R-S | Memory as a Programming Concept in C and C++

readability: Characteristic of a source program that can be read and comprehended easily by those who did not design or write the program.
realloc(): A C/C++ standard function providing an interface to the process memory manager; used for requesting additional dynamic memory or extending/reducing an already dynamically allocated segment with the preservation of data in it.
real-time system: A software system that guarantees a response within fixed time limits regardless of the data being processed ; the limits usually require a fast response.
recursion: A programming language feature in which a function can call itself; it is the construction counterpart to mathematical induction.
recursive descent parser: A parser for a grammar that is written using the "recursive descent" technique, in which nonterminal symbols of the grammar are represented and the execution of these functions reflect the grammar rules; not all context-free grammars can be parsed in such a manner.
relative address: A synonym for logical address.
relativization: A process in which actual addresses in a data structure stored within one or more contiguous segments of memory are replaced by offsets from the beginning of the segment in which they are located.
relocation: The first phase of the process of forging a set of object modules into a single load module when the address references within an object module (so-called internal references) are resolved.
resource owner: The module using the resource and responsible for "releasing" it when no longer needed.
return sequence: A sequence of steps undertaken at the termination of a function; some of the steps are performed by the callee, some by the caller.
row-major formula: A formula that translates multiple indexes into a single index, thus allowing proper access to a one-dimensional array in which a multi-dimensional array is stored.
row-major storage format: A format used to store multi-dimensional arrays in one dimension.
run-time array index range checking: A check performed during program execution before any access to the array; used to see whether the index is within proper range.
safety-critical software: A software system that cannot fail because its working is critical for safety (e.g., nuclear power plant control system, aircraft flight control system, etc.).
scanner: A "lexical analyzer" - usually an input module for a parser that turns the input from a stream of characters to a stream of tokens according to lexical analysis of the language.
semaphore: A data structure - a synchronization primitive - to implement mutual exclusion for various processes sharing the same resource.
serialization: A process in which a linked data structure is stored within several contiguous segments of memory with all addresses relativized.
SetEnvironmentVariable: A Windows system call to set a value of an environment variable.
shared memory: Memory that is shared by several processes.
shared memory segments: The implementation, in UNIX SystemV, of shared memory.
signal handler: A function that is executed when the particular signal for which it is intended is delivered to a process and caught by the process.
signals: One-bit messages signifying that some event has happened ; sometimes referred to as software interrupts.
simple data type: A synonym for elementary data type.
size_t: An ANSI-C defined data type to facilitate tight type checking; defined as unsigned long .
sizeof operator: A C/C++ operator calculating (in compile time) the size of memory required by a particular data type or by the resulting data type of an expression.
sleep(): A UNIX system call to put a process in suspension for a specified amount of time.
smart (or safe)pointer: A C++ object, which behaves and is used like a pointer, that deallocates the object being referenced when it goes out of scope.
source code: A program written in source language.
source file: A synonym for source module.
source language: A high-level language (like C or C++) in which a program is written.
source module: An ASCII text file containing a program or a part of a program written in a high-level language like C or C++.
spawning a process: Creating a new process and running a new program within it; in UNIX this usually refers to fork() followed by an exec () .
stack: A data structure resembling a deck of cards; a new item can only be put on top of the deck (the push operation) or removed from the top of the deck (the pop operation).
standard function: A function whose behavior is guaranteed irrespective of platform and that comes with most compilers. In other contexts such functions are usually called built-in or innate, but for C/C++ they are provided as an addition for the programmer's convenience.
static(C/C++ keyword): Changes the storage class of a local variable from auto to static ; restricts the lexical scope of a global variable to the source file where the definition is located.
static data: The data whose memory layout is prepared by the compiler and stored within an area of the program address space that does not change its layout throughout the whole execution of the program; also, a section in the object module, the load module, and the program address space holding static data that in C/C++ programs correspond to global objects and local objects of storage class static.
static memory allocation: Memory layout for static data prepared by the compiler.
static multi-dimensional array: An array created by the compiler at compile time and accessible through multiple indexes; C/C++ uses the row-major storage format to store this as ( essentially ) a one-dimensional array.
static one-dimensional array: An array allocated by the compiler during compilation; the programmer does not have to allocate or deallocate the store, since these operations are performed automatically.
stdlib.h: A more up-to-date (than malloc.h ) standard C header file for dealing with allocation and deallocation of memory.
strcat(): A standard function for string concatenation.
strcpy (): A standard function for copying a string from one location to another.
string: In essence, a character array terminated by NULL .
strlen(): A standard function for computing the length of a string (the terminator NULL is not counted).
structure: A data structure created by application of the C/C++ constructor struct .
subclass: A synonym for derived class.
superclass: A synonym for a base class.
symbolic reference: A reference to an item by its name .
system call: A call to an operating system function providing some service; the usual interface with the operating system is through a set of system calls.
system heap: A set of free memory blocks maintained in the form of a binary heap by the operating system memory manager.
system stack: A synonym for process system stack.
system stack unwinding: If an exception is thrown then the system stack is unwound - deallocating all local variables on the stack along the way - to the point where the last catch statement is located.
System V: A special variant of the UNIX operating system.