Whose Afraid Of The Jargon? - AMSTRAD cpc 6128 User Instruction

Whose afraid of the jargon?
As with all 'specialist' industries, computing has developed its own jargon as a
short-hand form of communicating complicated concepts that require many words of
'plain language' explanation. It's not just the high technology business that's guilty
of hiding itself behind an apparent smoke screen of 'buzz words', jargon and
terminology - most of us have come up against the barriers to understanding erected
by all the main professions and trades.
A major difference is that the confusion in legal jargon arises from the way the words
are used - rather than the words themselves as in the case of computing. Most people
who grow familiar with computing terminology will go out of their way to use the
words in the most straightforward possible manner, so as to minimise the complexity
of the communication. Don't be mislead by the 'plain language' used in computing, it
is not a literary subject, but a precise science, and apart from the 'syntax' of the
wording, the structure of the communication is very straightforward, and not in the
least confusing or ambiguous. Teachers of computing have not yet managed to make
an art form out of trying to analyse the exact meaning intended by a programmer in
his program construction.
Having said that, despite whether or not the meaning of a computer program is
obvious, there are still many aspects that can be analysed as either elegant or untidy,
and more emphasis is being put on a formal approach to program construction, now
that the initial mayhem brought about the micro revolution is settling down.
Computing is rapidly being understood by many young people who appreciate the
precision and simplicity of the ideas and the way they can be communicated - you
don't find too many ten year old lawyers - but you can find plenty of ten year old
programmers!
Chapter 9 Page 6 At your leisure ....