Paper 2 - IDEs

.

what is a high level programming language

a programming language that is easy for humans to understand

what is a low level programming language

a programming language that are trickier for humans to read but closer to what a CPU would actually use

why are high level programming languages useful

they can work for many different machines and processors

code is easy to understand read and modify

what are some downsides of high level programming language

must be translated before a computer is able to understand it

dont have much control over what the CPU actually does so programs will be less memory efficient and slower

what is a downside of low level programming language

usually only work for one type of machine

code is difficult to read understand and modify

what is a positive of low level programming languages

does not need to be translated

can control exactly what the CPU does and how it uses memory so programs will be more memory efficient and faster

what are the 2 types of translator

compilers and interpreters

what is a compiler

a programming tool to translate all source code directly into machine code and creates one executable file

what is an interpreter

A translator used to run high level source code line by line without needing to create an executable file

what does IDE stand for

integrated development environment

what is an IDE

a piece of software that provides features to help a programmer to develop their program

what are some common features of an IDE

a translator

a graphical user interface builder

debugging tools

run time environment

editors

what do graphical user interface builders do

help the programmer to design a user interface by building it up graphically rather than having to design it using source code

what is a run time environment

software that allows a program to run on a computer even if it is not designed to run on it

what may some editors have

colour coding

auto-correct

auto-indent

auto-suggestion

what do debugging tools help programmers do

locate and fix errors