Fichas
Topic 4: Computers (part 2)
Fichas del conjunto (8)
- 1What is a translator?A software tool that converts code written in a high-level pogramming langauge into a language understandbale by the proccessor, for later execution (machine code)
- 2What are the 3 types of translators?- Assembler
- Compiler
- Interpreter - 3What is an assembler and how does it work?An assembler is a translator that translates essembly language into machine code, for execution. It works by going over and translating every mnemonic, line by line, into its binary representation and then it generates an executable, object file
- 4State 3 advantages and disadvantages of assemblersAdvantages:
- Efficient as they convert the code directly to machine code
- Direct access to hardware features
- Assemblers allow fo precise control over how programs interact with hardware
Disadvantages:
- Assemblers may not perform appropriate optimization techniques
- There is limited error checking
- Less portable: Assemblers may generate amchine code specific to a particular CPU - 5What is a compiler and how does it work?Compilers are translators that convert entier programs, all at once, written in a high-level language, into machine code that can be executed by a computer
They check for errors before the exe is produced and produce the final software - 6State 3 advantages and disadvantages of compilersAdvantages:
- Speed of execution is faster
- Original source code is not shown to outsiders
- Code is optimized
Disadvantages
- Usually designed for a specific type of processor
- Source code becomes more difficult to write as the program doesn't run with syntax errors
- Code must be fully recompiled when changed or modified - 7What is an interpreter and how does it work?A software that translates high-level language source code line by line, while it's running, into machine code ready for execution
- 8State 3 advantages and disadvantages of interpretersAdvantages:
- Easier to debug code because programs are read line by line and will stop running when an error is identified
- The exe can be run on multiple, different processors
- Code is directly executed. This is because interpretors translate and execute the code directly
Disadvantages:
- Slower execution speed compared to compilers
- More memory usage since interpretors need to store source code during execution
- Lack of optimization. Interpretors arn't able to optimize code such as compilers are