Computer program

A computer program or software program (usually abbreviated to "a program") is a step-by-step list of instructions written for a particular computer architecture in a particular computer programming language. A layman equivalent example would be writing a step-by-step list of instructions in English instructing a human how to make a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (the human being the specific architecture). More often than not, computer programs are compiled or assembled into non-human readable format. Executable uncompiled programs are referred to as scripts.

Example of a program (source code)

The supplied code is a small program in assembly language written for a virtual computer {{ref|wwwPOCA}}. The example shows a selection of instructions with the

Related Topics:
Assembly language - Virtual computer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

corresponding address in memory where each instruction will be placed. These

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

addresses are not static, see memory management.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Accompanying each instruction is the generated (by compilation) object code that coincides with the virtual computer's architecture (or ISA). For more examples, see the hello world program.

Related Topics:
ISA - Hello world program

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~