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A.

API is short for application programming interface. An API is used to exchange information between an application and individual program parts in a standardized way. Web APIs are used in the web area. The API does not interact with the user, only with program modules.

App is the abbreviation of Application. Each app runs as an application software that adds additional functionality to the system that is not fundamental to the functioning of the system itself.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)is a diverse technology and almost everyone seems to have a definition for it. It is a mix of technologies that enables machines to understand, act and learn with human intelligence. There is a lot of talk about AI Engines at the moment as they are changing the market a profoundly: ChatGPT, dall.e2, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion but also deep fake technology - just to name a few.

An audio deepfake is a fake or cloned voice generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The quality of the imitation is so good that it is impossible to tell whether the voice is original or not. The technology has very high potential, especially in the entertainment industry or in the case of speech disabilities. However, the potential for forgery and deception is just as immense.

An avatar is a representative on the internet or social media. An avatar is an image or graphics that represent a real person - for example in a computer game. Avatars are often fantasy figures that have little to do with the person behind them. However, avatars are now also being used as customer advisors.

B.

Beta testers check a product - usually a website or a program - for its functionality. During development, it often happens that errors and sources of error are overlooked. In order to avoid possible errors, the developed product is extensively tested by different people before an official release

.

The beta version is the development status of software in which some of the new functions have already been implemented, but the development has not yet been completed and fully released.

A browser is a computer program for displaying Internet pages on the World Wide Web. With the help of the browser, users can navigate and search the Internet, but also open local documents and files. The most well-known browsers include Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari and Microsoft Edge.

Browsers can be expanded with so-called extensions and they provide the Internet user with an additional range of functions that the browser itself does not offer. Another name is browser add-ons.

An error in the program code of a software is a bug. A bug can result in anything from undesirable behavior to a complete malfunction of an application or software-controlled device. Programmers try to find and fix bugs as early as possible in the development phase.

Finding and eliminating a bug is called bug fixing.  

C.

A chatbot is a program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language programming (NLP) to understand and answer questions from customers. A conversation is simulated. More and more websites use chatbots that answer text- and/or audio-based questions and - without human intervention - make access to information easy. They are also often called virtual assistants or agents, see Alexa or Siri.

ChatGPT is the prototype of a sophisticated, conversational chatbot with artificial intelligence. It is based on an optimized version of the GPT-3 (Generative Pretrained Transformer 3) language model and was developed by the US company OpenAI. The chatbot communicates in multiple languages. It understands input from humans and produces responses that are almost indistinguishable from texts of human origin.

A client is a computer or software that communicates with a server (central computer) via a specific protocol and calls up special services or data there in order to then make them available for local use. The server can either be part of a closed network or accessible via the Internet.

Refactoring involves rebuilding the code without changing the original functionality. The goal is to improve the code internally through small changes, while keeping the external behavior the same. By refactoring, web developers improve the design, structure, and implementation of software. Refactoring improves code readability and reduces bugs and complexity.

Collaboration is the joint effort of several individuals or teams to accomplish a task or complete a project together.

When a user visits a website, the website stores data on the computer called cookies. The cookies come from the websites accessed and contain information on the language, page settings, e-mail address and the name of the user. Cookies are intended to make surfing the Internet easier, as surfing habits are saved and passed on to the operator of the website. With the help of cookies, operators can adapt websites to personal user profiles.

Correction describes the measure to eliminate the cause of a detected error or other undesired situation.

D.

Data protection refers to the protection of personal data from improper use. It secures the fundamental right of natural persons to informational self-determination and the use of their data.

Deepfake is an AI (artificial intelligence) technology in which a generator creates a fake image and a discriminator unmasks the fake. At the same time, the system learns, i.e. the information from the discriminator is used to improve the forgery (deep learning). The technology is now so sophisticated that fake images can hardly be identified as such. A great technology for the entertainment industry, but it can also be used to badly discredit people with fakes.

The term design includes the formal-aesthetic shape of a product (shape, size, color, material, surface, etc.) and the process of creative activity. This includes the graphic design work and the recording and planning of all design-determining factors that are of essential importance for the creation of a product, such as economic requirements, technical conditions, production techniques, material properties and benefits.

Design Thinking is a systematic approach to solve complex problems from all areas of life. The approach goes far beyond the classic design disciplines such as shaping and form giving and places user wishes and needs as well as user-oriented invention at the center of the process. Design thinking consists of five key steps: understanding, empathy, synthesis, prototyping, testing.

Digital ethics explore the right things to do and the good life in our evolving digital age. They explore the social, ecological and economic compatibility of digital technologies in their development and application. Each person, company or organization faces digital risks, but also opportunities.

Drag & Drop is a user interface action that allows users to move elements within a graphical user interface... dragging from one place and dropping to another.

E.

Editing means editing and proof reading a literary text or entering, processing or deleting data on a computer system.

Empathy is the ability to understand other people's feelings and perspective and to respond appropriately. BugShot supports an empathetic approach and user-centric design.

F.

Programming needs structure. A framework is the fundamental basis for software to be programmed. A framework determines the information architecture of the programs and provides the developers with pre-programmed and reusable building blocks, functions and components.

G.

A game engine is a software development environment, also known as game architecture or game framework. This environment provides settings and configurations that streamline and simplify video game development across a variety of programming languages. A game engine can include: An engine that edits and imports 2D or 3D graphics; a physics engine that simulates the real world; AI that reacts directly to the player, a sound effects engine or an animation engine. Game engines are highly complex and greatly support the development of video games.

Generative AI (Gen AI) is a type of artificial intelligence that can create a wide range of information, such as text, images, video, audio, and 3D models. Gen AI learns patterns from existing data and then uses the learned knowledge to generate new and unique output. It can create highly realistic and extremely complex content that mimics human creativity. This tool is particularly valued in the areas of games, entertainment and product design (see also GPT and Midjourney).

A generative pretrained transformer is a language model based on deep learning that generates texts as if they were written by humans. Users "feed" GPT with one sentence and the transformer generates understandable information from datasets that are publicly available. In addition to text, the technology can also process guitar tabs and computer code, for example. The technology is developed by OpenAI. GPT-2 included 1.5 billion parameters. It is assumed that GPT-4 works with 100 trillion parameters.

Geofencing is a type of location-based advertising and marketing. A mobile app or software uses global positioning system (GPS), radio frequency identification (RFID), WiFi, or mobile data to define a virtual geographic boundary. When a user crosses this boundary inwards or outwards with their device, a marketing or advertising activity is triggered. For example, tennis clothing can be advertised on a tennis court. This virtual border is called a geofence.

Gestaltung means the design and process of creating a consciously shaped work of art. The term can refer to text, image, sculpture, building, object, but also action and language.

Graphics is a collective term for all two-dimensional, graphic forms of representation that are non-painterly representation techniques. The classic art form of graphics includes photography, drawing, printing and computer graphics.

H.

A helpdesk is a system responsible for user support and service requests. Helpdesks are used in the software and hardware area and usually operate via telephone, email, messaging services or chat.

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language and was developed by Timothy John Berners-Lee and his colleagues at the CERN Nuclear Research Center. CERN was founded in 1954 and has been funded by European countries ever since. As in many research institutions, they looked for ways in which researchers could exchange information with each other. HTML is a language that describes pages and makes them identifiable. The World Wide Web was built on it.

I.

Implementation is the realisation of defined structures and processes in a system, taking into account the specifications created for this (framework conditions, rules and targets).

 

Interaction (man-machine) describes how people and automated systems interact and communicate with each other.

J.

In 1995, Sun Microsystems released the Java programming language and computing platform. Java forms the basis for most of the digital world today and acts as a platform for many applications and services. Although Java is one of the oldest Internet programming languages, new, innovative and future-oriented digital services and products are based on Java.  

K.

Kanban is literally translated from Japanese as a card or visual signal. Kanban is a work management method that evolved from the Toyota Production System (TPS).

Kanban board - the team uses a board on which a card is placed for each task in the project. A Kanban board has at least three columns: Open (To Do), In progress (Doing) and Done (Done). Depending on the processing status, the cards move across the board.

L.

A logo is a symbol or design that a company or organization uses to identify its products, services, but also buildings, staff clothing, etc. Or simply put: a logo identifies. A company is identified by its logo. The logo creates an emotional bond with the outside world and communicates the brand.

BugShot helps design things people love.

M.

machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence (AI). Machine learning systems are fed huge amounts of data and learn from them. The machine learning software is implemented using a neural network architecture and in the training phase it modifies the relationships between the data itself. The AI ​​itself improves its ability to recognize the data that is needed for the actual work processes. Deep learning is the most intensive form of machine learning and uses many layers of data discovery.

A marker is a wide pen that allows you to underline and mark text passages with transparent paint. BugShot has a marker that has the same function on web pages.

A mistake is the deviation of the actual state from the target state. To to make mistakes is human. We all make mistakes. BugShot makes it easy to correct mistakes and bugs as a team.

N.

Project work is often done in networks. This means that several people or organizations come together voluntarily in a network, but are organized decentrally. This can be complex, as different interests and corporate cultures have to be brought together. The most important criteria for success are the involvement of all important people, the establishment of structures, work as a process, communication and trust.

Neural networks are an artificial intelligence technique that mimics the behavior of neurons in the human brain. Neural networks are used in image processing, robotics, diagnostics, prediction and many other areas. Unlike regular applications that are programmed to provide accurate results, neural networks use a much more complex architecture that analyzes data. Neural networks are trained to recognize images, speech and other patterns and form the basis for machine learning and deep learning.

An NFT (non-fungible token) ​​is a digital asset that is unique and not exchangeable. That asset can be a photo, song, or video whose ownership has been authenticated and stored on a database called blockchain. An NFT can be collected, sold and traded on dedicated online platforms.

O.

Open source software (OSS) is code that is publicly available. This means that anyone can use, develop and distribute the code. OSS is developed decentrally and collaboratively and checked by other developers. OSS is often cheaper, more secure and more durable than proprietary software because it is developed in the network and tested more rigorously. Open source has opened up completely new ways of decentralized collaboration.

OpenAI describes itself as “(…) an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core. OpenAI is dedicated to putting that alignment of interests first — ahead of profit. To achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. Our investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion is ongoing, executed through a wide range of initiatives, and championed and supported by leadership. At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.“ OpenAI profile on LinkedIn, April 2023

The operating system is a basic program that manages the components of a computer such as memory, hard disk space, input and output devices and makes them available for applications. An operating system can be found in almost every type of computer, whether server, mainframe, PC, tablet or smartphone. The operating system takes care of user communication and access rights, controls the loading, execution and termination of application software, manages processor performance and storage capacities and the operation of connected devices such as mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, cameras, etc.

P.

A persona is an invented but realistic description of a person that represents the user of a product or service very realistically. This person's characteristics are based on their needs, behavior, experiences, and goals. Personas reflect subjective attitudes and opinions rather than statistical data about an individual.

PHP is short for Hypertext Processor and was originally called 'Personal Home Page Tools'. As an open source scripting language, PHP is mainly used for websites and can be included in an HTML document. PHP is considered to be very flexible and compatible with other databases and easy to learn.

The more AI determines our everyday life, the greater the demand for data protection. Privacy computing technologies offer a variety of hardware and software solutions that separate data from personal information. If only data values ​​are used e.g. for the development of pharmaceuticals and not the personal information, privacy and security are guaranteed.

A project is a one-time undertaking that is worked on by a team with the aim of achieving a specific result. The three crucial dimensions of any project are time, money and quality.

Q.

Quantum computing takes the unique behaviors of quantum physics, such as superposition, entanglement and quantum inference, and translates this into computing power. This expands traditional programming methods with completely new concepts.

R.

Design research is generally understood as the process by which designers try to better understand the needs and sometimes inarticulate desires and challenges of users and integrate them into the design process. The aim is to develop solutions that are useful and usable.

Software resilience is the ability of software to recover from an unexpected event. A developer must therefore foresee the major risks and incorporate them. Software that does not fail in the event of a fault and that continues to run with reduced functionality is resilient.

S.

Screenshot is a digital photo of a computer, tablet or smart phone screen.

A script is a sequence of program instructions that are stored in a file or in a program and can be executed repeatedly.

Software is the collective term for all non-physical components of a computer, computer network or mobile device. Software is the programs, applications and operating system that make the computer work for the user.

Software Tool is a software development support program that enables the computer-aided application of a method in interactive mode.

Status reports have the task of informing external stakeholders, the clients or the steering committee of a project, briefly and concisely but also comprehensively about the status of the project. They should therefore not be longer than two to three pages and should contain the essential information in an edited form.

A super app includes multiple services and functions, a bit like a digital Swiss Army knife. This can include social networks, eCommerce, banking and other payment functions - one solution for multiple needs. These platforms are very popular in Asia (WeChat, Gojek), at this stage in Europe super apps are met with concerns about data protection.

The system software is the central software of systems. It forms the interface between the hardware components and the application programs and controls the functional processes between the hardware components of computers or other systems equipped with processors.

T.

Team is a group of people working together on a project.

A text is a written and wording-fixed sequence of statements that is coherent in terms of its content.

The word tracking is used in many areas of our lives today. With package tracking, for example, you can track where a consignment with goods that you ordered on the Internet is currently located. And with a GPS tracker, you can track where a pet is, for example. Or you can show and track the bugs in web development.

 

U.

User Experience (UX) describes the experience that a user has with a product, interaction or service or the combination on all three.

Analysis, design and optimization of the user experience are the most important elements of user experience design (UX design). The user experience includes the holistic experience (such as feelings, thoughts and needs) of a user with a digital product and is often characterized by a high level of complexity.

V.

A version denotes a variant, an implementation, or an enhanced version of an item, which item may also be software.
 

Voice generators (AI) use text-to-speech (TTS) technology, which captures text and then reads or sings it out loud with a human-like voice. The technology can assist people with learning difficulties or speech impairments and it can be used as a voice-over for video footage.

W.

A web designer takes care of the visual, structural and functional design of websites.

 

Web Development is a general term that encompasses all the tasks involved in developing a website. These tasks are typically not design related, but instead focus on turning a website's design elements into a fully functional website.

Weblaunch describes the starting phase of a new website on the Internet, which is usually divided into several phases.

Web3 is the next step in the evolution of the Internet. Web 1.0 allowed users to find, read, and see information. Web 2.0 became interactive and users can also edit - keyword: social media and the multitude of apps. In Web3, owning and executing will be added to interaction. The first principles can already be seen: fairness through decentralization, privacy through blockchain, security through encryption, and machine learning through AI (artificial intelligence).

X.

The Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) is a Xerox Corporation company and it is an integral part of Xerox's strategy for investing in the future. Founded in 1970 as an independent research center within Xerox Research, PARC was one of the cornerstones of Silicon Valley. The focus today is on computer vision, the machine identification of people, places, objects and activities, with the aim of solving complex problems.

Y.

Founded in 2005, YouTube is a video hosting and streaming platform. Anyone can upload videos, whether they contain personal or professional content. The videos can be shared with other users and commented on. The service is owned by Google, it is one of the most popular platforms worldwide and is funded by advertising.

Z.

Zapier is an online tool that can be used to connect different web applications and to transfer data. With a trigger, Zapier initiates actions, which connect and synchronize the operations of most apps and software in a company. Often repeated processes can be coordinated and automated. This eliminates manual and repetitive tasks.

A ZIP file is a ZIP format file that compresses and stores data without loss. ZIP files are often used to send them via email. The ZIP file format was developed by Phil Katz in 1989 and offered by the PKWARE company under the name PKZIP.