Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!nrl-cmf!ukma!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!HUB.UCSB.EDU!bfox%vision
From: bfox%vision@HUB.UCSB.EDU (Brian Fox)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: What is source code? (answered)
Message-ID: <8902090149.AA12801@hub.ucsb.edu>
Date: 9 Feb 89 01:49:48 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: bfox@wheaties.ai.mit.edu
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 63


Dale:	`Source code' is text meant to be easily read by human beings.  Its
	purpose is to ease the process of turning a person's idea for performing
	an operation (such as merging a list of names into successive form
	letters) into the complex set of instructions that a computer
	understands.

	The computer understands "object code", the human programmer writes
	"source code", and the "compiler" makes the translation.

	You may now press the "D" key.

   From: "David A. Lyons" <AWCTTYPA%UIAMVS.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
   Mmdf-Warning:  Parse error in original version of preceding line at BRL.MIL

   >
   >I was wondering if there is anybody out there...that could explain to me
   >what the hell are source codes??? I've seen a handfull of these "Source
   >Codes" in the comp.binaries.apple2 (I think thats what its called).
   >[...]
   >                    --Dale

   I'll _try_ to keep this sort of brief, but I have problems in that
   area. :)

I agree. Your copius answer could only be comprehended by someone who already
understood the difference between a compiler and an interpreter, and it is
doubtful that they would actually be able to get any real information from it.
I especialy liked the examples, which served no purpose but to demonstrate
that you could write the same trivial function in more than one language.

An excellent example of your clarity is:

    Serious Apple IIgs desktop-based programs can't be written in
    Applesoft, because no RAM-based toolsets are available without GS/OS
    (or its obsolete predecessor, ProDOS 16).

which I showed to a wizard programmer friend of mine who could not make head
or tails of it.  This friend is an expert Unix programmer, X-windows hacker,
and has worked on Apple's, IBM's, and (in the remotest past) trash-80's.

Of special note:

        ldx #$150E   ;FrontWindow function number
        jsl $e10000  ;toolbox dispatcher
        ldx #$2B0E   ;GetWKind function number
        jsl $e10000
        pla

demonstrating without a trace of a doubt why someone would rather use "Source
Codes" than something else, whatever that might be.  I'm surprised you didn't
just show him hex codes...

    F4 00 00 F4 00 00 F4 00 00 A2 0E 15 22 00 00 E1 A2 0E 2B 22 00 00 E1

oh, perhaps you did.

Well, I'm sure that the "thoroughly bewildered and confused" Dale will be
happy to read your answer to his complex question, and will be prepared to
explain to his friends the difference between "Source Codes" and "regular
stuff".

Brian Fox