What is run time environment ?

Question

Can some one explain what it means in simple terms. Does it mean the environment (DOS, Windows, Linux, etc) where the application codes are run?

Regards
Balaji S

Answer 1

Yes, including all the settings (like environment variables), common libraries(!), directory structure, network neighbors e.t.c

Answer 2

The runtime environment can also be a virtual machine, such as the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) or CLR (Common Language Runtime) for .NET languages.

What is the target of your program? Does the program run on top of the JRE, CLR? Or are you compiling into a binary file that is run by your operating system?

The main question is what is that target of your program. How will your program be executed?

Answer 3

Distinguish this from Development Environments and Build Environments.

You will tend to find a hierarchy here.

Run - Everything you need to execute a program, but no tools to change it.

Build - Given some code written by someone eveything you need to compile or otherwise prepare an executable that you put into a Run environment. Build environments are pretty useless unless you can tets what you built, so they often include Run too. In Build you can't actually modify the code.

Develop - Everything you need to write code, build it and test it. Code Editors and other such tools. Typically also includes Build and Run.