Is assembly language a high-level language?

Assembly language is not a high-level language; it, like machine language, is a low-level language. The difference between assembly language and high-level language: 1. The programming efficiency of assembly language is not high, while the programming efficiency of high-level language is higher than that of assembly language; 2. The readability of high-level language is higher than that of assembly language; 3. Assembly language is a Machine language, while high-level language is simplified and close to human natural language.

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 7 system, Dell G3 computer.

Assembly language is not a high-level language. Assembly language, like machine language, is a low-level language.

1. Overview

Assembly language is any language used for electronic computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers or Other low-level languages ​​for programmable devices, also known as symbolic languages. In assembly language, mnemonics are used to replace the opcodes of machine instructions, and address symbols or labels are used to replace the addresses of instructions or operands. In different devices, assembly language corresponds to different machine language instruction sets, which are converted into machine instructions through the assembly process. There is a one-to-one correspondence between a specific assembly language and a specific machine language instruction set, and they are not directly portable between different platforms.

Many assemblers provide additional support mechanisms for program development, assembly control, and auxiliary debugging. Some assembly language programming tools often provide macros, which are also called macro assemblers.

Assembly language is not as widely used in programming as most other programming languages. In today's practical applications, it is usually used in low-level, hardware operations and demanding program optimization situations. Assembly language is required for drivers, embedded operating systems, and real-time running programs.

2. Main features

Simplicity

Assembly language uses mnemonic symbols It is more convenient to write programs than using machine language binary code, which simplifies the programming process to a certain extent. The characteristic of assembly language is that symbols replace machine instruction codes, and mnemonics correspond to instruction codes one-to-one, basically retaining the flexibility of machine language. Using assembly language can be machine-oriented and make better use of the characteristics of the machine, resulting in higher-quality programs.

Execution process

A program written in assembly language is input into the computer. The computer cannot directly recognize and execute it like a program written in machine language. It must be put into the computer in advance. Only after processing and translation in an "assembler" can it be turned into a binary code program that can be directly recognized and processed by the computer. A symbolic program written in non-machine language such as assembly language is called a source program. The assembler translates the source program into a target program at runtime. The target program is a machine language program that can be processed and executed by the computer's CPU when it is placed in a predetermined location in the memory.

3. Advantages

1. Machine-oriented low-level language, usually for a specific computer or series of computers

2. It maintains the advantages of machine language and is direct and simple.

3. Can effectively access and control various hardware devices of the computer, such as disks, memory, CPU, I/O ports, etc.

4. The target code is short, takes up less memory, and has fast execution speed. It is an efficient programming language.

5. Often used in conjunction with high-level languages, it is widely used.

4. The difference between machine language, assembly language and high-level language

1. Efficiency:

Machine language: high execution efficiency and fast speed;

Assembly language: low programming efficiency, low-level language;

High-level language: execution efficiency is not as good as machine language, but programming efficiency is higher than Assembly language.

2. Composition:

Machine language: Machine language is an instruction set composed of 0 and 1 arranged according to certain rules: it is the only one that a computer can recognize and execute. language.

Assembly language: An instruction system that uses mnemonics to represent opcodes and operands in machine instructions. Enhanced readability and fast execution speed;

High-level language: a language that is closer to human natural language and mathematical language. Programs written in it can greatly reduce the labor of programmers, so it also has Better portability.

3. Oriented type:

Machine language: It is a machine-oriented language with poor readability.

Assembly language: It is still a machine-oriented language with strong readability;

High-level language: Simplified natural language that is close to humans and has high readability.

4. Different characteristics

Machine language:

The advantage is direct execution, fast speed and low resource usage. The disadvantages are poor readability and portability, and complicated programming.

Assembly language:

The characteristic of assembly language is that it is easy to be recognized and executed by the computer. Using it for programming can reduce the space occupied, increase the running speed, and directly control the hardware. When real-time control is required, it plays an irreplaceable and important position, but assembly language is more complex and difficult to program and understand, especially when performing data processing or logical operations, its disadvantages are highlighted.

High-level language:

can be more accurately understood by programmers. It has strong expressive ability, many functions, high programming efficiency, fast learning speed, and high degree of automation. In most software development, users use high-level language programming to improve programming efficiency. However, when the storage space is small, the execution speed is fast, and the hardware needs to be directly controlled, assembly language programming is used to optimize the program speed.

For more programming-related knowledge, please visit: Introduction to Programming! !

The above is the detailed content of Is assembly language a high-level language?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!