what is source code?

Question

what is source code?

Answer 1

Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. In modern programming languages, the source code which constitutes a program is usually in several text files, but the same source code may be printed in a book or recorded on tape (usually without a filesystem). The term is typically used in the context of a particular piece of computer software. A computer program's source code is the collection of files that can be converted from human-readable form to an equivalent computer-executable form. The source code is either converted into an executable file by a compiler for a particular computer architecture, or executed on the fly from the human readable form with the aid of an interpreter.



The code base of a programming project is the larger collection of all the source code of all the computer programs which make up the project. There is utility in this sort of aggregation as often the same source code file will be used by more than one of a project's different programs.



Purposes



Source code is primarily either used to produce object code (which can be executed by a computer directly), or to be run by an interpreter.



Source code has a number of other uses. It can be used for the description of software. It can also be used as a tool of learning; beginning programmers often find it helpful to review existing source code to learn about programming techniques and methodology. It is used as a communication tool between experienced programmers, due to its (ideally) concise and unambiguous nature. The sharing of source code between developers is frequently cited as a contributing factor to the maturation of their programming skills. Source code can be an expressive artistic medium; consider, for example, obfuscated code or PerlMonks.Org.



Source code is a vital component in the activity of porting software to alternative computer platforms. Without the source code for a particular piece of software, portability is generally so difficult as to be impractical and even impossible. Binary translation can be used to run a program without source code, but not to maintain it, as the machine code output of a compiler is extremely difficult to read directly. Decompilation can be used to generate source code where none exists, and with some manual effort, maintainable source code can be produced (VEW04). Programmers frequently borrow source code from one piece of software to use in other projects, a concept which is known as Software reusability.



DevCD's and non-free sourcecode



Sometimes companies provide a "DevCD" that can be purchased through them for the sourcecode for their program. Usually the source would be for a game, so serious gamers can release game mods with the source. Of course, many companies do not do this as they fear that the game could simply be re-compiled with the copyright restrictions and any need for CD-Keys or validation removed, allowing it to be distributed via P2P technology.



An example of a company selling a DevCD is Introversion software, the creator of the computer game Uplink. The source has been purchased and mods such as Onlink and the FBI Mod have been created.

Answer 2

Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. In modern programming languages, the source code which constitutes a program is usually in several text files, but the same source code may be printed in a book or recorded on tape (usually without a filesystem). The term is typically used in the context of a particular piece of computer software. A computer program's source code is the collection of files that can be converted from human-readable form to an equivalent computer-executable form. The source code is either converted into an executable file by a compiler for a particular computer architecture, or executed on the fly from the human readable form with the aid of an interpreter.



The code base of a programming project is the larger collection of all the source code of all the computer programs which make up the project. There is utility in this sort of aggregation as often the same source code file will be used by more than one of a project's different programs.

Purposes

Source code is primarily either used to produce object code (which can be executed by a computer directly), or to be run by an interpreter.



Source code has a number of other uses. It can be used for the description of software. It can also be used as a tool of learning; beginning programmers often find it helpful to review existing source code to learn about programming techniques and methodology. It is used as a communication tool between experienced programmers, due to its (ideally) concise and unambiguous nature. The sharing of source code between developers is frequently cited as a contributing factor to the maturation of their programming skills. Source code can be an expressive artistic medium; consider, for example, obfuscated code or PerlMonks.Org.



Source code is a vital component in the activity of porting software to alternative computer platforms. Without the source code for a particular piece of software, portability is generally so difficult as to be impractical and even impossible. Binary translation can be used to run a program without source code, but not to maintain it, as the machine code output of a compiler is extremely difficult to read directly. Decompilation can be used to generate source code where none exists, and with some manual effort, maintainable source code can be produced (VEW04). Programmers frequently borrow source code from one piece of software to use in other projects, a concept which is known as Software reusability.

Answer 3

It is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. In modern programming languages, the source code which constitutes a program is usually in several text files, but the same source code may be printed in a book or recorded on tape (usually without a filesystem). The term is typically used in the context of a particular piece of computer software. A computer program's source code is the collection of files that can be converted from human-readable form to an equivalent computer-executable form. The source code is either converted into an executable file by a compiler for a particular computer architecture, or executed on the fly from the human readable form with the aid of an interpreter.



The code base of a programming project is the larger collection of all the source code of all the computer programs which make up the project. There is utility in this sort of aggregation as often the same source code file will be used by more than one of a project's different programs.



Purposes:-



Source code is primarily either used to produce object code (which can be executed by a computer directly), or to be run by an interpreter.



Source code has a number of other uses. It can be used for the description of software. It can also be used as a tool of learning; beginning programmers often find it helpful to review existing source code to learn about programming techniques and methodology. It is used as a communication tool between experienced programmers, due to its (ideally) concise and unambiguous nature. The sharing of source code between developers is frequently cited as a contributing factor to the maturation of their programming skills. Source code can be an expressive artistic medium; consider, for example, obfuscated code or PerlMonks.Org.



Source code is a vital component in the activity of porting software to alternative computer platforms. Without the source code for a particular piece of software, portability is generally so difficult as to be impractical and even impossible. Binary translation can be used to run a program without source code, but not to maintain it, as the machine code output of a compiler is extremely difficult to read directly. Decompilation can be used to generate source code where none exists, and with some manual effort, maintainable source code can be produced (VEW04). Programmers frequently borrow source code from one piece of software to use in other projects, a concept which is known as Software reusability..

Answer 4

You write a program in C, C++, Java or any language... now compile the program and run it - this is the procedure followed for making simple program.



The output, usually, is a .exe file (windows). It may or may not have a user interface (like that of the VB stuff).



Whether the program be simple or complex, whatever you typed in as text, which follows some specific rules or syntax of coding, for the making of the program is the source code. It includes comments also.



Here's an example of a simple source code in C:



/* Hello World Program */

#include

main()

{

printf("Hello World");

return 0;

}

Answer 5

Source code is the human readable form of your program. It is then either compiled into a machine readable form like a .exe file (C++) or it is interpreted (Java)

Answer 6

Source code is nothing but a program

It is used to execute.

It is a combination of declaration, definition, logic, etc

Answer 7

Source Code Definitions:



* All the tags and instructions contained in a text file used to compose a Web page.



* The original textual form of a program.



* The form in which a computer program is written by the programmer. Source code is written in a formal programming language that can be compiled automatically into object code or machine code or executed by an interpreter. (Ref: foldoc)



* Source code is the code that a program consists of before the program is being compiled, ie it's the original building instructions of a program that tell a compiler what the program should look like once it's been compiled to a Binary.



* A non-executable program written in a high-level language. A compiler or assembler must translate the source code into an object code (machine language) that the computer can understand.



* A set of programming language instructions that must be translated to machine instructions before the program can run.



* A computer program in its original, human-readable form. Source code is turned into binary code (ones and zeroes) which can be used by a computer in different ways depending on whether the language is compiled or interpreted.



* (Detail only.) A short code (3-4 characters) indicating the source of a journal in BFS. It generally identifies feeder systems such as large recharge systems, Payroll, Campus Accounts Receivable System (CARS), etc. A list of source codes for recharge units and the units they identify is available. ...



* instructions for the compiler.



* The programming language underlying any application. The source code may be written in any o­ne of a thousand possible computer languages including Java, C++, Pascal, Basic or even Unix. Typically in proprietary software the source code is compiled (converted into machine language) and distributed as binary software. End-users are not able to view the original program and are therefore unable to alter it. ...



* The textual code listing which conforms to language specifications which is compiled into object code by a compiler, stored in source files. McCabe IQ parses source code to create metrics, structure charts, flowgraphs etc., and will also create a copy of instrumented source for compilation and testing to create coverage information.



* Commercially or in-house developed proprietary algorithms, macros, etc. that define how the software program works, completes its computations, etc.



* The readable form of code that you create in a high-level programming language. Source code is converted to machine-language object code by a compiler or interpreter.



* HTML (see above) is used to write source code. Source code for a Web page is usually stored in a file that ends with the .html or .htm extension.



* Program in high level language needing compilation to run.



* The form in which a computer program is originally written, usually in a language which other programmers can understand. In order to actually run, the source code is changed by the computer's compiler into an internal language which is much harder for humans (but easier for the computer) to understand.



* The original human-readable version of a program, written in a particular programming language, before the program is compiled or interpreted into a machine-readable form.



* The lines of code that make up a C++ program. Things written in the C++ programming language (or any other high-level language).



* The list of instructions written in a standard programming language used to construct a computer program. This information is not usually provided absent a court order or prior contractual agreement.



* A software program written using a programming language. It must be assembled, compiled , or interpreted before it can be executed.



* Human readable (hopefully!) program text. Source code can either be compiled and then stored as an executable on the computer, or interpreted by an ``interpreter'' to run directly (eg Python, shell, BASIC), though some things are between compiler and interpreter.



* Programming language or HTML tags that are used to create documents for the web and the Internet.



* Software program instructions written in a format (language) readable by humans.



* A computer program that has been written in an English-like computer language. It must be compiled to yield the object code before it can be run on the computer.



* A term for the "marked up" HTML document that is interpreted by a browser, and displayed as formatted web text. The "source" of a web document includes not merely the normally visible content, but all of the code and markup applied to it.



* program instructions written as an ASCII text file; must be translated by a compiler or interpreter or assembler into the object code for a particular computer before execution



* Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. In modern programming languages, the source code which constitutes a program is usually in several text files, but the same source code may be printed in a book or recorded on tape (usually without a filesystem). The term is typically used in the context of a particular piece of computer software.

Answer 8

best source for winning idea with no author.