someone says "download the binaries" -- what does that mean to you?

[TechBoyJK]

I know binary means 0101010101010

So when someone says binary files... aren't all files binary?

 

[Crusty]

No, 'binaries' typically contain executable code in binary form.

 

[LinuxIdiot]

to me it means download the executable instead of the source code....but maybe i am overthinking this

 

[yhelothar]

i can't say.. it'd be breaking the first two rules of using it

 

[syrillus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet_newsgroup#Binary_newsgroups

 

[FoBoT]

as opposed to source files

source is typically in text format

source files are used (most often with a compiler program) to create "binaries" , ie executable files

 

[TechBoyJK]

yea im trying not to over think it too... i just hear the term used so loosely.

 

[Platypus]

to me it means grab the precompiled executables rather than compiling your own from source.

 

[a123456]

Being a linux user, then yeah, binaries = executables for a particular program.

I usually download the binaries since I can't be bothered to compile from source unless there's a good reason.

 

[TechBoyJK]

so would a good way to look at be

Source code, it its uncompiled state, is not machine readable code. It's still in human readable form. Compiling this said code into a package that is in turn, machine readable, is in essence making the source code "binary" because machines can read 1010010101010

 

[d4mo]

to me it means grab the precompiled executables rather than compiling your own from source.

Me also

 

[Crusty]

For C-like languages you typically go from Source(human readable) -> assembly(super-human readable) -> machine language

 

[manlymatt83]

It's ASCII vs. Binary.

 

[Possessed Freak]

someone says "download the binaries" -- what does that mean to you?

tech equivalent of - go to the mattresses.

 

[BassBomb]

i always think of linux guys with gnu and that kind of stuff

 

[FoBoT]

so would a good way to look at be

Source code, it its uncompiled state, is not machine readable code. It's still in human readable form. Compiling this said code into a package that is in turn, machine readable, is in essence making the source code "binary" because machines can read 1010010101010

yeah

 

[Red Squirrel]

I usually think of "stand alone application" aka no compiling or coding required. Though that term is not really well used as all files are in binary, even text files, they just happen to use a range of values that make up words we understand.

 

[ViviTheMage]

libraries for nix stuff is what I think of

uncompiled

 

[dabuddha]

It means get to wanking.

 

[Train]

More specifically than just an executable, I think the phrase "download the binaries" means to download the INSTALLER. Which will then expand into the exe and all neccesary files, which may or may not be binaries themselves (text files, config files, images, etc).

 

[PepePeru]

stop all the downloadin'

 

[Wheezer]

warez!

 

[sdifox]

It's a protocol thing. When you ftp, you had to specify if you want to use ascii mode or binary mode.

 

[squirrel dog]

Thats Linux lingo . Thats what has made Linux the garage band os , if you can't deal with the dipshiteyness of downloading the binaries,you can't update your kernal,so you are left all alone and if you ask for help anywhere you are asked to read the mans .What The Fuck ?

 

[JimmiG]

so would a good way to look at be

Source code, it its uncompiled state, is not machine readable code. It's still in human readable form. Compiling this said code into a package that is in turn, machine readable, is in essence making the source code "binary" because machines can read 1010010101010

True, but even a .txt file isn't *really* readable unless you know the ASCII or Unicode table by heart 🙂 It's just a string of octets, and your computer converts those into characters to display on the screen...