History of compiler construction

History of computing
Hardware
Hardware before 1960 Hardware 1960s to present
Software
Software Software configuration management Unix Free software and open-source software
Computer science
Artificial intelligence Compiler construction Early computer science Operating systems Programming languages Prominent pioneers Software engineering
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Timeline of computing
before 1950 1950–1979 1980–1989 1990–1999 2000–2009 2010–2019 2020–present more timelines ...
Glossary of computer science
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In computing, a compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language or computer language (the source language), into another computer language (the target language, often having a binary form known as object code or machine code). The most common reason for transforming source code is to create an executable program.

Any program written in a high-level programming language must be translated to object code before it can be executed, so all programmers using such a language use a compiler or an interpreter. Improvements to a compiler may lead to a large number of improved features in executable programs.

The Production Quality Compiler-Compiler, in the late 1970s, introduced the principles of compiler organization that are still widely used today (e.g., a front-end handling syntax and semantics and a back-end generating machine code).