Threaded code: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:04, 2 August 2020

Revision as of 17:40, 8 August 2020

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==History==

{{Original research section|date=February 2020}}

The common way to make computer programs is to use a [[compiler]] to translate [[Sourcesource code]] (written in some [[Symbolic language (programming)|symbolic language]]) to [[machine code]]. The resulting [[executable]] is typically fast but, because it is specific to a [[computer hardware|hardware]] platform, it isn't portable. A different approach is to generate [[instruction set|instructions]] for a [[virtual machine]] and to use an [[interpreter (computing)|interpreter]] on each hardware platform. The interpreter instantiates the virtual machine environment and executes the instructions. Thus, only the interpreter must be compiled.

Early computers had relatively little memory. For example, most [[Data General Nova]], [[IBM 1130]], and many of the first [[microcomputer]]s had only 4 kB of RAM installed. Consequently, a lot of time was spent trying to find ways to reduce a program's size, to fit in the available memory.