What is a Compiler?

[Aswald]

What is a Compiler, and what does it do? And what is "GUI?"

[omnedon]

GUI

Graphic(al) User Interface - windows is a GUI

Compiler

-not as sure... I believe it crunches code into a usable program. Someone else?

[CrazyImpmon]

Compiler is what it does: compile. LOL Seriously compiler is a program that reads the homemade program code such as BASIC or C++ and converts it into a native CPU code called assembly.

[Tetsu]

If you have any HTML experience, Aswald, you can think of a complier as a Wepage development program such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver.

When creating a program froms scratch in a computer language, be it BASIC or C (or whatever)you write it all out in Notepad. Then, you cut and paste into the compiler, hit enter, and it will "compile", or turn the language code you used into assembly language, which is what your computer understands.

This is similar to writing HTML, where you type in formatting code for your site, and Frontpage or Dreamweaver convert it into a language all internet browsers can understand.

[yiearkungfu]

Actually the compiler turns the code you write into assembly code, which your computer does not understand, the assembler then turns that into machine code, thats what your computer understands.

[asharru]

http://www.sitinthecorner.com/binary/binary.php


01101000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110010 01101100 01100100 00100001 00001101 00001010

[Tetsu]

Actually the compiler turns the code you write into assembly code, which your computer does not understand, the assembler then turns that into machine code, thats what your computer understands.

Quite right. Thanks for the correction, YieAr. I must be getting senile in my old age.

[Savedman]

There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.

[Aswald]

All I've ever done is direct coding. All of my programs used BASIC, along with machine language subroutines, that are directly POKEd into memory, and then used with SYS commands. I've never used an assembler in my entire life, I'm afraid, so I know very little about them. I do understand Hexadecimal, however; it was necessary in order to translate the machine language commands listed in the Programmer's Reference Guide (given in Hexidecimal) to Decimal, so I could POKE the proper numbers in place.
If you ever get a copy of Island of Foxes and LIST it, it will probably show a rather unusual programming style.