View source for Guide:Glossary

Explanation of jargon used on this blog. Please ask if there's something you don't understand!

Terms are linked here with anchors (I guess this is the best way???)

==3-D Graphics==
===CSG===
'''<u>C</u>onstructive <u>S</u>olid <u>G</u>eometry''' is a technique for building 3-D models by adding together and subtracting using different geometric forms. It's often the basis of tools built round prototyping or quickly building levels, but is also just fine for finished ones.
* [[Wikipedia:Constructive solid geometry]]

===Normals===
The typical way to render a polygon is with a single side. The 'normal' is the side that is able to be seen.
* [[Wikipedia:Normal (geometry)]]

===Primitives===
'''Primitives''' are basic, building-block shapes. For example spheres, cubes, planes, toruses, pyramids... I guess they're usually generated procedurally.
* [[:Wikipedia:Geometric primitive]]

===Shader===
A '''Shader''' is a small program that tells the computer how to render a surface. A shader is what makes polygonal graphics look smooth, or makes some appear like cartoons (cel-shader), etc.
* [[Wikipedia:Shader]]

==Audio==
===DAW===
DAW stands for '''D'''igital '''A'''udio '''W'''orkstation; a program for recording and manipulation audio.
* [[:Category:DAW]]
* [[:Wikipedia:Digital Audio Workstation]]

===Multitrack===

===Sample Pack===

A ''sample pack'' is a collection of small sounds you can use for audio production. So they could be things like hitting a drum, or  voice singing a note. You can then put these into a DAW or synthesiser and use that to play them at different pitches, as well as manipulate them to create new sounds.

===Stem===

A ''stem'' is an individual track from  multitrack session. Often downloading ''stems'' you will get an archive with each track from a completed song, so there will be stews for each individual instrument. So they're like all the audio info you need to recreate the song, in a format not tied to a DAW, so excluding mastering, effects, and extra stuff like that.

=== Track ===

==Concepts==
===Hypermedia===
Medium involving text, graphics, video, etc., where things can link to other things in a nonlinear way. The WWW is hypermedia, for example.

* [[Wikipedia:Hypermedia]]
* [[:Category:Hypermedia]]

===Hypertext===
* [[Wikipedia:Hypertext]]

==General Computing==
===CLI===
A '''C'''ommand '''L'''ine '''I'''nterface, as opposed to a graphical user interface (GUI), is a way of interacting with software through text imput. Think of MS-DOS, for example. It's often used to quickly do, or even automate, tasks where a variety of options can be included in one command.

* [[Wikipedia:Command-line interface]]
* [[:Category:CLI]]

===GPG===

* [[Wikipedia:GNU Privacy Guard]]

===Distro===
A '''distribution''' or '''distro''' is the term for what you can think of as a particular ''flavour'' of Linux or BSD. In Linux's case, each shares the core Linux kernal and GNU software, but attaches other things, such as window managers, desktop environments, package managers, packaged software, etc.

* [[Wikipedia:Linux Distribution]]

===Node-Based===
Generally, a 'node' is a connection point. In software, a '''node-based interface''' is one where each {{jargon|Function|function}} is represented graphically (a node), and you can draw connections between the inputs and outputs of these functions. It's becoming common for there to be a node-based programming language for {{jargon|Scripting Language|scripting}}, [[Unreal]] and [[Godot]] both include this by default. They can be an intuitive, but they can also get fiddly and cluttered.

Popular examples are:

* [[Twine]], which uses nodes and lines to show the structure of the story.
* [[Bespoke]], which is like a [[Wikipedia:Modular_synthesizer|modular synthesiser]], where each node is a doodad that can effect the sound, and each line is the connection between those doodads.
* [[Blender]], has a node-based editor for materials.
<br>
* [[Wikiedia:Node]] (disambiguation page)
* See also: [[Wikipedia:Visual programming language]]

===Open-Source===
'''Open-source''' is a term used to describe software who's source code has been made available. Open this is done to encourage others to contribute to the software's development, and to assist in the development of new software. A common system used for contributing to open-source software is [[Guide:Git|Git]], and the most common website for sharing Git projects is [[Guide:GitHub|GitHub]].

You will probably also encounter the acronym <abbr title="Free and Open-Source Software">FOSS</abbr>.

* [[Wikipedia:Open-source model]]
* [[Wikipedia:Free and open-source software]]
* [[:Category:Open-Source]]

===Plain-Text===
'''Plain-text''' (or 'plain text', or 'plaintext') is a way of describing files whose content is human-readable. That is, they contain regular letters and numbers and stuff, so you can open them in a text editor (say notepad) and view and edit their content.

According to the Unicode Standard: <q>Plain text is public, standardized, and universally readable.</q>

* [[Wikipedia:Plain text]]

===Procedural Generation===
'''Procedural generation''' describes content that it generated by a program (algorithmically) rather than being made specifically. A common use it to provide random and effectively infinte level layouts, but it can also be used for sound, textures, terrain, and much more.

* [[Wikipedia:Procedural generation]]

===SaaS===
'''SaaS''' or '''SAAS''' stands for '''S'''oftware '''A'''s '''A''' '''S'''ervice, and is a horrible trend in software pricing that doesn't sell you a ''copy'' of the program, but a ''[[Guide:Licensing|licence]]'' to use it for a certain time. Think Adobe's Creative Cloud, which requires an ongoing, yearly fee. Boooooooo.

* [[Wikipedia:Software as a service]]

===SSH===

* [[Wikipedia:Secure Shell]]

===Version Control===
A means of managing changes to files in a project. Mostly associated with programming stuffs?

The most common system currently is [[Guide:Git|Git]] (previously [[Wikipedia:Apache Subversion|Subversion]] was most popular), particularly using Github (though there are alternatives, including self-hosted ones like Gitlab—which will all potentially federate in the future!).

* [[Wikipedia:Version control]]

===Virtual Machine===
A '''virtual machine''' (or '''VM''') is an emulation of one computer system within another. For example a person may run Windows XP as a virtual machine from within their main Linux operating system to give them access to older Windows programs. Some people do it for security reasons too.<br>
[[Wikipedia:VirtualBox|VirtualBox]] is a common and free tool, and allows you to save configurations for multiple systems, which you can quickly launch. An open-source alternative is [[Wikipedia:QEMU|QEMU]].

* [[Wikipedia:Virtual machine]]

===Workflow===

* [[Wikipedia:Workflow]]

===WYSIWYG===
Pronounced whizzy-wig, stands for '''W'''hat '''Y'''ou '''S'''ee '''I'''s '''W'''hat '''Y'''ou '''G'''et. Used to describe software that lets you edit in a form that looks like what the end user will receive. Think MSWord over writing your document in [[Wikipedia:Markup Language|markup]] or [[Wikipedia:LaTeX|LaTex]].

* [[Wikipedia:WYSIWYG]]

==Internet==
===Alt Text===
Text that is used when the image is not accessed. For example for people with limited vision who use a screen reader, or people on slow connections who disable images. A succinct description of the image.

* [[Wikipedia:Alt attribute]]
* [https://www.deque.com/blog/great-alt-text-introduction/ How to Design Great Alt Text: An Introduction]
* [https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/format-writing-and-structure/content-formats/images/alt-text-captions-and-titles-images Alt text, captions and titles for images]

==Language==
===Camel Case===
Often used in programming, and in social network tags for accessibility.

* [[Wikipedia:Camel case]]
* [https://www.picklejarcommunications.com/blog/why-you-should-use-camel-case-for-your-hashtags/ Why you should use camel case for your hashtags]

==Programming==
===API===
* [[Wikipedia:Application programming interface]]

===Function===
A '''function''' is a small piece of a program made to be run as it's own thing. SO you would have functions for different tasks withing a larger program, and the larger program would run those functions when required. In the the context of game-making, you might have a function that makes the character jump, which would be called when the player presses a certain button.

* [[Wikipedia:Subroutine]]

===Natural-Language Programming===
'''Natural-language programming''', or NLP, is a term used to describe programming languages whose ''[[#Syntax|syntax]]'' is similar to human languages.

This is different to how the term is used in linguistics, in the game of computer programming a natural language is a programming language that mimics a natural language, theoretically/potentially making the more intuitive to understand and use.

* [[Wikipedia:Natural-language programming]]
* [[Wikipedia:Natural language]]

===Scripting Language===
A '''scripting language''' is a type of programming language made for simple tasks, and often intended to be easier to learn. The line between a ''scripting language'' and a ''programming language'' is pretty fuzzy though.

* [[Wikipedia:Scripting language]]

===Syntax===
* [[Wikipedia:Syntax (programming languages)]]
* [[Wikipedia:Syntax]]

===Visual Scripting===
* § [[#Node-Based|Node-Based]] in this glossary.
* [[:Category:Visual Scripting]]
* [[wikipedia:Visual programming language]]

==Videogames==

===Turn-Based===