Programming 1 – PRELIMINARY Notes by: Mr.

Dhoy Santiago

An Orientation: Getting to know your Course

BS in COMPUTER SCIENCE (BSCS)
• study of computing concepts and theories, algorithmic foundations and new developments in
computing.
• BSCS prepares students to design and create algorithmically complex software and develop new
and effective algorithms for solving computing problems.
BS in INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (BSIT)
• study of the utilization of both hardware and software technologies involving planning, installing,
customizing, operating, managing and administering, and maintaining IT infrastructure that
provides computing solutions to address the needs of an organization.
BS in INFORMATION SYSTEMS (BSIS)
• study of application and effect of IT to organizations.
• Graduates of the program should be able to implement an IS, which considers complex
technological and organizational factors affecting it.

The Program Goals of CS, IS, IT Graduates is to become globally competent, innovative, and socially
and ethically responsible computing professionals engaged in life-long learning endeavors.

What is ICT?
INFORMATION - Knowledge that you get about something or someone.
COMMUNICATION - Is the transmission of ideas and emotions between or among persons with the use of verbal
and non-verbal cues.
TECHNOLOGY (Techne – “Art, Skill, Craft” ; Logia – “Study of”) – Making, usage and knowledge of tools,
techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or serve some purpose.

COMPUTER - a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and
logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations.

 Elements of Computer System:

1. People – Most important element
2. Hardware – tangible / Physical parts
3. Software – intangible in nature (programs)
4. Data – facts and figures that are fed into a computer for further processing
5. Connectivity - When two or more computers are connected to each other, they can share information and
resources such as sharing of files (data/music etc.), sharing of printer, sharing of facilities like the internet
etc. This sharing is possible using wires, cables, satellite, infra-red, Bluetooth, microwave transmission etc.
6. Procedure - is a step by step series of instructions to perform a specific function and achieve desired
output.

 DATA PROCESSING CYCLE

INPUT - the feeding of Raw (data) Material.
PROCESS - transforming of Raw material for meaningful information.
OUTPUT - the outcome of the processed information.
STORE - Records & Retrieves information in a storage MEDIA.

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Programming 1 – PRELIMINARY Notes by: Mr. Dhoy Santiago

 MACHINE CYCLE
FETCH - getting a program instruction or data from memory.
DECODE - translating those instructions or data that the CPU can understand and execute upon.
EXECUTE - carrying out the command.
STORE - writing the result to the memory.

What is COMPUTER PROGRAM?

- Is a set of step-by-step instruction that tells or directs the computer what to do.
- It sequences the task a user wants done and produces the results or output needed.
Programmer
- Is the person who designs a program, decides which of the programs or set of instructions to use and tests
the program to see if it is working as designed.
- It converts problem solutions into instructions for the computer

Program Life Cycle: Steps to follow in writing or creating a program

1. IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

 It involves determining the requirement of the program.
2. PLANNING THE SOLUTION
 Draw a Flowchart – is a graphical representation of the step-by-step instruction to be done in a
program.
 Write a Pseudo code – is listing down the set of instructions to be used in the program.

3. CODING THE PROGRAM

 As you designed the solution the next step is to code the program with the use of a chosen
programming language.
4. TESTING THE PROGRAM
 After coding the program, it is important to test if it is running. Testing the program involves three
phases:
1. Desk Checking – in this phase the programmer just mentally traces or checks the logic of the
program to make sure that its error free.
2. Translation – in this phase the programming language uses a translator to ensure that the
programmer did not violate any language rules by chosen programming language. It translates line
by line to locate any syntax error
3. Debugging – this means detecting, locating and correcting bugs. In programming, error or
mistakes are called BUGS.
Two Types of Programming Error:
Clerical Error – occur in the coding or data entry process.
Logical Error – are often harder to detect, they occur because the programmer does not
thoroughly understand a phase of the problem to be solved.
5. DOCUMENTATION
 In this step, the programmer makes a detailed description on how the program was created.
 It contains a brief narrative process undergone by the program, from the identification of the
problem, planning the solution through flowcharting and pseudo code, coding of the program up to
the testing results.
 Codes used for the program are also included in this documentation as reference for the next
programmer who will upgrade the designed program.

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Programming 1 – PRELIMINARY Notes by: Mr. Dhoy Santiago

Levels of Programming Language

1. Machine Language or 1st Generation Language
 Considered to be the lowest level of programming language. The program is represented by 1s
and 0s. 1s and 0s or Binary number is the only language the computer understands.
2. Assembly Language or 2nd Generation Language
 Instead of using 1s and 0s, assembly language uses mnemonic codes. Mnemonic Codes are
abbreviations that are easy to remember. Each type of computer has its own assembly language.
3. High Level Language or 3rd Generation Language
 This language transformed programming in the early 1960s. It makes programming easier since
the language is now written in English like manner. If ASSEMBLER is used by assembly language,
third generation languages use TRANSLATOR to convert the program into a machine language.
4. Very High Level Language or 4th Generation Language
 Simplifies further the 3rd level generation languages because there is a reduction in the number of
instructional statements. One hundred (100) lines of instructions in 3GLs can be reduced to five (5)
to twenty (20) lines of instructions in 4GLs.
5. Natural Languages
 Considered to be the 5th Generation Languages. Natural Languages have the capability to translate
human instructions into code that a computer understands.

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