- Java virtual machine
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An interpreter for Java byte code.
- lightweight process
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A UNIX term denoting a thread that is implemented by the operating system.
- linked data structure
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A data structure consisting of components connected by links, usually pointers.
- linking
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Term used to denote either the whole process of forging a set of object modules into a single load module or the second phase of that process, when address references from one object module to another (so-called external references) are resolved with respect to the beginning of the load module being created.
- list
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A linked data structure consisting of nodes to hold data and links to the next element in the list (so-called singly linked list) or, in addition, links to the previous element in the list (doubly linked list).
- little endian byte order
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A byte order for numbers of at least 2 bytes in which the less significant byte is placed to the left of a more significant byte; Intel processors use little endian byte order.
- load file
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A synonym for load module.
- load module
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A file containing a binary code of a program with all address references resolved and ready to be loaded to the memory and executed.
- loading
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The process of copying the contents of a load module to memory while modifying logical addresses to physical.
- local item
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An item defined within a function (or block) with default storage class auto.
- logical address
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An address in the form of an offset from either the beginning of the load module or an activation frame.
- macro-expansion
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A method by which a macro defined through the #define preprocessor directive is replaced by the code.
- maintainability
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A property of software allowing reasonably easy modifications as requirements change during the software's lifetime.
- malloc()
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A C/C++ standard function that provides an interface to the process memory manager; used for requesting additional dynamic memory.
- malloc.h
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A slightly obsolete standard C header file for dealing with allocation and deallocation of memory.
- memory alignment
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Usually refers to the fact that the address of an item starts at a machine-word boundary in memory (to enable a more efficient memory access in terms of machine words).
- memory allocation
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A synonym for dynamic memory allocation.
- memory deallocation
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A synonym for dynamic memory deallocation.
- memory leak
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A commonly used term indicating that a program is dynamically allocating memory but not properly deallocating it, which results in a gradual accumulation of unused memory by the program to the detriment of other programs, the operating system, and itself.
- memory manager
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A synonym for process memory manager.
- memory-mapped I/O operation
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An operating system approach to "sending" data to various I/O devices; for instance, "storing data" at a special address X is interpreted by the operating system as a request to send the data to a disk.
- memory mapping
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The process of assigning physical addresses to logical addresses.
- memory segment
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A contiguous section of memory; referred to in other contexts as a buffer.
- messaging
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A system of sending and receiving messages by processes.
- modularization
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Breakup of a program into smaller and more manageable modules with precisely defined mutual interaction, usually through precise interfaces.
- multithreading
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Running several threads in a process simultaneously .
- mutex
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A binary semaphore implementing mutual exclusion for threads.