Software Engineering Glossary

"K" Glossary Content



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Other topics within the glossary:

kernel
  1. That portion of an operating system that is kept in main memory at all times. Syn: nucleus; resident control program.
  2. A software module that encapsulates an elementary function or functions of a system. See also: security kernel.
key map
A mapping assignment that translates key values on synthesizers that do not conform to General MIDI standards. Key maps ensure that the appropriate percussion instrument or the appropriate octave for a melodic instrument is played when a MIDI file is played.
key practices
The infrastructures and activities that contribute most to the effective implementation and institutionalization of a key process area.
key process area
A cluster of related activities that, when performed collectively, achieve a set of goals considered important for establishing process capability. The key process areas have been defined to reside at a single maturity level. They are the areas identified by the SEI to be the principal building blocks to help determine the software process capability of an organization and understand the improvements needed to advance to higher maturity levels. The Level 2 key process areas in the CMM are Requirements Management, Software Project Planning, Software Project Tracking and Oversight, Software Subcontract Management, Software Quality Assurance, and Software Configuration Management. The Level 3 key process areas in the CMM are Organization Process Focus, Organization Process Definition, Training Program, Integrated Software Management, Software Product Engineering, Intergroup Coordination, and Peer Reviews. The Level 4 key process areas are Quantitative Process Management and Software Quality Management. The Level 5 key process areas are Defect Prevention, Technology Change Management, and Process Change Management.
keyboard buffer
A temporary storage area in memory that keeps track of keys you typed, even if the computer did not immediately respond to the keys when you typed them.
KOPS
Acronym for kilo-operations per second; that is, thousands of operations per second. A measure of computer processing speed. See also: MFLOPS; MIPS.