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Terminology

NameMeaningCategoryDescription
ALUArithmetic Logic UnitHardware
ARMAdvanced RISC MachineHardware
AVXAdvanced Vector ExtensionsHardware
CISCComplex Instruction Set ComputerHardware
CPUCentral Processing UnitHardware
D-cacheData CacheHardware
DDRDouble Data RateHardware
DMADirect Memory AccessHardwareA technique that allows hardware components to transfer system memory without any intervention from the CPU.
DRAMDynamic Random-Access MemoryHardware
FLOPSFLoating point Operations Per SecondHardware
FPUFloating-point Processing UnitHardware
GPUGraphics Processing UnitHardware
I-cacheInstruction CacheHardware
I/OInput/OutputHardware
IPCInstructions Per CycleHardware
IPSInstructions Per SecondHardware
ISAInstruction Set ArchitectureHardware
MIPSMillions of Instructions Per SecondHardware
MIPS/WMillions of Instructions Per Second per WattHardware
NUMANon-Uniform Memory AccessHardwareA memory architecture used in parallel computers. Memory access time depends on the memory location relative to the processor.
RAMRandom-Access MemoryHardware
RISCReduced Instruction Set ComputerHardware
ROMRead Only MemoryHardware
SDRAMSynchronous Dynamic Random-Access MemoryHardware
SIMDSingle Instruction Multiple DataHardware
SPUSynergistic Processing UnitHardware128-bit RISC processor specialized for SIMD operations. 7 of these coprocessors are part of the Cell architecture of the PS3.
SRAMStatic Random-Access MemoryHardware
SSEStreaming SIMD ExtensionsHardware
UMAUniform Memory AccessHardwareA shared memory architecture used in parallel computers. All the processors share the physical memory uniformly. A common model is to share the system memory and video memory.
VGAVideo Graphics ArrayHardware
VRAMVideo RAMHardwareVariant of dynamic RAM in graphics adapters.
VUVector UnitHardware128-bit RISC processors specialized for SIMD operations. 2 of these are part of the Emotion Engine architecture of the PS2.
ASMAssemblySoftware
BCLBase Class LibrarySoftwareCore library of .NET
CILCommon Intermediate LanguageSoftwareCPU-independent set of instructions that can be efficiently converted to the native code. Formerly called Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL).
CLICommon Language InfrastructureSoftware
CLRCommon Language RuntimeSoftware.NET runtime
DBDataBaseSoftware
DLLDynamic-Link LibrarySoftwareShared library in Microsoft Windows.
DSPDigital Signal ProcessorSoftware
FIFOFirst In, First OutSoftware
GCGarbage CollectorSoftware
GPGPUGeneral-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing UnitsSoftwareUsing a GPU to perform general-purpose computing.
GUIDGlobally Unique IdentifiersSoftware
JITJust-In-TimeSoftware
JSONJavaScript Object NotationSoftware
LIFOLast In, First OutSoftware
LRULeast Recently UsedSoftware
MRUMost Recently UsedSoftware
NaNNot A NumberSoftware
NPNNode Package ManagerSoftwareCommand-line program to manage node.js libraries.
RAIIResource Acquisition Is InitializationSoftware
RLERun-Length EncodingSoftwareLossless data compression which runs on sequences in which the same value occurs many consecutive times. The sequence is encoded to store only a single value and its count.
RTTIRun-Time Type InformationSoftware
SQLStructured Query LanguageSoftware
UMLUnified Modeling LanguageSoftware
UUIDUniversally Unique IdentifiersSoftware
XMLeXtensible Markup LanguageSoftware
FSMFinite State MachineAI
GOAPGoal-Oriented Action PlannerAIA system for AI agents that allows them to plan a sequence of actions to satisfy a particular goal.
CDLODContinuous Distance-Dependent Level Of DetailGraphicsA technique for rendering heightmap terrains on the GPU.
FBXFilmBoXGraphicsA proprietary file format owned by Autodesk for 3D assets.
glTFGL Transmission FormatGraphicsA file format for 3D scenes and models using JSON.
HUDHead-Up DisplayGraphicsA display area that presents data as part of a game's user interface.
LODLevel Of DetailGraphicsA technique for simplifying a mesh by removing vertices and detail.
OOOOut Of OrderHardwareModern CPUs support out of order execution. It allows the processor to execute instructions in a different order than their original order in a program. The processor can avoid being idle while waiting for the preceding instruction to complete.