4.5 Programming languages

• Low-level programming language refers to machine code (the raw code that the CPU understands, consisting of a series of numbers each of which has a specific meaning to the CPU) or assembly language (which has a close relationship with a aforementioned language, but is a bit easier to work in).
• A high-level programming language is a language designed to be easier for humans to understand and work in, as compared with low-level languages. For high-level code to be run, it must be translated into machine code.
• An assembler is a program which translates assembly language code into machine code, which is a relatively simple process as the two are closely related.
• An interpreter is a program which runs high-level language code (e.g. Python) by translating it into machine code line-by-line as the program runs. As long as a user has the source code for the program to be run, and the relevant interpreter program for their computer, they can run the code. Interpreted programs usually run slower than compiled programs.
• A compiler is a program which translates high-level language code (e.g. C++) into an executable program file consisting of machine code. The executable can then be run, although it will only work on the specific type of CPU it was compiled for. If the program needs to be run on a different type of system, it will need to be recompiled for that system. Compiled executables usually run faster than programs running under an interpreter.