| The terms computer programs, software program, or just program are the instructions for a computer. A computer requires programs to function, and a computer program does nothing unless its instructions are executed by a central processor. Computer programs refer to either an executable program or the source code from which an executable program is derived (e.g., compiled).
Computer source code is often written by professionals known as computer programmers. Source code is written in a programming language that follows one of two main paradigms: imperative or declarative. Source code may be converted into an executable image by a compiler. Once an executable image is requested to be run, the central processor executes the program, instruction by instruction, until termination. Alternatively, computer programs may be executed immediately with the aid of an interpreter, generated by other computer programs, or may be embedded directly into hardware.
Computer programs may be categorized along functional lines: system software and application software. And many computer programs may run simultaneously on a single computer, a process known as multitasking.
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