compiler
A program that converts another program from some {source language} (or {programming language}) to
{machine language} (object code). Some compilers output
{assembly language} which is then converted to {machine
language} by a separate {assembler}.
A compiler is distinguished from an assembler by the fact that
each input statement does not, in general, correspond to a
single machine instruction or fixed sequence of instructions.
A compiler may support such features as automatic allocation
of variables, arbitrary arithmetic expressions, control
structures such as FOR and WHILE loops, variable {scope},
input/ouput operations, {higher-order function}s and
{portability} of source code.
{AUTOCODER}, written in 1952, was possibly the first primitive
compiler. {Laning and Zierler}'s compiler, written in
1953-1954, was possibly the first true working algebraic
compiler.
See also {byte-code compiler}, {native compiler}, {optimising
compiler}.
(1994-11-07)