Sequential programming language?

Gauthier Boaglio picture Gauthier Boaglio · Jun 19, 2013 · Viewed 8k times · Source

What exactly is behind the notion of "sequential programming language" ?

I couldn't find a proper / deep description for that. I clearly see what a sequential algorithm is, but a programming language.

Sequential could be opposed to procedural, but...

What would be a language said "strictly sequential" ? Is it only a matter of giving or not the possibility to deal with functions ?

I know that this question is a bit too general and would require more than a simple Q&A, but an introduction and/or some good pointers on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT : Well, after further reading (thanks to msw and Edorka), I realize that the above quoted assumption is the result of my misunderstanding of some basic vocabulary and relies on nothing concrete. And consequently this question becomes pointless. But thanks for your time and precious developments guys!

EDIT :sequential would be better opposed to...

Answer

msw picture msw · Jun 19, 2013

I would say — lacking further context — that sequential could be synonymous with imperative or contrasted with "event-driven", "concurrent", "parallel", "declarative", or "quantum".

I don't know where you got your quoted text, but if you unroll a procedural program it is "sequential" and so from a theoretical perspective, it's a useless distinction.