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The Programmer’s Dictionary: What is a program?
The first obstacle I came across when I was learning how to write code, was understanding the basic technical jargon. In this series, I will explain these fundamental terms in the simplest language I can.
When appropriate, I will also attempt to connect ideas in this field with ones you are likely to already know.
In this article, I will teach you what a program is, how to read a program, and how programs are written.
Written Instructions
If I had to choose a simple and descriptive name instead of “program”, I would have chosen the phrase: Written instructions.
It is a series of instructions, which are to be acted upon by an information processing system. I will discuss that term in further detail in a separate article, but the term refers to something like a human being or a digital computer.
A Program To Make A Seafood Salad
A classic example of a program outside of the context of computer programming, is a cooking recipe.
Ingredients:
- Mixed greens
- Smoked salmon
- Shrimp
- Red onion
- Capers
