Geek Speak – Ten Phrases to Know to Communicate with Programmers

Computer programmers exist in a virtual world of logical constructs. These programming structures process streams of data composed of bytes made up of bits. It is not surprising that the uninitiated in this club of virtual dwellers find it difficult to understand their language.

In some instances this is fine. You may be at a party, standing around the buffet table; you ask a stranger “So what do you do” and a barrage of words come flying out - C plus plus, C sharp, Java, abstract functions, coverflow jquery, ActiveX . You simply smile with a nod and move on.

Nevertheless, there are times when you need an application to help you at work; here are ten phrases that may help in communicating with programmers.

1. Requirement Analysis - This process takes into account all the tasks that go into determining what is needed for your application.
   
   
2. Stand-alone verses Client-Server Application –You need to know the difference between an application that runs on your computer as a self contained unit verses an application that needs to connect to another computer to get its data.
   
   
3. Storyboarding – This is a narrative technique used for illustrating the interactions between a user and a program. This may include a series of drawings, that tell a story of how your application will work.
   
   
4. Object-Oriented Programming – In this type of programming, objects are defined as data structures containing data fields and operations (or functions) applied to the structure through interactions.
   
   
5. Front End – The user interface sometimes referred to the Graphical User Interface (GUI) is the front end.
   
   
6. Back End – In general the backend is the data repository that is accessed via an external application.
   
   
7. Prototyping - A preliminary model is used to demonstrate the concept of the application or some aspect of the application.
   
   
8. Agile Methodologies - Scrum and Extreme Programming are examples of Agile methodologies used in the development process of creating a application. The Agile approach breaks down the process into repeated cycles of design, coding and testing.
   
   
9. Bugs – Bugs are errors in code and manifest in behavior that is not expected.
   
   
10. Unit Testing - Individual units of code are tested as development occurs. Used by programmers to ensure the code meets the design and behaves as specified in the requirement analysis.
    
    

Armed with these phrases, you should hopefully be able to better communicate with programmers about any projects you may need.

Guest Author

Haliegh Adams is a writer and a stay at home mom. In her spare time she enjoys writing about topics such as programming with coverflow jquery, reading classic novels and hiking.