What programming languages need to know Industrial programmer?

§1 Introduction.

Industrial engineer now needs to possess certain skills programming. Programming of various equipment requires knowledge of certain programming languages. In general, the question of programming languages, always causes controversy. The point here of course in the attachment to the experience and taste, what you program in general is not important, it is important that you get.

§2. Programming Languages.

The founder language is assembler. He appeared together with a microprocessor and a programming tool. In fact, an assembler instruction set microprocessor. Accordingly, for different microprocessors, there are different assemblers. Microprocessor commands are the smallest software "building blocks". In fact, this construction sand, thought to be to build anything, but to create something great, so as hard as the sand.

ПTherefore, to facilitate the programming languages were being developed high level. The first of them BASIC, Fortran, Cobol, Algol, ADA made it possible to program more ready units - commands and functions. Commands and functions are already pre-conciliar block commands the microprocessor. Building program such units greatly simplifies programming. It was positioned as a BASIC language for the study of programming. Of the above language has survived at present only one BASIC. In the other there was left only the old name, the language itself has changed significantly. BASIC and other high level programming language did not suit professional programmers because of its limitations, and the assembly will not write much. Thus was created a hybrid assembly of Basic for the name of Xi. If A-B-BASIC assembler, then their hybrid C-B, as a result we obtain the formula A * B = C. Sea has become a popular language, and remains one of the main high-level languages so far. Although lately it's monopoly falls

§3 What language should know? or Which language is better?

The answer to the second question-simple. The best one on which you can do what you want.

What languages do you need to know Industrial programmer:
• 1. Assembler. Know the assembler must necessarily, as it provides insight into digital and microprocessor devices. Even not necessarily use it, but training must go. C can not be a substitute for the assembler-to-one!
• 2. At least one high-level language. I would recommend Visual C or Visual Basic from Visual Studio 2005.
• 3. At least one of the languages of programming logic controllers, and the precise knowledge of a package of programming. For example: STEP7, CoDeSys, RSLogix

§4.Myths of the Internet: the languages and not only.

As the Internet free community of free people, the different technical topics that are being actively discussed on the forums, overgrown public opinion. This view is often not coincide with the opinion of professionals. For example writes Vikopediya on COM port (the industry standard RS-232):

Interface RS-232-C was designed for easy use. Obsolete (data transfer rate does not meet even the minimum current requirements, the equipment under a long time is not made), but as a tribute to tradition, still present in modern computers and is sometimes used in industrial and highly technical equipment. Almost completely eradicated interface USB.

Industrial programmer call it bullshit!
Similarly, you can write an article about wheeled tractor:

Wheeled tractor was designed for easy use. Obsolete (the speed of traffic on the highway does not meet even the minimum requirements), but as a tribute to tradition, still present at the showrooms in specialized equipment. Almost completely eradicated sedan BMW.

You should try on the BMW plow!
The same can be said about the RS-232 and USB.
USB half-duplex (in contrast to the duplex RS-232) software-dependent (unlike the software is not dependent RS-232) interface, which is a direct descendant of the RS-232 and took over only some of the features of a COM port. It is clear that the budget office and gaming PCs, which are more like a gaming console (soon to video card will embed the motherboard) the use of hardware multi-ports is not justified. Typically, these PCs inserted COM ports blende software emulated without buffer amplifiers. The expensive industrial PCs such a nobody can do it! I will continue to develop the theme with the COM ports, as a separate article.

We return to the language.
As I said, the greatest popularity won the C language. This is not contested and the debate on the Internet are going on, what other language except C deserves to be respected language. Mostly what you hear in these discussions: Pascal, FoxPro, JAVA, PHP.Eto I call myth. The latter two languages can be discarded, since we consider the basic logical language, not specialized. The main logical languages to date are the two languages: Visual C and Visual Basic. Parents of these languages arose almost immediately after the establishment of a computer. VC and VB are the main languages and legislators of programming. Rating languages can be traced on a package of programmers Visual Studio. Do not be lazy and see what languages are included in this package throughout its development in versions: Visual Studio, Visual Studio.net. Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio 2008.

Popular in Russia uniquely VC, so has our story. VB in Russia dropped below the level of learning languages such as Pascal (who once was a modification of BASIC). I do not know why many schools are studying Pascal, not VB. So probably it and recommend to the forums. I guess these people vyzyvet surprise that the package MS Office is written entirely in VB, rather than Pascal?

Certain statements in defense of VB from VC:
• VC - very popular in Russia, VB - in the U.S. and the west
• There are programs that can write to the VC and you can not write to VB. There are only programmers who may or may not write a program in that language. This is an old Russian myth that in C you can write something that I can not write in other languages! Today, it is not true. Many commercial programs written in Microsoft VB
• VB more academic and friendly language, since it had originally been teaching language and inherited a good form of communication. VC on the contrary, more closed and difficult to teach. This is because of its hybrid and proximity to the assembler. Until now, in VB it is difficult to write a bug in the program, as VB controls your creativity and reports errors. In VC you look for their mistakes yourself.
• VC were useless acts of which the users VB released. Moreover, all these innovations come to VB from VC, more advanced.
• Today VC and VB are in principle the same language, so the package of Visual Studio 2005 to no longer offer to install as separate languages, you simply offer to choose a tick, in what environment you're working. I will soon be one language: VS = VB * VC (VS-Visual Studio)
• VB has another advantage, he may himself programming. For example, Open the MS-Word or 1C-Enterprise and see the editor of VB, macros, etc. Somehow I never saw a code editor in C in executable programs.

§5. In conclusion.

Logical programming language matter of taste and your desires (this is brand machines).
Assembler - is the foundation.
Language of logic devices - it's a profession.