Native mode
Encyclopedia
The term native mode or native code is used in computing
in two related senses.
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
in two related senses.
- to describe something running on a computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
natively or in native mode meaning that it is running without any external support as contrasted to running in emulation. - Native operating system, native instruction setInstruction setAn instruction set, or instruction set architecture , is the part of the computer architecture related to programming, including the native data types, instructions, registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external I/O...
, etc., in application to a computer processorCentral processing unitThe central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
means that the corresponding item was implemented specifically for the given model of the computer or microprocessorMicroprocessorA microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
, as opposed to emulationEmulatorIn computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
or compatibility modeCompatibility modeA compatibility mode is a software mechanism in which a computer's operating system emulates an older processor, operating system, and/or hardware platform in order to allow obsolete software to remain compatible with the computer's newer hardware or software....
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