Third-generation programming language
A third-generation language (3GL) is a refinement of a second generation programming language. Where as a second generation language is more aimed to fix logical structure to the language, a third generation language aims to refine the usability of the language in such a way to make it more user friendly. This could mean restructuring categories of possible functions to make it more efficient, condensing the overall bulk of code via classes (eg. Visual Basic). In a Nutshell, a third generation language benefits over a second by having more refinement on the usability of the language itself from the perspective of the user.
First introduced in the late 1950s, Fortran, ALGOL and COBOL are early examples of this sort of language.
Most "modern" languages (BASIC, C, C++, C#, Delphi, and Java) are also third-generation languages.
Most 3GLs support structured programming.
See also
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