Questions tagged [language-agnostic]

Use this tag for PROGRAMMING QUESTIONS that are independent of any particular programming language.

Questions that are independent of programming language. These questions are typically more abstract than other categories.


A typical usage scenario with this tag is that you have a problem and you don't know how to solve much less what to write in a specific programming language.

So you would first ask a how type question with the tag and usually . Then when you get an acceptable answer you would code it in a specific programming language. If you have problems then you can refer back to the related question with the tag then in the new what question add the specific programming language, e.g. ,


Free Language Agnostic Programming Books


References:

Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures (NIST)

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Optimizing Code

You are given a heap of code in your favorite language which combines to form a rather complicated application. It runs rather slowly, and your boss has asked you to optimize it. What are the steps you follow to most efficiently optimize the code?…
Claudiu
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Open sourcing a commercial site

I am building a 'software as a service' website that will be charging users a small monthly fee. I am considering changing the Github repository over from Private to Public. Essentially open sourcing it. Is this suicide? I would like the community…
Joe Cannatti
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testing command line utilities

I'm looking for a way to run tests on command-line utilities written in bash, or any other language. I'd like to find a testing framework that would have statements like setup: command = 'do_awesome_thing' filename = 'testfile' args =…
intuited
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Contributing to a Linux distribution

I'm interested in contributing to a Linux distro, but regarding the various distro's developer communities, I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out which one I'd most like to join. What languages I know: C, C++, Lua, Python, and fairly familiar…
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Algorithm to calculate a page importance based on its views / comments

I need an algorithm that allows me to determine an appropriate field for my website's sitemap based on the page's views and comments count. For those of you unfamiliar with sitemaps, the priority field is used to signal the importance of…
stacker
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Find location using only distance and bearing?

Triangulation works by checking your angle to three KNOWN targets. "I know the that's the Lighthouse of Alexandria, it's located here (X,Y) on a map, and it's to my right at 90 degrees." Repeat 2 more times for different targets and…
Phil Salesses
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Is there a website to look up common, already written functions?

I'm sitting here writing a function that I'm positive has been written before, somewhere on earth. It's just too common to have not been attempted, and I'm wondering why I can't just go to a website and search for a function that I can then copy…
Phil Salesses
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A two way minimum spanning tree of a directed graph

Given a directed graph with weighted edges, what algorithm can be used to give a sub-graph that has minimum weight, but allows movement from any vertex to any other vertex in the graph (under the assumption that paths between any two vertices always…
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List of de facto standard keyboard shortcuts for Windows apps?

Let's say I'm developing a new desktop application for Windows. Is there a list somewhere that I can consult (either from Microsoft or a 3rd party) of keyboard shortcuts that all Windows applications should support? (Note: When I say "all Windows…
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web site development best practices, design or code by first?

I'm using an MVC framework to develop a web site, I've to care about the design in the sense of look and feel (views) and the code (models, controllers). I don't know what is the best way to proceed: code and design iteratively by small…
pygabriel
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Do similar passwords have similar hashes?

Our computer system at work requires users to change their password every few weeks, and you cannot have the same password as you had previously. It remembers something like 20 of your last passwords. I discovered most people simply increment a…
NibblyPig
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On-premise, off-premise applications, what are they?

When I study about cloud-computing, I usually see these terms: on-premise, off-premise applications. I tried to search them on Google, but no luck. Can anyone please explain these terms to me?
Delta76
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Is a red-black tree my ideal data structure?

I have a collection of items (big rationals) that I'll be processing. In each case, processing will consist of removing the smallest item in the collection, doing some work, and then adding 0-2 new items (which will always be larger than the removed…
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Best self-balancing BST for quick insertion of a large number of nodes

I've been able to find details on several self-balancing BSTs through several sources, but I haven't found any good descriptions detailing which one is best to use in different situations (or if it really doesn't matter). I want a BST that is…
Jonesinator
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How to efficiently find the ideal column count for strings of a certain width?

I have n strings of different length s1, s2, …, sn that I want to display on a terminal in c columns. The terminal has a width of m characters. Each column i has a certain width wi which is equal to the width of the longest entry in that column. …
fuz
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