2.5 - Programming Languages and Integrated Development Environments

Question 1

What is a low level language used for?

Answer 1

Embedded systems and device drivers where directly instructing the hardware is needed.

Question 2

Key features of low level languages?

Answer 2

Written in assembly language or machine code; one instruction of it usually represents 1 instruction of machine code.

Question 3

Why might programmers use a low-level language over a high-level language?

Answer 3

Don’t always need translator; you control what the CPU does and how it uses memory so programs will be more memory efficient and faster.

Question 4

Why might programmers use high-level languages over a low-level language?

Answer 4

Easier to learn, understand, modify; data can easily be store in lots of different structures without knowing about the internal structure of the CPU.

Question 5

Why are translators important?

Answer 5

Computers only understand machine code, so high-level languages must be translated to machine code, before computers can execute the instructions/

Question 6

What are the two types of translators?

Answer 6

Interpreters and Compilers

Question 7

What are the differences between a translator and an interpreter?

Answer 7

Compiler translates all of the source code at the same time and creates one executable file; interpreters does it one instruction at a time and doesn’t create an executable file.

Question 7

What are the differences between a translator and an interpreter?

Answer 7

Compiler translates all of the source code at the same time and creates one executable file; interpreters does it one instruction at a time and doesn’t create an executable file.

Question 7

What are the differences between a translator and an interpreter?

Answer 7

Compiler translates all of the source code at the same time and creates one executable file; interpreters does it one instruction at a time and doesn’t create an executable file.

Question 8

What is the advantage of using an interpreter over a compiler?

Answer 8

Customers can see the source code so can adapt it and see how it works.

Question 9

What are the advantages of using a compiler over an interpreter?

Answer 9

Executes faster (already in machine code, with interpreters each instruction has to be translated before execution); no need for compiler to be present when object code is run, interpreter must be installed to run program.

Question 10

What are the key features provided by an IDE?

Answer 10

Line Numbers, Breakpoints, Code Folding, Variable Watching, Syntax Highlighting, Error Diagnostics, Run-time Environment,