The following are definitions provided to ensure the rest of the documentation is understood and clear to the reader. Many of these terms have been used in differing contexts based on the background of the writer. Thus, this allows the author and reader of this library to ensure that everything is understand by setting expectations of understanding.

System - A collection of software and/or hardware performing one or several tasks. A system can be a platform, an application, or both.

Application - A program or collection of programs that fulfills a customer's requirements.

Subsystem - A set of collaborating components performing a given task. A subsystem is considered a separate entity within a software architecture. It performs its designated task by interacting with other subsystems and components.

Platform - The sum of hardware and/or software a system uses for its implementation. Software platforms include operating systems, libraries, and frameworks. A platform implements a virtual machine with applications running on top of it.

Framework - A semi finished (sub-) system intended to be instantiated. A framework defines the architecture for a family of (sub-) systems and provides the basic building blocks to create them. It also defines the parts of itself that must be adapted to achieve a specific functionality. In an object-oriented environment a framework consists of abstract and concrete classes. Instantiation of such a framework consists of composing and subclassing the existing classes.

Application Framework - A framework for completing applications in a specific domain.

Component - An encapsulated part of a software system. A component has an interface that provides access to its services. Components serve as the building blocks for the struture of a system. On a programming language level components may be represented as modules, classes, objects, or a set of related functions. A component that does not implement all the elements of its interface is called an abstract component.

Message - A message is used to communicate between objects, threads, components, or processes and may be synchronous or asynchronous in nature. Synchronous messages mean that the sender waits util the receiver finishes the operation before continuing. Asynchronous messages return to the sender immediately while the receiver processes the message in the background.

Event - A message that conveys the occurrence of a significant activity. An event commonly indicates the activity that occurred, a reference to the object to which it occurred, a timestamp, and any associated data.

Coupling - Coupling represents a measure of the interconnection between components. It is desirable to minimise coupling, thereby making components as independent as possible. A design unit has low coupling if the units are not strongly dependent on each other and is a feature of a well-partitioned system. Simple connectivity between components results in software that is easier to understand and less likely to spread error through a system.

Cohesion - Cohesion is an integral part of modular design and represents the strength of the relationship between design elements. A cohesive component performs a single task and requires minimal interaction with logic in other parts of a program. Ideally a cohesive component should do only one thing. It is desirable to have components which are highly cohesive and strongly related to one another. The elements of one component should not be strongly related to those of another component as this leads to tight coupling which is undesirable.