Assignment #2 … Introduction to Computing…

TORDECILLA, JOSHUA YVAN F.

BSIT-1

1. Describe the difference between an interpreted language vs. a compiled

language.
The difference between an interpreted and a compiled language lies in the result
of the process of interpreting or compiling. An interpreter produces a result from a
program, while a compiler produces a program written in assembly language. The
assembler of architecture then turns the resulting program into binary code. Assembly
language varies for each individual computer, depending upon its architecture.
Consequently, compiled programs can only run on computers that have the same
architecture as the computer on which they were compiled.
A compiled program is not human readable, but instead is in an architecture-
specific machine language. Creating a compiled program requires several steps. First,
the programmer, using a development tool or even a simple text editor, writes the source
code in a chosen computer language. If the program is complex, pieces of it may be
spread across several files. The programmer then compiles the program, sorting and
linking the modules and translating it all into machine code that the computer
understands.
Because different kinds of computers do not speak each other`s machine
languages, a compiled program will only work on the platform it was designed for. For
example, a program written for HP-UX normally will not work on a Mac OS computer or a
computer running Solaris. Despite this drawback, compiled programs are faster than
those that must be run through an interpreter. Also, it is often possible to recompile the
program so that it will run on different platforms. Examples of languages that are normally
used to produce compiled programs include C, Fortran, and COBOL.
In an interpreted program, on the other hand, the source code typically is the
program. Programs of this type (often known as scripts) require an interpreter, which
parses the commands in the program and then executes them. Some interpreters, such
as the Unix shells (sh, csh, ksh, etc.), read and then immediately execute each
command, while others, such as Perl, analyze the entire script before sending the
corresponding machine language instructions. The advantage of a script is that it is very
portable. Any computer that has the appropriate interpreter installed may run the program
more or less unchanged. This is a disadvantage as well, because the program will not
run at all if the interpreter is not available. In general, interpreted programs are slower
than compiled programs, but are easier to debug and revise. Other examples of
interpreted languages include JavaScript and Python.
 Intermediate to computer-specific compiled programs and interpreted scripts are
programs designed for runtime environments. Java and Smalltalk programs are executed
in this fashion. Constructing programs for runtime environments is similar to writing
traditional compiled programs. The difference is that instead of compiling the source code
into a machine language, it is output into byte code for the runtime environment's "virtual
machine". This virtual machine intercepts the byte code instructions and translates them
into computer-specific commands. The advantage of this approach is that the runtime
environment quickly compiles only the needed pieces of the code (some parts of the
program may never need to be executed). This is called just-in-time compiling. The major
disadvantage with runtime environments is that a program that is not designed well will
force the runtime environment to compile almost all of the code up front and then make
redundant calls to the interpreter. This makes the program slower to load and run.

https://kb.iu.edu/d/agsz

2. Identify software categories.

 System software, the operating system (Windows, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux,

and so on) and utilities that run your device and make your computer function.

 Application software, the vast majority of software, what Wikipedia calls "the

general designation of computer programs for performing tasks." When you buy

a new app, most of the time, it's application software.

 Computer programming tools, including compilers, are what turns code into

application software. These are often hidden from view, but they're a crucial part

of bringing new software to your devices.

https://zapier.com/blog/business-software-categories-explained/

Six simple software categories:

 Creation Software - Say software, and this is what people think of, the apps that
help you make things. Photo and drawing tools to create art. Document and
 writing apps to build documents. Audio and video software to record and remix

and release. Coding editors to keep the cycle going and build the next big thing.

Auto CAD and Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office and most other tools

creative professional and engineers use. Code editors like Sublime Text,

integrated development environments (or IDEs) like Visual Studio, and the

computer programming tools like GCC that compile code into new software all

the tools developers, user to run the app economy. These are the programs that

make the headlines.

 Communication Software - The software we open most often, though, might be

communication software, the apps that connect us to each other. Email started it

all with its quick electronic messages between university mainframe computers,

before anyone could reasonably expect to own a computer, let alone carry one in

their pocket. Email turned to chat, which turned to social media—while Skype

and FaceTime finally fulfilled the video phone dream. Every time you check

Facebook, txt your friend group, and email your boss, it's communication

software that sends your messages back and forth.

 Consumption Software - Here there be dragons—and explosions, and

symphonies, and silence. Here's where the debate over what is software rears its

head. But eBook readers, PDF viewers, news apps, media players are software

too. Games fit here too; you might build something in the game, but for the most

part you're consuming an experience someone designed. They're perhaps not

the software that fills most of your business day. Then, there's a tricky app: The

web browser. It's by define a viewer, a consumption app, something to view

HTML code others created. Yet it can also run browser-based web apps today,
 making it another way to use each category of software. It's today's operating

system (the code that runs your computer itself), in a way.

 Computation Software - Want to map the human genome, chart a path to Mars,

out build the Burj Khalifa, or automate a car? Computation software is what you'll

need. That's where it all started - computers, after all, are machines

to compute numbers. It's in deep scientific research where the limits of silicon

brains are tested, where they live their most meaningful lives. This is where

machine learning and AI, tech's favorite buzzwords, come into play. Your

computer is more than ready to do amazing things and it's competition software

like Mathematica and R that make the magic.

 Utility Software - File sync apps. FTP. Antivirus. That one app you installed to

fix that rare problem you had last year. Backup tools. WinZIP. Search tools, and

Google itself. The software that keeps your software humming away. These app

aren't fun, and they don't feel very useful (except for Google), but they tie the

loose ends together. They're the software you have to use. They sometimes are

system software, sometimes are application software, but their core purpose is to

perform core tasks for your computer.

 Database Interface Software - Then there's everything else, all variations on the

same thing. These are the apps that fill 90% of the categories in the App Store,

the software that makes the business world go 'round. It all starts with a

database, "a structured set of data held in a computer." Want to manage tasks,

contacts, projects, sales, inventory, finances, rocket ship tickets? You'll need a

database to store that data. Add a form to enter the data, and a viewer to, well,
view the data, and you've got a database powered app. At their very simplest,
most apps that store data fit this mold, everything from your notes and contacts

app to a CRM or ERP system. They're essentially different ways of storing and

viewing data, with little tweaks to fit a specific workflow.

https://zapier.com/blog/business-software-categories-explained/