What is a Programming Language? How Does It Work?

Hello guys! I hope everyone is doing well by the grace of Allah. After a long time, I am here again with a post for you. So, anyway, as you might have already seen from the title mentioned in the post, today we will discuss what programming is and how it works, Insha'Allah.

Programming has become extremely popular nowadays, and it's certain that its popularity will continue to rise in the future. Gradually, programming has become an important and valuable profession in the world. People are being attracted to this profession and earning their livelihood by working in this sector. Therefore, you should also have an understanding of it.

What is a Programming Language?

A computer cannot perform any tasks by itself. It will not do anything until it is given an instruction. A medium used to give instructions to a computer is called a "programming language." We use some language to communicate with others, but that's not a programming language; it's the language humans understand. Computers, however, do not understand human languages. To perform various functions, a computer needs a programming language. Software that performs various tasks on a computer is created using programming languages.

Since a programming language is needed to give directions to a computer, it is also referred to as a computer language. As computer languages are created by humans to communicate with computers, they are also known as artificial languages. With programming languages, you can give all kinds of instructions to a computer. And the type of response a computer will give is predetermined by the programming language. Everything you see or do on a computer, mobile, tablet, or other devices is created using some programming language. Apps, websites, and software are all made using computer languages.

What is a Program?

We use computers to perform our various tasks. However, to make a computer do something, it needs to be given instructions. A computer cannot perform any task on its own. To give instructions to a computer, programs are written, which are called computer programs or code. A program, or computer program, works exactly as it is written. That is, the computer performs tasks according to the program written by us. Those who create or write various types of programs are called programmers or software engineers.

Who are Programmers?

Programmers are those who have a good understanding of programming languages and create various programs. They use their programming skills to develop websites, applications, games, etc. To work on a computer, applications, or computer software, are needed. Programmers or software engineers fulfill this need. With the help of those who know programming languages well, we can create various types of applications or software and add new features to the software we create. Those who work on improving and developing these software are known as programmers, computer programmers, coders, or software engineers.

Types of Programming Languages

To manage tasks on a computer, communication with the computer is necessary. Just as people communicate with each other, a computer is a machine and has its own language known as machine language. Remembering machine language is quite difficult. Therefore, various programming languages have been created that are easier for humans to remember and understand. These languages are categorized based on human and computer understanding:

• Low-Level Programming Languages
• High-Level Programming Languages

Low-Level Programming Languages

Low-level programming languages are the languages used in the early days of computers. They work closely with computer hardware and are difficult to understand. They do not require compilers or interpreters to run on a computer, so programs written in low-level languages run faster.

High-Level Programming Languages

High-level programming languages are types of programming languages that use English letters, numbers, and symbols. They are not dependent on the machine. These languages are easier for humans to understand but are challenging for computers since they only understand machine language. Therefore, high-level programming languages are translated into machine language with the help of compilers or interpreters. Examples include BASIC, C, C++, etc.