Slide 1.6: Why learn assembly language? Slide 1.8: A language processing system (cont.) Home

A Language Processing System

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Preprocessor It is a program invoked by various compilers to process code before compilation. For example, the C preprocessor, cpp, handles comment deletion, textual macro substitution, conditional compilation, and inclusion of other files.

Compiler
A compiler is a program that reads a program written in one language—the source language—and translates it into an equivalent program in another—the target language.

It usually takes third-generation language code and translates it into a specific assembly code.

Assembler
An assembler is a program that converts source-code programs from assembly language into machine language.