high-level language

In computing, a programming language designed to suit the requirements of the programmer; it is independent of the internal machine code of any particular computer. High-level languages are used to solve problems and are often described as problem-oriented languages; for example, BASIC was designed to be easily learnt by first-time programmers; COBOL is used to write programs solving business problems; and FORTRAN is used for programs solving scientific and mathematical problems.

With the increasing popularity of windows-based systems, the next generation of programming languages was designed to facilitate the development of GUI interfaces; for example, Visual Basic wraps the BASIC language in a graphical programming environment. Support for object-oriented programming has also become more common, for example in C++ and Java. In contrast, low-level languages, such as assembly languages, closely reflect the machine codes of specific computers, and are therefore described as machine-oriented languages.