Listing (computer)

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Extract of a BASIC listing Listing1.jpg
Extract of a BASIC listing
Listing of a long computer program from 1970s, printed by a line printer on fan-fold paper and bound in a binder. Bound computer printout.agr.jpg
Listing of a long computer program from 1970s, printed by a line printer on fan-fold paper and bound in a binder.

A listing or program listing is a printed list of lines of computer code or digital data (in human-readable form).

Computer code or program code is the set of instructions forming a computer program which is executed by a computer. It is one of two components of the software which runs on computer hardware, the other being the data.

Digital data, in information theory and information systems, is the discrete, discontinuous representation of information or works. Numbers and letters are commonly used representations.

Data facts represented for handling

Data is a set of values of subjects with respect to qualitative or quantitative variables.

Use cases

Listings are commonly used in education and computer-related books to show examples of code.

Education Learning in which knowledge and skills is transferred through teaching

Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators and also learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.

Book medium for a collection of words and/or pictures to represent knowledge or a fictional story, often manifested in bound paper and ink, or in e-books

As a physical object, a book is a stack of usually rectangular pages oriented with one edge tied, sewn, or otherwise fixed together and then bound to the flexible spine of a protective cover of heavier, relatively inflexible material. The technical term for this physical arrangement is codex. In the history of hand-held physical supports for extended written compositions or records, the codex replaces its immediate predecessor, the scroll. A single sheet in a codex is a leaf, and each side of a leaf is a page.

In the early days of programming, it was used to hand-check a program and as permanent storage. It was also common in 1970s and 1980s computer enthusiast magazines (for instance Creative Computing) and books like BASIC Computer Games for type-in programs.

Computer program Instructions to be executed by a computer

A computer program is a collection of instructions that performs a specific task when executed by a computer. A computer requires programs to function.

In library and archival science, digital preservation is a formal endeavor to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable. It involves planning, resource allocation, and application of preservation methods and technologies, and it combines policies, strategies and actions to ensure access to reformatted and "born-digital" content, regardless of the challenges of media failure and technological change. The goal of digital preservation is the accurate rendering of authenticated content over time. The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services Preservation and Reformatting Section of the American Library Association, defined digital preservation as combination of "policies, strategies and actions that ensure access to digital content over time." According to the Harrod's Librarian Glossary, digital preservation is the method of keeping digital material alive so that they remain usable as technological advances render original hardware and software specification obsolete.

Computer magazines are about computers and related subjects, such as networking and the Internet. Most computer magazines offer advice, some offer programming tutorials, reviews of the latest technologies, and advertisements.

Today, hard copy listings are seldom used because display screens can present more lines than formerly, programs tend to be modular, storage in soft copy is considered preferable to hard copy, and digital material is easily transmitted via networks, or on disks or tapes. Furthermore, data sets tend to be too large to be conveniently put on paper, and they are more easily searched in soft-copy form.

In information handling, the U.S. Federal Standard 1037C defines a hard copy as a permanent reproduction, or copy, in the form of a physical object, of any media suitable for direct use by a person, of displayed or transmitted data. Examples of hard copy include teleprinter pages, continuous printed tapes, computer printouts, and radio photo prints. On the other hand, physical objects such as magnetic tapes diskettes, or non-printed punched paper tapes are not defined as hard copy by 1037C.

Assembly-code listings are occasionally analysed by programmers who want to understand how a compiler is translating their source code into assembly language. For example, the GNU C Compiler (gcc) will produce an assembly code listing if it is invoked with the command-line option -S. [1]

Listings of computer programs are still important in US patent law. They are defined as follows in the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure: [2]

"A computer program listing for the purpose of this section is defined as a printout that lists in appropriate sequence the instructions, routines, and other contents of a program for a computer. The program listing may be either in machine or machine-independent (object or source) language which will cause a computer to perform a desired procedure or task such as solve a problem, regulate the flow of work in a computer, or control or monitor events. ... Any computer program listing may, and any computer program listing having over 300 lines (up to 72 characters per line) must, be submitted on a compact disc in compliance with § 1.52(e)."

Related Research Articles

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The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting various programming languages. GCC is a key component of the GNU toolchain and the standard compiler for most Unix-like operating systems. The Free Software Foundation (FSF) distributes GCC under the GNU General Public License. GCC has played an important role in the growth of free software, as both a tool and an example.

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GNU Bison, commonly known as Bison, is a parser generator that is part of the GNU Project. Bison reads a specification of a context-free language, warns about any parsing ambiguities, and generates a parser which reads sequences of tokens and decides whether the sequence conforms to the syntax specified by the grammar. The generated parsers are portable: they do not require any specific compilers. Bison by default generates LALR(1) parsers but it can also generate canonical LR, IELR(1) and GLR parsers.

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GNU Build System

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Self-hosting is the use of a computer program as part of the toolchain or operating system that produces new versions of that same program—for example, a compiler that can compile its own source code. Self-hosting software is commonplace on personal computers and larger systems. Other programs that are typically self-hosting include kernels, assemblers, command-line interpreters and revision control software.

Automake tool for generating GNU Standards-compliant Makefiles

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LLVM compiler backend for multiple programming languages

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GNU Guile Scheme interpreter

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References

  1. ↑ Options Controlling the Kind of Output, in the GCC 4.9.1 Manual, https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc-4.9.1/gcc/Overall-Options.html#Overall-Options
  2. ↑ Manual of Patent Examining Procedure 37 C.F.R. 1.96, http://www.bitlaw.com/source/37cfr/1_96.html, 9th Edition, March 2014
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