PROGRAM

  

Ø  PROGRAM:

      A program is a set of instructions for a computer to perform. When the program is executed, the computer reads one instruction, executes it, then reads the second instruction, and executes it. A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components. A computer program in its human-readable form is called source code. Source code needs another computer program to execute because computers can only execute their native machine instructions. Therefore, source code may be translated to machine instructions using the language's compiler. The memory of the computer stores into its memory the program as well as the data that the instructions operate upon. The programs can be batch or interactive. Batch programs execute continuously, without interruptions. It runs, executes the instructions and terminates. The interactive programs receive data from a user or another program. Interactive programs can also execute batch programs. A Web browser is a typical example of an interactive program .On the other hand, a program that prints salary slips for a company's employees is a good example of batch program. When a program is written, it is written in a programming language. Some examples of the programming languages are C, C++, Java, Visual Basic, C#, PASCAL, FORTRAN, COBOL, etc .When a program is written using a programming language, it is called source code or source program. Since a computer can understand only machine language of zeros and ones, this source code is converted into the machine code using a special software called 'Compiler'.