Sunday, February 3, 2008

STORED PROGRAM CONCEPTS

Before a computer can actually read data, process it, and produce information, it must read a set of instructions called a program, which actually indicate what processing is required. Programs, like data, are stored in the computer. This arrangement is referred to as the stored-program concept.

In the same manner, any calculating operation involves a number of steps that must be spelled out to the computer: reading, locating numbers in storage, performing the actual calculation, placing the result in storage, and writing out that result at the appropriate time. A calculation procedure, therefore is composed of a sequence of individual steps that leads to desired result. The steps are coded as instructions and read into the computer as part of a stored programs to direct processing.

It is a stored program that makes the computer" Automatic." Once the program is loaded and processing is initiated, the stored-program instructions are executed, one after another. No further human intervention is required.

A computer can solve a seemingly infinite variety of problems. To solve a particular problem, one has only to load a program designed to solve that type of problem into the internal storage unit of the computer. Any of the common input devices can be used to do this, because instructions.

The task of writing a series of instructions to direct the operations of a computer is called" Programming". The person who writes the instructions is called a "Programmer".

It is possible for more than one program to be stored in the computer at any given time. The only requirement is that sufficient storage locations are available for both the programs and necessary data. This is a termed multiprogramming.

Since only one instructions can be executed t a time, simultaneous execution of instructions from different programs is not possible. However, the computer can execute instructions from one program, then instructions from another program, then instructions from the the first program again, and so on. This type of processing is called concurrent processing.

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