has_specified_input has_specified_output software development compiling software A planned process that converts human-written or curated software into a machine-executable or interpretable set of instructions. It's compiling "software" (scare quotes) and not "source code" because you can compile Java bytecode to machine code, and Java bytecode is not technically "source code". Compiling source code would be a subclass of this class (as would compiling Java bytecode, etc.). Source code can be automatically generated to some extent, but we're assuming humans still curate it minimally. Also, in the case of Java and its JVM, it's machine interpretable instructions, not directly executable. Ditto for other languages with intermediate form like Java byte code. William R. Hogan process of compiling software software source code module