Chapter 1. Defining a Build

 

Philosophy: The build is a piece of software and should be treated as such. The build is among the most heavily used and complex pieces of software in the development group and should be treated as such.

 
 --Danny Glasser, Microsoft developer in the Systems Group, March 9, 1991

The first thing we should do is define what a build is. What Danny describes in the previous quotation is important. The purpose of a build is to transform code written in any computer language into an executable binary. The end result of a software build is a collection of files that produce a product in a distributable package. In this case, package can mean a standalone application, Web service, compact disc, hotfix, or bug fix.

If you do not ...

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