Language Processors

Compilers

• Compilers are computer programs that translate one language to another

Interpreters

• An interpreter is a program that reads a source program and inputs and directly executes it without translating it into machine language
• Interpreters are more likely to support
  • advantage
    • interactive execution
    • dynamic typing
    • better error diagnostic
  • disadvantage
    • slower execution than compiler

Hybrid Approaches

• intermediate representation(e.g. Java bytecode) can be interpreted by another machines ( e.g. Java Virtual Machine)
• Slow execution speed can be complemented by just-in-time compilation - JIT compiler

  • example through java

    

    

    • JVM은 machine instruction에 맞게 java byte code를 compile해 주어야 하기 때문에 machine dependent하다.
    • java byte code는 JVM이 읽을 수 있도록 compiler된 machine instruction이다.
    • so you do need to download JDK if you’re not going to develop from Java.

Compiler

The Logical Structure of a Compiler