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Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java

From Jeff Higgins <jeff@invalid.invalid>
Newsgroups comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java
Date 2015-09-25 08:36 -0400
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <mu3f4m$qok$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References <mu2j1a$34n$1@dont-email.me>

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On 09/25/2015 12:37 AM, Jeff Higgins wrote:
> I'm so confused.
> Will someone please clearly explain to me how the terms
> translator, compiler, and interpreter relate to the Java language?

After posting this question last night I went to bed and slept. This
morning I awoke refreshed and began to ponder the question again. I have
come up with an explanation that satisfies me. I see that at this moment
there has been one reply to my question but I haven't looked at the res-
ponse just yet because I want to give my own explanation time to sink in
and perhaps mature.

First my definitions.

Translator - using the words worker and translation in a general sense a
translator is a worker that produces translations.

Compiler - A compiler is a translator from strings to strings.
This is pretty much the definition given by Aho, and Ullman in the reference
that I gave elsewhere. Their definition is much more nuanced according to
their usage, but for my purpose this wholly satisfactory.

Interpreter - An Interpreter is a translator from languages to languages.
This is inspired by the comments of Donald Knuth in the few self-effacing
leading paragraphs of his article "Literate Programming" available here:
<http://comjnl.oxfordjournals.org/content/27/2/97.full.pdf+html

Most of my confusion was based on the question of whether Java is a compiled
or an interpreted language. I can clear my confusion now by stating that a
programming language may be compiled and it may be interpreted but it cannot
be a compiled or an interpreted language. There is no definition to support
those constructs.

Giants in the computing industry may well view my explanation as the naivety
of a simple noob, or the ranting of a stoopid troll, or the nonsense of the
ignoramus, but it satisfies me. It may even give me some satisfaction when
I look at the list of programming languages on Wikipedia and see that one or
the other of them is declared to be interpreted or compiled.

To those who have or will have taken the time to respond to my request, I
thank you and appreciate your effort, but for the time being I will ignore
your explanations.

I hope that what I have presented here is not too stoopid and that it may
help someone else's confusion.

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Thread

Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jeff Higgins <jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2015-09-25 00:37 -0400
  Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2015-09-25 08:26 +0200
  Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jeff Higgins <jeff@invalid.invalid> - 2015-09-25 08:36 -0400
    Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2015-09-25 18:18 +0200
    Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-09-27 21:05 -0400
      Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-09-27 23:07 -0400
        Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-02 22:39 -0400
          Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-03 10:36 -0400
            Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-05 21:33 -0400
              Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-05 22:08 -0400
  Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-09-25 10:32 -0400
    Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-09-27 21:15 -0400
      Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-09-27 23:09 -0400
        Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-02 22:41 -0400
          Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-03 10:38 -0400
            Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-05 21:35 -0400
              Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-05 22:09 -0400
                Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-05 22:16 -0400
                Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-05 22:26 -0400
      Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2015-10-02 13:17 -0700
        Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-03 10:41 -0400
          Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2015-10-04 21:24 -0700
            Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-05 08:45 -0400
              Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2015-10-05 10:58 -0700
                Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-05 14:23 -0400
                Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-05 22:10 -0400
                Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-05 22:26 -0400
          Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-05 22:01 -0400
            Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-10-05 22:10 -0400
  Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Eternal Hope <laughingspam99@gmail.com> - 2015-09-25 16:55 +0100
    Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2015-10-02 13:14 -0700
    I don't remember JIT-ing for JDK 1.1 (Was: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java) Jan Burse <janburse@fastmail.fm> - 2015-10-03 04:56 +0200
      Re: I don't remember JIT-ing for JDK 1.1 (Was: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java) Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-02 23:11 -0400
        Re: I don't remember JIT-ing for JDK 1.1 (Was: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java) Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-10-02 23:14 -0400
          Re: I don't remember JIT-ing for JDK 1.1 (Was: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java) Mike Amling <mamling@chaff.us> - 2015-10-04 08:34 -0500
  Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Silvio <silvio@internet.com> - 2015-10-06 10:34 +0200
    Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java Silvio <silvio@internet.com> - 2015-10-06 11:01 +0200

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