preview

Programming Languages Over The Years Have Improved And

Good Essays

Programming languages over the years have improved and even changed drastically in their design and capabilities. New languages are created to perform specific tasks that others cannot accomplish each year. By doing so, the creation of these new languages fill specific niches. However, the problem with computer languages is that if you want to construct an easier approach to a task or problem in another language, odds are you must give something else up to accomplish that goal. Which is why there is such a large amount of different and unique programming languages. Each of them has a specific purpose of implementation, COBOL, for example, is the primary language of business. FORTRAN is the primary language of science, PROLOG is the …show more content…

Like many modern programming languages, Lua was inspired and influenced by other previous languages. Among such influences are Scheme and Python (101 Ireusalimschy). However, Lua was not simply created as one new language, but rather, as “as the fusion of two descriptive languages, designed for the configuration of two specific applications: one for scientific data entry, the other for visualizing lithology profiles obtained from geological probes” (SPE paper). SOL, a data description language, was the first half of this fusion. What Lua inherited from SOL was its data description support, but conversely integrated that support into procedural semantics (2 Ireusalimschy). Furthermore, SOL’s ability to name and nest declarations was passed onto Lua. Syntax between SOL and Lua have minor differences but rather drastic differences in semantics (2 Ireusalimschy). And the other half of this fusion? None other than DEL, a simple language designed to describe and declare data entries in a simple way. To make the boring process of data entry easier, DEL turned each “entity” into a data structure or record that additionally included its name in a graphical metafile. DEL’s original demand for an interactive data entry language was met, but quickly the team at TeCGraf was met with more demands. Items on the wish list for DEL included Boolean variables for active/inactive input, loops, and conditional controls. As DEL became heavier and heavier, the team decided they truly needed

Get Access