(This is the older material - click here - for current specification content)

13. Interpreter Examples

Computer languages have been developed with interpreting statements in mind. These are some of them:

Python

A very popular, free, object oriented interpreted language created in 1991. It is also modular which means people can add extra parts to it for others to use. You will find Python being used as the back-end processing language on web servers.

BASIC

The grand-daddy of interpreted computer languages. Created nearly fifty years ago (1963) as an easy-to-learn language. Its strength is that it is interactive - it checks your code as you type it in and its syntax is simple.

Java

This is the second type of interpreter. It compiles source code into bytecode which then runs on a virtual machine. Java is very popular as the language to use for coding the business-logic within a company's business application.

For example, on on-line mortgage application form on a Building Society web site would most likely be connected to a Java server that is working through all the complex business rules for providing a customer quote.