1. <operating system, software> The sequence of states of an
	executing {program}.  A process consists of the program {code}
	(which may be shared with other processes which are executing
	the same program), private data, and the state of the
	{processor}, particularly the values in its {registers}.  It
	may have other associated resources such as a {process
	identifier}, open files, {CPU time} limits, {shared memory},
	{child processes}, and {signal handlers}.

	One process may, on some {platforms}, consist of many
	{threads}.  A {multitasking} {operating system} can run
	multiple processes {concurrently} or in {parallel}, and allows
	a process to spawn "child" processes.

	(2001-06-16)

	2. <business> The sequence of activities, people, and systems
	involved in carrying out some business or achieving some
	desired result.  E.g. software development process, project
	management process, configuration management process.

	(2001-06-16)

<programming> One of a sequence of copies of a program, each
	incorporating new modifications.  Each version is usually
	identified by a number, commonly of the form X.Y where X is
	the major version number and Y is the release number.
	Typically an increment in X (with Y reset to zero) signifies a
	substantial increase in the function of the program or a
	partial or total re-implementation, whereas Y increases each
	time the progam is changed in any way and re-released.

	Version numbers are useful so that the user can know if the
	program has changed ({bugs} have been fixed or new functions
	added) since he obtained his copy and the programmer can tell
	if a bug report relates to the current version.  It is thus
	always important to state the version when reporting bugs.
	Statements about compatibility between different software
	components should always say which versions they apply to.

	See {change management}.

	(1997-12-07)

1. <tool> A program used primarily to create, manipulate,
	modify, or analyse other programs, such as a compiler or an
	editor or a cross-referencing program.  Opposite: {app},
	{operating system}.

	2. A {Unix} {application program} with a simple, "transparent"
	(typically text-stream) interface designed specifically to be
	used in programmed combination with other tools (see {filter},
	{plumbing}).

	3. <jargon> ({MIT}: general to students there) To work; to
	study (connotes tedium).  The {TMRC} Dictionary defined this
	as "to set one's brain to the grindstone".  See {hack}.

	4. <jargon, person> ({MIT}) A student who studies too much and
	hacks too little.  MIT's student humour magazine rejoices in
	the name "Tool and Die".

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1996-12-12)

<programming> (OOP) The use of a class of programming
	languages and techniques based on the concept of an "{object}"
	which is a data structure ({abstract data type}) encapsulated
	with a set of routines, called "{methods}", which operate on
	the data.  Operations on the data can _only_ be performed via
	these methods, which are common to all objects that are
	instances of a particular "{class}".  Thus the interface to
	objects is well defined, and allows the code implementing the
	methods to be changed so long as the interface remains the
	same.

	Each class is a separate {module} and has a position in a
	"{class hierarchy}".  Methods or code in one class can be
	passed down the hierarchy to a {subclass} or inherited from a
	{superclass}.  This is called "{inheritance}".

	A {procedure} call is described as invoking a method on an
	object (which effectively becomes the procedure's first
	{argument}), and may optionally include other arguments.  The
	method name is looked up in the object's class to find out how
	to perform that operation on the given object.  If the method
	is not defined for the object's class, it is looked for in its
	superclass and so on up the class hierarchy until it is found
	or there is no higher superclass.

	OOP started with {SIMULA-67} around 1970 and became
	all-pervasive with the advent of {C++}, and later {Java}.
	Another popular object-oriented programming language (OOPL) is
	{Smalltalk}, a seminal example from {Xerox}'s {Palo Alto
	Research Center} (PARC).  Others include {Ada}, {Object
	Pascal}, {Objective C}, {DRAGOON}, {BETA}, {Emerald}, {POOL},
	{Eiffel}, {Self}, {Oblog}, {ESP}, {Loops}, {POLKA}, and
	{Python}.  Other languages, such as {Perl} and {VB}, permit,
	but do not enforce OOP.

	{FAQ (http://iamwww.unibe.ch/~scg/OOinfo/FAQ/)}.
	{(http://zgdv.igd.fhg.de/papers/se/oop/)}.
	{(http://cuiwww.unige.ch/Chloe/OOinfo)}.

	{Usenet} newsgroup: {news:comp.object}.

	(2001-10-11)

What many users feel for computers.

	"I don't really love computers, I just say that to get them
	into bed with me". (Terry Pratchet)

	[What did you expect in a computing dictionary?]

	(1995-05-10)

1. {application program}.

	2. {function application}.

<programming> A computer system or process that requests a
	service of another computer system or process (a "{server}")
	using some kind of {protocol} and accepts the server's
	responses.  A client is part of a {client-server} software
	architecture.

	For example, a {workstation} requesting the contents of a file
	from a {file server} is a client of the file server.

	(1997-10-27)

<software> Instructions for a computer in some programming
	language, often {machine language}.  The word "code" is often
	used to distinguish instructions from {data} (e.g. "The code
	is marked 'read-only'") whereas "{software}" is used in
	contrast with "{hardware}" and may consist of more than just
	code.

	(2000-04-08)

<testing> The process of exercising a product to identify
	differences between expected and actual behaviour.  Typically
	testing is bottom-up: {unit testing} and {integration testing}
	by developers, {system testing} by testers, and {user
	acceptance testing} by users.

	{Test coverage} attempts to assess how complete a test has
	been.

	2. The second stage in a {generate and test} search
	{algorithm}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(2003-09-24)

<job> (Or "computer programmer", "developer") Someone who
	writes or debugs {computer programs}, for a living or for fun.
	"Analyst/developer" is a common equivalent job title, implying
	the added role of {system analysis}.  The term may be
	qualified according to the type of software - "{application}
	programmer", "{system programmer}", etc.

	(2000-01-24)