Portal:Computer programming/Selected article/3: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Hello World C++.png|right|200px]]

A '''computer program''' (also '''[[computer software|software]]''', or just a '''program''') is a [[sequence]] of [[instruction (computer science)|instructions]] written to perform a specified task with a [[computer]]. A computer requires programs to function, typically [[execution (computing)|executing]] the program's instructions in a [[central processing unit|central processor]]. The program has an [[execution (computing)|executable]] form that the computer can use directly to execute the instructions. The same program in its human-readable [[source code]] form, from which [[executable]] programs are derived (e.g., [[compiler|compiled]]), enables a [[programmer]] to study and develop its [[algorithm#Formalization|algorithms]].<noinclude>