Emulator facts for kids
An emulator is a special computer program or piece of hardware. It makes one computer act like a completely different type of computer. This lets you use programs or play games that were made for the older computer, even on your newer one! Emulators are super useful for playing classic games or running old software that wouldn't normally work on today's machines.
Some emulators are software you install, while others are physical parts you add to your computer. To run an emulator well, your computer needs to be powerful enough. This means having a fast processor and enough memory (like RAM and hard drive space). If your computer is too old, the emulator might not work smoothly or could even cause your operating system to crash.
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How Emulators Work
Emulators use different methods to make one computer pretend to be another. These methods help old programs run on new systems.
Interpreters: Step-by-Step Emulation
The simplest type of emulator is called an interpreter. Think of it like a translator that reads one line of code from the old program at a time. It then translates and runs that single line on your computer. This method is slow because it works step-by-step. However, it's easier for programmers to fix problems (debug) and make it work on different computer types.
Dynamic Recompilers: Faster Translation
A dynamic recompiler is a much faster type of emulator. Instead of translating one line at a time, it takes bigger chunks of the old program's code. It then quickly converts these chunks into code that your computer understands directly. Once a piece of code is converted, the emulator saves it. This means if the old program needs that same code again, the emulator doesn't have to translate it a second time. This saving of translated code makes it much quicker than an interpreter.
Virtualizers: Direct Running
A virtualizer is another type of emulator that works differently. It makes only small changes to the old program's code. Then, it tries to run that code almost directly on your computer's CPU. This method is very fast. However, it only works if the old computer system and your current computer use the same kind of CPU.
Images for kids
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Windows XP running an Acorn Archimedes emulator, which is in turn running a Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulator.
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Tetris running on the Wzonka-Lad Game Boy emulator on AmigaOS, itself running on E-UAE on a modern Fedora Linux system.
See also
In Spanish: Emulador para niños
