Introduction to Computer Programming

Computer Programming

• Computer programming involves designing and building executable programs for specific tasks.
• Key tasks include analysis, generating algorithms, profiling accuracy and resource consumption, and implementing algorithms.

Programming Language

• A formal set of instructions for producing various outputs is defined as a programming language.
• Programming languages facilitate the creation of programs that execute specific algorithms.

Source Code

• Source code is human-readable code usually written in plain text and may contain comments.
• It is transformed into binary machine code through assemblers or compilers for computer execution.

Levels of Programming

• Low-Level Language: Offers no abstraction from hardware, represented in binary (0s and 1s).
• High-Level Language: Allows programming that is independent of specific computer types.

Computer Algorithms

• An algorithm is a self-contained sequence of actions designed to perform tasks like calculations and data processing.
• Notable historical contributions include:
  • Analytical Engine (Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace)
  • Plugboard in Type I Tabulator (Herman Hollerith, 1906)
  • ENIAC Coding System (1943)

Machine Code

• Assembly Language developed in 1949 constitutes an early programming language.

History of Computer Programming

• FORTRAN: Introduced in 1957, the first widely-used high-level language.
• COBOL: Developed in 1960 for business applications.
• BASIC: Created in 1964 for beginners by Kemeny, Kurtz, and Keller.
• PASCAL: Designed by Niklaus Wirth in 1970.
• C (1972) and C++ (1985) were influential in modern programming.
• Key languages released in 1995 include Java (James Gosling), JavaScript (Brendan Eich), PHP (Rasmus Lerdorf), and Ruby (Yukihiro Matsumoto).
• More recent languages include C# (2000), Kotlin (2011), and TypeScript (2012).

Pseudocode

• Pseudocode uses short English phrases to outline program tasks clearly.
• Indentation indicates logical flow, aiding in coding and communication among team members.
• Early design stages may utilize pseudocode, flow charts, or a combination of both.

Examples of Pseudocode

• Sample conditional statements for displaying values based on comparisons.
• Basic input handling for greeting users based on their name.

Do’s and Don’ts of Pseudocode

• Do's:
  • Employ control structures.
  • Use proper naming conventions and limited numbers.
  • Maintain simplicity and conciseness.
• Don'ts:
  • Avoid abstraction and over-generalization.