CS450 Compiler Design
48
Interpreters versus Compilers
Q: What are the tradeoffs between compilation and interpretation?
•Compilers typically offer more advantages when
–programs are deployed in a production setting
–programs are “repetitive”
–the instructions of the programming language are complex
•Interpreters typically are a better choice when
–we are in a development/testing/debugging stage
–programs are run once and then discarded
–the instructions of the language are simple