An interpreted language is a programming language whose source code is directly executed by a computer program called an interpreter, rather than being first translated into machine code.
Practical Steps
- Write your code in the interpreted language.
- Run the interpreter and provide your code as input.
- The interpreter will execute your code line by line, displaying the results.
Key Concepts
- Interactive Mode: Interpreted languages allow for interactive mode, where you can enter and execute code on the fly.
- Ease of Testing and Debugging: Running code line by line makes it easier to test and debug your code.
- Portability: Interpreted languages are typically platform-independent, meaning your code can run on different operating systems and architectures.
Python Example
# Python is an interpreted language
print("Hello, world!")
Benefits of Python as an Interpreted Language
- Interactive Python shell allows for quick prototyping and testing.
- Read-Eval-Print Loop (REPL) makes it easy to experiment with code.
- Code can be executed line by line, simplifying debugging.
- Python's portability ensures your code runs consistently across multiple platforms.