Monday, August 2, 2010

What is a ‘computer program’?

This seems like a simple enough question.

Here's what the web says. A computer program is
  1. a set of statements or instructions to be used directly or indirectly in a computer in order to bring about a certain result
  2. what makes the computer do things
  3. a set of instructions written in a programming language
  4. an algorithm written in a language that a computer can understand
  5. simply a long list of code written in another language
  6. a set of instructions for altering the contents of various words in the computer's memory
  7. a carefully thought out, step-by-step, set of instructions prepared by a programmer
  8. an organized list of instructions that, when executed, causes the computer to behave in a predetermined manner
  9. is a procedure (or algorithm) for performing some computation
  10. a bunch of instructions run by a computer, just like a storybook is just a whole bunch of sentences read by the reader

Does anyone have any better definitions?
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2 comments:

  1. CoreSchemerAugust 2, 2010 at 4:57 PM

    Programs = Algorithms + Data Structures (If you reverse the title of Wirth's book to better fit your question :D)

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  2. FaréAugust 2, 2010 at 8:46 PM

    Any datum is a computer program, when seen through an appropriate evaluator. The interesting question rather is "What is programming?".

    The joke is that the difference between a programmer and a user, is that the programmer
    knows there is no difference between using and programming.

    ReplyDelete