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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →A program status word (PSW) is processor-level information that helps control instruction sequencing and records aspects of the processor’s status while it executes a program. In IBM’s terminology, it describes machine execution state—not whether a program or project is marked active, complete, or off track.
What does “program status word” mean?
IBM’s z/VM glossary defines a program status word as “a collection of information used to control instruction sequencing and to hold and indicate much of the status of the processor in relation to the program currently being executed.” In practical terms, the PSW is associated with how the processor is executing a program and with information about the processor’s state.
PSW is the abbreviation for program status word. The term belongs to computer architecture and processor documentation. See IBM’s z/VM Library glossary for its definition.
What a PSW is—and what it is not
- It is processor execution information: the IBM definition links it to instruction sequencing and processor status in relation to the program being executed.
- It is not a general progress label: an application or project marked “active,” “complete,” or “off track” has a user-facing lifecycle status; that is not the meaning of PSW in the IBM glossary.
Does every PSW have the same contents?
No universal bit layout or complete list of fields follows from the general definition. The precise contents depend on the architecture and the specific processor documentation being discussed, so a definition alone is not enough to infer a particular PSW format.
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For historical context, IBM’s 1967 System/360 Model 85 Functional Characteristics manual says that “program status is the data necessary to preserve the task for resumption later.” It discusses program status and error information in the context of the machine-check old PSW and logout field. That is an example tied to the System/360 Model 85 and machine-check handling, not a specification for every PSW. The passage appears in the IBM System/360 Model 85 manual.
Bottom line
A program status word is processor-related information used in connection with instruction sequencing and processor state during program execution. It should not be confused with an application’s progress status, and its exact format must be established from the relevant architecture documentation.
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