Hello, I have an unusual question and at the first sight it seems a very simple question but all in all it isn’t so simple. It would be fantastic and very nice if some people can help me by this topic. I must classify many different programming things under some categories but I don’t know for all programming things the category: Category: APIs -> ActiveX, DirectX, OpenGL Category: Compiler -> Borland C++ Builder, DJGPP, Visual C++, Turbo C++ Category: Kings of programming -> AI programming, Game programming Category: Miscellaneous -> Math/Physic, Sound/Music Category: Programming languages: Ada, Assembly, Basic, C/C++, Perl, COBOL, HTML/DHTML/CSS, Java/java-script, Pascal/Delphi 1. Are these correct? 2. I can’t classify exactly: Allegro, CGI, FoxPro, Qbasic, REALbasic, SQL, Visual Basic (Compiler or programming language), Visual FoxPro, Winsock So it would be very nice if somebody can help me! With kind regards!

ActiveX isn''t really an API, it''s more of an interface standard.

I''m not sure where you''re going with the Kings of programming and Miscellaneous sections.

Allegro is a graphics library.
CGI is an another interface standard.
QBasic is a language/interpreter.
SQL is a language.
Visual Basic refers to both the language and the compiler.
Winsock is an API.

I''d check around at some of the very prominent game programming sites (like this one) and look around... they normally have things sectioned off pretty well.

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www.databyss.com
www.omlettesoft.com

"Don''t meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."

HTML (and maybe DHTML?) isn''t technically a programming lnguage, it''s a markup language.

Allegro seems to be in the same category as DirectX - it handles more than graphics.

SiCrane is right about Visual Basic and QBasic (there''s also a compiler for QBasic called QuickBasic).

Can you classify the words again and you can use new categories but it is important that you don''t use for each word or two words another category - so that you create a new classification. I would be very pleased if you can help because it is very important as I said it!

Momentary categories with content:

Category: APIs -> ActiveX, DirectX, OpenGL
Category: Compiler -> Borland C++ Builder, DJGPP, Visual C++, Turbo C++
Category: Kings of programming -> AI programming, Game programming, Linux programming, Network programming, Unix programming, Windows programming
Category: Miscellaneous -> Math/Physic, Sound/Music
Category: Programming languages/interpreter: Ada, Assembly, Basic, C/C++, Perl, COBOL, HTML/DHTML/CSS, Java/java-script, Pascal/Delphi, QBasic

Problems:

1. Is SQL really a programming language?
2. Is Winsock also a libary and where is the different between libraries and APIs?
3. It is possible to change the category "APIs" into a more general category like "Interfaces"? So it would be possible to classify: ActiveX, CGI, DirectX, OpenGl, Winsock! (Which other things would belonging to this category)?
4. Would you use Visual Basic for the category "programming languages" or more for "compiler"?

Of course it is not natural to help but it would be very nice!

With kind regards!

Well, I can give you some input..
SQL is a language, and there are many variations on it from mysql and psql to oracle and microsoft
the word visual in fron of any language is usually the compilers way of programming.

as for the rest I''ll let the experts handle it.. hehe

An API is an application programming interface, it defines the functions and constants necessary for an application to access a library. A library for that API implements the API.

Winsock is an API, multiple vendors supply different Winsock libraries. i.e. Trumpet Winsock, Microsoft Winsock, etc.

OpenGL is an API, and multiple vendors supply different OpenGL libraries. i.e. SGI OpenGL, MS OpenGL, MESA OpenGL, etc.

DirectX is an API, but only one vendor supplies the libraries: Microsoft. However, there are still multiple libraries available from MS.

In contrast CGI defines a standard for which applications communicate to one another. Your browser to the web server, then the web server to the CGI application.

ActiveX is another standard for which applications communicate to one another. Your application to the inplace server, or control.

SQL (Structure Query Language) is a special purpose language for handling relational databases. It has a grammar and a lexical specification; you can define procedures, declare variables and manipulate data. By most definitions it is a programming language.

And by kings of programming, do you mean kinds of programming?
Visual Basic refers to both the language and the compiler. There is Visual Basic the language which Visual Basic the compiler compiles. They are two separate objects.

Oh, and Delphi isn''t a language; it''s a compiler. Delphi compiles the language Object Pascal.

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation but unfortunately I don’t know how I classify: CGI and ActiveX for example. Because you don’t answer my third question whether it is possible to classify all these thing (ActiveX; CGI, DirectX…) under “Interfaces” or should I create a category: APIs/Interfaces/Libraries under which I can classify them? It would be very nice if somebody can answer this question because it is very important for us and we would be very pleased!

With kind regards!

In my opinion, APIs and interface standards are very separate things, and shouldn''t be combined. If there was an ueber-catagory "interfaces" then you could throw in other random junk like IUknown, which probably isn''t what you want.

Thank you for your answer.

So which categories would you use for ActiveX, Allegro, CGI, DirectX, OpenGl, Winsock?

DirectX, OpenGl and Winsock -> APIs!

But what is with the other?

It would be very nice if you can help me again!

Many thanks!