Know the Features of Programming Languages
Unit 6: Assignment 1
Declan O'Driscoll
10-12-2016
Table of Contents
Know the Features of Programming Languages
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Unit 6: Assignment 1
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Declan O'Driscoll
10-12-2016
|
Table of Contents
Know the Features of Programming Languages
Procedural Programming Paradigm
Procedural programming is derived from structured programming; it is based on the concept of a procedure call. Procedures are also known as subroutines or functions contain a series of steps to be carried out in the given procedure. Any procedure can be called from any point within the general program this includes other procedures or even itself.
Advantages
Procedural programming is written in a step by step function this makes smaller programs easier to follow. Also, Procedural programming is easy to maintain as each procedure or function is able to be debugged in isolation from the rest. This allows for easy isolation of any problems or issues.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage to procedural programming is that it is not fast to run compared with lower level language. For applications that require more processing power, this can limit the effectiveness. Also, procedural programming struggles to handle situations in which a number of possible actions may lead to the desired result.
Object Oriented Programming Paradigm
Object Oriented Programming (OOP) is designed to model and organize around objects rather than actions and data rather than logic. OOP views programs as a collection of objects such as a database record instead of a link of tasks, each object can be viewed as an independent ‘machine’ which a distinct role or responsibility which is capable of receiving messages, processing data and sending other messages to other objects
Advantages
A key advantage of OOP is that objects that are created can be easily reused in other programs. Also, large programs can be very difficult to write. OOP forces designers to go through an extensive planning phase, this makes for better designs with fewer flaws or issues.
Disadvantages
OOP programs are much larger than other programs. This means that they take more hard drive space to be able to perform. Also, OOP requires a lot of work to create. A lot of planning goes into an OOP well before a single piece of code is ever written. Also, OOP programs are slower due to their large size.
Event Driven Programming Paradigm
Event Driven Programming is a paradigm in which the flow of the program has been determined by the events such as different user actions, this can include what to do with mouse clicks or key presses. Event driven programming is a dominant paradigm used in graphical user interfaces (GUI) and other applications such as JavaScript and web applications.
Advantages
An advantage to Event Driven Programming is that it is flexible, programs that use event driven can be altered easily if the programmer wants to change something. Also, it is easier to program. A programmer can put different things on top of the form which can make it simpler for the programmer.
Disadvantages
Event Driven programming is often more complex for smaller simpler programs. Also, the flow of the program is usually less logical and obvious than other programming paradigms.
High-Level Programming
Programs that are written in a high-level language are a much closer representation of how we would write normally. This allows for a programmer to write programs that are more or less independent of a particular type of computer.
Advantages
Generally, high-level programming languages tend to execute faster than other languages, also you can specifically target and utilize specific computer features.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage to High-level programming languages is that in some cases you have an interpreter between which can consume resources. Also, you need to a compiler to get the Higher Level Language to Lower Level Language that can be understood by the machine.
Imperative Programming
Imperative programming is a paradigm that uses statements to change a programs state in the same way that imperative mood in natural languages expresses commands. An imperative program consists of commands that are to be executed by the machine.
Advantages
An advantage of imperative programming is that it is efficient by working closer to the physical machine to be able to execute faster.
Disadvantages
Imperative programming can be complex to understand and due to this, it makes it harder to debug the code to find it's issued. Also, the order of the code is critical to success as if the order is incorrect the program will fail.
Visual Basic
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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It is free to download and use
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Programs created within VB only work on Windows
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Easy to learn and easy to understand
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Requires a lot of memory to install due to being a GUI
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Has an integrated IDE
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Slower than lots of other languages
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C++
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Free to Download and use
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Complicated language to learn
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Uses a similar syntax to other languages such as Java
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Used mostly for platform specific applications
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Multi-paradigm friendly so can be used for procedural, OOP, generic and functional programming etc
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Overly complex and difficult to debug when used for many applications
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Dark BASIC
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Free to download and use (with advertisements)
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Dark BASIC languages' syntax is unique
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Doesn't require as much code as other languages
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Mainly focussed on creating games so isn't flexible with it's functionality
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Easy to learn
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Not very Fast
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JavaScript
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Free to download and Use
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Difficult to use and learn with limited experience
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Javascript is cross platform compatible
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Slower to develop and execute
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Multithreaded to allow for the program to perform different tasks simultaneously
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Difficult to create frame based applications
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HTML
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Free to use
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All pages must be edited separately
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Easy to edit and understand as it is written in plain text
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Limited security features
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HTML is supported by all browsers
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Structuring can be difficult to learn
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Describe the factors influencing the choice of Programming Language
Time Constraints
Depending on how much time a programmer has depends on what language they will use for a project. This is because some languages take longer to code than other languages. This is because each language uses different functions to get to the same end goal.
Organisational Policies
Organisations will all have different policies for the different things within their company. This can be something as simple as their PC operating systems ranging from Windows to Linux or they may have a policy on what programming language that they want to be used in their program. If a company does not have a policy on the set language they want it is up to the programmer to decide on the language that will suit the systems needs and operate efficiently. Using the set information that the programmer receives from the company they will be able to work out the language that will work best for example Visual Basic is a language that is exclusive to windows so will not work on Linux.
Suitability
A programmer must find out what the organization actually wants out of their program. This means that they must found out the systems needs to find what specifics they want in toe program. The Programmer needs to figure out what language will be best for the specific system.
Availability of Trained Staff
If a programmer is making a system for an organization they need to be aware of the staff members and take into consideration what training they will need to use the new program that they create. This means that the Programmer has to take into account the ease of use of the system before choosing the correct language to use.
Reliability
The Programmer has to take into consideration the reliability of the program that they will be creating as organizations do not like down time in their business. If the program was to crash it can cause serious repercussions for the company. This means that the Programmer has to choose a programming language that is reliable and efficient for the organization's needs. The Reliability of a program can also depend on the Time Constraints that the Programmer has to code the program. This is because if they use a reliable language it may take longer to program.
Environment
The environment in which the program is used is a large influencing factor on what programming language to use. For example if a program was being created for a supermarket they will need to ensure that it is a reliable system and also that the programming language that is chosen can meet the environment of its use, this means that choosing a programming language that is unable to handle things such as a barcode scanner inputting information is not a good choice for a supermarket.
Development and Maintenance Costs
Although the Programming Languages and their programs used to code them are freely available there are costs that are needed for development. The Programmer will have to look at what the specs on the computers are so that they can tell the company if any hardware is needed to be updated to efficiently run the program. There are costs for the continuous maintenance of the program. This is if the program has issues after release that users have found the Programmer will have to find and fix the bugs and release patches and updates to the program to ensure that the bugs can be fixed. There are also costs included in the upgrades of the program.
Expandability
Expandability is important as an organization is constantly looking for ways to grow. If a company is happy with the program that has been created they can request new features and updates to the program. This can mean that the Programmer will then need to add more functions to the software. This is important as certain programming languages are not the best for expandability and adding more features later on. Also if a company grows they need their program to be able to adapt and grow with the company and be able to support the new expansions.
Python
Sequencing
Sequences allow a user to store multiple values in an organized and efficient way. There are three different types of sequences. Strings, Lists and Tuples. These are the most used types however there are more.
Strings
A String is where all content within it is allocated a specific number which allows the user to echo a specific character from the string. For example, in the image below you can see that the string “Hello World” is called but only the character label 1 is echoed back. 
Lists and Arrays
A list is just another word for an Array is a list of values that are organized into a specific order. Lists are created by python using square brackets and then listing with comas the individual values. Again values of a list can be displayed by calling upon the list name and containing the numeric value of the item in the list you want to view. 
Tuples
Tuples operate similar to lists however, once a tuple is set there is no way of changing it. A user isn’t able to add, remove or edit any element of a tuple Otherwise they would be identical to lists. You can create a tuple you declare it by first naming it then listing the items of the tuple. Like a list but without the square brackets. An item in a Tuple can be called upon like a list. Tuples also are able to have their total values listed like a list with the use of the “len” function.
Selection
Selection statements allow for a program to choose when to execute specific instructions. For example, a program might choose how to proceed to the basis of the users input. The most common selection statement is the “IF” statement. This is where the code reaches an option where one of 2 things can happen. An “IF” statement has a condition and if that condition is met then the program will execute the if code. However, if the condition is not met by the program then it will execute the else code. 
Iteration
Iteration is the repetition of a specific procedure in a program. This is very important in programming as it is used to create loops. A loop is a series of code that is executed within a program and repeated a set number of times. Iteration is also used to create infinite loops which are constantly executed. Infinite loops are common in video games as it’s used to constantly update and render the world surrounding a player. 
Data Types
There are many different data types which can be used in different scenarios that can arise within a program. Each variable that is created when programing has a data type. There are six different data types. These are Strings, Integers, floats, characters, datetimes and Boolean. Each data type has an appropriate situation where it should be used and all have different features.
String
Strings are a data type that contains plain text. They are used to be printed out onto a screen and they can be stored into variables as well. Strings cannot perform mathematical operations as they are sentences of words. 
Integers
An Integer is any whole number. This also includes negative whole numbers. Programmers can use mathematical operations with integers. This means that they can be added, subtracted, multiplied, divided or any other mathematical operation. For example, you can add together 2 numbers such as 1 + 2. 
Floats
A Float is any number that contains a decimal point. This also includes negative numbers. Just like integers floats can be used with mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction and multiplication. They are used when a specific and precise value is needed rather than a whole number. For example, if someone wanted to do a calculation with Pi then they need a float number to be precise so that they can do the operation with the value “3.14159” rather than “3”.
Characters
A character is a specific letter within a string which can be accessed and printed on it’s own. This can be used by first creating a string with a value then echoing it calling upon a specific character number from within the string. Characters in a string are counted starting at zero so in the example below character 1 is “e” and Character zero is “D”.
Datetimes
The datetime datatype is used to store a specific point in time which can show the day, month and year. It can also be used to show the time of day in hours, minutes and seconds. The value of this can be manipulated so that it can adapt to different time zones.
Boolean
A Boolean is a data type that has only 2 possible values. True or False, this datatype is sued to validate weather a condition has been met or not and they are useful for many situations. Booleans are used in selection to allow programs to execute a specific series of code when it is needed and when the conditions are met.
