Second-generation programming language

The label of second-generation programming language (2GL) is a generational way to categorize assembly languages. ^{[1] [2] [3]} They belong to the low-level programming languages.

The term was coined to provide a distinction from higher level machine independent third-generation programming languages (3GLs) (such as COBOL, C, or Java) and earlier first-generation programming languages (machine code) ^{[2] [4]}

Second-generation programming language

Further information: Assembly language

Second-generation programming languages have the following properties:

• Lines within a program correspond directly to processor commands, essentially acting as a mnemonic device overlaying a first generation programming language.
• The code can be read and written by a programmer. To run on a computer it must be converted into a machine readable form, a process called assembly. ^[4]
• The language is specific to a particular processor family and environment. ^[2]

Second-generation languages are sometimes used for parts of kernels or device drivers, and are sometimes used in video games, graphics programs, and other intensive programs. ^[1]

In modern programs, second generation assembly languages are rarely used. ^[5] Programming in second generation languages may yield speed benefits, but several disadvantages have led to its decline:

• Programming is expressed in terms of individual processor instructions, rather than higher level logic. ^{[2] [3]}
• Low-level memory and hardware details must be manually managed which is often bug-prone. ^[2]
• Programs are machine-dependent, so different versions must be written for every target machine architecture. ^[3]

The vast majority of programs are written in a third-generation programming language or a fourth-generation programming language. Assembly's main advantage, speed, has degraded by the fact that well written C code can often be as fast or even faster than handwritten assembly. ^{[2] [6]}

Second generation languages are perhaps most significant in their place in computing history. For a long time, Second generation assembly languages were the only good option for development for many machines, such as the NES or the Commodore 64. ^{[7] [8]} Second generation languages represented a massive step away from the tradition of programmers conforming to the needs of a machine, and the first step towards the machine accommodating for the programmer, a phenomenon that would be repeated in all subsequent programming language generations. ^{[2] [3]}

References

1. "Computer Hope, Generation languages"
2. Brookshear, J. Glenn (2012). Computer science : an overview (11th ed.). Addison-Wesley. pp. 240–241. ISBN   978-0-13-256903-3.
3. Vass, Péter. "Programming Language generations and Programming Paradigms" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
4. "What Are Programming Language Generations?". wiseGEEK. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
5. "Top Computer Languages 2019 - StatisticsTimes.com". statisticstimes.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-12. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
6. Walls, Colin. "Why C is faster than assembly". Mentor, a Sieman's Business. Mentor Inc. Archived from the original on 2020-01-29. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
7. Commodore corporation. "C64 programmer's reference" (PDF). Commodore corporation. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
8. Wikibooks contributors. "NES assembly". Wikibooks: NES Assembly. Retrieved 11 June 2019.{{cite web}}: |author1= has generic name (help)