A computer language is a set of instructions that can be used to control the behavior of a machine, such as a computer. Two popular computer languages are ALGOL and COBOL. ALGOL stands for Algorithmic Language and was developed in the 1950s as a general-purpose language for scientific computing. COBOL stands for Common Business Oriented Language and was developed in the 1960s as a language for business applications. Both ALGOL and COBOL are still widely used today.