INCREMENTAL BYTE CODE COMPILATION SYSTEM

An incremental byte code compiler which provides a high-performance execution environment for dynamically linked languages and for distributed target-independent applications. The execution environment provided by the present invention includes an incremental byte code compiler for generating IL symbols and code objects from a byte code source file, a persistent symbol table for storing the IL symbols and code objects, and an incremental imager for dynamically forming the image of the program from the code objects. The present invention further provides an extremely efficient methodology for dynamically adding program elements to a program under execution.