To understand what happens when you run the hello program, it helps to know how a typical computer system is organized.

"Hardware organization of a typical system"

• CPU: Central Processing Unit
• ALU: Arithmetic/Logic Unit
• PC: Program counter
• USB: Universal Serial Bus
• Register file
• Bus interface
• Buses
• I/O Devices
• Main Memory

This particular picture is modeled after the family of Intel Pentium systems, but all systems have a similar look and feel.