Glossary

Bit

The smallest unit of information in computing, abbreviation of the term Binary digIT.

Blob

Binary Large OBject, typically a large binary file stored in a database.

Bug

Defect in a computer program which stops it from working as intended, see also debug.

Class

In object-oriented programming a class is a template that can be used to create an object.

CPU

Central Processing Unit, part of the computer that executes machine instructions.

Debug

The activity of identifying and removing a bug (defect) from a computer program.

DNS

Domain Name Server a machine that translates URLs to IP addresses.

DRY

Don’t repeat yourself. Make use of a variables for frequently used values. Make use of functions for frequently used processing logic.

Function

A set of instructions for performing a procedure. Most commonly a function takes a set of arguments and returns a value.

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol, commonly used for web browsing.

Hypervisor

A piece of software that allows you to run a virtual machine.

List

A common data structure representing an ordered collection of elements. Also known as an array.

Method

A method refers to a function that is part of a class.

Init

Abbreviation of the word “initialise”. Usually used to represent a one time event that that results in the creation of a new entity.

Integer

A whole number, i.e. a number that can be expressed without a fractional component.

I/O

Input/Output; often used in the context of reading and writing data to disk.

Object

In object-oriented programming an object is an instance of a class.

Object-oriented programming

Programming methodology centered around the concept of objects rather than actions and procedures.

IP address

Internet Protocol address.

Pipe

A pipe is a means to redirect the output from one command into another. The character used to represent a pipe is the vertical bar: |.

RAM

Random Access Memory, fast access volatile memory.

Recursion

A procedure whose implementation calls itself. Of practical use for problems where the solution depends on smaller instances of the same problem.

Scope

Determines which parts of a program has access to what. For example any part of a program can have access to a global variable. However, if a variable is contained within the scope of a function only code within that function can access the variable.

Shell

Program that allows the user to interact with the operating system’s services and programs, see also terminal.

Standard input stream

Stream of characters ingested by a program, often abbreviated as stdin. A common way to send data to a program is to pipe them from the standard output stream of another program. In the below we use the echo command to send the string foo bar baz to the standard input stream of the wc command.

$ echo "foo bar baz" | wc
       1       3      12

Standard error stream

Stream of characters, representing error output, emitted by a program. Commonly viewed in the shell when running a command. Often abbreviated as stderr.

Standard Library

A set of functionality that comes built-in with the core programming language.

Standard output stream

Stream of characters emitted by a program. Commonly viewed in the shell when running a command. The standard output stream can be redirected using a pipe. Often abbreviated as stdout.

State

All the information, to which a program has access, at a particular point in time.

String

A list of characters used to represent text.

TDD

See test-driven development

Terminal

Application for accessing a shell, see also shell.

Test-driven development

Methodology used in software development that makes use of rapid iterations of development cycles. The development cycle includes three steps:

1. Write a test
2. Write minimal code to make the test pass
3. Refactor the code if necessary

URL

Unique Resource Location

Virtual machine

An operating system running within a hypervisor rather than on the physical computer.

VM

See virtual machine.