• A system of notation for writing computer programs. Programming languages are described in terms of their syntax (form) and semantics (meaning), usually defined by a formal language. Languages often provide features such as a type system, variables, and mechanisms for error handling. An implementation of a programming language is required in order to execute programs, that is, an interpreter or a compiler. An interpreter directly executes the source code, while a compiler produces an executable program. Thousands of programming languages—often classified as imperative, functional, logic, or object-oriented—have been developed for a wide variety of uses. Many aspects of programming language design involve tradeoffs; for example, exception handling simplifies error handling, but at a performance cost. ← Wikipedia

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