Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Code Code: Source, Object, and Byte Code

So what are all these "codes" that keep getting discussed? Here's a guide:

Code: a general term to refer to the program text. When it isn't preceded by a word like 'object' or 'byte' it usually refers to the human-readable code, also called 'source code.'

Source Code: The human-readable stuff you type in. Well, sort of human-readable if you ignore all the odd punctuation that makes your Java files look like something written in one of those languages that includes clicks, grunts, and squeals. Java source code lives in files with .java on the end.

Object Code: Normally this refers to a program in a form that the host system can run directly. For example, C source code is fed into a C compiler/linker which produces an object code file that can be run on the host system directly (No virtual machine like Java's JVM.) In the case of Java, however, the term tends to get used to refer to Bytecode. This use of the word "object" has nothing to do with Objects in Java or object-oriented programming.

Byte Code or Bytecode: This is what the javac compiler produces. It is code in a form runnable by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM.) The host computer can't run it directly (unless you've got a really specialized computer system.) It lives in files with .class on the end.

In Java, the stuff you write and give to the compiler is source code.

The stuff the compiler writes out (if your program has no errors) is bytecode.

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