FAQ
6. Your Burning Questions Answered
Still have some lingering questions about source code? You're not alone! Here are some of the most frequently asked questions, answered in plain English.
Q: What's the difference between source code and compiled code?
A: Think of source code as the human-readable recipe, and compiled code as the machine-readable cake. Source code is written in a programming language that humans can understand, while compiled code is translated into a format that computers can execute directly. You can read source code and (hopefully) understand what it does. Compiled code is mostly gibberish to humans.
Q: Is it legal to view source code of a website?
A: Generally, yes! Viewing the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript of a website is perfectly legal. These are often sent to your browser for rendering. You're just looking at the instructions the website gives to your browser, however, reverse engineering backend server code usually involves illicit methods.
Q: Can I use source code I found online in my own project?
A: It depends entirely on the license! If the code is under a permissive open-source license (like MIT or Apache), you probably can, as long as you follow the terms of the license (usually, that means including the original copyright notice). If it's under a more restrictive license (like GPL), or if there's no license at all, you might need to get permission from the copyright holder first. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.
Q: I found source code that looks buggy. What should I do?
A: If it's an open-source project, consider submitting a bug report or even a code patch with a fix. Contributing to open-source is a great way to learn and give back to the community. If it's proprietary software, you can try contacting the vendor and letting them know about the issue. But remember, they might not be obligated to fix it.
