Computer Languages for IBPS RRB Officers Selection Exam
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Computer language or programming language is a coded syntax used by computer programmers to communicate with a computer.
Computer language establishes a flow of communication between software programs.
Two Basic Types of Computer Language
Low-Level Languages: A language that corresponds directly to a specific machine.
High-Level Languages: Any language that is independent of the machine.
There are also other types of languages, which include
System languages: These are designed for low-level tasks, like memory and process management.
Scripting languages: These tend to be high-level and very powerful.
Domain-specific languages: These are only used in very specific contexts.
Visual languages: Languages that are not text-based.
Esoteric languages: Languages that are jokes or are not intended for serious use.
Low-Level Languages
- Low-level computer languages either are machine codes or are very close them.
- A computer cannot understand instructions given to it in high-level languages or in English.
- It can only understand and execute instructions given in the form of machine language i.e.. binary.
There are two types of low-level languages:
Machine Language: a language that is directly interpreted into the hardware.
Assembly Language: a slightly more user-friendly language that directly corresponds to machine language.
Machine Language
- Machine language is the lowest and most elementary level of programming language and was the first type of programming language to be developed.
- In fact, a manufacturer designs a computer to obey just one language, its machine code, which is represented inside the computer by a string of binary digits (bits) 0 and 1.
- The symbol 0 stands for the absence of an electric pulse and the 1 stands for the presence of an electric pulse.
Machine Language Advantages & Dis-advantages
| Advantages | Dis-advantages |
| Machine language makes fast and efficient use of the computer. | All operation codes have to be remembered |
| It requires no translator to translate the code. | All memory addresses have to be remembered. |
| It is directly understood by the computer. | It is hard to amend or find errors in a program written in the machine language. |
Assembly Language
- Assembly language was developed to overcome some of the many inconveniences of machine language.
- This is another low-level but very important language in which operation codes and operands are given in the form of alphanumeric symbols instead of 0՚s and l՚s.
- These alphanumeric symbols are known as mnemonic codes and can combine in a maximum of five-letter combinations e. g. ADD for addition, SUB for subtraction, START, LABEL etc. Because of this feature, assembly language is also known as ‘Symbolic Programming Language.’
Assembly Language Advantages & Dis-advantages
| Advantages | Dis-advantages |
| Assembly language is easier to understand and use as compared to machine language. | Like machine language, it is also machine dependent/specific. |
| It is easy to locate and correct errors. | Since it is machine dependent, the programmer also need to understand the hardware. |
| It is easily modified. |
High-Level Languages
- A high-level language is a programming language with strong abstraction from the details of the computer.
- The purpose of developing high-level languages was to enable people to write programs easily, in their own native language environment (English) .
- High-level languages are symbolic languages that use English words and/or mathematical symbols rather than mnemonic codes.
- Each instruction in the high-level language is translated into many machine language instructions that the computer can understand.
High-Level Languages Advantages & Dis-advantages
| Advantages | Dis-advantages |
| High-level languages are user-friendly. | A high-level language has to be translated into the machine language by a translator, which takes up time. |
| They are similar to English and use English vocabulary and well-known symbols. | The object code generated by a translator might be inefficient compared to an equivalent assembly language program. |
- They are easier to learn and maintain.
- A program written in a high-level language can be translated into many machine languages and can run on any computer for which there exists an appropriate translator.
- The language is independent of the machine on which it is used i.e.. programs developed in a high-level language can be run on any computer text.
Types of High-Level Languages
Many languages have been developed for achieving a variety of different tasks. Some are fairly specialized, and others are quite general.
These languages, categorized according to their use, are:
1) Algebraic Formula-Type Processing
These languages are oriented towards the computational procedures for solving mathematical and statistical problems.
Examples include:
- BASIC (Beginners All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code)
- FORTRAN (Formula Translation)
- PL/I (Programming Language, Version 1)
- ALGOL (Algorithmic Language)
- APL (A Programming Language)
2. Business Data Processing
These languages are best able to maintain data processing procedures and problems involved in handling files. Some examples include:
- COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language)
- RPG (Report Program Generator)
3. String and List Processing
These are used for string manipulation, including search patterns and inserting and deleting characters. Examples are:
- LISP (List Processing)
- Prolog (Program in Logic)
4. Object-Oriented Programming Language
In COP, the computer program is divided into objects. Examples are:
- C ++
- Java
5. Visual Programming Language
These programming languages are designed for building Windows-based applications. Examples are:
- Visual Basic
- Visual Java
- Visual C