virtual_machine.htm

Virtual Machines

A virtual machine is a program that acts like a computer. It simulates a CPU along with a few other hardware components.

VMs allow us to port programs into several CPUs.

The only cost is the overhead of the VM itself and the further abstraction from the machine. This is a trade-off that's taken.

Ethereum smart contracts are examples of virtual machines. They are run inside of a VM that has no access to the file system, network, disc, etc...

Instruction Set

Instructions have both an opcode and a set of parameters.

Each opcode represents tasks the CPU "knows" how to do.

Examples:

enum