Must Concepts for Software Document Writers

© Ugur Akinci
It helps to know what the following are if you’re documenting any software products. It cuts down on your preparation time and saves you from getting those “funny stares” from the developers/engineers when it becomes apparent that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Rule of thumb: always do your homework first and get the lingo down before approaching an engineer for more information.
So, make sure you’re familiar with these concepts (it helps at job interviews too):

•     A “build”
•     A “release”
•     Release notes
•     A “version”
•     A “revision”
•     A “bug”
•     A “show-stopper bug”
•     “Bug tracker” or just plain “Tracker”
•     SourceSafe
•     Agile
•     MS SharePoint
•     Version control
•     Configuration
•     Configuration Management (also check out: Agile, a CM software)
•     Specs (a.k.a. Specifications or Requirements)
•     Functional specs (a.k.a. Functional Requirements)
•     MRD (Marketing Requirements Document)
•     Scope document
•     Design document
•     Database (DB)
•     Relational database
•     Flatfile database
•     System architecture
•     N-tier system architecture
•     Client/Server
•     Client-side vs. Server-side (as in “Javascript is a client-side script but PHP is not”)
•     A “script” and its difference from a  “[programming] language”
•     Difference between Javascript and Java

Let me know if you can remember any other SW terms to add to this list or you need help with any of these terms.