"I saw a method of doing this awhile ago where the code was wrapped into c binary. It only prevented novices from viewing the code, since all you needed to do was open the binary file and browse through it."

Maybe you were thinking of "the generic script compiler" at shc.html ? It takes any script, shell or perl, and compiles it into a self-decrypting RC4 encoded c-binary. It can't be read by looking at the binary, but it CAN be easily cracked by a knowledgable user. It works well however, and stymies the average computer user.