Monday, 09. September 2002
From source code and object code to programming and using.
I have been thinking again about the destinction between source code and object code. You don't need complex destinctions as suggested by Edward Felten. And the fact that both can be identical does not mean the destinction is always meaningles as David Reed thinks; and just because there are people which can read objectcode without hassele that is no reason to assume that there is an often an fundamental change in quality when translating source code and object code.
If we stop pondering on implementation details but look at what this different kinds are meant to be the the picture is nice and simple:
- source code is the stuff the programmer creates. The source of the program. The thing he works on and edits. This might be traditional text file like programm code, a object DB, some kind of drawing in a RAD tool, some hex digits used by an microcontroller hacker. Only that is the source code. If you put your Perl programm through a tool which strips out the comments the output is no source anymore.
- object code is the object of the execution by a machine. Machine can be seen at various levels. A Perl interpreter can be considered the machine exactly like a bytcode compiler.
This means the same thing can be source code for one person and object code for another. Example:
Somebody works on a spreadsheet putting higly complex calculations in it. For him this spreadsheet it is source code. When he saves the spreadsheet on his company's server, somebody else loads it, fills in just the numbers and enjoys the results, the spreadheet file is object code to him.
One problem persitst: what makes the first guys actions 'programming' and the others just 'using'? I'm tempted to look an programming as 'changing the flow control', but I'm afraid this doesn't work out. So we have a new problem: What is writing a programm and what is using it? If I change the toolbar in MS Word and add a Macro to insert my address, is this Programming?
11:52 |
#
<< UK: Preventing Employer E-Mail Snooping | Disgruntled CISSP flunky accused of SPAM campaign against (ISC)2 >>
disLEXia, a research project by Maximillian Dornseif
|
|
