Knowing what source code is and what to do with it are two very different things. If you're not sure how to get your static files up and running, read on to learn about some of the most common files you'll find in open source projects.
CSS (.css), HTML (.htm/.html) and JavaScript (.js)
What is it?
Originally relegated to websites only, these three technologies -- enhanced by HTML5 -- now form the basis for mobile apps, too.
In grammatical terms, HTML provides the things (nouns) that CSS describes (adjectives) and JavaScript puts into action (verbs).
How do you run it?
First, try opening one of the HTML files directly in your web browser. Go for "index.html" or "index.htm" if either exists. This alone may work.
If you know you're dealing with a Node.js project, though, you'll need to download, install and set up a copy of Node.js, first.
And, lastly, if you're trying to run a mobile app and you don't know anything about side loading, your best bet is probably to run everything in an emulator.
Perl (.pl), Python (.py) and Ruby (.rb)
What is it?
As general purpose, interpreted programming languages, these technologies are used for everything from powering websites and video games to sequencing DNA and running statistical analyses.
How do you run it?
To run the source code version of languages like these, you'll need specialized software called an interpreter. Many modern versions of Linux and OS X come pre-stocked with the interpreters, but if you don't have them, you can easily download the Perl interpreter, Python interpreter and Ruby interpreter for free for Linux, Microsoft Windows and OS X.
Once you've installed the interpreter, open up a terminal window/DOS prompt on your computer, navigate to the folder that contains the source code and pass the name of the file you want to run to the appropriate interprator.
For example, if you had files named "foo.pl," "foo.py" and "foo.rb," you'd issue the following commands to run them: "perl foo.pl," "python foo.py" and "ruby foo.rb".
Java (.java)
What is it?
Like Perl, Python and Ruby, Java is a general purpose programming language that is used for web development, desktop programming and just about anything else that is controlled by software.
How do you run it?
To run Java from the source, you'll first need to convert it to bytecode using the Java SDK, which you can download for free from Oracle.
Once you have the Java SDK running on your computer, open up a terminal/DOS prompt, navigate to the folder that contains the Java source code and pass the filename to the javac compiler.
If, for example, you had a file named "foo.java," you'd issue the command "javac foo.java" which would output a file called "foo". Now, run the command "jar -cf foo.jar foo" to produce an executable file.
If everything went well, you should be able to click on the .jar file you created to run the program.
C/C++ (.cc/.cpp/.cxx/.h/.hh/.hpp/.inl/.tcc)
What is it?
The C and C++ programming languages are, in many ways, the "big guns" in modern computer programming. In fact, operating systems, web servers and even the interpreters needed for languages like Perl, Python and Ruby are, themselves, written in C and C++.
How do you run it?
These languages are arguably the most complex on the list and getting them to run from their source code is no small task. In fact, going from the source code version to an executable binary in these languages takes not only the right software but also a significant amount of know how.
If you're not already familiar with programming and compiling software written in C and C++, your best bet is simply to find a pre-compiled version of the software to run ... unless of course you're using the source code to learn these languages. In which case, good for you! Check out these articles to get started learning all about these fantastic languages.