Level Language
High Level Language According to Use
a. Scientific: These languages are oriented towards computational procedures for solving mathematical
and statistical problems. Examples are BASIC, FORTRAN, AlGOL, and APL.
b. Business Data Processing: These languages emphasize their capabilities for maintaining data
processing procedures and file handling problems. Examples are COBOL and Prolog.
c. Object-Oriented Programming Language: In OOP, the computer program is divided into objects.
Examples: C++ and Java
d. General purpose: They are used for general-purpose programming. Examples are: C, PASCAL and PL/I
(Programming Language, Version I)
e. Special purpose programming language: This language had a specific purpose for which they are
developed. Examples: SNOBOL (String-Oriented Symbolic Language)
f. Visual programming language: These are designed for building window-based applications. Examples
are: Visual Basic, Visual Java and Visual C
g. Artificial intelligence: These programming languages are designed to mimic human intelligence.
Examples: Lisp (List processing) and Prolog (program Logic)
High-Level Languages According to the Mode of Execution
a. Interpreted
Interpreted languages are read and executed directly with no compilation stage. E.g. BASIC, ASP, Lisp
and Logo
b. Compiled Language
Compiled languages are transformed into executable form before running. E.g. PASCAL, COBOL, C, and
FORTRAN
Features of Some High Level Languages
High Level Language Features
FORTRAN 1. Ideal for scientific application
2. Uses mathematical notation
COBOL
1. Ideal for business application
2. English like
BASIC 1. Interactive
2. Easy to learn
3. Uses mathematical notation
Pascal 1. Scientifically oriented
2. Focuses on structured programming
C 1. Structured programming
2. General purpose programming
3. Procedural language
Advantages of High Level Language
1. User friendly
2. Easier to learn
3. They are easier to maintain
4. Machine independent
5. Requires less time to write
Disadvantages of High Level Language
1. They are slow to execute as compared to machine language
2. They are not memory efficient
