Source code

The U.S. Copyright Office has defined source code as “the computer program code as the programmer originally writes it, using a particular programming language, generally written in a high level-language, such as BASIC, COBOL, or FORTRAN. A program in source code must be changed into object code before the computer can execute it.”


 * “The source code serves two functions. First, it can be treated as comparable to text material, and in that respect can be printed out, read and studied, and loaded into a computer’s memory, in much the same way as documents are loaded into word processing equipment. Second, the source code can be used to cause the computer to execute the program. To accomplish this, the source code is compiled. This involves an automatic process, performed by the computer under the control of a program called a compiler, which translates the source code into object code, which is very difficult to comprehend by human beings. The object code version of the program is then loaded into the computer’s memory and causes the computer to carry out the program function.”