Source program definition

This command text is called source code. On the basis of a particular programming language, programmers lay out all of the rules for a computer-executable application. Source code is a human-readable text written in a specific programming language. As a result, source codes are the foundation of programs and websites. A sequence of bits instructs the computer as to what it should do.

While commands were created in this way in the early days of computer technology, we have long since switched to writing applications in a human-readable programming language. This may sound strange at first since source code could also look like confused gibberish to a layman. While computers only work with number values, humans communicate with words. So, just like a foreign language, one must learn at least one of the various programming languages before being able to program, etc.

There are hundreds of different programming languages. Some of the most popular programming languages are:. For the computer to understand these languages, however, they need to first be translated into machine code. For the computer to be able to further process the source code written by the programmer, there needs to be a translation between the two — this occurs in the form of an additional program.

This assistance application can be in either the form of a compiler or an interpreter:. Nowadays, an intermediate solution is being used increasingly often - Just-in-time compilation JIT. This type of translation attempts to combine the advantages of both variants quick analysis and quick execution and is used in browsers, for example, to more effectively handle JavaScript, PHP, or Java. The foundation of a website is also referred to as a source code.

However, this is not a case of a programming language but rather the markup language HTML. A markup language determines how content is structured. For example, using HTML allows you to define headlines, paragraphs, or highlights. A similar principle applies for other markup languages, such as XML. Very few programming languages appear out of nowhere, though, and most of them build on one another.

For this reason, certain elements come into use in various different program codes:. Developers write programs in order to provide solutions. The way to do that, though, is not set in stone. When two programmers are dealing with the same problem, it could well happen that the two resulting source codes are quite different from one another - even if they are working in the same language.

The additional text makes the problem confusing, slower, and more prone to errors. To write a source code, all you really need is a simple text editor - like the Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac. This way, source code can be saved as plain text e. File name extensions are conventions. The suffix, which is usually separated from the attached file name by a period, is meant to indicate the format of the file. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs distributed on the same medium must be open-source software.

No provision of the license may be predicated on any individual technology or style of interface. Here's the historical " Annotated OSD " from the early 's. For over 20 years the Open Source Initiative OSI has worked to raise awareness and adoption of open source software, and build bridges between open source communities of practice.

As a global non-profit , the OSI champions software freedom in society through education, collaboration, and infrastructure, stewarding the Open Source Definition OSD , and preventing abuse of the ideals and ethos inherent to the open source movement. Open source software is made by many people and distributed under an OSD-compliant license which grants all the rights to use, study, change, and share the software in modified and unmodified form.

Software freedom is essential to enabling community development of open source software. Skip to main content. Home Contact Donate Login. Search form. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance.

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Term » Definition. Word in Definition. Princeton's WordNet 4. Matched Categories Program. How to pronounce source program?

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