Here are a few of the abbreviations and terms used in this article:
| Term | Meaning |
| diff | difference(s) |
| fn | function |
| fns | functions |
| param | parameter |
| ptr | pointer, a C/C++ construct declared by: int * p; |
| ref | reference, a C++ construct declared by: int & r; |
| OO | object-oriented |
| OOP | object-oriented programming |
| OOPL | object-oriented programming language |
| method | an alternate term for "member function" |
| ARM | Annotated Reference Manual |