6 KiB
6 KiB
Often Confused Terms
There are many terms that are very similar and are sometimes used interchangeably. This isn't wrong per se, a slight difference may be insignificant in certain contexts. However it's good to know the differences for those cases when they matter. The following list tries to document some of the often confused terms.
- AI vs machine learning vs neural networks
- algebra vs arithmetic
- algorithm vs program
- analog vs mechanical
- anarchy vs chaos
- argument vs parameter
- binary vs executable
- array vs list
- ASCII art vs ANSI art
- assembler vs assembly
- causation vs correlation
- cepstrum vs spectrum
- chaos vs randomness vs pseudorandomness vs entropy
- class vs set
- closed source vs proprietary
- CLI vs TUI vs terminal vs console
- color model vs color space
- communism vs Marxism
- computer language vs programming language
- computer science vs information technology vs informatics vs cybernetics
- concurrency vs parallelism vs quasiparallelism vs distribution
- constant vs literal
- coding vs programming
- codec vs container format
- coherence vs consistency
- computational model vs model of computation
- convolution vs correlation
- copyright vs patent vs trademark etc.
- crossplatform/multiplatform vs portable
- cryptography vs security
- data vs information
- data structure vs data type
- decentralized vs distributed
- declaration vs definition
- demo vs intro
- desktop environment vs window manager
- digital vs electronic
- directed acyclic graph vs tree
- directory vs folder
- discrete Fourier transform vs discrete time Fourier transform
- emulation vs simulation
- equation vs expression vs inequality
- equivalence vs implication
- error vs exception vs fault vs failure
- Euler's number vs Euler number
- evolutionary programming vs evolutionary algorithm vs genetic programming vs genetic algorithm
- equality vs identity (in programming languages)
- floating point number vs real number
- font vs typeface
- framework vs library
- free software vs open source vs public domain vs source available vs freeware
- geek vs nerd
- GNU/Linux vs Linux
- gradient noise vs value noise
- hypothesis vs theory vs conjecture
- ID vs token vs hash vs handle vs identifier
- infinite vs arbitrarily large/unbounded
- Internet vs web
- Java vs JavaScript
- kB/mB/gB/tB vs KiB/MiB/GiB/TiB
- latency/ping/lag vs throughput/bandwidth
- leftism vs pseudoleftism
- method vs methodology
- modem vs router
- NP vs NP-hard vs NP-complete
- path tracing vs ray tracing vs ray casting
- pointer vs reference
- principal square root vs square root (especially when defining i)
- probability vs probability density
- pseudo vs quasi
- shading vs shadows
- science vs soyence
- Unicode vs UTF
- URI vs URL
- webpage vs website