<aside> 👀 Computers only understand machine code (binary), this is an issue because programmers prefer to use a variety of high and low-level programming languages instead.

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• To get around this issue, the high/low-level program code (source code) needs to be passed through a translator which converts to machine code

Assembler

• Assembly Code —> Machine Code

<aside> 💡 Used to translate a program written in a low-level (assembly) language into a machine code file, so it can be used and executed by the computer - the odd one out.

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• Once assembled once, the program file can be used again and again without re-assembly
• Creates object code prior to execution
• Assembly code has a one-to-one mapping between the mnemonic instructions of the language and their binary code equivalents
• Symbol table is used to map the mnemonic to the binary equivalent
• Allows for greater control over memory usage
• Used to directly program the CPU

Interpreter

<aside> 💡 Able to read, translate and execute one statement (line) at a time from a high-level program.

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• Converts each line and executes it before moving onto the next
• Stops when a line of code is reached that contains an error
• Often used during the development of a program as they make debugging much easier - each line of code is analysed and checked before execution
• Slower overall - An interpreted app does not produce an executable file thus source code must be interrupted each time the application is run
• Compatibility - A relevant interpreter needs to be installed on the running platform to run the source code
• Portable - can be run on multiple platforms as long as they have the required environment