Programming - What's the fuss all about...

Computer Programming - is simply writing down instructions for the computer to follow. For stating the instructions, we need some language in which to state the instructions. Unfortunately, natural languages such as English are insufficiently precise for giving instructions to computers. Instead, we use special purpose languages called programming languages.Thus programing can be defined as the process of writing, testing, debugging/troubleshooting, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. The code may be a modification of an existing source or something completely new. The purpose of programming is to create a program that exhibits a certain desired behavior (customization). The process of writing source codes requires expertise in many different subjects, including knowledge of the application domain, specialized algorithms & formal logic.


What is Algorithm?

An algorithm is a set of instructions for carrying out a particular task. ( The task does not necessarily has to be related to programming, although the word algorithm is usually used in terms of programming.) Unlike a program, which must be expressed in a form suitable for processing by a computer, an algorithm can be expressed in whatever form is convenient for a person to understand. Every correct algorithm comes with a guarantee that, if followed the instructions correctly, the particular task will be accomplished. For an algorithm to live up to the guarantee, every algorithm must have the following characteristics:

1. An algorithm must be precise. Each step in an algorithm must state unambiguosly what action is to be taken.
2. An algorithm must be effective. It must be possible to actually carry out every step of the algorithm.
3. An algorithm must have a fixed, finite number of instructions.
4. The execution of the algorithm must always terminate .

Different programming languages support different styles of programming (called Programming Paradigms). The choice of language used is subject to many considerations, such as company policy, suitability to task, availability of third-party packages, or individual preference.

Programming Paradigms:

A programming paradigm is a fundamental style of computer programming. Different programming languages adovate different programming paradigms. Some languages are designed to support one particular paradigm (Smalltalk supports object-oriented programming, Haskell supports functional programming), while other programming languages support multiple paradigms (such as Object Pascal, C++, C#, Visual Basic, Common Lisp, Scheme, Python, Ruby & Oz).

For more information on types of programming paradgims, visit : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_paradigm

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