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programming, tool A program that converts another program
A compiler is distinguished from an assembler by the fact that
each input statement does not, in general, correspond to a
single machine instruction or fixed sequence of instructions.
A compiler may support such features as automatic allocation
of variables, arbitrary arithmetic expressions, control
structures such as FOR and WHILE loops, variable
scope,
AUTOCODER, written in 1952, was possibly the first primitive
1953-1954, was possibly the first true working algebraic
compiler.
(1994-11-07)