57 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
57 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
title: Appendix
|
|
---
|
|
# C: An Appendix
|
|
Because C is such a low-level language, there are a lot of terms that come up that aren't found in a lot of other languages. Here's an appendix to making understanding them easier.
|
|
|
|
## Compilation
|
|
The compilation is the process of taking the human-readable code and turning it into machine-readable code. This process is performed by a compiler.
|
|
|
|
## Compiler
|
|
A compiler is a program that compiles code, meaning it changes it from something human-readable into something machine-readable.
|
|
|
|
## Debugging/Debugger
|
|
Debugging is the process of removing errors ("bugs") from your code. A debugger is a helpful tool that makes that easier.
|
|
|
|
## GNU+Linux
|
|
GNU+Linux is the technically accurate term for what is commonly referred to as "Linux". Linux is a kernel- it's a set of programs that allow software to interact with hardware. When combined with GNU, it becomes an operating system, which allows a person to interact with it.
|
|
|
|
## GUI
|
|
Graphical User Interface. A GUI will allow you to interact with a program by pointing and clicking rather than having to type in commands.
|
|
|
|
## Header Files
|
|
Header files are files containing function declarations that are defined in other source files. These are typically 'included' at the top of a source file.
|
|
|
|
## IDE
|
|
Integrated Development Environment. This is mostly an editor but includes tools to check syntax, format code style, compile, and debug a program, which makes writing code easier.
|
|
|
|
## Human-readable
|
|
The human-readable code is code that can be read by a person- it's not in binary or machine code.
|
|
|
|
## Libraries
|
|
Libraries are useful sets of code that give more functions and features in the language.
|
|
|
|
## Linker
|
|
A piece of Software that combines multiple Object files (usually compiled source code of libraries) into one executable file.
|
|
|
|
## Low-Level language
|
|
A low-level programming language contains binary or assembly code which has little or no abstraction from machine level instructions.
|
|
|
|
## Machine Code
|
|
Machine code is the code that the machine can understand. Remember that computers use numbers, not English, to run.
|
|
|
|
## Newline
|
|
A newline is what gets printed when you hit Enter, and is an example of a whitespace character. You can also add a newline to the output of your program by including '\n' in your print statement.
|
|
|
|
## Object File
|
|
A file that contains Object Code (Machine Code). The file contains output some compilation, meaning it will contain machine code/assembly code.
|
|
|
|
## Linker
|
|
A utility program that has the ability to take object files and creating an executable file, library file or another object file. Another name for the Linker is a 'Loader'.
|
|
|
|
## Pointer
|
|
A pointer is a variable that contains the memory address of another variable. Arrays, Structures and Functions explicitly use pointers which can help produce efficient and easy-to-read code.
|
|
|
|
## Whitespace
|
|
Whitespace is the characters that you don't see when you type but are there anyway. For example, you can't see spaces, but there is a lot here. Newlines are also whitespace characters, as are tabs.
|