Glossary

Words are hard. A glossary, even for a small project, greatly reduces cognitive load and makes work easier. I started this practice after reading Domain-Driven Design by Eric Evans, who coined the term "ubiquitous language."

Chromium

An open-source web browser. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and other browsers are Chromium wrappers.

CJS

CommonJS module, the original way of using multiple JS files in a project. See also ESM.

cognitive load

Mental effort, usually to solve complex problems.

dividend

The number that is split in division. In `6 / 2`, `6` is the dividend. See also divisor.

divisor

The number that goes into the other one in division. In `6 / 2`, `2` is the divisor. See also dividend.

Ecma

Organization that defines ECMAScript. Short for Ecma International, originally short for European Computer Manufacturers Association.

ECMAScript

A specification of how website scripting languages must behave. JavaScript is the most popular implementation of ECMAScript.

ESM

ECMAScript modules, the modern way of using multiple JS files in a project. See also CJS.

hardware

Physical devices like a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Also applies to non-digital domains: a wrench, a hammer, etc. See also software.

JavaScript

A programming language originally built for websites.

JS

JavaScript

knowledge elicitation

process of gathering data from people

Node

Node.js

Node.js

A JavaScript runtime wrapped around V8.

require(ESM)

A compatibility feature in Node.js for CJS projects to work with ESM projects.

software

Non-physical digital technology. This website is software, but your monitor or phone are not software. See also hardware.

"type": "module"

A package.json property instructing Node to load modules using ESM instead of CJS.

ubiquitous language

A common set of terms used in a cross-disciplinary team to improve communication.

V8

A JavaScript engine used by Node.js, Chromium, and more

wrapper

A piece of software whose core functionality is provided by the software it wraps.