What is a static library and why are they important on the iPhone?

What is a static library and why are t开发者_运维问答hey important when developing for the iPhone?

Wikipedia, Static Library

In computer science, a static library or statically-linked library is a set of routines, external functions and variables which are resolved in a caller at compile-time and copied into a target application by a compiler, linker, or binder, producing an object file and a stand-alone executable.

They are important in iPhone Development because frameworks and dynamic or shared libraries aren't permitted by Apple.