Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 160 views

    Pcode

    Uploaded by

    Aarsh Parekh
    Microsoft Visual Basic allows developers to compile applications into either p-code or native code. P-code compilation produces the smallest executables suitable for low bandwidth situations like web applications, while native code compilation generates faster but larger executables. Visual Basic is unique in supporting both p-code and native code compilation, allowing developers to choose between smaller file size or better performance. Both p-code and native code applications require the Visual Basic runtime DLL to be installed to provide core functionality.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Pcode

    Uploaded by

    Aarsh Parekh
    160 views2 pages
    Microsoft Visual Basic allows developers to compile applications into either p-code or native code. P-code compilation produces the smallest executables suitable for low bandwidth situations like web applications, while native code compilation generates faster but larger executables. Visual Basic is unique in supporting both p-code and native code compilation, allowing developers to choose between smaller file size or better performance. Both p-code and native code applications require the Visual Basic runtime DLL to be installed to provide core functionality.

    Original Title

    pcode

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Microsoft Visual Basic allows developers to compile applications into either p-code or native code. P-code compilation produces the smallest executables suitable for low bandwidth situations like web applications, while native code compilation generates faster but larger executables. Visual Basic is unique in supporting both p-code and native code compilation, allowing developers to choose between smaller file size or better performance. Both p-code and native code applications require the Visual Basic runtime DLL to be installed to provide core functionality.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    160 views2 pages

    Pcode

    Uploaded by

    Aarsh Parekh
    Microsoft Visual Basic allows developers to compile applications into either p-code or native code. P-code compilation produces the smallest executables suitable for low bandwidth situations like web applications, while native code compilation generates faster but larger executables. Visual Basic is unique in supporting both p-code and native code compilation, allowing developers to choose between smaller file size or better performance. Both p-code and native code applications require the Visual Basic runtime DLL to be installed to provide core functionality.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 2

    Microsoft Visual Basic is a Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool that offers the flexibility of compiling applications to p-code

    (pseudo code) or native code.

    Compiling to p-code optimizes for the smallest size, making p-code the choice for creating Internet applications in low bandwidth situations. Native code compilation is highly optimized for speed, but the executable files produced are larger than the p-code versions. Visual Basic is the only RAD tool to support both rapid application development through p-code as well as native code compiling for performance.

    NOTE: Visual Basic projects compiled as p-code or native code programs still require the Visual Basic runtime DLL (MSVBVM50.DLL or MSVBVM60.DLL) to be installed in the target system. This run-time DLL provides a number of services for your compiled program, such as startup and shutdown code for your application, functionality for forms and intrinsic controls, and run-time functions such as Format and CLng.

    P-Code Versus Native Code


    When you write a line of code in the IDE, Visual Basic breaks it down into expressions and encodes the expressions into a preliminary format called op-codes. In other words, each line is partially precompiled as it is written. Some lines contain shared information that cannot be precompiled independently (mainly Dim statements and procedure definitions). This is why you have to restart if you change certain lines in break mode. The opcodes are compiled into p-code instructions when you compile (in the background if you have the Compile On Demand and Background Compile options set). At run time, the p-code interpreter works through the program, decoding and executing pcode instructions. These p-code instructions are smaller than equivalent native code instructions, thus dramatically reducing the size of the executable program. But the system must load the p-code interpreter into memory in addition to the code, and it must decode each instruction. Its a different story with native code. You start with the same opcodes, but instead of translating to p-code instructions, the compiler translates to native instructions. Because youre not going to be expecting an instant response while stepping through native code instructions in the IDE, the compiler can look at code from a greater distance; it can analyze blocks of code and find ways to eliminate inefficiency and duplication. The compiler philosophy is that, since you compile only once, you can take as long as you want to analyze as much code as necessary to generate the best results possible. These two approaches create a disjunction. How can you guarantee that such different ways of analyzing code will generate the same results? Well, you cant. In fact, if you look at the Advanced Optimizations dialog box (available from the Compile tab of the Project Properties dialog box) youll see a warning: "Enabling the following optimizations might prevent correct execution of your program." This might sound like an admission of failure, but welcome to the real world of compilers. Users of other compiled languages understand that optimization is a bonus. If it works, great. If not, turn it off.

    On the other hand, very few developers are going to be used to the idea of working in an interpreter during development but releasing compiled code. Most compilers have a debug mode for fast compiles and a release mode for fast code. Visual Basic doesnt worry about fast compiles because it has a no-compile mode that is faster than the fastest compiler. You get the best of both worlds, but its going to take a little while for people to really trust the compiler to generate code that they cant easily see and debug.

    You might also like

    pFad - Phonifier reborn

    Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

    Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


    Alternative Proxies:

    Alternative Proxy

    pFad Proxy

    pFad v3 Proxy

    pFad v4 Proxy