Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #32721

Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java

From	Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject	Re: Translator, Compiler, Interpreter and Java
Date	2015-09-27 21:05 -0400
Organization	Aioe.org NNTP Server
Message-ID	<mua3o9$frm$1@speranza.aioe.org> (permalink)
References	<mu2j1a$34n$1@dont-email.me> <mu3f4m$qok$1@dont-email.me>

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On 9/25/2015 8:36 AM, Jeff Higgins wrote:
> 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

I think those definitions are horrible wrong.

[for the rest please assume programming language context - plain
English is very different]

An interpreter does not translate to anything instead it executes
something.

Translation and compilation has both an input and an output.

I would go with the following definitions:

Translator - anything that converts from one format to another format

Compiler - a translator that converts from a higher level format to
a lower level format except for the special case where the higher level
format is symbolic version of machine code in which case it for historic
reasons are called an assembler

Converter - a translator that converts from a format to another format
at the same level

Decompiler - a translator that converts from a lower level format to
a higher level format except for the special case where the higher level
format is symbolic version of machine code in which case it for historic
reasons are called an disassembler

I think these would match common usage of the terms.

Arne

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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