I am new in C world. I understand C code needs to be build which means compiling the code and producing exectuable. But here on this page I read this line :
A developer typically builds applications against the IDF
I know what IDF stands for. What i dont understand is meaning of this line. What is the meaning of building C application against something?
Most programs do not stand on their own. They use routines, data, and definitions from other software. Such other software might be organized as part of an operating system, as a software library or framework, or other packaging.
When a program is built, pieces of such other software are used in building it: It may use “header” files from the other software, incorporate routines from static libraries, link to routines in dynamic libraries, and use an executable file format required by the operating system. This is called “building against” the other software. I would, however, classify that as an informal term, not a technical definition of how the linking proceeds.