Machine language
what is machine language?
Machine language (or machine code) is the lowest-level
programming language that a computer's central processing unit
(CPU) can directly understand and execute.
Key points about machine language:
Binary code: It consists of sequences of 0s and 1s (bits). Each
pattern of bits represents a specific instruction or data.
CPU-specific: Machine language instructions are unique to each
type of processor (e.g., Intel 8085, ARM, x86).
Direct execution: The CPU reads and executes these instructions
without needing translation.
Instruction format: Instructions include operation codes
(opcodes) that tell the CPU what operation to perform (like add, load,
store) and operands which are the data or memory addresses involved.
Not human-friendly: Because it's just binary, it's very hard for
humans to read or write directly, so higher-level languages or
assembly language are usually used to program computers.
Example of machine language for 8085:
An instruction like MVI A, 0x32 (move immediate
data 0x32 into accumulator) in machine code might be
represented as:
Uses
Direct hardware interaction and control.
Fundamental for programming at the lowest level.
Execution of efficient and optimized code.
Firmware and device driver development.
Embedded systems programming.
Debugging and low-level system tasks.
Evolution of Machine Language
Early Machine Code: Programmers interacted directly
with raw binary instructions, establishing a close link
between software and hardware.
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): OOP languages like C+
+ and Java emphasize encapsulation, inheritance,
and polymorphism, enhancing modularity and organization.
Machine Learning and Neural Networks: Specialized languages
and frameworks enable developers to work with complex machine-
learning models, fostering adaptability.
Quantum Computing: Quantum programming languages like
Qiskit mark the frontier, leveraging qubits and quantum gates for
unprecedented computational possibilities.
Components of Machine Language
Operand: Represents the data or the memory address on
which the operation will be performed. Instructs the CPU
about the location or value involved in the process.
Registers: Small, fast storage locations within the CPU. Some
machine language instructions operate directly on data stored in
registers for quick access.
Control Signals: Signals that control the internal operations of the
CPU. Govern activities such as reading from or writing to memory,
performing arithmetic or logic operations, and transferring data.
Machine Language Program: A sequence of machine language
instructions forms a program. Represents the set of actions a
computer should take to accomplish a specific task.
Needs of Machine Language
As a human, we write code in high level language. The programming language
which we use to write codes such as C, C++ and java are high level languages.
High level language is not understood by computer directly so it is converted
into low level machine language to understand the meaning of code and perform
execution. Computers compile the code written by us and translate into machine
code and then execute it. Computers are only able to understand machine
language.
Features of Machine Language
Machine language is a low level language.
Machine language consist of only 0 and 1 bits.
Machine languages are platform dependent.
It is nearly impossible to learn machine language for humans because
it requires a lot of memoization.
Machine language is used to create and construct drivers as well.
Advantages of Machine Language
Machine languages are faster in execution because they are in
binary form.
Machine language does not need to be translated , because it
is already present in simple binary form.
The CPU directly executes the machine language.
The evolution of the computer system and operating system
over the time period is due to machine language.
Machine languages are used in developing a high-grade
computer system.
Disadvantages of Machine Language
Machine language are complex to understand and memorize.
Writing codes in machine language is time-consuming.
It is very difficult to resolve bugs and errors present in the codes
and programs.
