Computer Language Chart

Category

Description

Purpose

System Software

Computer
programs used to
start and run
computer systems
Run under the
system software to
perform specific
tasks for a user
Software whose
source code is
available for
modification or
enhancement by
anyone
Lowest-Level
programming
language, the only
languages
understood by
computers
A low-level
language for
microprocessors
and other
programmable
devices
A language that
enables a
programmer to
write programs
that are
independent of a
particular type of
computer
Programming
language whose
programs are
typically translated
into machine
language by a
compiler before
being executed

Provides an
interface between
other applications
and programs
Made to do specific
tasks which have
indirect access to
hardware
To give groups of
people the ability
to contribute
different features
and functions to an
application
To give very
specific
instructions on a
unit of data

Application
Software

Open Source
Software

Machine
Language

Assembly Level
Language

High Level
Language

Compiled
Language

Specific
Examples
(If Applicable)
Microsoft Windows,
Linux, Unix, Mac
OSX
Adobe Flash Player,
Apple QuickTime
Player
Linux, Stellarium,
PostgreSQL

Binary

Enable a
programmer to use
names instead of
numbers

NA

To allow the
specification of a
problem solution in
terms closer to
those used by
human language

C++, Ruby,
Python, PHP, C#,
Perl, JavaScript,
Java, Objective-C,
SQL

To transform code
into another
computer
language, with the
latter often having
a binary form

Java, .Net
Framework (C++,
C#, Visual Basic)

Interpreted
Language

A programming
language which
most of its
implementation
execute
instructions
directly, without
previously
compiling a
program into
machine
instructions

Gives
implementations
some additional
flexibility over
compiled
implementations.

BASIC, C, Lisp,
Pascal, and Python