Independence

As explained in Get Programming: Learn to code with Python

Independence is a property of a software task or component that allows it to operate without relying on another task or component.

Two tasks are independent if they can be performed at the same time. A task depends on another when it cannot start until that other task is complete. section 20.1

Ordering an item online

After order details are extracted, finding the item and making a shipping label can happen independently. Packing waits for the item to be found; mailing waits for both packing and the label. section 20.1

Figure 20.1. One possible way to divide the task of ordering an item online into smaller, self-contained, and reusable subtasks. Each gray box represents a task. Things to the left of the box are the inputs to a task, and things to the right are outputs of the task.

The task diagram shows how subtasks connect through their inputs and outputs. section 20.1

How Get Programming: Learn to code with Python covers it

How deep it goes

Defines independence through concurrency, traces dependencies in an ordering workflow, and reinforces the distinction with quick-check questions.

Examples

Uses online ordering, wedding-task outsourcing, and everyday quick checks to illustrate tasks and their dependencies.

What you can do after

Evaluate task sequences by identifying which actions can run concurrently and which require earlier tasks to finish.

How it connects

Connects task independence with task decomposition, modules, inputs and outputs, and abstraction.

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Also explained in

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  liveBookmanning.com
  Grokking ConcurrencyTask independence is the property that tasks can execute in any order without depending on one another's intermediate results.

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Related concepts

• dependencycontrasts with · A software dependency is a component, resource, or prerequisite on which another software component or operation relies to function or proceed.
• scenarioconfigures · A scenario is a concrete description of a situation or conditions, often including actions and expected or possible outcomes, for analysis or evaluation.
• concurrencyused by · Concurrency is the structuring or execution of multiple computational activities so their progress overlaps in time, whether or not they run simultaneously.
• decompositionused by · Decomposition is the process of dividing a complex whole into smaller constituent parts that can be handled or analyzed separately.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Get Programming: Learn to code with Python. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.