module
1.
An independent piece of {software} which forms part of one or more larger {programs}. Different
languages have different concepts of a module but there are
several common ideas.
Modules are usually compiled seperately (in compiled
languages) and provide an {abstraction} or information hiding
mechanism so that a module's implementation can be changed
without requiring any change to other modules. In this
respect they are similar to {objects} in an {object-oriented
language}, though a module may contain many {procedures}
and/or {functions} which would correspond to many objects.
A module often has its own {name space} for {identifiers} so
the same identifier may be used to mean different things in
different modules.
[Difference from {package}?].
2. An independent assembly of electronic components
with some distinct function, e.g. a RAM module consisting of
several RAM chips mounted on a small circuit board.
(1997-10-27)