Languages and Translators PDF - Machine Code, Assembly, Compiler

LANGUAGES AND TRANSLATORS MACHINE CODE -instructions written in binary -each instruction did a very small task - writing programs was difficult and time consuming -it is a low-level langauge ASSEMBLY LANGAUGE -allows a programmer to create programs more easily than writing in machine code -is proc...

LANGUAGES AND TRANSLATORS MACHINE CODE -instructions written in binary -each instruction did a very small task - writing programs was difficult and time consuming -it is a low-level langauge ASSEMBLY LANGAUGE -allows a programmer to create programs more easily than writing in machine code -is processor- specific -each assembly langauge instruction maps directly to machine code E.g. -it has to be translated to machine code before it can be executed There is a 1:1 correspondence between assembly langauge and machine code -the program used to translate assembly langauge into machine code is called an assembler -it is a low-level langauage PROCESSORS -can only execute instructions in machine code -there are many different types of processors such as : Intel i7 Apple A 13 Bionic -the machine code instructions will be specific to a particular processor or family of processors So a program written for a PC will not run on apple or Samsung ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE USES -only used for: Software in embedded systems Software used to control specific hardware components such as device drivers -Assembly langauge allows the programmer to precisely control any instruction made on the processor Means that programs can be made to be very efficient HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGES -easy to learn as statements are closer to langauge and mathematics -have data structures such as arrays and records -need to be translated into machine code to be able to run -a single statement usually translates into several machine code instructions -the translation is done by a program which may be either a compiler or an interpreter A compiler translates an entire program into machine code before execution  An interpreter will discover errors as it comes across them MACHINE INDEPENDENCE -high-level programs can run on different types of processor with few changes to program statements - a different compiler or interpreter is used for each type of processor to translate the source code into machine code for that processor HIGH AND LOW LEVEL LANGUAGES HIGH LEVEL ADVANTAGES -easier to learn -functions such as iterations - have libraries of functions that can be imported -programs can be written faster -easier to understand and debug LOW LEVEL ADVANTAGES -programmer has direct control over how a low-level program works -A program written in a low-level language can run very quickly -The code will usually require less RAM -Statements in a low-level language can be used to control and manipulate specific hardware components -Therefore, programs such as device drivers are often written in assembly code COMPILER – a compiler translates a high-level language into machine code -The machine code produced can be saved on a storage device and run whenever required INTERPRETER -An interpreter is another type of program that translates to high-level language into machine code Like a compiler, no object code is produced It translates each line of code and executes it immediately If it reaches a line with a syntax error, it stops and displays an error message ASSEMBLER -when assembly code is written, it first needs to be translated into machine code -And assembler translates as assembly code to machine code COMPARISON