Programming languages
Recommended Week
Year 1 : All WeeksOriginator
Dan PageAim
Learning main features of less known programming languages (if you know a bit more about different languages and the ways they let you solve problems, you will learn more about how to solve problems in the language you have to use and be able to compare and contrast solutions to the same problem).Task
Each student in the tutorial group should look as set of languages listed in one line:
- LaTeX, Simula, Ruby
- C++, Occam, Prolog
- Fortran, Lisp, Perl
- Verilog, Smalltalk, Rexx
- Cobol, Python, Forth
The languages are picked as a good cross section and so nobody has, for example, all functional programming languages. Please find out about the chosen languages and give a couple of minutes informal presentation on each including factors such as:
- What type of problem is the language generally used to solve.
- How is the language used eg. compiled/interpreted.
- What are the characteristics of programs written in the language ie. fast/slow, verbose/compact.
- What are the novel features of the language what make it different and useful.
If you are brave, you might want to demonstrate a sample program !
Useful places to start:
Information about really weird programming languages can be found here.