all these damn terms!!!!

Comments

• DeadlySeriousMedia ArizonaMember Posts: 838

  May 2013

  Ha ha! Same boat! I usually just pick'em up as I go along. Every time I try to learn via reading I end up day dreaming about other stuff, like what I plan to do with all this knowledge. I love reading, I just have a poor ability to read reference.
  
  I've gotten to the point of accepting that I'll remember what things mean when it's vital to my ability to actually apply the knowledge. This is probably bad advice. :P
• ORBZ Member Posts: 1,304

  May 2013 edited May 2013

  Binary: This is a slang term that means the compiled runnable form of your game. GS games are not really "binary" in the traditional sense, but for all your needs you can think of it this way. When you make your game in GS it's in it's "source" form. When you publish it you get back a "binary" that is then distributed on the App Store. (2nd definition: Binary is also a type of numerical system used by computers. It's a base2 numerical system 0 and 1, you probably don't need to know this, but if you ever go into anything more advanced than GS you will need to learn base2, base8 (octal), and base16 (hex) number systems - we humans use base10 - decimal)
  
  Lua: This is a programming language, it's what a large portion of the GameSalad engine runs on. It's unique in that Lua is a very fast language and is often used as an embedded system inside larger C programs. It is easier to work with than pure C, but nowhere near as fast. Not something you have any control over.
  
  C/C++/Objective-C: Three different low level system languages. C was the first, and simplest to understand but lacks object oriented features. C++ was invented in the 80s and is widely used in all fields of computer science, it is NOT a superset of C, it's a unique language in its own right. C++ is a very complex and robust language. Some deride it for being too complex. Objective-C developed by Apple, only for use on Apple devices. A very powerful language that is a superset of the C language, it adds object oriented capabilities to the C language. All three of these languages are hyper fast bare-to-the-metal and you don't ever touch or see them with GS. They are what GS was written with (in conjunction with Lua) Note: C# is a Microsoft invention and is not like the other 3 in any way except mildly similar syntax.
  
  JIT: Just In Time compiled. It means the code is compiled just before it's executed. Not something you need to worry about as GS doesn't give you any control over this.
  
  AOT: Ahead Of Time compiled. The code gets compiled when building the binary instead of just before execution. (can be faster than JIT, but less dynamic) Not something you have any control over.
  
  Data Type: The data type is used by the compiler to determine the optimal amount of memory to allocate for a given piece of information in your game. An integer for example, on a 32 bit system uses 4 bytes of memory. A real uses 8 bytes. You don't need to worry about this to use GameSalad, it takes care of it for you.
  
  Compiler / Compilation / Compiled: The Compiler is a program that turns your GS project into a "binary" The process of doing that is called compilation. The finished project is a compiled binary. Compile = to put stuff together.
  
  Engine: A bunch of code that does a lot of the complicated stuff for you. Like draw pixels on the screen, play sounds, handle collisions, physics, touch events, etc. This is all invisible to you as GS takes care of that stuff for you, but it's the part of the GameSalad system that actually turns your game rules into moving stuff on the screen.
  
  Garbage Collection: Some systems have automatic garbage collection. Garbage collection is a term for cleaning up old, no longer used, memory. Not something you have any control over in GS.
  
  Dynamic / Static: When programmers refer to things being dynamic they simply mean that it has the potential or capability of change. When they refer to static they simply mean that the item in question doesn't change, or shouldn't Example: The space ship flying across the screen has a dynamic position, that is - the position changes. But, the image of the ship never changes so we could say that the image is static. Note: that doesn't mean the image can't change, just that we don't expect it to. There is a different term for things that can't change: const or constant, but that's not something that is often referred to in GS discussions.
  
  Memory: often when people refer to memory they are referring to RAM or Random Access Memory or rather, the amount of elbow room your device has to operate in. This is usually measured in Megabytes, or MB. The main important fact about RAM is that it is volatile. That is, it requires power to maintain state. If the power is removed the RAM is cleared. RAM is also hyper fast - changes to items in memory happen almost instantly. Your game runs in RAM. There is a small fixed amount of RAM on your device. 512MB for the latest iPhone devices last I checked. Your game can't use all of that, the OS will block you.
  
  File Size: This is the size of the "binary" the file size is the sum of all your art assets, sounds, the GS engine, and your code, plus a bit extra for misc stuff. It's the total size of your project. This is usually measured in MB also for small games, but could be as large as a few GB for very large games.
  
  OS: The operating system. For iPhone it's iOS, for Mac it's MacOS, for Android it's Android, for Windows it's WinNT
  
  Hope that helps
• mounted88 Member Posts: 1,113

  May 2013 edited May 2013

  You can Check out this website and see if it helps.
  http://whatis.techtarget.com/glossary/Programming/page/2
• SnapFireStudios Member Posts: 1,603

  May 2013

  Binary: This is a slang term that means the compiled runnable form of your game. GS games are not really "binary" in the traditional sense, but for all your needs you can think of it this way. When you make your game in GS it's in it's "source" form. When you publish it you get back a "binary" that is then distributed on the App Store. (2nd definition: Binary is also a type of numerical system used by computers. It's a base2 numerical system 0 and 1, you probably don't need to know this, but if you ever go into anything more advanced than GS you will need to learn base2, base8 (octal), and base16 (hex) number systems - we humans use base10 - decimal)
  
  Lua: This is a programming language, it's what a large portion of the GameSalad engine runs on. It's unique in that Lua is a very fast language and is often used as an embedded system inside larger C programs. It is easier to work with than pure C, but nowhere near as fast. Not something you have any control over.
  
  JIT: Just In Time compiled. It means the code is compiled just before it's executed. Not something you need to worry about as GS doesn't give you any control over this.
  
  AOT: Ahead Of Time compiled. The code gets compiled when building the binary instead of just before execution. (can be faster than JIT, but less dynamic) Not something you have any control over.
  
  Data Type: The data type is used by the compiler to determine the optimal amount of memory to allocate for a given piece of information in your game. An integer for example, on a 32 bit system uses 4 bytes of memory. A real uses 8 bytes. You don't need to worry about this to use GameSalad, it takes care of it for you.
  
  Compiler / Compilation / Compiled: The Compiler is a program that turns your GS project into a "binary" The process of doing that is called compilation. The finished project is a compiled binary. Compile = to put stuff together.
  
  Engine: A bunch of code that does a lot of the complicated stuff for you. Like draw pixels on the screen, play sounds, handle collisions, physics, touch events, etc. This is all invisible to you as GS takes care of that stuff for you, but it's the part of the GameSalad system that actually turns your game rules into moving stuff on the screen.
  
  Garbage Collection: Some systems have automatic garbage collection. Garbage collection is a term for cleaning up old, no longer used, memory. Not something you have any control over in GS.
  
  Memory: often when people refer to memory they are referring to RAM or Random Access Memory or rather, the amount of elbow room your device has to operate in. This is usually measured in Megabytes, or MB. The main important fact about RAM is that it is volatile. That is, it requires power to maintain state. If the power is removed the RAM is cleared. RAM is also hyper fast - changes to items in memory happen almost instantly. Your game runs in RAM. There is a small fixed amount of RAM on your device. 512MB for the latest iPhone devices last I checked. Your game can't use all of that, the OS will block you.
  
  File Size: This is the size of the "binary" the file size is the sum of all your art assets, sounds, the GS engine, and your code, plus a bit extra for misc stuff. It's the total size of your project. This is usually measured in MB also for small games, but could be as large as a few GB for very large games.
  
  OS: The operating system. For iPhone it's iOS, for Mac it's MacOS, for Android it's Android, for Windows it's WinNT
  
  Hope that helps

  A grand list!
  - Thomas
• The_Gamesalad_Guru Member Posts: 9,922

  May 2013

  Learning about technology is done in steps so don't be discouraged when you see a term just google it and read a bit about it and as you gather and understand the pieces soon you see the puzzle. It make take time but keep at it and it will all make sense.