List of educational programming languages: Difference between revisions

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Initially, [[machine code]] was the sole method of programming [[Computer|computers]]. [[Assembly language]] followed as an early advancement, making it one of the oldest families of programming languages which is still in use today. Numerous [[Dialect|dialects]] and implementations exist, each tailored to a specific [[computer processor]] [[Instruction set architecture|architecture]]. Assembly languages are considered [[Low-level programming language|low-level]] and more challenging to use, as they are [[Programming language#Type system|untyped]] and rigid. For educational purposes, simplified dialects of assembly languages have been developed to make coding more accessible to beginners.

Assembly languages are designed for specific processor architectures, and they must be written with the corresponding hardware in mind. Unlike [[High-level programming language|higher-level]] languages, educational assembly languages require a representation of a [[Processor (computing)|Processor]] which can be virtual or physical. These languages are often used in educational settings to demonstrate the fundamental operations of a computer processor.[[File:Little Man Computer Simulator LMC.png|alt=This image describes the program Little Man Computer (LMC)'s interface|thumb|An image of Little Man Computer (LMC)'s interface]]

* [[Little man computer|Little Man Computer]] (LMC), (1965): This is an instructional model of a simple [[von Neumann architecture]] computer. It includes the basic features of modern computers and can be programmed using machine code (usually in decimal) or assembly. The model simulates a computer environment using a visual metaphor of a person (the "Little Man") in a room with 100 mailboxes ([[Computer memory|memory]]), a calculator (the [[Accumulator (computing)|accumulator]]) and a program counter. LMC is used to help students understand basic processor functions and [[memory management]]

* [[MIX (abstract machine)|MIX]] (1968) and [[MMIX]] (1999): These are hypothetical computer models featured in [[Donald Knuth]]'s (Art of Computer Programming'').'' The MIX computer is designed for educational purposes, illustrating how a basic machine language operates. Despite its simplicity, it can handle complex tasks typical of high-performance computers. MIX allows programming in both binary and decimal, with [[software emulator]]s available for both models. MMIX, which superseded MIX, is a 64-bit [[Reduced instruction set computer|RISC]] instruction set architecture, modernized for teaching contemporary computer architecture.