Study the 17 vocabulary terms below. Then continue to the activities.
- Agile
- Alpha
- Beta
- Development cycle
- Freemium
- Help file
- MVP (minimum viable product)
- Patch
- Perform a meaningful task
- Productive
- RC (release candidate)
- Rest at ease
- SDLC (software development life cycle)
- Trial version
- Upgrade
- Waterfall
- You should be wary
Proper noun (thing)
an iterative and incremental software development approach with work divided into sprints of a predetermined length
The first book on Agile methodologies is the Manifesto for Agile Software Development written in 2001.
Noun (thing)
the first version of a software application that is "feature ready" but still very far from "production ready"
Alpha versions are rarely released to the public and frequently contain serious bugs.
Noun (thing)
a software version which is feature-ready, has passed early testing, and ready for more widespread testing
The beta version of the new program was released yesterday, but final release is still months away.
Noun (thing)
the process of taking a piece of software from initial concept to final delivery
The two most popular methodologies in the software development cycle are Waterfall and Agile.
Noun (thing)
functioning software distributed free of charge with the possibility to buy more features later if desired
The freemium model is increasingly seen because people are very reluctant to buy something without testing it first.
Noun (thing)
electronic documentation included with a program
The help file often contains useful program shortcuts.
Noun (thing)
an early release with only the most important features included
MVP releases allow a company to get to market quickly by maintaining focus on the core feature set without wasting time on extra features that add little value to the average user.
Noun (thing)
a software update intended primarily to fix bugs or security holes in a software release
Software patches and other updates should be available on a software publisher's web site.
Verb (infinitive)
to do something useful as opposed to waste time
Without a CPU a computer is unable to perform any meaningful task.
Adjective
able to deliver a high number of something efficiently
Office suites such as MS Office or Google Docs are designed to make users more productive at their jobs.
Noun (thing)
a piece of software that has passed its testing stages and is close to release
Apple refers internally to a release candidate as "the golden master".
Adverb
to be free from worry
"Rest at ease, my boy," said the salesman, "this new graphics card will have you pwning alien worlds for years to come."
Noun (thing)
a formalized approach to creating and maintaining software
The SDLC consists of: requirements gathering, design, programming, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
Noun (thing)
a piece of software which is available for evaluation by customers free of charge, normally for a limited amount of time
Much to the annoyance of potential customers, sometimes a company "cripples" their trial versions by offering less features than the full version.
Verb (infinitive)
to replace an older version of software or hardware with a newer version
The man needed to upgrade his office suite so he could export his document files as XML and JSON.
Proper noun (thing)
a top down approach to software development with everything decided up front with milestones and distant deadlines
Waterfall is best suited for projects where there is a clear goal and requirements are unlikely to change.
Unknown
to be careful because something might be dangerous or disastrous
You should be wary of bugs in beta versions and not use them on production servers.