History of Programming Languages

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Questions and Answers

What is a characteristic of timesharing?

Users access computer through terminals (correct)

No user interaction is required

Single user access to the computer

Performing a large portion of one user's job at a time

What is a feature of personal computers?

Limited processing capabilities

Standalone units (correct)

Requires a network connection to operate

Cost-prohibitive for individual ownership

What is the purpose of file servers in client/server computing?

To perform complex calculations

To offer a common store of programs and data (correct)

To provide network connectivity

To manage user accounts

What is an advantage of timesharing?

User receives almost immediate responses to requests Signup and view all the answers

When was the first Apple Computer introduced?

1977 Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of workstations?

Provide enormous capabilities Signup and view all the answers

What is distributed computing?

Organization's computing distributed over networks Signup and view all the answers

When was the first IBM Personal Computer introduced?

1981 Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of object-oriented programming?

It favors modularity Signup and view all the answers

What is NOT a phase of a typical C++ program?

Run Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a library in C++?

MFC (Microsoft Foundation Classes) Signup and view all the answers

What is a benefit of object-oriented programming?

It is more understandable, better organized and easier to maintain Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the linker in the C++ development environment?

To link the object code with the libraries Signup and view all the answers

What is part of a typical C++ environment?

C++ Standard Library Signup and view all the answers

What is a result of the preprocessor phase in the C++ development environment?

The code is processed and stored on disk Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the compiler in the C++ development environment?

To create object code and store it on disk Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary focus of the FORTRAN language?

Complex mathematical computations Signup and view all the answers

Who developed the Pascal language?

Prof. Niklaus Wirth Signup and view all the answers

What was the main goal of structured programming?

To create a disciplined approach to writing programs Signup and view all the answers

When was the Ada language developed?

1970s-early 1980s Signup and view all the answers

What is a key feature of the Ada language?

Multitasking Signup and view all the answers

What do objects represent in software development?

Reusable software components that model real-world items Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary application area of the COBOL language?

Commercial applications Signup and view all the answers

When did the concept of structured programming emerge?

1960s Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

High-Level Languages

FORTRAN (Formua TRANslator) was developed by IBM in 1954-1957 for complex mathematical computations and scientific/engineering applications.
COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) was developed in 1959 for commercial applications, offering precise and efficient manipulation of large amounts of data.

Pascal and Structured Programming

Pascal was developed by Professor Niklaus Wirth for academic use.
Structured programming emerged in the 1960s as a disciplined approach to writing programs, making them clear, easy to test, debug, and modify.
Pascal is an example of a language that supports structured programming, developed in 1971 by Niklaus Wirth.
Ada was developed in the 1970s-early 1980s by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for multitasking, allowing programmers to specify many activities to run in parallel.

Object Technology

Objects are reusable software components that model real-world items, such as date, time, paycheck, invoice, audio, video, file, and record objects.
Objects make software more understandable, organized, and easier to maintain, favoring modularity and software reuse through libraries like MFC (Microsoft Foundation Classes) and Rogue Wave.

C++ Environment

A C++ system consists of a program-development environment, language, and C++ Standard Library.
The phases of a C++ program include editing, preprocessing, compiling, and linking, resulting in an executable program.

Evolution of Operating Systems

Multiprogramming allows many jobs or tasks to share computer resources, operating "simultaneously."
Timesharing emerged in the 1960s as a special case of multiprogramming, where users access computers through terminals, with the operating system performing small portions of each user's job before moving on to the next user.
Timesharing provides an advantage of almost immediate responses to user requests.

Personal Computing, Distributed Computing, and Client/Server Computing

Personal computers, such as the Apple Computer (1977) and IBM Personal Computer (1981), are economical and "standalone" units.
Computer networks, including local area networks (LANs), connect computers over telephone lines.
Distributed computing distributes an organization's computing over networks, and client/server computing involves file servers offering shared programs and data, with client computers accessing them across the network.
Examples of client/server computing include UNIX, Linux, and Microsoft's Window-based systems.

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Description

Learn about the development and evolution of programming languages, including FORTRAN, COBOL, and Pascal, and their applications in science, engineering, and business.