Runtime system

Producing instructions does not eliminate execution-time support. Programs may still allocate objects, locate methods, handle exceptions, and organize threads. A runtime supplies the mechanisms that sustain language behavior on a real machine. It can be a virtual machine, linked support libraries, or a collection of cooperating execution components.

References: [1]

Function calls require execution state, and objects require storage and lifetime management. The JVM describes areas such as frames, operand stacks, and heaps. Implementations can choose layouts and optimizations while preserving specified observable behavior. Language abstractions and physical memory arrangements are closely related but remain different levels of description.

References: [2]

Embedding a language requires initialization, object exchange, and finalization through defined interfaces. Python’s C API addresses these operations and thread state explicitly. The host and runtime have their own resource conventions, so cross-boundary calls must establish ownership, reference lifetimes, and the execution state required for the permitted operation.

References: [1]

Collection, dynamic lookup, and just-in-time compilation consume resources while supporting management or later speed. Startup, warm-up, and steady execution can consequently have different costs. A runtime is not an alternative category that excludes an operating system; it supplies language-level support on top of, or in cooperation with, the host services.

References: [2]