Glossary | Counterpart

How we operate

The words behind how we work.

Requirements by Design: Before anyone writes code, we design the product screen by screen, so the requirements are settled and the fixed bid is real. That design then drives the build. Read the Tech Talk →
Clarity before code: The idea underneath Requirements by Design: settle what a system has to do before building it, not while building it. Read the Tech Talk →
Fixed bid on complexity: We price on how hard the problem is, not on hours logged, and commit to the number before the build starts. Read the Tech Talk →
Discovery: A short engagement at the start. It ends in a complete requirements document you own, whether or not you go on to build with us.
Sprints: We deliver in two-week sprints, so working software reaches you early and you steer with every release, rather than waiting on one big reveal.
Continual-improvement warranty: While we keep building together, we fix bugs for free. It is our standing promise to keep the system healthy as long as we are your team. Read the Tech Talk →
Stewardship: After launch, the same people keep your system running, secure, and improving for years. You own the system; we stay its long-term steward.
Software counterpart: The role our name promises: the long-term software partner the organizations we serve run on.
AI, the industrial mixer: Our stance on AI. It handles the parts that have been done ten thousand times before, while people own the architecture, the data model, and the judgment. Read the essay →

Tech terms, in plain English

The jargon, translated.

The words that come up in a project meeting, without the blank stares. There is a fuller version in our developer-terms glossary.

API: Application Programming Interface: the software go-between that lets two applications talk to each other.
Front end and back end: The front end is what your users see and click in the browser. The back end is the code on the server that stores your data, runs the rules, and does the work behind it.
CMS: Content Management System: software that lets you manage your own content, text, images, and video, without writing code.
CSS: Cascading Style Sheets: the rules that control how a site looks, keeping colors, fonts, and layout consistent across every page.
Debug mode: A mode developers run code in to step through it line by line and track down a bug at its source.
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language: the markup that structures a web page or email, its headings, paragraphs, tables, and images.
HTTPS: The secure version of a web address. The 's' means the traffic between your browser and the site is encrypted.
Modal: A popup window that sits in front of the page and waits for you to act before you return to it, often used for forms.
QA: Quality Assurance: the discipline of testing software to catch defects before they ever reach your users. Read the Tech Talk →
UI: User Interface: the screens and controls a person actually interacts with. UX vs UI →
UX: User Experience: the overall experience of using the software, how it feels to move through it. UX vs UI →
WYSIWYG: “What you see is what you get.” An editor where content looks the same while you edit it as it will once it is published. Read the Tech Talk →

Languages and platforms

What we build it in.

The main languages and data systems behind custom software, in plain terms. We stay technology-agnostic and pick the right tool for the job.

SQL: The standard language for talking to a database: storing, updating, and pulling back the data your software runs on. Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle are common versions.
Database: Where a system's information lives, organized into linked tables so each fact is stored once and connected everywhere it's needed. The backbone of most business software.
JavaScript: The programming language that runs in every web browser. It's what makes a page interactive instead of just something you read.
C#: A Microsoft programming language, and one of the main ones we build in. It runs the server side of a lot of business applications.
.NET: Microsoft's framework for building and running applications, usually paired with C#. A well-supported, long-lived foundation for business software.
Java: A widely used language known for running the same way across different systems. Common in large, long-lived enterprise applications.

Still unsure?

We'd rather explain it than assume you know.

If a word is in the way, ask. Plain language is the whole point, on this page and in the room.

Start the conversation See how we work