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Programming languages such as C++, BASIC, and Pascal were designed as general-purpose languages, which means that you can use them to write practically anything, such as a flight simulator, an accounting program, a voice-recognition program, or a word processor.

Technical Stuff Microsoft Windows is written in C/C++, whereas the original Macintosh operating system was written in Pascal. The latest version of the Macintosh operating system, Mac OS X, is written in a programming language called Objective-C, which looks similar to C and C++.

One of the most popular uses for computers, however, is storing and retrieving information, such as names, addresses, phone numbers, prison records, credit history, and past job experience. Computers store such information in databases.

Almost every business relies on databases to store information about customers, inventories, and employees, so nearly every company uses a database program.

Unfortunately, most people don’t want to know the strange and often bizarre commands necessary to store, retrieve, or print information from a database. To make databases easier to use, most databases include a programming language.

Most popular database programs, such as FileMaker and Microsoft Access, offer their own special programming languages. For manipulating large amounts of data such as what’s stored on big mainframe computers, database programs tend to use a language known as SQL (which stands for Structured Query Language). The following SQL code displays the message “Take a nap!”

select ‘Take a nap!’ from dual;

Database programming languages can fill the following specific needs:

•  Speedy writing: If you’re writing a program that stores huge chunks of information, you can write it much faster by using a database programming language than by using a general-purpose language such as C++ or Pascal.

•  Compact and understandable: A program written in a database language is much smaller and easier to understand than an equivalent program written in C++ or Pascal.

•  Big bucks: Database programming is a lucrative field. If you know how to create customized databases, you almost never need to worry about being unemployed or not making enough money.

Of course, database programming languages aren’t for everybody. They have several crucial limitations, as the following list describes:

•  Program specificity: Database programs are often tied to a specific computer. If you write a custom database by using FileMaker, for example, you can run your program only on any computer that can also run the FileMaker program. Because FileMaker is currently limited to the Macintosh and Windows operating systems, you can’t run a FileMaker program on a computer that uses Linux.

•  Limited uses: Database programming languages are great for making custom databases but lousy for making anything else, such as video games, word processors, or utility programs (such as antivirus utilities). If you need to create a variety of programs, you can’t rely on a database programming language by itself.

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