Program (machine)

A program is a list of instructions written in a programming language that is used to control the tasks of a machine, usually a computer (in which case it is called a computer program).

Some examples of programs are:

The execution of a program consists of a series of actions that follow the instructions that it contains. Each instruction produces effects that alter the state of the machine according to its predefined meaning.

Although some machines are called programmable, for example a programmable thermostat or a musical synthesizer, they are really only devices in which users are allowed to vary certain configuration options, far from being controlled by programs written in a language, which can be textual, visual or otherwise.

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