First compiler

Compiler

A compiler is a computer program (or set of programs) that translates text written in a computer language (the source language) into another computer language. The original sequence is usually called the source code and the output called object code.

The most common reason for wanting to translate source code is to create an executable program. The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that translate source code from a high-level programming language to a lower level language (e.g., assembly language or machine language).

A compiler is likely to perform many or all of the following operations: lexical analysis, preprocessing, parsing, semantic analysis, code generation, and code optimization.

Software for early computers was exclusively written in assembly language for many years. Towards the end of the 1950s, machine-independent programming languages were first proposed. Subsequently, several experimental compilers were developed. The first compiler was written by Grace Hopper, in 1952, for the A-0 programming language. She is also well known for her important role in the development of the COBOL programming language (which is still in widespread use for business applications), including the development of the first COBOL compiler. COBOL was an early language to be compiled on multiple architectures, in 1960. The FORTRAN team led by John Backus at IBM is generally credited as having introduced the first complete compiler, in 1957.