Source-code compatibility: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|When a program must be compiled/interpreted before another computer can run it}}

{{Unreferenced|date=March 2007}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

'''Source-code compatibility''' (source-compatible) means that a program can run on [[central processing unit|computercomputers]]s (or [[operating systemssystem]]s), independently of [[binary-code compatibility]] and that the [[source code]] is needed for [[Software portability|portability]].<ref name="Baron Higbie 1992" />

The source code must be [[compiler|compiled]] before running, unless the computer used has an [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreter]] for the language at hand.<ref name="Data Processing Digest 1980" /> The term is also used for [[assembly language]] compatibility, where the source is a [[human-readable]] form of [[machine code]] that must be converted into numerical (i.e. executable) machine code by an [[Assembly language#Assembler|assembler]]. This is different from [[binary-code compatibility]], where no recompilation (or assembly) is needed.<ref name="Stern Monti Bachmann 1998" />

Source compatibility is a major issue in the developing of computer programs. For example, most [[Unix]] systems are source-compatible, as long as one uses only standard [[library (computing)|libraries]]. [[Microsoft Windows]] systems are source-compatible across one major family (the [[Windows NT]] family, from [[Windows NT 3.1|NT 3.1]] through [[Windows 8.111]], or the family that includes [[Windows 95]], [[Windows 98]], and [[Windows Me]]), with partial source compatibility between the two families.

== See also ==

It can be programmatically tricky to determine whether one is executing atop a Windows or UNIX environment. A simple-minded trick can often be resorted to, however. It is exemplified by the following Perl expression:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''-d "C:" && ! -d "./C:"'''

This expression determines whether a directory called '''C:''' exists and--if it does--verifies that it is '''not''' a subdirectory called "'''C:'''" deliberately created by some wag for the sole purpose of defeating the check. Since, of course, one occasionally encounters a Windows system that does not feature a '''C:''' drive, the expression can be generalized thus:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''join "", map { -d $_ && ! -d "./$_" } map { chr( $_ } . ':' ) ord( 'A' ) .. ord( 'Z' )'''

which actually applies the preceding logical test to the complete set '''A:''' through '''Z:''' of possible drives. Each test that succeeds returns a "1" while each that fails returns the empty string. Thus, if one or more of the drives exists, the return value will be a nonzero number, albeit possibly as large as 11111111111111111111111111.

==See also==

* [[Binary compatibility]]

* [[Backward compatibility]]

* [[Source upgrade]]

== References ==

{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="Baron Higbie 1992">{{cite book

| last1 = Baron

| first1 = R.J.

| last2 = Higbie

| first2 = L.

| title = Computer Architecture

| publisher = Addison-Wesley Publishing Company

| series = Addison-Wesley series in electrical and computer engineering

| year = 1992

| isbn = 978-0-201-50923-6

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CNdQAAAAMAAJ

| access-date = 9 May 2018

| page = 106

}}</ref>

<ref name="Data Processing Digest 1980">{{cite book

| title = Data Processing Digest

| publisher = Data Processing Digest, Incorporated

| issue = v. 26–27

| year = 1980

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KaVIAAAAYAAJ

| access-date = 9 May 2018

| page = 21

}}</ref>

<ref name="Stern Monti Bachmann 1998">{{cite book

| last1 = Stern

| first1 = M.

| last2 = Monti

| first2 = G.

| last3 = Bachmann

| first3 = V.

| title = NT Enterprise Network Design

| publisher = Sybex, Network Press

| year = 1998

| isbn = 978-0-7821-2156-8

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Ixuh0wTZ4GwC

| language = et

| access-date = 9 May 2018

| page = 17

}}</ref>

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Source Code Compatibility}}

[[Category:Backward compatibility]]

[[Category:Source code]]

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