COS 333: Chapter 2, Part 1

Summary

This lecture delves into the evolution of high-level programming languages, focusing on their historical development and impact on modern computing. It covers the initial challenges faced, such as the limitations of machine code, and the emergence of languages like Plan Calcul, Fortran, and Lisp. The discussion highlights key features introduced by each language, the influence of hardware on language design, and the shift towards more user-friendly and flexible programming paradigms. The lecture also touches on the significance of Fortran in scientific computing and Lisp's role in functional programming and artificial intelligence.

Takeaways

• 📚 The lecture covers the evolution of major high-level programming languages, focusing on their history and main features that influenced subsequent languages.
• 🧐 Students often find the chapter overwhelming due to the breadth of languages and details, but the focus should be on the main features and their impact on programming language development.
• 🔍 When studying a programming language, consider its purpose, the environment it was developed in, the languages that influenced it, and the main features it introduced.
• 🔬 The first programming language discussed is Plan Calcul, a theoretical language developed by Conrad Zuse that introduced several advanced concepts, despite never being implemented.
• 👶 The concept of pseudocode languages served as an intermediary step between machine code and high-level programming languages, making programming more approachable.
• ⚡ FORTRAN (Formula Translating System) was the first proper high-level programming language, developed for scientific computing and designed to work with the IBM 704 computer.
• 🔄 FORTRAN's development was influenced by the limitations and capabilities of the IBM 704, including the need for efficient compiled code due to the hardware's performance.
• 🔢 FORTRAN 1's features were closely tied to hardware operations, with no explicit data types and a focus on array handling and numerical computation.
• 🔄 Subsequent versions of FORTRAN introduced features like separate compilation, explicit type declarations, and support for business software elements like character string handling.
• 🤖 LISP (List Processing) was the first functional programming language, designed for symbolic computation and artificial intelligence research, emphasizing list manipulation and recursion.
• 🌐 LISP's impact includes the introduction of functional programming concepts, which are fundamental to modern programming languages that support functional paradigms.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Chapter Two in the textbook?

Chapter Two discusses the evolution of major high-level programming languages, providing an overview of their main features and historical context.

Why might students feel overwhelmed by Chapter Two?

Students might feel overwhelmed due to the large number of programming languages covered and the extensive historical details provided.

What four key points should students focus on for each programming language in this chapter?

Students should focus on the purpose of the language, the development environment, the languages that influenced it, and its main features.

What is Plan Calcul and why is it significant despite never being implemented?

Plan Calcul, developed by Conrad Zuse, introduced many groundbreaking concepts that were later implemented in more advanced languages, making it significant for its theoretical contributions.

What are pseudocode languages and how do they differ from modern pseudocode?

Pseudocode languages were early programming languages intended for hardware programming, less primitive than machine code but not fully high-level languages, unlike modern pseudocode used as a planning tool for algorithms.

How did the development environment of the IBM 704 computer influence Fortran?

The IBM 704's support for index registers and floating point operations in hardware allowed Fortran to implement efficient compilation and execution, moving away from the inefficiencies of interpreted pseudocodes.

What were some key features introduced by Fortran over its various versions?

Key features included support for independent compilation, explicit type declarations, logical selection statements, sub-program parameterization, dynamic arrays, pointers, recursion, and object-oriented programming.

Why was Fortran 90 significant in the evolution of Fortran?

Fortran 90 introduced significant features such as dynamic arrays, recursion, parameter type checking, and relaxed code formatting, marking a shift towards more flexible and user-friendly programming.

What are some important contributions of the Lisp programming language?

Lisp introduced functional programming, support for symbolic computation, dynamic storage handling, and list processing, significantly influencing the development of AI and functional programming languages.

What are the differences between Scheme and Common Lisp, and how are they used?

Scheme is a simple, educational language with static scoping and first-class functions, while Common Lisp is feature-rich, supporting both static and dynamic scoping, and is used for larger industrial applications.