language using a compiler or an interpreter.

There are several types of high level programming language and they are as follows; procedural, object oriented, functional, scripting, declarative, event driven, visual and hybrid programming languages.

Procedural languages follow a step by step approach to programming and they use procedures of functions to organize code and they support variables, data types and control structures.

Examples of procedural languages are C++, C, Java, python, ruby etc.

Object oriented programming languages organize code using objects and classes and they support programming concepts like encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism.

Examples of object oriented language are; Java, C, C++, C#, python, ruby etc.

Functional programming languages emphasize the use of pure functions to perform computations and they support immutable data structures, recursive and higher order functions.

Examples of functional programming languages are; Haskell, lisp, scheme, scala, clojure etc.

Scripting programming languages are designed for rapid development and execution of scripts and they support dynamic typing, flexible syntax and built in support for common tasks.

Examples of scripting programming languages are; python, ruby, PHP, perl, java script etc.

Declarative programming languages focus on specifying what the program should accomplish rather than how it should accomplish it and they support logic programming, constraint programming and data base querying.

Examples of declarative programming languages are; prolog, SQL, XML etc.

Event driven programming languages responds to events or user interactions and they support asynchronous programming, call backs and event handlers.

Examples of event driven programming languages are; java script, python, ruby etc.

Visual programming languages use visual representations such as diagrams or flow charts to create programs and they support drag and drop programming, visual debugging and interactive designs.

Examples of visual programming languages are; scratch blockly, labview etc.

Hybrid programming languages combine elements from multiple programming styles such as object oriented and functional programming.

Examples of hybrid programming languages are; python, ruby, scala etc.

High level programming languages have several advantages over low level  programming languages for the following reasons; high level programming languages allows for faster development and prototyping. High level programming languages make it easier to maintain and update software. High level programming language results in improved productivity across various computer platforms.

Conversely high level programming languages results in slower performance, less control and their reliance on libraries and frameworks to provide functionality makes it more difficult to debug and maintain software.

The application of high level programming languages runs across various software industries such as; web development, mobile apps development, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data base management, gamming, scientific computing, enterprise software etc.

The future of high level programming languages is going to be driven by the following trends and developments; cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, severless computing , quantum computing, blockchain and internet of thing computing. Generally in the future more specialized languages will emerge with improved interoperability and increased focus on security.

 

SOURCES:

• Structure and interpretation of computer programs by Harold Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman.
• The pragmatic programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas.
• Code complete by Steve McConnell.
• Introduction to algorithms by Thomas H. Cormen.
• Design patterns: Elements of reusable object oriented software by Erich Gamma et al.