GET TO KNOW YOUR SOFTWARE TERMS.

1:algorithmAn algorithm is a set of instructions, sometimes called a procedure or a function, that is used to perform a certain task. This can be a simple process, such as adding two numbers together, or a complex function, such as adding effects to an image. For example, in order to sharpen a digital photo, the algorithm would need to process each pixel in the image and determine which ones to change and how much to change them in order to make the image look sharper.
Most computer programmers spend a large percentage of their time creating algorithms. (The rest of their time is spent debugging the algorithms that don't work properly.) The goal is to create efficient algorithms that do not waste more computer resources (such as RAM and CPU time) than necessary. This can be difficult, because an algorithm that performs well on one set of data may perform poorly on other data.
As you might guess, poorly written algorithms can cause programs to run slowly and even crash. Therefore, software updates are often introduced, touting "improved stability and performance." While this sounds impressive, it also means that the algorithms in the previous versions of the software were not written as well as the could have been.
2:APIStands for "Application Program Interface," though it is sometimes referred to as an "Application Programming Interface." An API is a set of commands, functions, and protocols which programmers can use when building software for a specific operating system. The API allows programmers to use predefined functions to interact with the operating system, instead of writing them from scratch.
All computer operating systems, such as Windows, Unix, and the Mac OS, provide an application program interface for programmers. APIs are also used by video game consoles and other hardware devices that can run software programs. While the API makes the programmer's job easier, it also benefits the end user, since it ensures all programs using the same API will have a similar user interface.
3:COMPILERA compiler is a software program that compiles program source code files into an executable program. It is included as part of the integrated development environment IDE with most programming software packages.The compiler takes source code files that are written in a high-level language, such as C, BASIC, or Java, and compiles the code into a low-level language, such as machine code or assembly code. This code is created for a specific processor type, such as and Intel Pentium or PowerPC. The program can then be recognized by the processor and run from the operating system. After a compiler compiles source code files into a program, the program cannot be modified. Therefore, any changes must be made in the source code and the program must be recompiled. Fortunately, most modern compilers can detect what changes were made and only need to recompile the modified files, which saves programmers a lot of time. This can help reduce programmers' 100 hour work weeks before project deadlines to around 90 or so.