programming-for-dummies

Chapter 4: Programming Tools
In This Chapter
Choosing a compiler and interpreter
Using a virtual machine
Editors, debuggers, toolkits, and profilers
Help file creators
Installers and disassemblers
The two most important tools a programmer needs are an editor and a compiler.
An editor lets you type and save language commands (called the
source code) in a plain text file. (Unlike a word processor file, a text file doesn’t
contain any formatting, like italics or fonts.) A compiler converts your source
code into machine code and stores those machine code commands in a separate
file (often called an executable file). After you store your program in an
executable file, you can sell and distribute that executable file to others.
An editor and a compiler are absolutely necessary to write and distribute
programs. However, most programmers also use a variety of other tools to
make programming easier. To help them track down problems (bugs) in a
program, programmers use a special tool, a debugger. To help them identify
which parts of a program may be making the entire program run too slow,
programmers can use another tool, a profiler.
For distributing programs, programmers often use a help file creator and an
installer program. The help file creator makes it easy for the programmer to
create, organize, and display help that the user can read while using the program.
The installer program makes it easy for users to copy all the necessary
files on to their computer so the program runs correctly.
Finally, programmers may also use a special tool — a disassembler — which
can pry open another program to reveal how it works. Disassemblers are
often used by security professionals to analyze how viruses, worms, and
spyware programs work. For less honorable uses, programmers can also use
a disassembler to dissect a rival program and study how it works.
Programmers often get so attached to their favorite programming tools that
they’ll argue the merits of their favorite editor or compiler with all the passion
of a religious fanatic. Just as there is no single programming language that’s
the best language to use at all times, so there is no single programming tool
that’s the best tool to use all the time.