2.5 - Programming Languages and IDEs

OCR GCSE Computer Science - Paper 2

High-Level Languages

* easier/quicker for humans to write and understand
* easier/quicker to maintain/debug/spot errors
* code is closer to English
* less code to write - one HLL instruction represents many assembly instructions
* portable between processors
* will work with different types of computer
* less memory efficient
* can be slower to execute if not optimised for the particular processor

Low-Level Languages

* code for the CPU to execute
* not readily understandable by humans
* specific to a particular type of computer
* not portable between different systems
* does not need to be translated
* can be quicker to execute
* memory efficient
* requires the programmer to understand the processors structure

Purpose of Translators

* the processor can only understand machine code
* translates the high level code into machine code
* to pick up syntax errors

Compiler

* converts high level code into machine code in one go
* creates an executable file
* used when the software is being distributed
* users have no access to the source code so no one can edit/steal/copy the code/program
* reports all errors after the code is compiled

Interpreter

* converts high level code into machine code line by line
* used to test the program and find errors
* stops running when it finds an error
* shows the location of the error when found
* it is quicker to re-interpret than recompile

Common Tools Available in an IDE

* editors
* error diagnostics
* run-time environment
* translators

Editors

enables program code to be entered/edited

Error Diagnostics

displays information about errors/location of errors and suggests solutions to fix them

Run-Time Environment

enables the program to be run/tested and checks for runtime errors

Translators

translates the high level code into machine code