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I just read this Why doesn't Python need a compiler?

I know that Python isn't absolutely compiler or interpreted but it is both of them it's maybe an interpretive, high-level, and all-purpose programming language. Python uses PVM(interpreter) and Bytecode(that is output of a compiler). after all, why do we classify Python as a compiler language in comparison to C for example? what does make Python different from C which is quicker than Python?

jasmine
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  • I think this is offtopic here. Why didn't you post your question on [softwareengineering.SE] where you found that other one? – Raphael Oct 19 '21 at 14:26
  • @Raphael Oh you're right I thought there is no difference then I'll put it there – jasmine Oct 19 '21 at 17:20
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    I think this is useful background to understand the topic: https://cs.stackexchange.com/questions/29589/what-properties-of-a-programming-language-make-compilation-impossible – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Oct 19 '21 at 18:15

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The compilation process is a process of taking code from language "A" and translating it to code from language "B".

Lets start by saying that python doesn't compile at all - it stays python code all of the time.

On the other hand, $C$ compiles into assembly, which then turns into a standalone executable.

Since python stays python, this means that to run python code, you will need a special program - an interpreter. This interpreter reads the python code line-by-line, and executes it. But $C$ compiles into assembly, which is natural for the computer and can be executed without requiring help from other programs.

While creating an interpreter is usually simpler, a compiler is a much better option - here are a few advantages:

  • Compiled code doesn't need to rely on external programs to run code
  • The compiler can catch some errors even before the program is executed, while this is not possible when using an interpreter
  • A compiler is capable of introducing optimizations into the compiled code, so that it will run faster (nowadays, its significantly faster!)

All of that being said, even though python is an interpreted language, it doesn't make it a bad one. The core concept of python is being simple, easy to learn and use, and still powerful - and python achieves those well.

Important note

In this answer I was talking about the most basic versions and usages of python and $C$. Yes, you can create a compiler for any language, even python. And yes, python already isn't a "fully" interpreted language - there are some compilation steps that are done. But it is still considered an interpreted language since there really isn't a native compiler that translates it into machine code (assembly)

nir shahar
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    Python converts the code into some intermediate representation. It's not stored as text. You can even compile python code into "python bytecode". – Yuval Filmus Oct 19 '21 at 12:52
  • @YuvalFilmus please feel free to edit my answer and correct whatever you deem necessary! I tried in my answer to amplify the differences, so there is a good chance I might have oversimplified some things (and hence they won't be correct) – nir shahar Oct 19 '21 at 14:17
  • @YuvalFilmus Thank you, sir. but i don't understand what is the reason that python doesn't use just a native compiler by itself? – jasmine Oct 19 '21 at 16:57
  • @nirshahar Thank you I realize it now. so we know python is easy to read and learn, this could be because it doesn't use a native compiler? i just wonder – jasmine Oct 19 '21 at 17:02
  • Not really, but it does have a (small) part in it. One thing that this interpreter enables, is dynamic types. This means that a single variable isn't bound to have a particular type all of the time - it could sometimes be an integer and other times a string. Practically, this allows for simpler syntax which helps the language to be easier to learn and master. – nir shahar Oct 19 '21 at 17:34
  • Asked on [so]: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18557438/why-cant-pure-python-be-fully-compiled – Yuval Filmus Oct 19 '21 at 17:45