Low-level languages – machine code
Also known as low level language. This is a computer programming language which closely represents machine language. Low-level languages are more difficult to understand than high-level languages but they execute quicker. are languages that sit close to the computer's A single action that can be performed by a computer processor. set. An Collectively, the set of instructions a processor understands. is the set of instructions that the Central processing unit - the brain of the computer that processes program instructions. understands.
Two types of low-level language are Also called object-code, this is low-level code that represents how computer hardware and CPUs understand instructions. It is represented by either binary or hexadecimal numbers. and A low-level programming language closely related to machine code. .
Machine code
Also known as high-level language. This is a computer programming language used to write programs. High-level languages need to be translated into machine code through a compiler, interpreter or assembler. contain An instruction given to a computer. that programmers use to instruct the computer what to do. However, they are restricted by the limited number of commands implemented within them. In fact, high-level commands are nothing more than a series of machine code instructions.
Machine code is the instructions that a processor understands and can act upon.
Advantages of using machine code
Writing in machine code allows programmers to do things that might not be possible in a high-level language. High-level language commands are like a predefined English sentence and machine code instructions are like predefined words. Using words as opposed to sentences gives programmers more flexibility to do what they want - they can build their own complex sentences or keep programs very short and simple.
For example, many high-level languages do not allow the programmer to specify items such as the screen's refresh rate. However, it is usually possible to specify this using machine code.
Disadvantages of using machine code
Machine code is notoriously difficult to write in, understand and debug, simply because it consists of either A number system that contains two symbols, 0 and 1. Also known as base 2. or A number system using 16 symbols from 0-9 and A-F, also known as base 16 and hex. numbers. Instead, when programmers need direct control, they use another type of low level language called assembly language.
