Programming — page 4 of 14

1,381 terms including subtopics (0 terms filed directly here)

Subtopics

Java 983 terms
Perl 498 terms

Programming terms

deprecation Refers to a class, interface, constructor, method or field that is no longer recommended, and may cease to exist in a future version.
dereference A fancy computer science term meaning "to follow a "reference" to what it points to".
derived class A "class" that defines some of its methods in terms of a more generic class, called a "base class".
derived from Class X is "derived from" class Y if class X extends class Y. See also subclass, superclass.
Descriptor See "file descriptor".
destination In spatial interaction, the location of the end of a trip. For example, a shop or an office where a consumer or a worker is going.
destroy To deallocate the memory of a "referent" (first triggering its DESTROY method, if it has one).
destructor A special "method" that is called when an "object" is thinking about destroying itself.
device A whiz-bang hardware gizmo (like a disk or tape drive or a modem or a joystick or a mouse) attached to your computer, that the "operating system" tries to…
Digest authentication An authentication method that prompts the user for a user name and a password, also called credentials, which are hashed with other data before being…
direct recursion Recursion that results from a method calling itself.
directive A "pod" directive. See perlpod.
Directory A simulated file folder or container used to organize files and directories in a hierarchical or tree-like structure.
directory handle A name that represents a particular instance of opening a directory to read it, until you close it. See the opendir function.
discrete simulation In a discrete simulation, time passes at an irregular rate that is determined by the primary events of interest in the simulation.
disk drive A hardware device used to store data. They come in many forms, such as compact disks, floppy disks and hard disks.
dispatch To send something to its correct destination. Often used metaphorically to indicate a transfer of programmatic control to a destination selected…
distributed Running in more than one address space.
distributed application An application made up of distinct components running in separate runtime environments, usually on different platforms connected via a network.
Distribution The sale of securities. Also refers to a sum payable to shareholders representing their share of profits.
divide and conquer An approach to problem solving that attempts to reduce an overall single large problem into multiple simpler problems.
DO Designated Office the national Office or intergovernmental organization of or acting for the Contracting State designated by the applicant under Chapter I…
do loop One of Java's three control structures used for looping. The other two are the while loop and for loop.
document Fed. R. Civ. P. 34(a) defines a document as including writings, drawings, graphs, charts, photographs, phonorecords, and other data compilations.
Document Object Model An API for accessing and manipulating XML documents as tree structures. DOM provides platform-neutral, language-neutral interfaces that enables programs…
document root The top-level directory of a WAR. The document root is where JSP pages, client-side classes and archives, and static Web resources are stored.
DOM See Document Object Model.
dotted decimal notation The notation used to represent the four byte values of an IP address. Each byte is represented as a value between 0 and 255, for instance 129.12.0.1.
Double Up System of Betting - A betting system whereby bets are doubled after a loss in hopes of recouping the previous loss.
double buffering A graphics technique used to smooth animation. The next version of an image is drawn `behind the scenes' and then displayed in its entirety when the…
double precision Refers to a high level of coordinate accuracy based on the possible number of significant digits that can be stored for each coordinate.
downcast A cast towards an object's dynamic type - that is, `down' the inheritance hierarchy.
DTD document type definition - a format specification file that accompanies documents prepared according to SGML (standard generalized markup language)…
durable subscription In a JMS publish/subscribe messaging system, a subscription that continues to exist whether or not there is a current active subscriber object.
dweomer An enchantment, illusion, phantasm, or jugglery. Said when Perl's magical "dwimmer" effects don't do what you expect, but rather seem to be the product of…
dwimmer DWIM is an acronym for "Do What I Mean", the principle that something should just do what you want it to do without an undue amount of fuss.
dynamic scoping Dynamic scoping works over a dynamic scope, making variables visible throughout the rest of the "block" in which they are first used and in any…
dynamic type The dynamic type of an object is the name of the class used to construct it. See static type.
EAR file Enterprise Archive file. A JAR archive that contains a J2EE application.
ebXML Electronic Business XML. A group of specifications designed to enable enterprises to conduct business through the exchange of XML-based messages.
eclectic Derived from many sources. Some would say too many.
EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) is a new, faster version of GSM. EDGE is designed to support transfer rates up to 384Kbps and enable the delivery of…
edit-compile-run cycle A common part of the program development process. A source file is created initially and compiled.
EJB See Enterprise JavaBeans.
EJB container A container that implements the EJB component contract of the J2EE architecture.
EJB container provider A vendor that supplies an EJB container.
EJB context An object that allows an enterprise bean to invoke services provided by the container and to obtain the information about the caller of a client-invoked…
EJB home object An object that provides the life-cycle operations (create, remove, find) for an enterprise bean.
EJB JAR file A JAR archive that contains an EJB module.
EJB module A deployable unit that consists of one or more enterprise beans and an EJB deployment descriptor.
EJB object An object whose class implements the enterprise bean's remote interface. A client never references an enterprise bean instance directly; a client always…
EJB server Software that provides services to an EJB container. For example, an EJB container typically relies on a transaction manager that is part of the EJB…
EJB server provider A vendor that supplies an EJB server.
element (EH-leh-ment) A basic part of a whole. In chemistry, refers to a simple substance that cannot be broken down into smaller parts or changed into another…
else A Java keyword used to execute a block of statements in the case that the test condition with the if keyword evaluates to false.
EmbeddedJava Technology The availability of Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition technology under a restrictive license agreement that allows a licensee to leverage certain Java…
embedding When something is contained in something else, particularly when that might be considered surprising: "I've embedded a complete Perl interpreter in my…
empty subclass test The notion that an empty "derived class" should behave exactly like its "base class".
empty tag A tag that does not enclose any content.
en passant When you change a "value" as it is being copied. [From French, "in passing", as in the exotic pawn-capturing maneuver in chess.]
encapsulation Any method packaging an enzyme or bacterium and maintaining its normal functions. Used to immobilize cells in a bioreactor.
endian See "little-endian" and "big-endian".
enterprise bean A J2EE component that implements a business task or business entity and is hosted by an EJB container; either an entity bean, a session bean, or a…
enterprise bean provider An application developer who produces enterprise bean classes, remote and home interfaces, and deployment descriptor files, and packages them in an EJB…
enterprise information system The applications that constitute an enterprise's existing system for handling companywide information.
enterprise information system resource An entity that provides enterprise information system-specific functionality to its clients.
Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) A component architecture for the development and deployment of object-oriented, distributed, enterprise-level applications.
Enterprise JavaBeans Query Language (EJB QL) Defines the queries for the finder and select methods of an entity bean having container-managed persistence.
entity A legally recognized organization.
entity bean An enterprise bean that represents persistent data maintained in a database. An entity bean can manage its own persistence or can delegate this function…
entity reference A reference to an entity that is substituted for the reference when the XML document is parsed.
enum A Java keyword used to declare an enumerated type.
enumerated type A data type - not directly available in Java - in which symbolic names are used for a sequence of constant numeric values.
Environment All the natural and living things around us. The earth, air, weather, plants, and animals all make up our environment.
environment variable A mechanism by which some high-level agent such as a user can pass its preferences down to its future offspring (child processes, grandchild processes…
EOF End of File. Sometimes used metaphorically as the terminating string of a "here document".
errno The error number returned by a "syscall" when it fails. Perl refers to the error by the name $! (or $OS_ERROR if you use the English module).
error Error The difference between a measured value of a quantity and its true value. Different types of errors are inherent to observations.
escape sequence See "metasymbol".
ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is a non-profit organization that establishes telecommunications standards for Europe.
exception the temporary suspension of some essential element of a policy, procedure, or requirement caused by circumstances that are expected to return to normal at…
exception handler The try statement acts as an exception handler - a place where exception objects are caught and dealt with.
exception handling The way a program responds to an error. The exception handling mechanism in Perl is the eval operator.
exclusive-or operator The exclusive-or operator (^) is both a boolean operator and a bit manipulation operator.
exec To throw away the current "process"'s program and replace it with another without exiting the process or relinquishing any resources held (apart from the…
executable content An application that runs from within an HTML file. See also applet.
executable file A "file" that is specially marked to tell the "operating system" that it's okay to run this file as a program. Usually shortened to "executable".
Execute To complete; to sign; to carry out according to its terms.
execute bit The special mark that tells the operating system it can run this program. There are actually three execute bits under Unix, and which bit gets used…
exit status See "status".
export Data extracted or taken out of one environment or application usually in a prescribed format, and usually for import into another environment or…
expression A combination of operands and operators that produces a resulting value. Expressions have a resulting type, that affects the context in which they may be…
extends Class X extends class Y to add functionality, either by adding fields or methods to class Y, or by overriding methods of class Y.
Extensible Markup Language See XML.
extension The short single-stranded stretch of nucleotides remaining on a double-stranded DNA molecule, following treatment with a restriction endonuclease which…
external entity An entity that exists as an external XML file, which is included in the XML document using an entity reference.
external subset That part of a DTD that is defined by references to external DTD files.
factory pattern A pattern of class definition that is used as a generator of instances of other classes.
false In Perl, any value that would look like "" or "0" if evaluated in a string context.
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