Datasheet

contents of a tarball in Windows is a two-step process. Here’s how to do it from the shell. First, unzip the

embedded tarball using a command like the following:

7z x somefile.tar.gz

In a standard package, this creates the file somefile.tar. Extract the contents of this tarball with a com-

mand like the following:

7z x somefile.tar

Another packaging format, more common for Windows-based projects, is the zip file, which has a .zip

extension. The zip and unzip utilities on Unix-style systems manage files of this type. On Windows,

you can extract the contents of a zip file using

7z with a command like the following:

7z x somefile.zip

Compiling Lua

In the general sense, compiling an application refers to the process of building an executable program

from source components. The executable program comprises processor instructions that a computer can

follow. It may also contain certain resources such as embedded icons and copyright notices. Source code

is the text that is created in a programming language by a programmer. Strictly speaking, compilation is

the intricate step that translates a source-code text file to a machine-code object file. Object files usually

contain references to other object files that may or may not be part of the same package. A linker gener-

ates an executable program by combining all required object files and resolving their references to one

another. Sometimes the compilation and linking steps are combined by a wrapper program.

The Lua Source Tarball

The contents of the Lua tarball are organized as follows:

lua-5.1.1

doc

etc

src

test

In the first level of this directory, you can read various text documents prepared by the Lua authors. The

README file explains what Lua is, the terms by which it is available, how to install it, and its origin. The

HISTORY file tracks the changes to the Lua language, its application programming interface (API), and

its implementation. Read the relevant portion of that file when upgrading to a new version of Lua to

understand the changes that have been made. The

INSTALL file has information about building Lua.

You can read these files using a text viewer or editor. If you are using a Unix-type system, the

less com-

mand is convenient for scanning text files. The

lynx character-mode web browser is great for exploring

Chapter 1: Getting Situated

04_069172 ch01.qxp 1/2/07 7:53 PM Page 7