Bytecode is not machine code, and I specifically said source files "or usually bytecode". A C program is compiled into machine code (and more specifically a platforms given executable format) before dlopen(3) is called on it. Not sure what point you're really trying to make.

I’m saying your definition isn’t logical since there are counter examples to those claims. For one thing, Java byte code is a machine code (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_processor Jazelle). These things differ in degrees of quality (along various axes) more than in their definitions.