Second-generation programming language: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

A second-generation programming language is usually considered as some form of assembly language. Such a language is not much more than the direct translation of machine language, the very elementary soup of bits that a digital processor is able to talk, into something somewhat remotely readable.

Since usually each processor has its own machine language, there are many different assembly languages.

Another possible definition of the term is referred in Cobol entry: a language in the spirit of COBOL: abstract and independent of processor internal machine language. This usually refers to the first wave of high level programming languages that were designed to be computer independant (i.e. BASIC, Fortran, Cobol).

See also:

• first-generation programming language
• third-generation programming language
• fourth-generation programming language
• fifth-generation programming language