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13 views2 pages

Faq 2 1

Uploaded by

srinivasprincea17
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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THE ART OF PROGRAMMIMG METHODOLOGY

PROGRAMMING CONCEPTS

FAQs

 What you mean by a computer program?


A computer program is a collection of instructions that performs a specific
task when executed by a computer. A computer requires programs to
function, and typically executes the program's instructions in a central
processing unit.

 List characteristics of a good program?

• Portability: Portability refers to the ability of an application to run on differ-


ent platforms (operating systems) with or without minimal changes. Due to
rapid development in the hardware and the software, nowadays platform
change is a common phenomenon. Hence, if a program is developed for a
particular platform, then the life span of the program is severely affected.
• Readability: The program should be written in such a way that it makes
other programmers or users to follow the logic of the program without much
effort. If a program is written structurally, it helps the programmers to un-
derstand their own program in a better way. Even if some computational ef-
ficiency needs to be sacrificed for better readability, it is advisable to use a
more user-friendly approach, unless the processing of an application is of
utmost importance.
• Efficiency: Every program requires certain processing time and memory to
process the instructions and data. As the processing power and memory
are the most precious resources of a computer, a program should be laid
out in such a manner that it utilizes the least amount of memory and pro -
cessing time.
• Structural: To develop a program, the task must be broken down into a
number of subtasks. These subtasks are developed independently, and
each subtask is able to perform the assigned job without the help of any
other subtask. If a program is developed structurally, it becomes more
readable, and the testing and documentation process also gets easier.
• Flexibility: A program should be flexible enough to handle most of the
changes without having to rewrite the entire program. Most of the programs
are developed for a certain period and they require modifications from time
to time. For example, in case of payroll management, as the time pro-
gresses, some employees may leave the company while some others may
join. Hence, the payroll application should be flexible enough to incorporate
all the changes without having to reconstruct the entire application.

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• Generality: Apart from flexibility, the program should also be general. Gen-
erality means that if a program is developed for a particular task, then it
should also be used for all similar tasks of the same domain. For example,
if a program is developed for a particular organization, then it should suit all
the other similar organizations.
• Documentation: Documentation is one of the most important components
of an application development. Even if a program is developed following
the best programming practices, it will be rendered useless if the end user
is not able to fully utilize the functionality of the application. A well-docu-
mented application is also useful for other programmers because even in
the absence of the author, they can understand it.

 What are the benefits of modular programming?


 Less code has to be written.

 A single procedure can be developed for reuse, eliminating the need to re-
type the code many times.
 Programs can be designed more easily because a small team deals with
only a small part of the entire code.
 Modular programming allows many programmers to collaborate on the
same application.
 The code is stored across multiple files.

 Code is short, simple and easy to understand.

 Errors can easily be identified, as they are localized to a subroutine or


function.
 The same code can be used in many applications.

 The scoping of variables can easily be controlled.

 What is the difference between compiler and interpreter?


A compiler searches all the errors of a program and lists them. If the
program is error free then it converts the code of program into machine
code and then the program can be executed by separate commands. An
interpreter checks the errors of a program statement by statement.

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