Appendix H — Glossary of Programming Jargon
“Jargon” means words which have a very specific meaning within a given discipline. All disciplines have their own jargon, sometimes called slang. These words can be repurposed real words like script or can be made up like truthiness.
A very useful resource is available here
The following table attempts to collect and explain the most common jargon used in Python and programming in general.
Word | Meaning |
---|---|
script | A file containing a set of instructions which should be run in order. For |
instance we could use F5 in Spyder to run the whole thing. This is |
|
usually placed in a .py file. |
|
code | Another word for the written program. The acting of programming is |
sometimes called coding. | |
linter | A linter is a program which analyzes the formatting of code, like |
indentation and spacing, and reports errors. | |
library | A collection of functions offered together under an overarching namespace. |
The math library from the standard library. Libraries are sometimes |
|
calledpackages. | |
package | A collection of functions offered together under an overarching namespace. |
The math library from the standard library. Libraries are sometimes |
|
called libraries. | |
module | The functions contained within a given library or package are often |
categorized under different sub-headings, like json.codecs , which contains |
|
a suite of functions. We would say that the json library (or package) |
|
has a codecs module. |
|
terminal | |
console | |
command prompt | |
shell |