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Programming Language Levels?
What are these levels? I've heard of low level and high level languages; is there more? I've also heard that C++ is a low level language.
It is used to say that a low-level language has more access to CPU-Specific operations. You know every program is made of little instructions in machine code.
Assembly is the lowest-level language at this time i'd say.
Then there are mid-level languages. I'd put C and C++ in here, because I don't find them really low-level, but you can specify inline assembly code.
And then the high-level languages. These are the easiest (but most time least performing) languages. They are made to make things easier to programmers.
I guess VB is a high-level language?
Assembly is the lowest-level language at this time i'd say.
Then there are mid-level languages. I'd put C and C++ in here, because I don't find them really low-level, but you can specify inline assembly code.
And then the high-level languages. These are the easiest (but most time least performing) languages. They are made to make things easier to programmers.
I guess VB is a high-level language?
So high level languages would be more human language, and low level languages more like computer language that will be harder for humans to understand if you don't know said language?
Low versus high also relates to the level of abstraction the language provides. A low level maps more closely to the computer's instruction set and architecture.
A high level languages works with more powerful and/or human friendly constructs that must be converted to something the computer understands using a compiler or interpreter.
As assembly language is a mnemonic form of the machine instruction set, it's as low as you can get (unless you code the op codes in directly!).
I think that C++ is a bit unusual in that it provides quite a high level of abstration (classes, templates, etc) while also letting you get at the lower level stuff (Wikipedia.org refers to it as an intermediary level language).
Some high-level prgramming languages provide a powerful abstraction without being anything like human language, like APL and LISP. But they are easier to read than assembly language.
Andy
PS See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-level_programming_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-level_programming_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_high-level_programming_language
A high level languages works with more powerful and/or human friendly constructs that must be converted to something the computer understands using a compiler or interpreter.
As assembly language is a mnemonic form of the machine instruction set, it's as low as you can get (unless you code the op codes in directly!).
I think that C++ is a bit unusual in that it provides quite a high level of abstration (classes, templates, etc) while also letting you get at the lower level stuff (Wikipedia.org refers to it as an intermediary level language).
Some high-level prgramming languages provide a powerful abstraction without being anything like human language, like APL and LISP. But they are easier to read than assembly language.
Andy
PS See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-level_programming_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-level_programming_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_high-level_programming_language
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