Dalvik (software)Dalvik is a discontinued process virtual machine (VM) in the Android operating system that executes applications written for Android. Dalvik was an integral part of the Android software stack in the (now unsupported) Android versions4.4 "KitKat" and earlier, which were commonly used on mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablet computers, and more in some devices such as smart TVs and wearables.
BytecodeBytecode (also called portable code or p-code) is an instruction set designed for efficient execution by a software interpreter. Unlike human-readablesource code, bytecodes are compact numeric codes, constants, and references (normally numeric addresses) that encode the result of compiler parsing and performing semantic analysis of things like type, scope, and nesting depths of program objects.
Profiling (computer programming)In software engineering, profiling (program profiling, software profiling) is a form of dynamic program analysis that measures, for example, the space (memory) or time complexity of a program, the usage of particular instructions, or the frequency and duration of function calls. Most commonly, profiling information serves to aid program optimization, and more specifically, performance engineering.
Android version historyList of Android operating system versionsAndroid 17 is the current version of Android, released on June 16, 2026.The version history of the Androidmobile operating system began with the public release of its first beta on November 5, 2007. The first commercial version, Android 1.0, was released on September 23, 2008. The operating system has been developed by Google on a yearly schedule since at least 2011.
Garbage collection (computer science)Form of automatic memory management Stop-and-copy garbage collection in a Lisp architecture: Memory is divided into working and free memory; new objects are allocated in the former. When it is full (depicted), garbage collection is performed: All data structures still in use are located by pointer tracing and copied into consecutive locations in free memory.
Android (operating system)Operating system for mobile devicesLinux distributionAndroid is an operating system developed by Google, designed primarily for smartphones and tablets (touchscreen-based mobile devices originally; later for other devices, such as TVs and PCs), based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software.
Translator (computing)A translator or programming language processor is a computer program that converts the programming instructions written in human convenient form into machine language codes that the computers understand and process. It is a generic term that can refer to a compiler, assembler, or interpreter—anything that converts code from one computer language into another.
Apk (file format)The Android Package with the file extension apk is a package format used by Android and a number of other Android-based operating systems for distribution and installation of mobile apps, mobile games and middleware. A file using this format can be built from source code written in either Java or Kotlin. APK files can be generated and signed from Android App Bundles.
Runtime systemIn computer programming, a runtime system or just runtime is a sub-system that exists in the computer where a program is created, as well as in the computers where the program is intended to be run. The name comes from the compile time and runtime division from compiled languages, which similarly distinguishes the computer processes involved in the creation of a program (compilation) and its execution in the target machine (the runtime).
Operating systemAn operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also include accounting software for cost allocation of processor time, mass storage, peripherals, and other resources.
Virtual machineIn computing, a virtual machine (VM) is the virtualization or emulation of a computer system. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide the functionality of a physical computer. Their implementations may involve specialized hardware, software, or a combination of the two.
Instruction set architectureAn instruction set architecture (ISA) is an abstract model that defines the programmable interface of the CPU of a computer, defining how software interacts with hardware. A device (i.e. CPU) that interprets instructions described by an ISA is an implementation of that ISA. Generally, the same ISA is used for a family of related CPU devices.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.