What is an executable file?

Hello,

At the end of the “Learn section” of this lesson it says the following:

The executable file will then be loaded to computer memory and the computer’s CPU (Central Processing Unit) executes the program one instruction at a time.

What executable file does it refer to? To the a.out? Or to a .EXE file created once the a.out machine code file is executed on the terminal? Does it refer to the a.out file? Or executing the a.out file will create the so-called “executable file,” i.e., .EXE, that the description says at the end of the lesson?

Cheers and thanks!

a.out is the executable file.

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is this only on linux or also on windows? coz, seems like i never saw an .out file on windows