Programming languages like C and Java require compiling source code to produce object code that can be run on a computer. Object-oriented languages like C++ use object instances to make code easier to follow. Object code can protect source code and is used in both open source and payware applications.
Programming languages like C and Java are high-level languages that require compiling the source code entered by the programmer. Once the compiler has processed the code, it produces a set of object code that can be passed to other programs or run on a computer system.
When creating source code in an object-oriented language like C++, the programmer can use object instances to make the source code easier to follow. Once the code has been compiled, the resulting object code will be difficult for a human to read, but can be processed very efficiently by a computer. The two types of objects are quite different, but for their respective uses—one read by programmers, the other read by computers—they serve a similar purpose.
Object code can also protect the source code of a particular application and remove the obligation to include the source with the purchased product. An example of object code that consumers pay for would be Microsoft Office. Object code is written to a CD or DVD and packaged for sale, but the source code used to compile applications into their working state is maintained by Microsoft and not shared with the general public. This helps protect Microsoft’s intellectual property and also eliminates the need for the individual to purchase the software to compile it prior to installation.
A compiler is software that transforms inserted source code into a machine-readable object optimized for reading by a computer. Separating the original source code from the installed code can also provide benefits to developers during testing by allowing the source code to continually change and be compiled to be available for later installations. An example of this would be comparing the nightly build of an application to the stable packaged object code. One needs to be compiled and is changed every night, the other has been tested and is made available when most of the nodes have been resolved.
Some applications or even operating systems such as Linux can be compiled by users once downloaded, or can be downloaded and installed from precompiled object code. Many of these applications are open source, and the development communities that build and support them encourage those who use them to assist in editing the source code.
There are more and more open source applications and developers on the internet who would encourage the use of nightly builds, however the packaged object code of both open source and payware applications can be much easier to use.
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