Basic developer concepts

31. 12. 2016

2 min čtení

This is a very brief list of basic concepts that every beginning developer should know. I use them all across articles.

For programmers

Program - an independently running task for a computer.
Script - a series of instructions that are executed by an interpreter (for example, PHP handles a special runtime on a server and JavaScript handles a web browser).
Programming language - the language you use to describe to the computer the instructions it is to execute.
Algorithm - a precise problem-solving procedure for a computer that can be solved in a finite amount of time.
Server - a specially dedicated computer with a constant connection to the internet that provides services to users (for example, providing a website).
Demon - a program that runs in the background of a system and waits for a specific event. When this event occurs, it starts.
A smart program - a well-designed and efficient program. It works fast, without crashes, does not suffer from bugs.
Dumb program - the opposite of a smart program. It's slow, inefficient, jams, crashes, or doesn't work at all.
Naive solution - usually the first idea of how to solve the problem. It is usually very simple and often only works under very specific conditions.
Syntax - describes how to write program code correctly to meet the language standards (sort of like spelling).
String - a sequence of characters, i.e. a group of one or more characters. Typically written in quotation marks.

Code (source) - the source code of the HTML page. It is a text file that the browser receives from the web server and renders the page graphics according to it. HTML is a coding language.
Script - not a program! Specially written code that is processed by a language interpreter (such as a web browser) and does something based on it.
Interpreted language - the source code does not run directly on the processor, but uses an interpreter (such as PHP).
Parser (language parser) - is a program that processes instructions and then executes them.
Parser (general) - a program or script that parses text or code and processes it according to clearly defined rules.
Cron - a script that runs once every certain period of time (usually every day, hour, 30 minutes, ...)
Validator - a program that checks the cleanliness and correctness (validity) of code.
Valid code - is such code that conforms to all code writing standards and does not contain formal errors.

Hardware - the physical part of a computer. Anything you can kick when something doesn't work.
Software - programs and data. In short, anything that can't be touched.
Ping - network and server response. It's the time it takes for data to get from you to the server and back.