What is low level language?

Answer 1

Computer programming languages are divided into 2 types: low level languages and high level languages. There are 2 low level languages machine language and assembly language.

Machine language consists of two digits 0 and 1. 0 represents off and 1 represents on. These are called binary digits. 8 bits form 1 byte. Each byte represents a letter. For example A is represented by 01000001.

assembly language is easier than machine language. It has short words or abbreviations like ORG, MOVLW, GOTO.

Answer 2

A low-level programming language is called that because it is closely tied to the machine architecture. As a result, it isn't very portable. A program written for an Intel chip will not run on a Sparc-chip because the instruction set is very different.

Low level programming languages require great amounts of detail in the design and implementation, and generally cannot be viewed easily in terms of their overall structure because they are done at a low level.

In contrast, high level programming languages may be close to English-like, and can be translated or compiled to any hardware platform usually without regard for the actual machine architecture.

Answer 3

First, sorry for bad english. I'm not from USA, so I'm using the Google Translator. =] Low-level markup language can be defined as a closer communication between computer and user. The lower the level of programming, most likely command. I hope you understand. =]

It means machine code and Assembly.

Answer 4

All assembler languages are low-level languages due to the low-level of abstraction between the source code and the resultant machine code. Assembler language is also known as symbolic language, where machine instructions are replaced with easy-to-remember mnemonics.

All other programming languages are regarded as high-level languages, due to the high level of abstraction between the source code and the machine code.

Answer 5

Low-level code is often confused with machine-level code (such as assembly), however low-level code is really user-level code that operates at a low-level. Although low-level code can (and often does) operate at the machine-level, the defining characteristic is the amount of abstraction involved. Low-level code is often used to provide an implementation detail that is made accessible to the user through a high-level interface. Objects (instances of a class) are typically high-level data types that provide an abstract interface to a low-level representation. The C++ vector is a typical example because behind the user-friendly, high-level interface lies a low-level C-style array. When we work with C-style arrays directly we are writing low-level code because the onus of responsibility for managing that array is entirely upon the programmer. When we use a vector, the onus of responsibility shifts to the language itself. That doesn't mean a vector is any less efficient (it isn't), only that it is that much easier to use.

When we write code we try to use high-level code wherever possible. Whenever we need to use low-level code we typically place that code in a high-level function, thus complex low-level functions become a series of high-level function calls, making code both easier to read and understand but without sacrificing any of the perceived efficiencies associated with low-level code. High-level code need not mean inefficient code.

Classes make it easier to encapsulate low-level code because they allow us to encapsulate an invariant and reduce the need to continually test that invariant; so long as the class mutators maintain the invariant there is no need to repeatedly test it. For instance, an array has an invariant in that it must acquire a low-level resource (memory) and release it when no longer required. We also need to keep track of how many elements are in use as well as the overall capacity, but these are all low-level implementation details that need not concern the user.