What is source code?

What is Source Code?

XBMC's source code is in C++ (and some Assembly) programming-language, (and a few dependency libraries in the C programming-language), and for the Xbox this source code needs to be compiled (built) with the XDK before it can be used.

• Source Code is the recipe for a computer program.
  • Source code is geared towards human-readibility.
  • Source code is useless by itself.
  • Source code needs to be interpreted and understod (compiled).

Source code is simply the human-readable version of the computer commands that make up a software program. It is the letters and symbols that software engineers (a.k.a. developers) type into their computers when they create an software-application or operating-system. For example, if a C++ programmer wrote a program to make his computer display the words, "Hello, World," the source code might look like this:

 #include <iostream.h>
 void main()
 {
 cout<<"Hello, World";
 }

Although these commands are intelligible to engineers, they are useless to computers, which understand only ones and zeros. So, to make the source code into a functioning program, translation software (called a "compiler") must convert it into the binary "object code" that computers can process.

• To compile XBMC to make a Xbox excutable file you need:
  • Full installation (not minimum) of "Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 7.1" (2003 version).
  • Microsoft Xbox SDK (a.k.a. XDK) version 5778 or 5849.