Know the types of programming language :-
When the interest in learning programming arises, one of the first questions is which programming language to learn and, in addition, what is the difference between the different languages. The objective of this text is to show a little the characteristics of the existing programming languages.
Low and high level languages
When reading about programming, we often come across phrases like “Python is a high-level language” or “The C language is lower-level”, but what does that mean? When we refer to the level of a language, we mean how close it is to the machine (computer) where it runs. That is, which language commands are closest directly to the commands that the computer understands. In a low-level language, the commands given by the programmer are more specific and more primitive, while in a high-level language, they are broader and many things are done automatically by the language.
At the low level, the programmer may need to break an operation to be performed into smaller steps and in greater detail, while at the high level, languages have commands that allow implementing algorithms in a few steps.
Why use a low or high level language?
As said, at the low level it is closer to the computer and the operations are more specific. The programmer is able to optimize the algorithms in their smallest details, which makes them good for creating software that demands high computational power.
When you want to implement software quickly, prioritizing ease of programming, languages like Python are great, as it takes care of the optimizations and allows you to focus on the task at hand.
Dynamically typed vs statically typed languages
Statically typed languages are those where the programmer needs to previously define what each variable will store, be it an integer, real number, a text, among others. In dynamically typed languages, variables are given only one name, and the type of their content can change. Some examples of statics are C, C++ and Java and for dynamics we have Python and Javascript.
Compiled vs interpreted languages
The compilation process consists of translating the code written by the programmer into something that the machine can understand. For example, when C code is compiled, everything the programmer has written is analyzed and transformed into instructions that the computer's processor understands and will execute. The interpretation process is similar, but it is dynamic and interpreted languages have the code translated line by line, as in Python and Javascript. This allows variables to be created and operations performed step by step as the programmer writes the commands.
object oriented languages
Object-oriented languages are those that have the concept of class and object. Basically, they are groupings of code that allow you to better organize programs and reuse them efficiently. Object-oriented programming is widely used and most of the most famous languages make use of it, such as Java, C++, Python and Javascript.
Strongly typed vs weakly typed language
In a weakly typed language, variables can be type converted automatically, making comparisons between different types possible. For example, in Javascript (weakly typed), the number 123 and the text “123” can be compared and given equal. In Python (strongly typed), these two things would be given as different, and for the programmer to be able to compare them, it would be necessary to convert both to the same type, for example transforming the text “123” into a number.
Which programming language is best suited for you?
The important thing to know is that there is no specific programming language type for each person. Languages should be seen as tools, and which one you choose depends on what kind of task you are going to do. To learn to program, it is interesting to start with high-level languages such as Python and Javascript. Both have a shorter learning curve and allow the beginning programmer to focus on learning the fundamental concepts.
For game development, it is very common to use the C++ and C# languages, very efficient and used in game engines. In the field of embedded systems and software closer to hardware, C/C++ are the most used.
In the area of data science, the most common are Python and R, as they have a huge ecosystem of libraries for the area and a very engaged community.
Conclusion
With this brief description of some features of programming languages, we hope you are more familiar with the terms used when talking about them! And remember: always keep practicing!
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