Study the 18 vocabulary terms below. Then continue to the activities.
- Abort
- Bug
- Closed source
- Compatible
- Control-Alt-Delete
- Crash
- Emulation
- End user
- Error
- Execute
- Feature
- IDE (integrated development environment)
- Open source
- Programmer
- Proprietary
- Radical
- Restriction
- Usability
Verb (infinitive)
to end a program or a process before its completion
When the word processor application crashed, the user had to abort the program and lose all his unsaved changes.
Noun (thing)
an error or glitch in a computer program caused by a programmer's mistake
An average developer will create one bug for every 10 lines of code written.
Noun (thing)
software in which the license stipulates that the user cannot see, edit, or manipulate the source code of a software program
I wanted to develop a new feature for the program, but I couldn't because it was closed source.
Adjective
capable of being used without modification
The IBM 360 was the first commercially successful computer family with a wide range of compatible parts.
Noun (concept)
the special key combination required to bring up Windows Security screen.
The Windows power user terminated the misbehaving .exe program using ctrl-alt-delete.
Noun (thing)
a computer failure which aborts an application or freezes an operating system
The user was advised to reboot the computer after a serious crash in which the computer no longer responded.
Noun (concept)
using one program to act like another computer or device
The woman used emulation software on her PC to play an old Atari 2600 game from her childhood.
Noun (person)
a person who uses a product or service on a computer
Developers must maintain a close relationship with end users if they want to have a successful career.
Noun (thing)
an incorrect action attributable to poor judgment, ignorance, or inattention
The computer reported a "division by zero" error and automatically aborted the program.
Verb (infinitive)
to start a program on a computer
The program was set to execute every night at midnight.
Noun (thing)
something a computer program is "supposed" to do; often a reason to buy or upgrade software
The man upgraded his copy of Word because of a new feature that allowed him to spell-check documents in Spanish.
Noun (thing)
an application normally consisting of a source code editor, a compiler and/or interpreter, build-automation tools, and a debugger
The new employee asked his boss to buy him a license for his favorite IDE because there was none installed on his new company laptop.
Noun (thing)
a program in which the code is distributed allowing programmers to alter and change the original software as much as they like
The article stated that many programmers prefer open source solutions because they can modify features and fix bugs without waiting for an upgrade or patch from the manufacturer.
Noun (person)
a person who writes or modifies software
The software company needed to hire three new programmers to help debug their flagship application.
Noun (thing)
privately developed and owned technology
Because of proprietary code, you may not modify or redistribute the source code of Windows or Macintosh operating systems.
Adjective
very new, different, or extreme
The invention of the World Wide Web was a radical change in how people shared information.
Noun (thing)
a rule or law which limits or controls access to something
The video website had content restrictions in place for users under the age of 18.
Noun (thing)
a measure of how easy or hard a program is to use
Back in the late 90s, programmers or salespeople would often be responsible for a website's usability; but nowadays we usually assign that task to a properly trained UX designer.