Chapter 11 Learning Objectives

SECTION A

After reading Section A, you should be able to:

• define the term "computer program"
• categorize small-l, medium-, and large-sized programs according to department of Defense standards
• describe the similarities and differences in the roles of computer programmers, systems analysts, and software engineers
• explain how the terms "code" and "coding" relate to computer programming
• provide examples of computer programming languages
• identify keywords, parameters, and syntax elements in a sample line of program code
• explain the differences between high-level and low-level programming languages
• discuss the characteristics of each generation of programming languages
• define the term "programming paradigm" and discuss how it relates to programming languages
• list the three elements of a problem statement
• explain how "assumptions" and "known information" relate to planning a computer program
• compose a concise problem statement when given information about a simple problem that can be solved by creating a computer program
• explain the advantages and disadvantages of generic text editors, program editors
• explain how using a visual development environment (VDE) differs from the traditional approach to coding computer programs
• provide examples of "events" that are associated with various controls in a graphical user interface
• explain syntax, runtime, and logic errors
• discuss how programmers can locate errors in a program
• explain how program documentation and remarks help streamline the process of debugging and modifying programs

SECTION B

After reading Section B, you should be able to:

• define the term "algorithm"
• explain how programmers determine the correct algorithms to use for a computer program
• identify algorithms expressed as pseudocode, structured English, and flowcharts
• discuss the advantages of performing program walkthrough
• define the term "sequential execution" as it relates to computer programs
• explain the way sequence, selection, and repetition control structures work
• explain the advantages and disadvantages of the procedural paradigm
• provide examples of at least four programming languages that are typically used for procedural programs

SECTION C

After reading Section C, you should be able to:

• explain how the object-oriented paradigm differs from the procedural programming paradigm
• distinguish between "objects" and "classes"
• explain the difference between public and private attributes
• draw a simple UML diagram to illustrate classes, attributes and methods for an object-oriented program
• discuss how inheritance relates to classes and why inheritance is such a key concept for making object-oriented programming efficient
• provide examples of some tasks that methods might carry out in an object-oriented program
• explain the relationship between messages and methods
• explain how polymorphism relates to methods
• list at least four programming languages that are typically used for object-oriented programming
• discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the OO paradigm

SECTION D

After reading Section D, you should be able to:

• explain how the declarative paradigm differs from the procedural programming paradigm
• provide some examples of simple "facts" written in Prolog syntax
• explain how a decision table might be used by a programmer who is planning a program that involves complex logic
• given a simple Prolog statement, identify the predicate, argument, and syntax elements
• distinguish between a constant and a variable
• explain how instantiation and backtracking help solve goals in a Prolog program
• discuss the unique challenges of debugging a Prolog program
• provide examples of some problems that would be more suitable for the declarative paradigm than for the object-oriented or procedural paradigms
• explain the advantages and disadvantages of declarative languages

TechTalk

• discuss why a compiler is one of the most important programming tools
• explain the advantages and disadvantages of compiles and interpreters from a programmer’s viewpoint
• explain the difference between object code and bytecode
• explain the similarities in the Java Virtual Machine and Microsoft CLR
• explain the significance of Microsoft’s .NET framework
• discuss the why components and APIs are so important to today’s programmers
• differentiate between an SDK and an IDE