Glossary of Common Terms

What am I programming in? What are all these dots? This is a list of terms you might see used around here, as well as common shorthand for phrases like "Petit Computer"


 * Admin: Someone with additional rights that performs maintenance duties.  If you need a page deleted, they're the ones to ask!
 * Alpha: A very early state in development.  Often, an alpha product is unstable and not content-heavy enough to release to the public.  Could be considered proof of concept.
 * BASIC: Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.  An early "family" of programming languages designed to be easy to use. SmileBASIC is based on the conventions of this system.
 * Beta: A state in development where a product is still unfinished, but has all or most features implemented.  Sometimes, this version is given out to select groups for testing purposes.
 * Bug: An error in the code that causes undesired operation. Something described as "buggy" is plagued by such mistakes.
 * Code: The series of instructions which the computer carries out. In many cases synonymous with "program".  Also seen as "source code".
 * Clone: An identical or very similar version of another game, intended to profit from the original's success.  You can't get in trouble for cloning something in Petit Computer, but you also can't brag about making something original.
 * Open-Source: A type of license in which a program's source code is openly available and modifiable.  Any and all programs you choose to publish with SmileBASIC are open source--anyone can change and redistribute them!  If you feel someone is taking credit for your work, that could be theft of intellectual property, and you should try talking to them about it.  It could have just been a mistake!
 * Petit Computer: The first DSiWare version outside of Japan.  Common names are: Puchikon mkII, PTC, Petitcom, Old Petit Computer, and PTC2
 * SmileBASIC/Petit Computer 3: The third release of the Puchikon software, now for 3DS.  Common names are: PTC3, Puchikon V3, Petit Computer 3D, Puchikon mkIII,