CheckPoint Programming Languages

CheckPoint Programming Languages

First generation languages consisted of binary codes made up of many combinations of 1’s and 0’s, for example (1100010100011100). These numbers represent on and off signals, bits. The problem is these codes were machine dependent. By this I mean, programs for one type of CPU would not work with any other type of CPU.
Second generation languages replaced the 1’s and 0’s with simple words or shorthand. This made the languages easier to work with than the binary codes. However they were still machine dependent. What works on one type of processor would not work for another.
Third generation languages were written in English instruction or source code, then converted to machine language by a compiler. A compiler is a computer program that translates a specific third generation language (3GL) into machine language. Once the source code is complete, the programmer uses the compiler to convert it into machine language, also called object code. Most programs today are written in 3GL. 3GL’s are not machine dependent. Although 3GLs are not machine dependent, they still require the programmer to compile the source code for each type of processor. One way around this problem is to use an interpreted 3GL. A special program called an interpreter translates these languages into machine code as the program runs.
Fourth generation languages (4GL) are closer to natural language. People with little experience use these to write simple programs. One example of a 4GL is structured query language (SQL). Structured query language is a standard language for manipulating databases.
So far, all the programming languages we have been discussing take a process-oriented approach. They are primarily concerned with receiving data, processing it, and returning output to the user. The data, which is either input or stored in a file, is separate from the processing.
Object oriented programming (OOP) organizes programming logic around objects instead of processes (as is the case...