The Generations of Programming Languages | Computer Science History
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the evolution of programming languages, tracing their development from the 1940s to present day. It begins with 1GL, machine languages, used for early computer programming, and progresses through 2GL, assembly languages, which introduced mnemonics for easier readability. The video then explores 3GL, high-level languages like FORTRAN and C, emphasizing their role in code reusability. It touches on the debate over Python and JavaScript's classification before discussing 4GL, database-oriented languages like SQL, and 5GL, constraint-based languages. The host expresses curiosity about current 5GL usage and encourages viewers to engage in the discussion.
Takeaways
- 💡 The video discusses the evolution of programming languages, categorizing them into five generations: 1GL, 2GL, 3GL, 4GL, and 5GL.
- 🕒 1GL, or machine language, originated in the 1940s and involves programming directly in binary, which is efficient but difficult for humans to understand.
- 🔠 2GL, or assembly language, introduced mnemonics and English words for programming, making it more readable for humans compared to 1GL.
- 🔧 Assembly language, part of 2GL, was pivotal for debugging and introduced advanced programming methods like macros and structured programming.
- 📈 The transition from 1GL to 2GL marked a significant leap in human readability and programming sophistication.
- 🌐 3GL, high-level languages like FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal, and C, introduced concepts like variables, loops, and error handling, making programming more accessible.
- 📝 The video clarifies a common debate, asserting that languages like Python, Ruby, and JavaScript are considered 3GL despite having some 4GL features.
- 📊 4GL languages, such as SQL, are closely related to databases and are used for queries, reporting, and GUI creation, emphasizing a more human-like approach to programming.
- 🤖 5GL languages focus on constraint-based programming and AI, aiming to solve problems with minimal human intervention.
- 📚 The video highlights the historical significance of women in early programming and computer science, emphasizing their substantial contributions.
- 🔍 The speaker shares personal experiences and insights, including the use of Prolog in college, to provide a relatable perspective on the discussed programming languages.
Q & A
What are the five generations of programming languages?
-The five generations of programming languages are: 1GL (Machine Language), 2GL (Assembly Language), 3GL (High-Level Languages like FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal, and C), 4GL (Closer to human language, often used for database-related tasks like SQL), and 5GL (Constraint-based languages and visual tools).
What is the main difference between 1GL and 2GL programming languages?
-1GL programming languages are machine languages that use binary code (ones and zeros) and are directly executed by the CPU. 2GL programming languages are assembly languages that use mnemonics, which are easier for humans to understand and write, and require an assembler to convert them into machine language.
When were the first generation programming languages used?
-The first generation programming languages, which are machine languages, were used back in the 1940s for programming the first generation computers.
Who are some of the key figures in the early development of assembly language?
-Kathleen Booth and David J. Wheeler are two key figures in the early development of assembly language. Booth developed an assembly language for the R2 system in 1947, while Wheeler developed one for EDSAC in 1949.
What is the significance of the assembler in the context of 2GL programming languages?
-The assembler is significant in 2GL programming languages because it translates assembly language into machine language, making it easier for humans to write and debug code, and introducing advanced programming methods like macros and structured programming.
What are some examples of 3GL programming languages?
-Examples of 3GL programming languages include FORTRAN from the 1950s, BASIC from the 1960s, and Pascal and C from the 1970s. These languages introduced concepts like variables, constants, loops, and error handling.
Why were 3GL languages created?
-3GL languages were created to allow for the reusability of code blocks, making programming more efficient and easier to manage, and they introduced higher-level constructs that were closer to human language.
What is the debate surrounding Python's classification as a 3GL or 4GL language?
-There is a debate about whether Python should be considered a 3GL or 4GL language. Some people argue that Python's high-level features and capabilities make it more like a 4GL, while others maintain that it fits better within the 3GL category due to its syntax and structure.
What are the main domains for 4GL programming languages?
-The main domains for 4GL programming languages are typically related to databases, including database queries, report generation, data manipulation, analysis, and reporting, as well as GUI creation and some web development tasks.
What was the initial expectation for 5GL programming languages in the 1980s?
-In the 1980s, 5GL programming languages were expected to be the future of programming, with the belief that all procedural programming would be replaced by constraint-based programming. This led to significant investment in 5GL research and development.
Why did 5GL programming languages not become as widespread as initially anticipated?
-5GL programming languages did not become as widespread as initially anticipated because they proved to be more difficult to implement than expected. The shift from procedural programming to constraint-based programming was not as smooth as predicted, leading to a decline in their popularity.
Outlines
💻 Introduction to Programming Language Generations
The video script begins with an introduction to the history of programming languages, highlighting the evolution from machine languages to high-level languages. The speaker discusses the concept of programming language generations, which are categorized into five distinct groups: first, second, third, fourth, and fifth-generation languages (1GL to 5GL). The script delves into the origins of machine languages, which were the first generation programming languages used in the 1940s. These languages were directly inputted into the CPU in binary form, making them efficient but difficult for humans to understand. The speaker also touches on the ongoing use of machine language for lower-level functions like drivers and firmware, despite the advent of higher-level languages.
🔧 Transition from Machine to Assembly Language
The second paragraph continues the historical narrative by discussing the shift from 1GL machine languages to 2GL assembly languages. Assembly language introduced mnemonics, making it more readable for humans compared to binary code. The script mentions the debate over the origins of assembly language, with some attributing its creation to Kathleen Booth in 1947 for the AR2 system, while others credit David J. Wheeler for his work on EDSAC in 1949. The speaker emphasizes the significant contributions of women in early computer science and programming. Assembly language, despite being a low-level language, allowed for easier debugging and introduced advanced programming techniques like macros and structural programming, primarily used in system kernels, drivers, and performance-critical applications.
🌐 The Emergence of High-Level Languages
The third paragraph marks the beginning of high-level programming languages with the introduction of 3GL. The speaker outlines the evolution of programming languages from the 1950s with FORTRAN to the 1960s with BASIC, and through the 1970s with PASCAL and C. These languages introduced concepts like variables, constants, loops, and error handling, making them more accessible and efficient for programmers. The script addresses the debate over whether languages like Python, Ruby, and JavaScript are considered 3GL or 4GL, with the speaker leaning towards categorizing them as 3GL due to their structure and capabilities. The paragraph also sets the stage for the discussion of 4GL and 5GL languages, which are more abstract and closer to human language, with 4GL focusing on database-related tasks and 5GL on constraint-based programming and visual tools.
📚 Reflections on the Evolution of Programming Languages
In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the historical progression of programming languages from machine language in the 1940s to the advanced languages of today. There's a brief mention of 5GL languages, which were once seen as the future of programming but did not achieve the widespread adoption initially anticipated. The speaker expresses curiosity about the practical use of 5GL languages and encourages viewers who have experience with them to share in the comments. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to like, share, and subscribe for more content on computer science and history, emphasizing the enjoyment derived from researching and creating the video.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Moore's Law
💡Generations of Programming Languages
💡Machine Language
💡Assembly Language
💡High-Level Languages
💡Compiler
💡Fourth Generation Languages (4GL)
💡Fifth Generation Languages (5GL)
💡Mnemonics
💡Abstraction
💡Python
Highlights
Introduction to the history of programming languages and their classification into five generations.
1GL (first-generation languages) are machine languages, used to directly input binary code into CPUs in the 1940s.
2GL (second-generation languages) introduced assembly languages, using mnemonics and alphabetical characters for easier human readability.
Debate over whether assembly languages originated in the 1940s or 1950s, with contributions by Kathleen Booth and David J. Wheeler.
Assembly languages are still used today for low-level operations such as device drivers and hardware interfaces.
3GL (third-generation languages) are high-level languages, starting with Fortran in the 1950s and evolving into modern languages like Java, Python, and C++.
The main purpose of 3GL languages was to introduce reusable code blocks and enable features like error handling and data types.
There’s a debate over whether languages like Python and Ruby are advanced 3GL or 4GL, with most consensus leaning towards them being 3GL.
4GL (fourth-generation languages) focus on higher abstraction, often used in database-related tasks such as SQL, report generation, and GUI development.
SQL, created in the 1970s, is one of the most widely known 4GL languages, and it's a major player in database manipulation.
5GL (fifth-generation languages) aim to replace traditional programming with constraint-based problem-solving, like AI languages such as Prolog.
Despite significant investment in 5GL research in the 1980s and 1990s, 5GL languages did not become as dominant as predicted.
The presenter emphasizes that debates over language generation classification, like whether Python is 3GL or 4GL, don't matter in practical use.
The presenter calls attention to the significant role women, like Kathleen Booth, played in the early development of programming languages.
The video concludes with an encouragement for viewers to explore related topics such as Moore’s Law and to engage with the content by subscribing.
Transcripts
all right this is a continuation to my
dive into
computer science history if you don't
know what i mean by that last video i
went over the history of moore's law
how it originated how it's been going
over the past half century and
my predictions for the future and in
this video i want to talk about
the generations or the history of
programming languages
as you know them now they're high-level
languages
and they're low-level languages but did
you also know that they're also split up
into
five generations first second third
fourth fifth
pretty easy to remember you also hear
these referred to as
one gl two gl3 gl4 gl5 gl
and that obviously means fifth
generation language
and that's what i want to talk about and
what you'll notice is that when we go
from one gl
to geo it's basically a progression
through history
where programming languages started and
where they are today
the first generation programming
languages are machine languages which
were used to
code or to program the first generation
computers this was back in the 1940s and
it was done by
by basically putting in the code into
the front panel switches of these
systems
and it goes directly to the cpu there's
no compiler no assembler
nothing like that directly to the cpu
and
it was machine learning which was made
up of ones and zeros binary so while it
is very
easy for the machine to understand it
was a lot more difficult for the human
to understand now while that
is a disadvantage it was also a perk
because
this made for very fast and very
efficient code because it didn't have to
go through any assembler compiler
the converted it was inputted directly
into the cpu and before you say anything
yeah well supposedly yeah
that people still use this to code or
it's technically called instructions you
enter the instructions into
well in this case directly into the cpu
and it is executed by the cpu
but instructions code but supposedly
still used to program lower level
functions of the computer like
like like the drivers or firmware
hardware interfaces
it's kind of weird to hear that people
still use this but that's what my
research told me
so that's what i'm telling you and just
so you understand 1gl
machine code machine language whatever
you want to call it
that is well basically when you have
your fancy
three gl plus languages like java and
python
our compilers use that code to produce
machine language for computers to
understand the second generation
programming languages are languages
associated with assembly language so we
started with 1gl
machine language now to 2gl assembly
language
this is our first ever look at a
programming language that uses
alphabetical letters english words known
as mnemonics assembly mnemonics
that that's a huge leap from just ones
and zeros
and what's actually kind of funny about
this is that you have some people
arguing the fact that
it originated in the 1940s and other
people arguing the fact that it
originated in the 1950s
i don't know why this is a debate let's
set the record straight here
it originated in the 1940s however
when you bring that up it uh brings up
another debate
and that is was it was it created by
kathleen booth back in 1947 for the r2
system
or was it created by uh david j
wheeler that's his name right yeah david
j wheeler
for edsack in 1949. well
1947 comes before 49 so i would have to
say
booth however i'm assuming the main
argument comes from the fact that
it appears that that kathleen booth's
first
assembly language was more was more
based on mathematical operations where
when it comes to wheeler's
first assembly language it was the first
ever
mnemonic based so really heavily you
know
english words alphabet letters rather
than what booth did in 1947
whatever it may be and i understand
people may be a bit more passionate
about this topic
just for the record women played a huge
role in
programming computer science around this
time and that's not me simp and that's
just the truth but either way
that can be a debate for another time
either way it was originated in the
1940s i think the main argument for
why some people say it was
originated in the 1950s well i have
three theories one was maybe it's just
because of how much it progressed
in the 1950s and it got more of a solid
disassembly language feel in the 1950s
even though it's still originally 1940s
or
it's because it wasn't popular until the
1950s or the
late 1950s actually or
and in all honesty this one is just as
likely as the previous two
someone accidentally mistyped 1950s
instead of 1940s so now you have all
these
lackluster researchers regurgitating
1950s
without actually doing any research
other than whoever made the initial typo
in the first place and it just kind of
spread throughout the internet from
there back to the actual language now
we're still not using a compiler
but this is assembly language so we are
using a
an assembler to convert this language
into machine language and this was huge
not only did assembly language allow
for easier human readability but the
assembler made it
a lot easier for actual debugging and
also introduced more
advanced methods of programming like
macro and structural programming and
while it is a big step for machine
language remember this is still a
low level language they're mostly used
in low-level kernels and drivers and
for like process oriented performance
based applications like video editing or
computer games or
graphic manipulation applications and
that's it for the low level languages
1gl machine language 2go assembly
language
now 3gl the third generation programming
languages is our first
look at a high-level language the first
few being fortran in the 1950s
basic in the 1960s pascal and c
in the 1970s and so on this was our
first introduction into variables
constants loops
error handling aggregate data types
flow constructs but the main reason for
creating the
first 3gl the main goal was to be able
to
reuse blocks or code blocks they just
continued to evolve and
now we have plenty of the languages that
you and i love today like
java and c plus plus and c sharp python
i'll address python here in a second and
of course we all know that
when we use these programming languages
now we're using a compiler
we need to use the compiler to convert
our code into machine language or object
code which by the way a compiler
was first introduced back in 1952. this
part is typically when i say
the uses for these languages but i feel
like we all know you know how you use
java and c plus plus and c
sharp and as much as i want to hop right
into 4gl
i can't just yet because there is
another debate
i don't know why people just can't agree
on these things that is python
ruby javascript and a couple others
lumped in there
some people consider these 4gl while
other people consider these advanced
3gl based on everything i see i also
consider these 3gl the thing is it
it these 3gl languages have 4gl
abilities and features but just in a 3gl
environment
and to be honest with you i think that's
the general consensus that these are all
three gl
languages with the exception of just a
few maybe those few are just really loud
in all honesty maybe and this is just
like a
theory of code theory no this is just a
theory i think
i think that people may have considered
these
4gl when they first came out but
retrospectively looking at it now that
we know
what is considered 3g on what is
considered 4gl they definitely fit
in the category of 3gl much better than
a 4gl language
which we're about to talk about in a
second not to mention the fact that like
definitions for these particular things
change over time and how it's changed
over time
all of it just leads to me saying that
python uh ruby javascript
are three geo languages i just felt like
i needed to say that now the real
the real the fourth generation languages
are just another step
closer into having a more
human another step closer to human
language form of thinking
conceptualization
that's the best way for me to put it and
considering the previous sentiment of
not knowing
which exact languages are 4gl or what
may or may not have been the first
4gl language it's hard for me to put a a
date on when exactly it originated
however
sequel originated in the 1970s sql is a
4gl
a fourth generation language with many
current 4gl languages being based
on sql sql whatever so i'm going to have
to say
the 1970s the main domains for 4gl are
typically database related like database
queries and
and reporting and things that have to do
with the database
let me read off most of of the domains
for it you have database queries report
generators
data manipulation analysis and reporting
gui creators
screen painters and generators and some
web development languages
and there are actually good amount of
4gl languages but some you may recognize
of course are sql
there's also octave matlab and
progress for gl the fifth generation
programming languages are really focused
on constraint
based languages and some use visual
tools to help you develop but when i say
constraint based languages that's
basically replacing our job
we created to replace our job constraint
based languages are languages that
basically solve the problem without the
use
of the programmer kind of like
artificial intelligence and there are a
few other domains in there
ops 5 kl1
i know there's a couple more mercury and
icad
those are all examples of 5gl languages
and i know i'm being redundant when i
say 5gl languages because that's me
saying for the generation language
languages but it rolls off tongue better
and if you haven't heard of these
languages
not a problem because i haven't either i
feel like i've heard of icap i think i'm
just
confusing it with autocad probably the
thing is in the 1980s
this five gl's were thought of the way
of the future that all
all procedural programming was going to
be replaced with constraint based
programming
programming for one reason or another
because of this
there's a bunch of money dumped into 5gl
research and development back in the
1980s and 90s
but it proved to be a little more
difficult than what they had
thought so it just kind of fell off i
mean i do remember
back in college i used prologue which
is supposedly a5 gl a fifth generation
language
but that's the only time i've ever used
prologue this is the only use case i
could ever see
myself for using prologue and that's
basically where my knowledge of it ends
and that's all i want to talk about on
the topic to be honest with you
it doesn't who really cares if something
is considered a
5gl or 4gl or 3gl like i don't know why
people arguing about whether or not
python is a 3gl or 4gl it doesn't really
matter
i just wanted to make this video to talk
about the history of programming
languages and how it progressed from
back in the
1940s from machine language to assembly
language to
you know our beloved 3gl's java python
uh c plus plus i'm sure swift would be
considered in there as well
and then to 4gl and 5gl that well 4gls
are
actually very widely used you know with
matlab and octave and sql of course
but then to 5gl which if you ever use if
you use a 5gl
like actually not just for a hot well
even for a hobby let me know in the
comment section i'm genuinely curious
i'd love to know i hope you enjoyed
watching this video as much as i did
researching and making it if you have
any friends that you think would be
interested in this type of content in
this video in particular
send it over to them and now you don't
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of the video
if you did like this video definitely
check out the video i made
right before this one a history of
moore's law because that one is
basically like this but with cpus and
moore's law
rather than programming languages i
can't be the only one that likes
computer science and history and
computer science history
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