Computer Programming Language Comparison

A wide variety of computer programming languages exist, with varying levels of sophistication, compatibility, and learning difficulty. Read on for a comparison of some of the major languages and the benefits or drawbacks which apply to them...

"C"/"C++": C and C++ (an improved version) are in widespread use for creating applications and operating systems. According to wikipedia.org, this programming language can be used to make executable programs for multiple operating systems. It has sophisticated capabilities, but is considered more difficult to learn in comparison to QBASIC or Turbo Pascal.

TURBO PASCAL: A significant benefit of this programming language in comparison to most others is that some versions are legally available for free. Wikipedia.org indicates that TP versions 1, 3.02, and 5.5 have been freely released. It also states that this language is still taught in some universities, and (like QuickBASIC 4.5) has a convenient all-in-one programming interface with a built-in program compiler (for creating executables). Screenshot

BASIC: Many different versions of this programming language exist (GWBASIC, DEC, MSX, etc.), each with similar syntax but somewhat different capabilities. BASIC is one of the easier languages to learn, but has fewer capabilities in comparison with "C" or QBASIC; many versions cannot create executables, so users of the programs must have the same version of BASIC to use them.

QBASIC: QuickBASIC/QBASIC offers more commands and a better programming interface than BASIC. QuickBASIC 4.5 can create executable programs which can be used on operating systems ranging from DOS 2.11 to Windows XP, although graphical programs won't work in XP. Although there are more commands, the improved interface and help feature make it potentially easier to learn than regular BASIC. Another advanced version of BASIC is TrueBASIC, which has a website at truebasic.com. Screenshot