Talk:Machine code

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in computer ,how to covert highlevel language to machine language

With a compiler. --Mike Van Emmerik 21:20, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

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It's not clear to me: is it the concensus that "machine language" is the same thing as "machine code"? Or is "machine language" a bit more like a grammar, and machine code only like "sentences" (programs or modules) expressed in that language? Or perhaps the language is a bit like an enum: you could talk about the Z80 language or the MIPs language, so while there is one Z80 language, there are many Z80 machine codes (compiled or assembled Z80 programs)? I think it would be good to spell this out in the article, which seems to use the two terms more or less interchangeably. --Mike Van Emmerik 21:20, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

Also, is there a consensus that instruction set is the same thing as "machine language"? The terminology makes it sound analogous to several natural languages being written out in some character set. But when someone talks about 2 different "machine languages", that always means he's talking about 2 different "instruction set"s, in my experience. I often hear the phrase "written in machine language", usually meaning that some person typed in assembly language). When I hear "machine code", the speaker is usually pointing out a block of hexadecimal numbers generated by a compiler or an assembler. Sometimes I hear "some machine code" or "the machine code for this program", so I think you are right. It's analogous to "some English text" or "the English text for this document". But "there are many Z80 machine codes" doesn't sound quite right to my ears. "There is a lot of Z80 machine code" sounds better -- I wish I could put a finger on exactly why. -- User:DavidCary --70.189.75.148 06:13, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

Assembly language vs. symbolic machine language

I am in doubt if these are the same. I believe that assembly language is the language actually used for coding to the assembler. On the other hand you do not code in symbolic machine language but use it for examining code, ie. instead of reviewing the assembler output as pure hexidecimal, you can (for learning purposes) write it in symbolic machine code, where at least all the opcodes are replaced by a mnemonics. Symbolic machine code is not mentioned in neither Machine code or Assembly language. Velle 17:46, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

Revision of 8th November

This revert by Karol appears to have been to a much earlier version, and happened to overlap with Tobias' reversion. --Mike Van Emmerik 22:27, 7 November 2005 (UTC)

Amended

I added some text at the beginning. --VKokielov 04:06, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

...and then elsewhere, and then moved it around and trimmed it and... eventually ended up with the "magazine clipping" paragraph back in basically the same place, in exactly the same words, but without the second half. (In fairness, the second half was phrased in more subjective value-laden terms than the first half, but even the first half feels like opinion or a pet idea.)

It is sometimes perceived that machine languages are more fundamental than other computer programming languages.

Citation needed.

They are not; the power of a programming language has been shown to depend on the power of the underlying machine; see Turing machine.

Okay, but you're using the word "fundamental" in two different senses, then. Machine languages may not be more Turing-complete (any more than someone can be "more pregnant"), but they are more fundamental, more basic, precisely because they form the basis and fundament of modern computer programming. These days, you practically can't have a computer without that computer using some kind of machine language. (Obviously any machine has a "machine language" in the most general sense, but I mean "machine language" as described in this article: opcodes and registers and memory addressing modes, things that look familiar to anyone who knows any machine language.)

The structure of machine languages is a consequence of the necessity of simple elements in the electronic design of computers.

Now this is an interesting thesis. Can you support it? In particular, what is the structure of machine languages? I've given some common themes above (registers, opcodes, addressing modes), and I might add prefix-free coding; but none of those seem to be theoretically essential to computer architecture. And then, some symbolic machine languages (TI's C6000 DSP comes to mind) end up looking much more daunting and quirky than their actual architectures; so are you talking about languages or architectures, or can we consider the two concepts synonymous?

And once the structure of machine languages has been elucidated, it would be nice to list exactly what "simple elements" of architecture design you're talking about; and then how those elements necessitate that particular structure.

I generally agree with your theses (although I feel you're being tricky with sentence 2), but I don't think you can support them yourself, and I don't know of any definitive works on the subject, so I wouldn't even be able to say, "Seymour Cray says that the structure of machine languages is..." "The Structure of Machine Languages" sounds like a really interesting historical survey project, though. Any PhD candidates looking for a thesis topic? ;) --Quuxplusone 05:19, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

You win.  ;) --VKokielov 10:45, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Differences

Are programs that need a kernel to run in machine code, or is it an OS specific format? --Doomguy0505 10:29, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

What it used for

the article rake about almost everything except the use of Machine language or Machine Code and who is programing by it .is the compiler programed By Machine Code or part of it ..or Some Part of OS are programed by machine code etc .Salem F (talk) 23:29, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

Sorry Salem F I do not quite understand what you are saying here. Were you asking a question? Can you please try saying it with different words? --220.101.28.25 (talk) 18:45, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

yes, I do not understand the question, either. Not many people program with machine code unless they have masochistic tendencies. So, I think Salem must have meant to ask something else. stmrlbs|talk 00:59, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

• I think my question was clear ..I'll say it by another way ..

can we have more example of Programs that's wrote by machine code. i know some programs had wrote by machine code on Old days and now or Assemly Language take it place for ever (see the use of Assemply language) .........--Salem F (talk) 20:44, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

Differences between "byte" code and "machine" code

There isn't any. The only difference is that machines that understand "byte" code is often implemented in software, while machines that understand "machine" code is often implemented in hardware, but there is no reason why a "byte" code machine cannot be implemented in hardware or a "machine" code machine in software. In fact, there are plenty of example of both.

I suggest the two articles (this one and bytecode be merged and this point be clarified. 13:23, 17 June 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by FrederikHertzum (talk • contribs)

Strongly oppose merging in the proposed way, at least because bytecode has 18 interlanguage links to articles (it means that in yet 18 languages these topics are separated). Should bytecode be considered as a special case of machine code or it should not, of course, is disputable. And there is a confusion between bytecode as a concept and Java bytecode, though. Incnis Mrsi (talk) 14:36, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't believe I have made any suggestions as to how this should be merged (although I do see your point). Java bytecode is simply one machine language, which is used in the Java machine and as such is a type of "bytecode" or machine code. That there is no technical difference between the terms should at least be clarified in both articles, if they are not merged. 80.167.145.223 (talk) 03:24, 21 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't see how Java bytecode, which is machine independent, can be mistaken for machine code - which is obviously machine (ie, processor) dependent. Java bytecode is interpreted by a Java Virtual Machine. Machine code is interpreted by a processor. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.214.29.70 (talk) 15:45, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

The edit by user:Beland

[1] what was wrong with two distinct sections about two opposite data transformations? Incnis Mrsi (talk) 17:27, 24 January 2013 (UTC)

The edit of 174.94.3.167

Although definitely a good-faith edit, I opted to remove it because of

“ The only domain where machine code sees any significant use today ” — 174.94.3.167, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Machine_code&diff=556695797

which is, at best, ambiguous. I would say that it is a rubbish, because any executable program represents a “use of machine code”. Incnis Mrsi (talk) 07:20, 25 May 2013 (UTC)

Yes, there is much confusion here. The last sentence of the intro, by using the word "typically", leaves the impression that a hardware processor may not need machine language to operate. And the first paragraph after that should say "electronic" rather than "physical" design.74.76.137.34 (talk) 16:34, 13 September 2015 (UTC)

I'm not sure I see the confusion here - the last sentence says that the interpreter is typically machine code, which is certainly true. But there is nothing at all preventing someone from writing an interpreter in an interpreted language (in fact it's happened often), but performance will usually be poor. Rwessel (talk) 04:11, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

And as regards physical vs. electronic, electronics are the most common way to implement a CPU, but is hardly a requirement. Pneumatic and hydraulic "logic circuits" certainly exist (and are used in mechanic systems to control operation of devices), and one could, in principle, build a computer out of such things. Babbage's Analytical Engine, for example, had it been built, would have been entirely mechanical. Rwessel (talk) 04:17, 14 September 2015 (UTC)