Whats in Fourth-Generation Language Clothing?
Convergence is happening very rapidly in computing. Just as PC chips are ap-proaching mainframe capabilities (and vice versa), third- and fourth-generation languages have also been rapidly converging. Third-generation languages have long adopted such fourth-generation language conveniences as broad database connectivity, visual forms painters, and complete development environments of code editor, visual designer, compiler, and debugger integrated together. Likewise, fourth-generation languages have started to add program libraries, object features, code generation, and native code com- pilers to more closely match third-gen-eration language functionality and run-time performance. However, fourth-generation languages traditionally have done more in the area of convenience and ease of development. Specifically, they have attempted to better third-generation languages in four areas: simplified programming, easier database interactions, report writing capabilities, and easier debugging. It
