---
title: Computer Language
tags: []
---
# Computer Language

A **computer language**,
also called a text-encoding system,
or simply [code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code),
is a communication schema
which allows a person or program to make a computer do something
without specifically telling it to do all the intermediate,
low-level processes like memory allocation and stack manipulation
which would be necessary to do achieve the desired outcome.

> Due to patterns of abstraction typical of [[orthodox-computing]]
> it may not be intuitive to non-technical users
> that file extensions do not change the way the files themselves work,
> only the way other [[software]] treats them.

## Compiled vs. Interpreted Languages

%%
In practice this line is fuzzy,
especially when attempting to be true of all computer language,
not just programming languages.
Is [[pdf]] compiled?
%%

## Terminology

* **transpiler** --- a program which converts one language to another.

    > [[obsidian]] uses a transpiler
    > to convert the [[markdown]] you write into [[html]]
    > which other subroutines can render and display.

* **interpreter** --- a program which performs actions
    according to code _in sequence_.
