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A compiler implements a formal transformation from a high-level source program to a low-level target program. Basically, a compiler translates (compiles) source code written in a high-level language (e.g., C++) into a set of machine-language instructions that can be understood by a digital computer's CPU. Compilers are very large programs, with error-checking and other abilities.
In 1951, Grace Hopper wrote the first compiler, A-0.
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