vault backup: 2026-05-23 01:26:08

computer-language.md

@@ -3,3 +3,37 @@ 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_.