Programming Evolution

Machine Language

• Machine language (machine code) - binary coded instructions that are executed directly by the processor on a computer
• Each processor has a limited number of instructions (the instruction set) that it understands
• e.g. 10011011 might mean to add whatever is in register A to a memory location, so the instruction 1001101111000110 may mean add the contents of register A to what is stored in memory location 11000110
• Instructions for one processor can't be used on another, e.g. Intel instructions (Pentium) won't work on a Motorola (Macintosh, PowerPC) processor. For instance, if the example above was the instruction for an Intel processor, a Motorola processor may use the instruction 11001001 to mean add register A to a memory location

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