P-Code Machine

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What Does P-Code Machine Mean?

A P-code machine is a type of computer that executes P-code or the assembly language of a CPU. IT professionals may refer to P-code as portable code or pseudocode.

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P-code machines have utility in various hardware setups.

Techopedia Explains P-Code Machine

Using a variety of registers, the P-code machine handles a stack to execute the machine code according to inputs; for example, calling functions and procedures accordingly. A P-code machine can be easier to write for than a different model, however, the execution speed can be a bottleneck.

Pico may also be easier to reverse engineer than traditional code. In some ways, the idea of P-code is similar to the concept of a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) – by trimming down the footprint of the machine, certain efficiencies arise.

At the same time, key limitations apply.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.