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S is for sustainable

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of making a website more visible in search results and improving search rankings.
Source: SEO
semantic HTML
Semantic HTML is the use of HTML markup to reinforce the semantics, or meaning, of the information in web pages and web applications rather than merely to define its presentation or look.
Semantic HTML is processed by traditional web browsers as well as by many other user agents. CSS is used to suggest its presentation to human users.
Source: Semantic HTML
server
In computing, a server is a piece of computer hardware or software (computer program) that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients. This architecture is called the client-server model.
Note: here we are primarily concerned with web (HTTP) servers. These are software programs that serve our web pages. We can run one on our local computer or access one on a remote machine, usually across a network.
The machine on which one or more server programs run is also often called a “server”. This leads to much confusion for newbies. When we say “server” here, we most often mean the software program, not the machine.
Source: Server (computing)
server state
Server state is data that is changeable and is stored and managed on the server, as opposed to transient data that is not stored (persisted) and client state which is maintained on the client (browser).
server-side
Server side refers to operations that are performed by the server in a client-server relationship in a computer network.
serverless computing
Serverless computing is a cloud computing execution model in which the cloud provider allocates machine resources on demand, taking care of the servers on behalf of their customers.
“Serverless” is a misnomer in the sense that servers are still used by cloud service providers to execute code for developers. However, developers of serverless applications are not concerned with capacity planning, configuration, management, maintenance, fault tolerance, or scaling of containers, VMs, or physical servers.
Serverless computing does not hold resources in volatile memory; computing is rather done in short bursts with the results persisted to storage.
When an app is not in use, there are no computing resources allocated to the app. Pricing is based on the actual amount of resources consumed by an application. It can be a form of utility computing.
Source: Serverless computing
shim
In computer programming, a shim is a library that transparently intercepts API calls and changes the arguments passed, handles the operation itself, or redirects the operation elsewhere.
Shims can be used to support an old API in a newer environment, or a new API in an older environment. Shims can also be used for running programs on different software platforms than they were developed for.
Source: Shim (computing)
Single-Page Application (SPA)
An SPA (single-page application) is a web app implementation that loads only a single web document, and then updates the body content of that single document via JavaScript APIs such as XMLHttpRequest and fetch when different content is to be shown.
This therefore allows users to use websites without loading whole new pages from the server, which can result in performance gains and a more dynamic experience, with some tradeoff disadvantages such as SEO, more effort required to maintain state, implement navigation, and do meaningful performance monitoring.
Source: SPA (Single-page application)
Single Responsibility Principle (SRP)
The single responsibility principle (SRP) is a computer programming principle that states that “A module should be responsible to one, and only one, actor”. The term actor refers to a group (consisting of one or more stakeholders or users) that requires a change in the module.
Source: SPA (Single-page application)
social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of content, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks.
Source: Social media
solution space
The solution space constitutes the world of products, services, and policies that have been produced to address a particular problem.
See also problem space.
Source: Problem Space, Solution Space
spaghetti code
Spaghetti code is a pejorative phrase for unstructured and difficult-to-maintain source code.
Spaghetti code can be caused by several factors, such as volatile project requirements, lack of programming style rules, and software engineers with insufficient ability or experience.
Source: Spaghetti code
specificity
Specificity is the algorithm used by browsers to determine the CSS declaration that is the most relevant to an element, which in turn, determines the property value to apply to the element.
The specificity algorithm calculates the weight of a CSS selector to determine which rule from competing CSS declarations gets applied to an element.
Source: Specificity
standing on the shoulders of giants
The phrase standing on the shoulders of giants is a metaphor which means “using the understanding gained by major thinkers who have gone before in order to make intellectual progress”.
Attributed initially to Bernard of Chartres, the phrase was used most famously by Isaac Newton, who said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.
Source: Standing on the shoulders of giants
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML)
The Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML; ISO 8879:1986) is a standard for defining generalized markup languages for documents. HTML is one such “application” of SGML.
Source: Standard Generalized Markup Language
State-of-the-Art (SOTA)
Very modern and using the most recent ideas and methods.
Source: Cambridge Dictionary
static typing
A statically-typed language is a language (such as Java, C, or C++) where variable types are known at compile time.
In most of these languages, types must be expressly indicated by the programmer; in other cases (such as OCaml), type inference allows the programmer not to indicate their variable types.
See also TypeScript.
Source: Static typing
sunk cost fallacy
A sunk cost fallacy is a fallacy where someone convinces themselves that they should continue doing something because they put in a lot of time and/or effort into it, even if they actually get very little reward out of it.
For example, a person might watch the first six episodes of Battlestar Galactica, but then decides that they do not like the show.
However, because there was a sunk cost, six hours of time, that person tells themselves that because they already spent so much time on it, they might as well finish the show.
Doh!
Source: Sunk cost fallacy
sustainable web development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle that aims to meet human development goals while also enabling natural systems to provide necessary natural resources and ecosystem services to humans.
The desired result is a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining the planetary integrity and stability of the natural system.
In web terms, a good starting point is the Sustainable Web Manifesto, which explains sustainable web development as clean, efficient, open, honest, regenerative, and resilient.
Source: Sustainable development

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