Questions about the objective meaning or common understanding of words and concepts that programmers encounter
107
votes
12answers
8k views
Why does it matter that HTML and CSS are not programming languages?
Example here:
What languages should I know if I'm interested in building web applications ?
Yes, I understand that HTML and CSS are not Turing-complete. Yes, I understand that they are declarative, ...
54
votes
13answers
8k views
What is the history of the use of “foo” and “bar” in source code examples?
Why do many code examples, especially tutorials, use the names "Foo" and "Bar" so often? It is almost a standard.
For example:
void foo(char* bar) {
printf("%s", bar);
}
23
votes
10answers
7k views
Library vs. framework vs API? [closed]
What is the difference between a library, framework, and API? They all seem the same to me. I would like to hear peoples thought of this.
7
votes
2answers
394 views
How do you call the process of taking a part of a function and making an individual function of it?
I know there was a technical term for this. I'm just can't remember what it was.
If the title needs clarification, here is what I mean; If this is the old code:
Result foobar(Param1,Param2,Param3) {
...
25
votes
26answers
3k views
What is abstraction?
Is there a generally agreed upon definition for what a programming abstraction is, as used by programmers? [Note, programming abstraction is not to be confused with dictionary definitions for the word ...
28
votes
8answers
2k views
What is enterprise software, exactly?
I don't understand the difference between "normal" software and enterprise software. Even after reading these...
"Enterprise Software" on Wikipedia
"Enterprise Software Is Sexy Again" on Techcrunch ...
20
votes
20answers
1k views
Another term for common code smell [closed]
Is there a need to differentiate using smells to find underlying problems and a term for common code smells. It's more about prevention like returning the milk to the refrigerator because you have a ...
7
votes
11answers
751 views
What objections do you have to the term “hacker”? [closed]
I've been of the mind that hacker is just another name for programmer. Not one that you'd use when someone asks you what you do but one that could be used between a brother/sisterhood of programmers. ...
21
votes
5answers
1k views
I've been told HTML is a markup language, C++ is a programming language, what could make that difference?
My programming friends are always telling me that HTML is a markup language and C++ is a programming language. When I ask them what's the difference, they never give me a reasonable answer.
What ...
27
votes
6answers
5k views
Method vs Function vs Procedure
Simple question, but I often hear these three terms defined with such ferocity, but which have been known to me to mean different things over the years.
What are the "correct" definitions of ...
29
votes
12answers
2k views
What's the difference between a “developer” and a “programmer”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What are the key differences between software engineers and programmers?
What is the difference between software engineer and software developer?
What's the difference ...
13
votes
3answers
693 views
Pure virtual or abstract, what's in a name?
While discussing a question about virtual functions on Stack Overflow, I wondered whether there was any official naming for pure (abstract) and non-pure virtual functions.
I always relied on ...
9
votes
5answers
596 views
Contractor vs Consultant [closed]
For a programmer, two of the most common terms that seem to be overloaded are contractor and consultant?
Is there a difference between the two?
11
votes
9answers
6k views
9
votes
7answers
2k views
What is the difference between Static code analysis and code review?
I just wanted to know what the difference is between static code analysis and code review. How are each of these two done? More specifically, what are the tools available today for code review/static ...
5
votes
5answers
490 views
What is the difference between “recursion” and “self-reference”?
The wikipedia articles are too advanced for me to understand, could someone give me a simple explanation please?
3
votes
2answers
313 views
What are frameworks, stacks, and middleware?
Hey I'm a student programmer currently working in Java. I often see several terms thrown around alot and it would be very helpful for someone to explain the differences. I was prompted by my research ...
29
votes
7answers
10k views
What's the difference between simulation and emulation
I frequently see Simulation and Emulation in computer science. These two terms seem synonymous. Is there any difference between Simulation and Emulation?
34
votes
12answers
2k views
Why are errors named as “Exception” but not as “Error” in programming languages?
I've been thinking about that for quite a while actually. I am not a native english speaker myself but still I have years of programming experience and I always asked me this. Why is it named as ...
11
votes
6answers
558 views
What are the differences between a website and a web application?
How do you differentiate a web application from websites? It's language/platform agnostic.
10
votes
2answers
924 views
When programmers talk about “data structures”, what are they referring to?
When programmers talk about "data structures", are they only talking about abstract data types like lists, trees, hashes, graphs, etc.?
Or does that term include any structure that holds data, such ...
7
votes
13answers
4k views
What's the difference between computer science and programming?
I'm new at computer science and programming, and I was wondering, is there a difference between computer science and programming? and do you get to choose to study only one of them at the university, ...
9
votes
8answers
1k views
Rigorous Definition of Syntactic Sugar?
It seems like in language holy wars, people constantly denigrate any feature they don't find particularly useful as being "just syntactic sugar". The line between "real features" and "syntactic ...
6
votes
5answers
754 views
Who was the first software engineer?
It's fairly well known who the first programmer was but who was or were the first software engineer(s)? By software engineer I mean someone who uses formalized specifications and methods to deliver ...
8
votes
15answers
660 views
What is the common definition of a Hacker?
I'm wondering if the term Hacker means different things to different people. When most people hear the word hacker what are the first things that come to mind?
9
votes
5answers
1k views
What does the term day-one-bug mean?
I came across this term recently in a mail chain. Google tells me there is a term zero-day bug and that Microsoft and Adobe are the frontrunners :)
Is there such a term as day one bug? What might ...
8
votes
3answers
415 views
What is the difference between a stock-hardware and a micro-coded machine in “A Critique of Common Lisp”?
I was reading this article: A Critique of Common Lisp and finding it hard to make out the precise definition of "stock-hardware machine" and its difference with "micro-coded" machines. I tried to ...
8
votes
1answer
729 views
AddIn, AddOn, And Plugin [closed]
Even though at first glance the words AddIn, AddOn, And Plugin give the same meaning, there are some differences between them. Could anyone explain to me the subtle differences between AddIn, AddOn, ...
7
votes
2answers
292 views
Deprecated vs. Denigrated in JavaDoc?
In the JavaDoc for X509Certificate getSubjectDN() it states:
Denigrated, replaced by getSubjectX500Principal().
I am used to seeing Deprecated in the for methods that should not be used any ...
7
votes
4answers
592 views
Is “Code Smell” still a useful metaphor, or has misuse of the term subverted its meaning? [closed]
I've come across some
comments
and
answers
on Programmers.SE that decry the use of the phrase "Code Smell" and I've been wondering what the reasoning is for those who dislike it. I first encountered ...
7
votes
1answer
189 views
Need help with naming (marshaling interface calls) [closed]
This question was reopened on "English Language & Usage":
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/53683/synonyms-for-multiplexing-and-demultiplexing/
This question is related to something ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the difference between a Program Manager and a Project Manager?
Is a Program Manager a person who manages mutiple projects (under a single program) which are in turn managed by Project Managers?
Or is a Program Manager a person as defined by Joel Spolsky here.
...
5
votes
2answers
331 views
Why do they name a program “mogrify” in Imagemagick?
I am not a native English speaker. Is there some trick in this name? What does it mean or imply?
Thank you.
PS. I don't know whether this is the right SE site to post this question but if it is not ...
4
votes
3answers
449 views
Where does the term “Front End” come from?
Where does the term "front-end" come from? Is there a particular presentation/talk/job-posting which is regarded as the first use of the term? Is someone credited with coining the term?
The ...
4
votes
3answers
175 views
Quality Assurance=inspections, reviews..?
Studying this subject extensively, the most books state the following:
Quality Assurance: prevention activity. Act of inspection, reviewing..
Quality Control: testing
While there are some ...
4
votes
4answers
475 views
What is the precise definition of programming paradigm?
Wikipedia defines programming paradigm thus:
a fundamental style of computer programming
which is echoed in the descriptive text of the paradigms tag on this site.
I find this a disappointing ...
4
votes
0answers
348 views
What is the difference between web designers and developers? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What are the boundaries between the responsibilities of a web designer and a web developer?
Web designers and developers work in the same project, I've been searcing for ...
4
votes
2answers
292 views
Who decided on the terminology downcasting and upcasting?
As far as I know, the terminology comes from how the inheritance hierarchy is traditionally displayed, with the extending types at the bottom, and the parent types at the top.
This is a bit ...
-1
votes
2answers
225 views
What is the name of a grammar which can change it's tokenizer in mid parse?
I was creating a language and discovered that my language tokenizer would have to change depending where in the parse it is.
I.e. abc[1] would be parsed as 4 tokens (abc, [, 1, ]), where as { abc[1] ...
