What Are Programming Languages?

Programming languages are used to control the actions of a machine. Such a language is a properly drafted or constructed language when it is designed in such a way that through it instructions can be communicated to a computer system. Ever since the invention of computers, thousands of programming languages have been created, and more are being created every year.

A programming language is generally split into two components that are the semantics and the syntax. Where on one hand the syntax is the form or type, the semantics is the meaning of that type or form. Every programming language is different; where on one hand, some may be marked by specification documents, others may have a dominant implementation or a reference. A programming language thus broadly is a notation that helps to write programs that are identified as an algorithm.

Traits of a programming language

The features or characteristics of a programming language can be referred to as its traits. The following are the three main traits of such languages that you must know about:

• Abstractions – Most of the programming languages have certain rules that help us define or mark the data structures as well as manipulate how the commands are executed. These rules are referred to as abstractions. Every language needs to be supported by sufficient abstractions and this need is defined by the abstraction principle. The abstraction principle in some cases is derived as the recommendations given to a web programmer so that he/she makes the correct use of abstractions.
• Function and target – When you make use of a programming language, then besides doing the writing work on your own, you also need the help of the computer system that performs the computation work or controls the algorithm. The computer also controls the external devices associated such as the printer, the robots, etc. Thus, the complete definition of a programming language includes a description or a machine or processor that has been idealized for that language. This is one reason why programming languages differ from human languages of interaction.
• Expressive power – Languages are mostly classified by the computations that they can express. This very expressive power is yet another trait of programming languages and is an important one.

Factors to be considered when choosing a programming language

Since there are so many different types of programming languages, it can be difficult for a web developer to select which one to use and which one to leave. There are certain factors based on a decision can be made, and they are given as follows:

• Targeted platform – The first thing you need to decide is where the program will be run. Not all languages are capable of running on all kinds of platforms. For example, a program written in C language requires compilers to run on Windows and Linux based systems.
• Language domain match – The language must be chosen based on the problem domain that you have. One of the better ways to do so is by searching that language others in the same domain or industry are using or by trying to look for a code that resolves the issues that you may have.
• Efficiency – The compilers that go well with the language you choose must be efficient to make the language perform fast.
• Elasticity and Performance – The language you choose must be flexible enough to let you add more programs or features to it. Also, its overall performance must be to your suitability and liking.
• Availability of libraries – There must be a library that is capable of solving all your problems with the language that you select for web development.
• Project size – There are two types of programming: large and small. You must select a language that can support your cause and suits the project size well.
• Expressiveness & Time to production – Make sure you pick that language that is highly expressive and the time taken to produce the programs or codes is not very bothersome to you.
• Tool support – Buy a tool-oriented language that offers you many elements and ways to edit, control, and work.

THE MOST POPULAR PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

The universe of programming languages is wide and knowing all or learning each one of them is neither practical nor possible. If you are a developer who is interested in learning the most useful and popular ones, then you must first know which ones of the thousands of languages to learn. Thankfully, some certain websites and platforms create lists of the top languages, according to their popularity. The list of the top 15 programming languages of this year is given below, and it is clear that JavaScript is the most popular followed closely by Java, Python, and others.

Top 15 programming languages in 2015

1. JavaScript
2. Java
3. Python
4. CSS
5. PHP
6. Ruby
7. C++
8. C
9. Shell
10. C#
11. Objective C
12. R
13. Vimeo
14. Go
15. Perl

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