Execution (computing): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:30, 12 November 2022

Revision as of 12:21, 7 March 2023

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{{Short description|Running of a program by a computer}}

{{Program execution}}

{{merge from|Runtime (program lifecycle phase)|Talk:Runtime (program lifecycle phase)#Merge into Execution (computing)}}

'''Execution''' in [[computer engineering|computer]] and software engineering is the process by which a [[computer]] or [[virtual machine]] reads and acts on the instructions of a [[computer program]]. Each instruction of a program is a description of a particular action which must be carried out, in order for a specific problem to be solved. Execution involves repeatedly following a '[[Instruction cycle|fetch–decode–execute]]' cycle for each instruction done by [[control unit]]. As the executing machine follows the instructions, specific effects are produced in accordance with the [[Formal semantics of programming languages|semantics]] of those instructions.