# Glossary

* Front-end - browser based environment (think HTML, CSS, jQuery)
* Back-end - desktop and server based environment (Ruby, Rails)
* Scripting language - language which default implementations run then die (Perl, Python, PHP, Ruby)
* Compilation language - language which default implementation stays alive (Java, C)
* Blocking - waiting for something to complete and not being able to do other things (waiting in line)
* Non-Blocking - waiting for something to complete and being able to do other things while you wait (waiting via callout system)
* Asynchronous - able to break off from the main flow of doing something (fork in a river)
* Synchronous - stays with the main flow (curve in a river)
* Parallel - multiple things happening at the same time (multi-tasking)
* Serial - things happen in order, one after the other (single-tasking)
* AltJS - languages that aren't javascript but become javascript through a compilation/transformation process (CoffeeScript)
* High-level - abstractions have obscured away the difficulties and challenges into a nice interface
* Low-level - you're provided with the bare minimum, difficulties and challenges are solved by you
* API (Application Programming Interface) - the things you call to do something with something