Basics of Programming for beginners (Part 1)

Introduction

Computer Programming is the process of designing and building an executable computer program for accomplishing a  specific computing task. In order to begin programming, first, we must be well aware of the basic concept of programming. So here we come with the basics of programming for beginners.

Programming Language is a formal language; a vocabulary and a set of grammatical rules which is used for instructing a computer or computing device to perform a specific task. They are used in computers to implement algorithms.

Types

Programming languages can be categorized into three broad levels.

1. High-Level Language
   • Simple than human language, complex than the language that a computer actually understands (i.e. machine language)
2. Assembly Language
   • Lies between High-Level language and Machine Language
   • Similar to machine languages
   • Easy in programming than Machine language as it allows the programmer to substitute names for number.
3. Machine Language
   • The only language that is understood by the computers
   • Uses only numbers

Language Processor

As a computer understands machine language only, programmers eventually require converting their programs into machine language so that the computer could understand it. There are two types of language processors,

1. Interpreter
   • Allows a computer to interpret/ understand what task does the programs want the computer to perform
2. Translator

• • Takes a program’s code and translate it into machine level, this allows a computer to read and understand what tasks does the program wants it to run In its own native language.
  • Two types:
    • Assembler
      • A program
      • Convert/ translate programs written in assembly language to machine language
    • Compiler
      • A program
      • Compile- a process of creating an executable program from codes written in a compiled programming language
      • Allows a computer to run and understand the program without the need for programming software used for creating the program

Program Errors

We have the following types of error in programming

1. Logic Error
2. Syntax Error
3. Compilation Error
4. Run Time Error
5. Arithmetic Error
6. Resource Error
7. Interfacing Error

We will discuss these some other article.

Programming Paradigm

Paradigm can be defined as a method to solve some problem or perform some task.

Therefore programming paradigm is an approach to solve program using some programming language. We can say the programming paradigm is a method to solve a program using tools and techniques that are available to us.

There are many programming languages available yet all of them need to follow some strategy/ methodology. These methodologies or strategies are called Programming Paradigm.

Programming Paradigms can be broadly categorized as

1. Imperative Programming Paradigm
2. Declarative Programming Paradigm

There are some more topics to be covered for the basics. We will be updating it soon.