Programming Languages Comparison

Programming Languages Comparison Since the 1950s, computer scientists have devised thousands of programming languages. Many are obscure, perhaps created for a Ph.D. thesis and never heard of since. Others became popular for a while then faded due to lack of support or because they were limited to a particular computer system. Some are variants of existing languages, adding new features like parallelism- the ability to run many parts of a program on different computers in parallel. Read more about What is a programming language? Comparing Programming Languages There are several ways to compare computer Languages but for simplicity, well compare them by Compilation Method and Abstraction Level. Compiling to Machine Code Some languages require programs to be transformed directly into Machine Code- the instructions that a CPU understands directly. This transformation process is called compilation. Assembly Language, C, C, and Pascal are compiled languages. Interpreted Languages Other languages are either Interpreted such as Basic, Actionscript, and Javascript, or a mixture of both being compiled to an intermediate language - this includes Java and C#. An Interpreted language is processed at runtime. Every line is read, analyzed, and executed. Having to reprocess a line every time in a loop is what makes interpreted languages so slow. This overhead means that interpreted code runs between 5 - 10 times slower than compiled code. The interpreted languages like Basic or JavaScript are the slowest. Their advantage is not needing to be recompiled after changes and that is handy when youre learning to program. Because compiled programs almost always run faster than interpreted, languages such as C and C tend to be the most popular for writing games. Java and C# both compile to an interpreted language which is very efficient. Because the Virtual Machine that interprets Java and the .NET framework that runs C# are heavily optimized, its claimed that applications in those languages are as fast if not faster as compiled C. Level of Abstraction The other way to compare languages is level of abstraction. This indicates how close a particular language is to the hardware. Machine Code is the lowest level,  with Assembly Language just above it. C is higher than C because C offers greater abstraction. Java and C# are higher than C because they compile to an intermediate language called bytecode. How Languages Compare Fast Compiled Languages Assembly LanguageCCPascalC#Java Reasonably Fast Interpreted PerlPHP Slow Interpreted JavaScriptActionScriptBasic Machine Code is the instructions that a  CPU  executes. Its the only thing that a CPU can understand and execute.  Interpreted  languages need an application called an  Interpreter  that reads each line of the program source code and then runs it. Interpreting Is Easier Its very easy to stop, change and re-run applications written in an interpreted language and that is why theyre popular for learning programming. There is no compilation stage needed. Compiling can be quite a slow process. A large Visual C application can take from minutes to hours to compile, depending on how much code has to be rebuilt and the speed of memory and the  CPU. When Computers First Appeared When computers first became popular in the 1950s, programs were written in machine code as there was no other way. Programmers had to physically flip switches to enter values. This is such a tedious and slow way of creating an application that higher level computer languages had to be created. Assembler: Fast to Run- Slow to Write! Assembly language is the readable version of Machine Code and looks like this Mov A,$45 Because it is tied to a particular CPU or family of related CPUs, Assembly Language is not very  portable  and is time-consuming to learn and write. Languages like C have reduced the need for Assembly Language programming except where RAM is limited or time-critical code is needed. This is typically in the  kernel  code at the heart of an Operating System or in a video card driver. Assembly Language Is the Lowest Level of Code Assembly Language is very low level; most of the code just moves values between the  CPU  registers and memory. If you are writing a payroll package you want to think in terms of salaries and tax deductions, not  Register  A to Memory location XYZ. This is why higher level languages like C,  C#  or  Java  are more productive. The programmer can think in terms of the problem domain (salaries, deductions, and accruals) not the hardware domain (registers, memory, and instructions). Systems Programming With C C was devised in the early 1970s by Dennis Ritchie. It can be thought of as a general purpose tool- very useful and powerful but very easy to let bugs through that can make systems insecure. C is a low-level language and has been described as portable Assembly language. The syntax of many scripting  languages is based on C, for example,  JavaScript, PHP, and ActionScript. Perl: Websites and Utilities Very popular in the  Linux  world, Perl was one of the first web languages and remains very popular today. For doing quick and dirty programming on the web it remains unrivaled and drives many websites. It has though been somewhat eclipsed by  PHP as a web scripting language. Coding Websites With PHP PHP  was designed as a language for Web Servers and is very popular in conjunction with Linux, Apache, MySql, and PHP or LAMP for short. It is interpreted, but pre-compiled so code executes reasonably quickly. It can be run on desktop computers but is not as widely used for developing desktop applications. Based on C  syntax, it also includes  Objects  and Classes. Pascal  was devised as a teaching language a few years before C but was very limited with poor string and file handling. Several Manufacturers extended the language but there was no overall leader until Borlands Turbo Pascal (for Dos) and Delphi (for Windows) appeared. These were powerful implementations that added enough functionality to make them suitable for commercial development. However, Borland was up against the much bigger Microsoft and lost the battle. C: A Classy Language! C or C plus classes as it was originally known came about ten years after C and successfully introduced Object Oriented Programming to C, as well as features like exceptions and templates. Learning all of C is a big task- it is by far the most complicated of the programming languages here but once you have mastered it, youll have no difficulty with any other language. C#: Microsofts Big Bet C#  was created by  Delphis architect Anders Hejlsberg after he moved to Microsoft and Delphi developers will feel at home with features such as Windows forms. C#  syntax  is very similar to  Java, which is not surprising as Hejlsberg also worked on J after he moved to Microsoft. Learn C# and you are well on the way to knowing  Java. Both languages are semi-compiled so that instead of compiling to machine code, they compile to  bytecode  ( C# compiles to  CIL  but it and Bytecode are similar) and are then  interpreted. Javascript: Programs in Your Browser Javascript  is nothing like Java, instead, its a  scripting  language based on C syntax but with the addition of  Objects  and is used mainly in browsers. JavaScript is interpreted and a lot slower than  compiled  code but works well within a browser. Invented by Netscape it has proved very successful and after several years in the doldrums is enjoying a new lease of life because of  AJAX; Asynchronous Javascript and XML. This allows parts of web pages to update from the server without redrawing the entire page. ActionScript: A Flashy Language! ActionScript  is an implementation of JavaScript but exists solely within Macromedia Flash applications.  Using vector-based graphics, it is used mainly for games, playing videos and other visual effects and for developing sophisticated user interfaces, all running in the browser. Basic for Beginners Basic  is an acronym for Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code and was created to teach programming in the 1960s. Microsoft has made the language their own with many different versions including VBScript for websites and the very successful  Visual Basic. The latest version of that is VB.NET and this runs on the same platform  .NET  as C# and produces the same CIL bytecode. Lua is a free scripting language written in C that includes garbage collection and coroutines. It interfaces well with C/C and is used in the games industry (and non-games as well) to script game logic, event triggers, and game control. Conclusion While everyone has their favorite language and has invested time and resources in learning how to program it, there are some problems that are best solved with the right language. E.G you wouldnt use C for writing web apps and you wouldnt write an Operating System in Javascript. But whichever language you choose, if its C, C or C#, at least you know youre in the right place to learn it.

Gunpowder Facts, History and Description

Gunpowder Facts, History and Description Gunpowder or black powder is of great historical importance in chemistry. Although it can explode, its principal use is as a propellant. Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists in the 9th century. Originally, it was made by mixing elemental sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate). The charcoal traditionally came from the willow tree, but grapevine, hazel, elder, laurel, and pine cones have all been used. Charcoal is not the only fuel that can be used. Sugar is used instead in many pyrotechnic applications. When the ingredients were carefully ground together, the end result was a powder that was called serpentine. The ingredients tended to require remixing prior to use, so making gunpowder was very dangerous. People who made gunpowder would sometimes add water, wine, or another liquid to reduce this hazard since a single spark could result in a smoky fire. Once the serpentine was mixed with a liquid, it could be pushed through a screen to make small pellets, which were then allowed to dry. How Gunpowder Works To summarize, black powder consists of a fuel (charcoal or sugar) and an oxidizer (saltpeter or niter), and sulfur, to allow for a stable reaction. The carbon from the charcoal plus oxygen forms carbon dioxide and energy. The reaction would be slow, like a wood fire, except for the oxidizing agent. Carbon in a fire must draw oxygen from the air. Saltpeter provides extra oxygen. Potassium nitrate, sulfur, and carbon react together to form nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases and potassium sulfide. The expanding gases, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, provide the propelling action. Gunpowder tends to produce a lot of smoke, which can impair vision on a battlefield or reduce the visibility of fireworks. Changing the ratio of the ingredients affects the rate at which the gunpowder burns and the amount of smoke that is produced. Difference Between Gunpowder and Black Powder While black powder and traditional gunpowder may both be used in firearms, the term black powder was introduced in the late 19th century in the United States to distinguish newer formulations from traditional gunpowder. Black powder produces less smoke than the original gunpowder formula. Its worth noting early black powder was actually off-white or tan in color, not black! Charcoal Versus Carbon in Gunpowder Pure amorphous carbon is not used in black powder. Charcoal, while it contains carbon, also contains cellulose from incomplete combustion of wood. This gives charcoal a relatively low ignition temperature. Black powder made from pure carbon would barely burn. Gunpowder Composition There is no single recipe for gunpowder. This is because varying the ratio of the ingredients produces different effects. Powder used in firearms needs to burn at a fast rate to quickly accelerate a projectile. A formulation used as a rocket propellant, on the other hand, needs to burn more slowly because it accelerates a body over a long period of time. Cannon, like rockets, use a powder with a slower burn rate. In 1879, the French prepared gunpowder using 75% saltpeter, 12.5% sulfur, and 12.5% charcoal. The same year, the English used gunpowder made from 75% saltpeter, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur. One rocket formula consisted of 62.4% saltpeter, 23.2% charcoal, and 14.4% sulfur. Gunpowder Invention Historians believe gunpowder originated in China. Originally, it was used as an incendiary. Later, it found use as a propellant and explosive. It remains unclear when, exactly, gunpowder made its way to Europe. Basically, this is because records describing the use of gunpowder are difficult to interpret. A weapon that produced smoke might have used gunpowder or could have used some other formulation. The formulas that came into use in Europe closely matched those used in China, suggesting the technology was introduced after it had already been developed. Sources Agrawal, Jai Prakash (2010). High Energy Materials: Propellants, Explosives and Pyrotechnics. Wiley-VCH.Andrade, Tonio (2016). The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-13597-7.Ashford, Bob (2016). A New Interpretation of the Historical Data on the Gunpowder Industry in Devon and Cornwall.  J. Trevithick Soc.  43: 65–73.Partington, J.R. (1999). A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-5954-0.Urbanski, Tadeusz (1967),  Chemistry and Technology of Explosives,  III. New York: Pergamon Press.

Developmental Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Developmental Psychology - Essay Example In the developmental Psychology, there are the tendencies to make assessments on the differences between the young and the grown human being in terms of experience, knowledge and thinking, and many aspects that treat the said issue. They said Cognitive development is the growth of skills used by infants and children to understand and interact with the world around them. (Cognitive and Social Development of Children's with HoloProsencephaly). On this note, the children's' since early childhood would be thought about many things based on their ability to understand. For example seeing image and able to remember it at any moment. Additionally, when the child continues to grow would also know the uses and value and the ill effect of any object shows to them. For example, a child would know what the uses of a lamp; while at the same time would be thought that it is very dangerous for him or her to put hands on the open flame of a lamp. Children start learning about sounds when they are still in the womb. Over the first year, this attention towards sounds and particularly voices develops into an understanding of specific words and phrases. We can assess children's understanding of language by looking at 2 their reactions to familiar words and their ability to follow instructions. The ability to understand language begins well before children begin to speak their first words... Children start learning about sounds when they are still in the womb. Over the first year, this attention towards sounds and particularly voices develops into an understanding of specific words and phrases. We can assess children's understanding of language by looking at 2 their reactions to familiar words and their ability to follow instructions. The ability to understand language begins well before children begin to speak their first words. We can also listen to what children are saying. Most children start to produce language-like babbling towards the end of the first year before they actually start speaking words. (Cognitive and Social Development of Children's with HoloProsencephaly) Developmental psychology also helps to dictate the differences that relates to child development. Example of this is that, its give an insight and background of children's with different intellectual capacities. Why some children show delayed or slower growth in intellectual abilities compared with their age peers, and why some adults remain cognitively fit into old age and others show cognitive decline. (Developmental Psychology -Concepts of Change and Development) THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT It is through the Developmental psychology that the theory of cognitive development derived, which deals with children's mental capabilities. These include how child can solve problem, memory and language. But the key factor on this aspect is the language acquisition and development of perfectual and motor skills. Piaget is one of the most influential psychologists that shed lights on development of cognitive skills. His theory states that: development proceeds through a set of stages from infancy to adulthood and that there is an end point or goal. Other

Response to The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht Essay

Response to The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht - Essay Example Upon learning their situation, she remembered her recently deceased grandfather and had a brief look of her life when â€Å"there is war† in her hometown, the Balkan City. Natalia recalled that like any other little girl, she also loved and grew up listening to her grandfather’s stories. She remembered the two stories of her grandfather with memorable mythical characters: the tiger’s wife and the deathless man. The tiger’s wife is the story of a lonely deaf and mute woman, who lived in an isolated mountain village. She was married to an abusive butcher, where in she always suffered beating. The woman was named by the villagers â€Å"the tiger’s wife† because of their malicious thinking. The woman’s affection and too much kindness to the tiger that escaped in the zoo during the war, had been maliciously mistaken by the villagers for something indecent. They thought the woman married the tiger. This rumor had led the villagers to plan fo r the killings of the tiger. However, as Natalia narrated, they were saved and protected by her grandfather. The story of the deathless man was based from the story of Natalia’s grandfather, who was a Christian married to a Muslim from Sarobor.

Dick Diver as Control Freak in Fitzgeralds Tender is the Night Essays :: Tender is the Night Essays

Dick Diver as Control Freak in Tender Is the Night       In Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, Dick Diver is assigned the role of doctor, but he does not play this role convincingly. In modern technical terms, Diver is a control freak, more dysfunctional than his star patient and wife, Nicole Diver. As Diver loses control of more and more situations and begins to assume Nicole's instabilities, his integrity lessens -- he becomes more of a drunkard and less of a psychiatrist.    Diver's profession as a psychiatrist is the first signal Fitzgerald gives the reader that Diver's character thrives on understanding and conquering the human mind. Diver has only one plan: "To be a good psychologist -- maybe to be the greatest one that ever lived" (Fitzgerald, Tender, 132). This goal represents Diver's interest in overpowering others initially through medical practice and his understanding that he has the capacity to do so. Rooted in Diver's past, the desire to control portrays itself later in Diver's relationships and calculated behaviors.    Fitzgerald highlights Diver's incessant need to control people when describing the Divers' notorious parties. Diver wants "to give a really bad party ... a party where there's a brawl and seductions and people going about home with their feelings hurt and women passed out in the cabinet de toilette" (27). To achieve this goal, Diver has perfected the skill of manipulating his guests, so that "he won everyone quickly with an exquisite consideration and a politeness that moved so fast and intuitively that it could be examined only in its effect (27-28). Diver believes he has the power to dictate the behavior of his guests and the outcome of his parties. Playing with people has become a hobby of Diver's, as he must be in control of his guests and the evening at all times.    Diver's controlling nature presents itself not only at his parties, but also in his relations with Nicole Diver. While Diver does love his wife, he nonetheless "handles" her, always treating her like a patient over whom he has power. During their courtship, the letters Diver sends to Nicole Diver say mostly, "be a good girl and mind the doctors" (130). These were not traditional love letters, rather letters between an adoring patient and her doctor. Diver retained his superior status as doctor who had control over her while corresponding with her, as his letters contained commands for her behavior -- he knew she would follow his directions.

History of informatics Essay

1. Briefly summarize the article. Be sure to discuss the registry. What is it? Who is included in it? 2. Describe the study and its purpose. How was it conducted? What are the limitations of the study? 3. Discuss the improved outcomes that the researchers uncovered. How does it benefit patients? What are the estimated cost savings? 4. Identify and discuss the three organizational characteristics that allowed disease registries to effectively promote continuous improvement of clinical practice and health outcomes. 5. Based upon your research and understanding of this topic, do you agree that this is a worthwhile project to undertake? The health care system all over the world has been struggling with the ever rising costs as such a consensus to refocus efforts on value driven by evaluation of patient outcomes relative to costs. The registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data to evaluate specific outcomes for a population defined by a specific disease, condition or exposure that serves one or more predefined scientific, clinical or policy purpose. The thirteen diseases registry uses outcome data to improve health care value. It comprises of five countries namely Australia, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States. The study shows that by making outcome data transparent to both practitioners and the public well managed registries enable medical professionals to engage in continuous learning and to identify and share best clinical practices. This leads to improved health outcomes, at a lower cost often. The purpose of the study is to help document changes in health outcomes in patient populations covered by disease registry. The purpose of the study not only helps identify the changes, but also helps quantify the cost savings made possible by those improvements in the form of avoided health care costs as well as the role the registries played in these improvements. The study was conducted by analyzing data published, unpublished, observing as well as interviewing physicians who used the registry. However their were some limitations to the study as it was conducted in a setting that was not randomized nor controlled hence they could not demonstrate a casual connection between the registry and improvement in health outcomes. The improved outcomes the researchers uncovered were numerous in the thirteen disease registries. One such improved outcome was in 2005 when the created the quality index that tracked how well the nations hospitals were complying with clinical guidelines. The study showed improved health outcome at a compounded annual growth rate of 13 percent from 2005 to 2007 after public disclosure. By having these improved health outcomes achieved in various sectors, patient’s benefit in numerous ways such as lower healthcare costs, lower mortality rates, improvement in quality of services rendered to patients as more and more hospitals improve their clinical practices and adhere to the clinical guidelines. The US health care system spent $6 billion on total hip arthroplasty in 2005, and according to one estimate, these costs are expected to rise to $24 billion by 2015. Based on these assumptions, we estimate that if the US health care system could lower its revision burden by 2015 to Swed en’s current level of 10 percent, it would avoid $2 billion of the expected $24 billion in total costs.

The Awakening And No Fear Shakespeare Hamlet Analysis

In the novel â€Å"The Awakening† and in the play â€Å"No Fear Shakespeare: Hamlet† the two stories relate to feminism in a number of ways. In The Awakening, Mr.Pontellier uses his wife in the beginning for basically watching their kids and taking care of them so that he can go on his business trip which is basically a guys night out. In Hamlet, the young prince is mourning the death of his father and his uncle has now married his mother. The prince is upset because his mother has moved on from the death of her husband so quickly and he is still mourning the loss of something so great. Moving forward in the scene his uncle now step-father and mother says to him that he is grieving a little too much and says it isn’t masculine for men to grieve†¦show more content†¦Her father Polonius treats her like a maiden rather than his own daughter. He tells her what to do and looks forward to her obeying his orders. Although he treats his son Laertes differently giving him a more free will, he also expects Ophelia to obey his orders as well. These are tough acts of feminism because Ophelia isn’t allowed to do what she wants, she is only used as a tool for them because they are so focused on Hamlet and what he’s plotting. Ophelia isn’t faced to do much since women during this time couldn’t do much but obey the men. Back to the Awakening, we see that Mr.Pontellier also looks at his wife like an tool that he frequently uses. He looked at her as statedâ€Å"As one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage†. Edna has been trying to free herself from the mental abuse of Leonce but somehow can’t physically. The feminism shown in the context is proof that the author is showing us how mentally abusive relationships, can ruin a woman’s ego. Edna is upset with the intolerant disrespect from her husband she once used to love. So far we have displayed open acts of femin ism within the two stories; Hamlet who mistreats his mother Gertrude and his girlfriend Ophelia, and we have Leonce Pontellier who also mistreats his wife Edna Pontellier. The two men are quite similar because they both view their girlfriends as mere sexual objects and people toShow MoreRelatedAll A False Hood, And Farther From Reality1496 Words   |  6 Pagescondition, one must not look very far to see that lives so perfectly portrayed on movies and on television, in books and in magazines, are all a false hood, and farther from reality. The life of a human is often said to be beautiful--however, in deep analysis of the concept of living and of life itself, it is evident that living is marked by pain and sorrow, that there truly is no such thing as happiness, and the only way to make peace with this notion is by living in the present. Before I begin, I myselfRead MoreHamlet Attitudes Towards Women : Being Hatred Or Not Essay1901 Words   |  8 Pages1302 Critical research paper 11 November 2016 Hamlet attitudes towards women: being hatred or not. In William Shakespeare play, the chief protagonist hamlet shows a negativity view towards women in his life. Hamlet consider that his mother and Ophelia have deceived him through their action; Gertrude married only a mother after hamlet father died and Ophelia heeds her father right not to see hamlet despite confessing her love to him. In this way hamlet views this two women as a fragile and too dependentRead MoreHAMLET AND ORESTES10421 Words   |  42 Pages07 1 THE BRITISH ACADEMY THE ANNUAL SHAKESPEARE LECTURE 1914 Hamlet and Orestes A Study in Traditional Types By Gilbert Murray, LL.D., D.Litt. Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Oxford Fellow of the Academy New York Oxford University Press American Branch 35 West 32nd Street London : Humphrey Milford THE BRITISH ACADEMY THE ANNUAL SHAKESPEARE LECTURE 1914 Hamlet and Orestes A Study in Traditional Types By Gilbert MurrayRead MoreFigurative Language and the Canterbury Tales13472 Words   |  54 Pagesending in a consolation. Originally it included mournful love poems, such as John Donne’s elegies. 27. ellipsis: deliberate omission of a word or of words which are readily implied by the context. †¢ And he to England shall along with you. from Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 3 †¢ Red light means stop; a green light, go. 28. end rhyme: rhymes that occur at the ends of lines 29. end-stopped line: a line that ends with a natural speech pause, usually marked by punctuation. 30. fixed form: a poem in whichRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 PagesConnections to a wider spectrum of professionals ( greater insight into issue at hand †¢ E.g. 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections (bloggers provide personal opinions about who was likely to win but New York Times invited experts to do a state-by-state analysis presenting results in a full-page spread, culminating in a detailed map showing states Democrats were likely to win) †¢ Anonymity: given free rein to publish any thought that comes to mind †¢ E.g. For every worthwhile video present on the site