Prior to execution, a program must first be written. This is generally done in source code, which is then compiled at compile time (and statically linked at link time) to produce an executable. This executable is then … See more

Executable code, an executable file, or an executable program, sometimes simply referred to as an executable or binary, is a list of instructions and data to cause a computer "to perform indicated tasks according to … See more

The context in which execution takes place is crucial. Very few programs execute on a bare machine. Programs usually contain implicit and explicit assumptions about resources available at the time of execution. Most programs execute within See more

Runtime, run time, or execution time is the final phase of a computer program's life cycle, in which the code is being executed on the computer's central processing unit (CPU) as machine code. In other words, "runtime" is the running phase of a program. See more

A runtime system, also called runtime environment, primarily implements portions of an execution model. This is not to be confused with the runtime lifecycle phase of a program, during which the runtime system is in operation. When treating the runtime … See more

The instruction cycle (also known as the fetch–decode–execute cycle, or simply the fetch-execute cycle) is the cycle that the central processing unit (CPU) follows from boot-up until the computer has shut down in order to process instructions. It is composed of three … See more

A system that executes a program is called an interpreter of the program. Loosely speaking, an interpreter directly executes a program. This contrasts with a language translator that converts a program from one language to another before it is executed. See more