Top "Definition" questions

A generic tag for topics providing definitions.

What does [:] mean in groovy?

While reading some groovy code of another developer I encountered the following definition: def foo=[:] What does it mean?

variables groovy definition
What is a code cave, and is there any legitimate use for one?

I encountered this word for the first time in the StackOverflow question "C# Theoretical: Write a JMP to a codecave …

assembly terminology definition self-modifying codecave
How to show zsh function definition (like bash "type myfunc")?

How do I show the definition of a function in zsh? type foo doesn't give the definition. In bash: bash$ …

bash function zsh definition
When do I define objective-c methods?

I'm learning Objective-C, and have a C/C++ background. In object-oriented C++, you always need to declare your method before …

objective-c declaration definition api-design
What is "over-engineering" as applied to software?

I wonder what would be a good definition of term "over-engineering" as applied to software development. The expression seems to …

terminology definition
What is fuzzy logic?

I'm working with a couple of AI algorithms at school and I find people use the words Fuzzy Logic to …

artificial-intelligence logic theory definition fuzzy-logic
Asynchronous and Synchronous Terms

I'm confused by the term asynchronous when related to programming. It seems to mean the opposite in programming terms as …

jquery asynchronous definition synchronous
Is there any use for local function declarations?

Most C++ programmers like me have made the following mistake at some point: class C { /*...*/ }; int main() { C c(); // declares …

c++ function definition local
Is Java orthogonal?

I am wondering if Java is orthogonal or not, and if yes, then which are its features that make it …

java theory definition orthogonal
What exactly is NoSQL?

What exactly is NoSQL? Is it database systems that only work with {key:value} pairs? As far as I know …

database nosql definition