What is a compiled program code

The second way is if you have a friend who knows ancient Greek. When you're ready to make hummus, your friend sits next to you and translates the recipe into English as you go, line by line. In this case, your friend is the interpreter for the interpreted version of the recipe. Compiled languages are converted directly into machine code that the processor can execute.

As a result, they tend to be faster and more efficient to execute than interpreted languages. They also give the developer more control over hardware aspects, like memory management and CPU usage.

In our hummus example, the entire translation is written before it gets to you. If the original author decides that he wants to use a different kind of olive oil, the entire recipe would need to be translated again and resent to you. Interpreters run through a program line by line and execute each command.

Here, if the author decides he wants to use a different kind of olive oil, he could scratch the old one out and add the new one. Your translator friend can then convey that change to you as it happens. Interpreted languages were once significantly slower than compiled languages. But, with the development of just-in-time compilation , that gap is shrinking. Most programming languages can have both compiled and interpreted implementations — the language itself is not necessarily compiled or interpreted.

Python, for example, can be executed as either a compiled program or as an interpreted language in interactive mode. On the other hand, most command line tools, CLIs, and shells can theoretically be classified as interpreted languages. Programs that are compiled into native machine code tend to be faster than interpreted code.

This is because the process of translating code at run time adds to the overhead, and can cause the program to be slower overall. Interpreted languages tend to be more flexible, and often offer features like dynamic typing and smaller program size. Also, because interpreters execute the source program code themselves, the code itself is platform independent. Home Development. Webopedia Staff. September 1, Updated on: December 4, What does Compilation mean in Programming?

For more information on current editorial staff, please visit our About page. Top Articles. We look at the history of Windows Read more. Website Shortcut on Your Desktop reviewed by Web Webster This Webopedia guide will show you how to create a website shortcut on your desktop using What are the Five Generations of Computers?

Reviewed by Web Webster Learn about each of the 5 generations of computers and major technology developments that have led to the computing devices that Launched in , Hotmail was one of the first public webmail services that could be accessed from any web browser. At its peak in Related Articles. Lucas Ledbetter - January 12, 0. Reference The Complete List of From A3 to ZZZ we list Vangie Beal - January 10, 0. Lucas Ledbetter - January 10, 0.