The three basic tools used to build C++ applications are the compiler, the linker, and the archiver (or librarian).
The compiler takes C++ source files as input and produces object files, which contains a mixture of
machine-executable code and symbolic references to functions and data.
The archiver takes a collection of object files as input and produces a static library, or archive, which is
simply a collection of object files grouped for convenient use.
The linker takes a collection of object files and libraries and resolves their symbolic references to produce
either an executable or dynamic library. Roughly speaking, the linker operates by matching each use of
symbol to its definition.
A dynamic library, also called a shared library, is like an executable except that it can't be run on its
own; it consists of a body of machine-executable code that is loaded into memory after an application
is started and can be shared by one or more applications.
On Winodws, dynamic libraries are also called dynamic link libraries (DLLs).
The object files and static libraries on which an executable depends are needed only when the executable
is built. The dynamic libraries on which an executable depends, however, must be present on a user's
system when the executable is run.
