Introduction to Programming Languages

Introduction:

     Hey lads, welcome to the Programming section of Hackerzhome. Here, we will be posting articles about programming languages for beginners the basics, Environment tools, and some advanced tutorials. As we mentioned, this is a beginner-friendly blog so we will be covering everything from scratch. So, if you are about to start your Programming career then you are in the right place.

In this introductory article, we will be giving you an outline of the programming languages for beginners. Check out the table of contents for a quick overview of what we are going to see in this article.

What is Programming Language?

Before that, Know what is a computer program.

• A Computer Program is nothing but a set of instructions given to the computer systems to do a certain job. 

For giving these instructions, We can’t directly talk to computers as they don’t understand our language. They can understand only the binaries (0’s and 1’s) but we can’t talk in binaries, right?

So, For communicating with computers, we need a certain type of language that should be familiar to us and as well as to computers. This is where the programming language helps.  

Simply, A programming language is a human-readable way of telling a computer what to do and what to try. Programmers write the instructions in a specified syntax, which is human-readable and this human-readable syntax is then get converted to machine-readable format when compiled. 

Process of Programming :

It is a set of protocols on how a computer follows to do something. There are 3 steps in writing a program: Coding, Compiling, and Debugging.

• Coding – Writing the necessary code/instructions.
• Compiling – Converting the code to machine-readable.
• Debugging – Exploring the code and correcting the bugs.

When a programmer finishes writing a source code then the next step is compiling, which means that the computer translates it into machine language (converts into 0s and 1s, that only a computer could understand). After compiling, the compiler comes back with a list of mistakes, so in debugging the programmer starts correcting the code. This process goes on till you get the correct format of your code.

Types of Programming Language:

There are mainly 3 types of Programming language, they are Machine level language, assembly-level language, and high-level language.

• Machine Level language: It is written in binary format in which a machine could understand where a human couldn’t (0’s and 1’s). The program of machine language runs very fast since there is no need of translating. Programmers face difficulties in handling errors.

• Assembly-level language: This programming language is close to machine-level language. Assembly level language consists of numbers, Hexadecimals, binaries, and English commands so it is typically called symbolic language. Programmers find it easy to modify and correct errors

• High-level language:  A programming language that is written in human-readable language. A high-level language uses words and syntax. It is easy to learn and understand. It requires a compiler to translate it into machine language for execution. Example: C, C++, Python, etc.

Why do we need a Programming Language?

Since computers do not understand human language, The Programming language is very important for humans to communicate with computers. It serves as an intermediate between computers and humans.

Through programs, we instruct computers to perform a specific task. Without programming, we can’t get the job done by computers.   

Programming Language is used to automate our work, develop apps, gaming applications, web applications, and so on. 

Scope of Learning Programming Language:

Take a look around you, The electronics ( Mobiles, TVs, Ovens, Toasters, smart lights/bulbs, Washing machines, etc.), The transport vehicles (Cars, planes, ships, etc.), Medical devices, Traffic systems, and so so on, Everything has microprocessors in it and every microprocessor need programming. 

The majority of fields need programming and so do programmers. Computer programs are high in demand these days and definitely, it will be a demanding career in the future too. The scope of this field is increasing every day.

How to choose one?

There are plenty of programming languages available, Pick one based on your interest and the domain you want to get in. For example, If you wanted to get into AI and ML then go for python. Wanted to be an app developer? then start with C++. Likewise, choose the language based on your interest. 

If you just wanted to get started then start with C. It is one of the most powerful and general-purpose programming languages.

Conclusion:

Programming is always a fun job even though we break some keyboards and mouse sometimes or spend plenty of hours just to clear a simple error caused by a semicolon. It is important in our day-to-day life to enhance the power of technologies.

I hope from this article you got some intro to programming language. There are several languages available and here, In Hackerzhome, we will be teaching you some programming languages for beginners. So, Pick one and master it. Learn with us!