Summary

In this chapter, we started by talking about why machine code is so difficult to understand and the motivation for creating programming languages that are easier to use for programmers. We then saw how programming languages have evolved over the years, and how most of them are similar as they have influenced each other as they evolved.

We also discussed some different techniques—interpreting and compiling—that are used to translate source code into machine code. We also saw how some languages use a mixed technique, employing both compiling and interpreting to complete translation.

At the end of this chapter, we learned about the grammar or syntax of a programming language and that each language has its own syntax rules. We also learned that there is a close relationship between mathematics and programming, and that programming has borrowed some ideas and concepts from mathematics but that even if they share the same name, they do not necessarily do the same thing.

All of this knowledge will give you a solid base to build on with what we will learn in the next chapter, where we will look at some of the main types of applications that we can develop. We will also learn about the ways in which they are related to each other.