Re: Low-level vs. High-level programming (was My First Computer)

[wildstar <wildstar128@hotmail.com>]

"Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch" <bj_666@gmx.net> wrote in
news:bdcl8u$rdkf2$1@fu-berlin.de: 

> In <3EF962CB.9070909@worrlldnet.att.net>, Richard Brady wrote:
> 
>> Introduction to Computers and Data Processing by Shelley & Cashman, 
>> 1980: A program can be defined as a series of instructions which
>> directs the coputer to perform a sequesce of tasks that produce a
>> desired result. The Home Computer Handbook by Schlossberg, Brockman
>> and Horton, 1978: program [is] a set of instructions arranged in a
>> specific sequence for directing the execution of a specific task or
>> the solution of a problem by a computer.
>> Introduction to Computer Programming with the BASIC Language by
>> Deitel, 1977: Computer programming is the process of instructing the
>> computer to utilize its various mechanisms to solve specific
>> problems. 
>> 
>> That said, it would appear that HTML is a programming language, which
>> is used to program the computer display via an interpreter called a 
>> browser.  It does solve specific display problems.
> 
> We are running in circles here. With this def. almost any data is a
> "program". The example of word processing files was given here more
> than once. Do you think a Word file (without embedded scripting) is a
> program because it is used to program the computer display (or
> printer) via an interpreter called Word!?
> 
> Almost any data used on a computer is structered and ment to be
> interpreted by some program.
> 
> I think a keyword is '*specific* task/problem'. HTML's main
> task/purpose is not to give hints to a browser but to mark certain
> parts of a document as header, paragraph, image, link etc. to make the
> data "machine readable" to automatically extract information from it.
> 
> Those markup can be used to render the document to screen or paper,
> but also to search documents or generate indices or do other
> transformations to the data. It's data, not program.
> 
> Ciao,
>      Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch
> 

Yep, all computer languages are in some way to program in some element of 
concepts but a programming language is any computer language designed to 
create programs. All computer languages are instruction to be processed 
by a computer either directly or indirectly. This is where we get some 
confusion. Computer languages can be any languages including 
HTML,WML,XML, script languages:PHP,PERL,Python,VBscript, programming 
languages: BASIC,FORTH,FORTRAN,C,D,B,A,ADA,Assembly,Machine Language, and 
so many others. A computer language is any language written for a 
computer to process to tasks in some form or manner. Even it it is mostly 
a description language. Even VHDL is a computer language but it is not a 
computer programming language aka programming language. VHDL is a 
Hardware Description language. HTML is like VHDL but for describing the 
documents. 

To Randy:
So Randy, your definition to programming language is the definition of 
computer languages not programming languages which is the short form of 
computer programming language. Do you understand this.

It is a common mistake in dictionaries to interchangably use the 
definition of computer languages with computer programming language. You 
learn to drop the old meaning in the field. It is often a common mistake 
to interchange the meanings but it is really hard to describe it simple 
enough. A computer programming language is just category within computer 
languages. They are not the same thing. Randy,you keep insisting it is.

I will make it short and clear. Only programmers truly know what it takes 
to define a program and a programming language. Also you have 
misinterpreted the meaning. There is a few implied stuff that is not 
really stated that is defining in a programming language.