[mulander]

I would say that "source code is the blueprint of a computer program". If you look at the wikipedia entry:

> A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing [...] allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number of copies.

and even if no-one reads the definition, the term is in common use. Spies stealing blueprints of weapons in movies / real-life being an immediate example.

[tshaddox]

Yeah, I think that “blueprint” or “plans” works pretty well, especially if you think about it like the plans for a weapon (say, an advanced airplane) that one country wants to keep a secret so that other countries can’t figure out how to build the same weapon. The other countries will be able to see the airplane, they may even get their hands on one of them, but you definitely don’t want them to get their hands on the plans.