Glossary of Terms

Interactive Fiction:

A computer-based narrative that began in the 1970's as a way for a reader or player to take an active part in the direction of a story. It is very similar to the once popular "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, allowing the interactor to manipulate the plot events.

Authoring System:

Collection of programming tools that describes the ideal (default) behavior of objects in a simulated universe. (ifwiki.org)

Parser:

Computer program or portion of a program that analyzes a string of characters in order to recognize grammatical units.

Library Module:

Code designed to be used in a number of different games, adds functionality to the game, helps with NPC's or better simulation, collection of code that is included in the authoring system, establishes "rules" of the game world: how actions are handled, can provide sense, etc.

Compiler:

A program that takes the source code of a game and transforms it into a story file that can be played on an interpreter using an number of different computer systems.

Story File:

The end result. Contains the interactive fiction to be loaded with an interpreter program.

Interpreter:

Program that reads a story file so that the interactive fiction can be played.

NPC:

Non-player character.

Freeware:

refers to copyrighted computer software that is available
for free and unlimited use, as opposed to "shareware" which requires
the user to pay typically after a trial period.

Public Domain:

A creative work is said to be in the public domain if
there are no laws which restrict its use by the public at large.

Inform:

A programming language and design system for interactive
fiction that was originally created in Graham Nelson in 1993.

TADS:

programming system for creating interactive fiction games. The
name is an acronym for "Text Adventure Development System". Games
written in TADS are compiled to a platform-independent format that can
be played on any computer for which a suitable virtual machine (VM)
exists.