Executables

File Format
Name	Executables
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Executables

Container formats for machine executable code. These often define different sections to be loaded into memory. Some formats may be compatible with different CPU architectures.

Directly executable

• a.out
• COFF — The Common Object File Format, an executable format originally designed for use in UNIX System V
• Commodore 64 binary executable (.prg)
• DOS executable (.com) — 16 bit DOS executable
• ELF
• EXE — MS-DOS, MS Windows, and others
  • MS-DOS EXE
  • NE (New Executable)
  • Linear Executable
  • PE (Portable Executable, actually a COFF variant)
• Intel HEX
• iOS app (.app) (see also IPA for archived version, and Mobile Provision file for provision file accompanying apps)
• Mach-O
• Psion IMG (and APP)
• Psion OPO (and OPA)

Shared libraries, chained files, etc.

(can't be run by themselves, but are used at runtime by other executables)

• Assembly manifest (Windows) (.manifest)
• Dynamic library (OS X or iOS) (.dylib)
• Dynamic-link library (Windows) (.dll)
• Turbo Pascal chain file (.chn)

See also Source code for code in a higher-level programming language that needs to be compiled, assembled, or interpreted, and Development for other files used in the development process, including object and library files that get linked into a finished executable.

Virtual machine code

• Bytecode (or p-code) — programs "compiled" into machine-independent code that loads or runs more quickly than raw interpreted source code; runs in an interpreter
• Universal Machine (ICFP programming contest 2006)

Links

• Download Wrappers and Unwanted Software are pure evil
• Flappy Bird implementations for various classic platforms