Specifying target resources in a machine independent higher level language

ABSTRACT

Each Higher Level Language (HLL) defines a virtual machine. A compiler for a HLL translates a program written for this virtual machine into a program for a lower level target virtual machine, which could be at the operating system, machine language, microcode, or other level. The space and time needed to run the compiled program are influenced by the difference between the functionality and semantics of the source and target virtual machines (semantic gap). As part of the translation process, a compiler binds source language constructs to target language constructs. For example, a variable in a program will be bound to a memory location, and an operator in a program (such as Plus) will be bound to a target machine functional unit (such as an Adder).

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