Appendix: Compiling C++ Code

For the computer to execute the “Hello World” code you have written, it first needs to be compiled by a C++ compiler. The compiler translates the textual representation of the program into a form that a computer can execute more efficiently.

What the compiler does

In very broad terms:

The compiler is a translator that acts as an intermediary between the programmer and the CPU on the computer."

A high-level language like C++ is actually a compromise between the CPU’s native language (generally referred to as machine language) and the programmer’s native language (say, English).

Computers do not natively understand human languages, yet for someone to write ...