Incremental Computation

The text introduces the concept of incremental computation, a method of computing that anticipates changes in input data, allowing for more efficient updates of outputs rather than recalculating everything from scratch. This approach is common in various programming domains, such as UI programming, data flow, build systems, compilers, and code editors. Although prevalent, it’s often not recognized as a distinct computational paradigm but rather seen as a form of caching or memoization. This contrasts with better-defined paradigms like concurrent, lazy, or distributed computation.

The author explains incremental computation in a series of blog posts using JavaScript examples to illustrate the concept and establish common terminology.