Turing complete low-level programming languages are languages that are powerful enough to perform any computation that a more powerful language can perform. They are used for systems programming, operating system development, and embedded systems programming, among others.
Old languages
Low level languages allow the programmer to have precise control over hardware, memory, and other system resources, making them ideal for building software that requires high performance, low-level access, and close-to-the-metal programming.
Here are some of the best Turing complete low-level programming languages:
C: is a widely-used low-level systems programming language that is known for its speed, efficiency, and flexibility. It is a portable language that can be compiled on a wide range of platforms and is used for building operating systems, device drivers, game engines, and other high-performance software applications.
Assembly Language: is a low-level programming language that provides direct access to system hardware resources such as memory and registers. It is used for building software where program size, speed, and control over hardware resources are critical factors. Assembly language programs are generally more efficient than programs written in higher-level languages, although they are more difficult to write and maintain.
Rust: is a systems programming language that is designed for safety, speed, and concurrency. It is a low-level language that provides similar performance and control as C/C++, but with built-in memory safety features that protect against common programming errors such as buffer overflows and null pointer errors.
Ada: is a high-level programming language that is designed for safety-critical and real-time systems programming. It is a low-level language that provides direct access to system hardware resources and supports concurrency, parallelism, exception handling, and other advanced features.
Forth: is a low-level programming language that is known for its simplicity, flexibility, and interactive programming environment. It is used in embedded systems programming, digital signal processing, and other real-time applications where program size, speed, and memory usage are critical factors.
Each of these languages has its own strengths and weaknesses, so the choice of a particular language depends on specific needs, such as performance requirements, memory footprint, and the complexity of the application to be developed.
New languages
I have study new programming languages, alternative to Rust and Go for system programming. This is a preocupation of mine since these are in my oppinion most important languages for future of software industry.
While Rust and Go are popular for system programming, there are other languages you might want to consider learning as well. Here are a few options you might find interesting:
D: is a systems programming language that aims to combine the power and performance of C++ with the ease of use of modern programming languages like Python and Ruby. D offers a garbage collector, built-in support for concurrency, and powerful compile-time metaprogramming features.
Nim: is a systems programming language that is designed to be fast, flexible, and expressive. Nim compiles to C, C++, or JavaScript and offers garbage collection and powerful metaprogramming features. Nim is often compared to Python and can be used for a wide range of applications, from game development to web programming.
Crystal: is a modern programming language that is inspired by Ruby. Crystal compiles to native code, making it suitable for system programming. Crystal offers a garbage collector and type inference, which can reduce the amount of code you need to write.
Zig: is a systems programming language that is designed to be small, fast, and safe. Zig has a C-like syntax and offers memory safety features, such as bounds checking and null pointer protection. Zig can also generate efficient code and has a low-level focus that makes it suitable for system programming.
V, also known as Vlang, is a statically typed, compiled programming language created by Alexander Medvednikov in 2019. It aims to combine simplicity, safety, and speed, drawing inspiration from languages like Go, Rust, and Oberon. V is designed to be easy to learn and use, with a focus on readability and maintainability. The language features fast compilation times, compiling itself in less than a second, and produces efficient native code without runtime exceptions or garbage collection. V is suitable for a wide range of applications, including systems programming, web development, and game development. It offers built-in concurrency support, a package manager, and cross-platform capabilities. With its emphasis on safety features like no null values, no global variables, and immutability by default, V aims to help developers create more reliable and maintainable software while still providing high performance.
Carbon: is a systems programming language that is designed to be simple, expressive, and safe. Carbon is strongly typed and can be compiled to native code for a variety of platforms, including Linux and macOS. Carbon also offers garbage collection and has built-in support for concurrency and parallelism. Carbon takes inspiration from a variety of programming languages, such as C, Rust, and Lua.
These are just a few examples of programming languages for system programming that you might want to consider learning. As you explore these languages, keep in mind that each has its own strengths and weaknesses, so be sure to choose a language that best fits your needs and goals.
Benchmarks
Benchmark tests for system programming languages are a set of standardized tests designed to measure the performance of a programming language or a system under different conditions. The goal of benchmark tests is to compare the performance of different languages or systems on the same set of tasks and provide a standardized measure of their performance.
System programming languages, such as C, C++, Rust, and Ada, are often used for building high-performance software applications, including operating systems, device drivers, game engines, and other real-time and safety-critical systems. Performance is a critical factor in these applications, as they must be able to execute complex tasks quickly and efficiently while using minimal system resources.
To conduct benchmark tests, developers use specialized software tools that simulate real-world usage scenarios and measure the performance of the system or the language under these conditions. Benchmark tests can be used to measure various aspects of system performance, such as processor speed, memory usage, disk access speed, and network performance.
One of the most widely used benchmark tests for system programming languages is the SPEC CPU benchmark, which measures the performance of a system while running a set of CPU-intensive tasks, including compiling code, running simulations, and image processing. Other popular benchmark tests include the Dhrystone and Whetstone benchmarks, which measure processor speed and computation efficiency, respectively.
Benchmark tests provide developers with a standardized way of comparing the performance of different languages and systems and help them identify areas for improvement. They are an essential tool for optimizing the performance of software applications and ensuring that they meet the requirements of their intended use cases.
Sage-Code Evaluation
In future articles we will evaluate features and general aspect of languages and we will compare the languages to find the most suitable system languages for modern programming.
Disclaim: This article was created with ChatGPT. Is not my own opinion. If you find any errors here, please comment below. Thank you.
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