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System programming language
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<p>A system programming language is a <a href="/facts/Programming_language/cWTYbgWa">programming language</a> used for <a href="/facts/System_programming/urTteIsW">system programming</a>; such languages are designed for writing <a href="/facts/System_software/0faaXG4d">system software</a>, which usually requires different development approaches when compared with application software. <a href="/facts/Edsger_W._Dijkstra/910x0MjT">Edsger Dijkstra</a> referred to these languages as machine oriented high order languages, or mohol. </p><p>General-purpose programming languages tend to focus on generic features to allow programs written in the language to use the same code on different platforms. Examples of such languages include <a href="/facts/ALGOL/wlFJGNEx">ALGOL</a> and <a href="/facts/Pascal_/b3yvp8bF">Pascal</a>. This generic quality typically comes at the cost of denying direct access to the machine's internal workings, and this often has negative effects on performance. </p><p>System languages, in contrast, are designed not for compatibility, but for performance and ease of access to the underlying hardware while still providing high-level programming concepts like <a href="/facts/Structured_programming/zA8b8dP1">structured programming</a>. Examples include <a href="/facts/Executive_Systems_Problem_Oriented_Language/7NC3b7aL">ESPOL</a> and <a href="/facts/Systems_Programming_Language/xEEuNmkQ">SPL</a>, both of which are similar to ALGOL in syntax but tuned to their respective platforms. Others are cross-platform but designed to work close to the hardware, like <a href="/facts/BLISS/xm2Msp6c">BLISS</a>, <a href="/facts/JOVIAL/1xLISDrj">JOVIAL</a> and <a href="/facts/BCPL/GkBV2hXy">BCPL</a>. </p><p>Some languages straddle the system and application domains, bridging the gap between these uses. The canonical example is <a href="/facts/C_/Ky2No763">C</a>, which is used widely for both system and application programming. <a href="/facts/PL%2fI/469mVYgd">PL/I</a> was an early example. Some modern languages also do this such as <a href="/facts/Rust_/8JNMV19F">Rust</a> and <a href="/facts/Swift_/A7qHQC32">Swift</a>. </p>