Programming Languages

Here, in one volume, is a systematic and in-depth study of eleven contemporary programming languages: Ada, APL, C, COBOL, FORTRAN, LISP, Pascal, PL/1, PROLOG, SNOBOL, and Modula 2. The eleven language chapters follow a consistent format that includes hands-on opportunities for readers and a framework for evaluating and comparing languages. In addition, the book gives a clear treatment of the principles of language design, with separate chapters on semantics, syntax, and pragmatics.

The language chapters contain case study problems representing five general areas of programming applications: scientific, data processing, text processing, artificial intelligence, and systems programming. The case studies – fully described in five appendices – involve these specific applications: matrix inversion, employee file maintenance, text formatter, expert system, and job scheduler. Within each language chapter, a thorough introduction to the language is followed by a fully developed program that demonstrates the language with one or two case study problems.

The second edition is thoroughly updated and extended, covering the prominent languages now in use with microcomputers. There are five brand new language chapters; Algol has been replaced with Pascal, with the historical shift to Pascal clearly outlined; and the treatment of FORTRAN reflects all additions to the language made since the first edition of the book. Another new feature is the substantially revised basis for comparing and evaluating programming languages. Dr. Tucker uses a straightforward set of nine clearly explicated criteria: expressivity, well-definedness, data types and structures, modularity, input/output facilities, portability, efficiency, pedagogy, and generality. Each language chapter concludes with an evaluation of that language, using the case study program and these criteria. The final chapter of the text also contains a section which compares the eleven languages in application areas where comparisons are valid, again using the nine criteria. The new edition features three separate chapters on the principles of language design: syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. These chapters are interspersed with the language chapters at logical intervals.