Summary

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Computers run programs; programs implement algorithms. As a programmer you need to be aware of development issues regarding your computer system, the processor it is based on, and the programming language.

A computer system comprises a processor, I/O devices, and supporting operating system software. The processor is the heart of the computer system.

Programs can be viewed from two perspectives: human and computer. From the human perspective, programs, are a high-level solution statement to a particular problem. Object-oriented languages like C++ help humans model extremely complex problems algorithmically. C++ programs can also be viewed as the interaction between objects in a problem domain.

To a computer, programs are a sequence of machine instruction and data located in main memory. Processors run programs by rapidly executing the processing cycle of fetch, decode, execute, and store. If a processor expects an instruction and gets garbage it is likely to halt processing. Robust operating systems can mitigate this problem to a certain degree.

C++ programs are translated into machine code via a nine phase process.

There are bad algorithms and good algorithms. Study from the pros and you will improve your code writing skills.

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