Introduction
A programming language is a formal constructed language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create systems to control the behavior of a machine or to express algorithms.
Since the invention of computers, hundreds of programming languages have been designed and made available to the whole world, and more are being constantly created.
Programming languages are different in a set of aspects that include the two main components of a programming language, the semantics and the syntax. For your own understanding, the syntax is the form or type, while the semantics are the meaning of that type or form.
Programming Languages Characteristics
Every language is different but there is some point most of them come together to the following three main traits:
• Abstractions - abstraction is a technique for managing complexity of computer systems. Most of the languages have particular rules that help define data structures and also manipulate the manner in which commands and instructions are executed.
Through abstraction, the programmer can achieve more in less steps and add extra levels of functionality according to his/her needs while hiding unnecessary (in the viewpoint of the programmer) operations the underlying hardware uses to make things work and represent data.
• Function and Target - We use web programming languages in various ways and in order to achieve various functionality. Thus, the function that a language is used for, or the target goal we aim to complete with it, does define a language and classifies them into several groups like client-side, server-side, etc
• Expressive Power - Yet another classification of programming languages can be made considering the computations that they can express. This is an important aspect to be analyzed before starting an actual project.
