Languages:

Following is a partial list of common programming languages and their uses. It is by no means comprehensive, but can be used as a guide for summative purposes.

What is a programming language?

Computer programming languages allow programmers to give instructions to a computer in a language that it understands. They allow computers to quickly and efficiently process large and complex swaths of information. The programming language understood by a computer is known as ‘binary’ and the process of translating it into binary is known as compiling. There are dozens of programming languages used in the industries today each has its own distinct features, though many times there are commonalities between them.

BASIC (Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code)

BASIC was developed in 1963 at dartmouth college by mathematicians as a teaching tool for undergraduates. Its intended purpose was to be used by generalist to unlock the power of the computer in business and other realms of academia. It transformed home computing because you could type in what you wanted and get an instant result. If your program didn't work, you could simply retype the offending line. If you used the same line number, the new version replaced the old one. BASIC was traditionally one of the most commonly used computer programming languages, considered an easy step for students to learn before more powerful languages such as FORTRAN. As computers became more accessible to this audience, books of BASIC programs and BASIC games surged in popularity. In 1975, Paul Allen and Bill Gates, wrote a version of BASIC for the Altair personal computer.

C

C is a high-level programming language that is the foundation of many other languages; for instance: C++; C#; Java; Perl; PHP; Python are all languages that have been derived from C. Operating systems are also written in C or sometimes C++.

The primary purpose of C was to develop the UNIX OS, released in 1972 by Dennis M. Ritchie.

C++

Standardized in 1998, C++ was designed as an extension to C that incorporated objective-based programming as a add on. The suffix, '++', means 'additional one' in the C family languages. Signifying C++ as an additional iteration of C, a better version of the language. It was used mostly in the 21st century and constituted many programs that are still in use today, such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Early operating systems were also written in C++, including Windows Vista, and Mac OS X.

C#

C# is a high-level programming language developed in 2000 for the purpose of competing with JavaScript. Its main usage today is for the development Windows desktop applications, and of games with the aid of game engines like Unity; in recent times, it has also been common for C# to be utilised to develop web applications, as well as mobile games.

Fortran

FORTRAN was invented by John Backus in 1954 for IBM and released for commercial use in 1957. It was the first high-level programming language, designed for numerical calculations. It was given the name Speed-coding as it interpreted digital code for the IBM 701, an electronic data processing machine, also known as the Defense Calculator. It was mainly used for coding, programming video games and numerous scientific and military calculations. Today, it is over 60 years old, but it is still constantly being updated, and thus, remains relevant in terms of the top language in industrial and scientific programming.

JavaScript

JavaScript is a major programming language developed by Brendan Eich during his time at Netscape Communications in 1995. It borrows syntax for C/C++ and Java Byte code runs on different operating systems. Developed as a result of competition between Microsoft and Netscape, Sun first attempted to create a language for smart appliances. However, this approach failed and Sun regrouped and set its sights on the web as the platform of choice. Since then, JavaScript has become the standard programming language of the web. Not because of its first-mover advantage, but because it is open, standardized and most importantly, because it excels as a language.