OK, so you’ve been around our site, and probably others like ours, and you might be wondering what some things are. Although they’re usually explained, I wanted to post sort of a reference, for… um, future reference! This will help you with the ins and outs of tech-speak. So bookmark this page, and read up on your abbreviations.
AJAX – Not the soap, as I first thought! Stands for Asynchronous Java Script. It’s used to create web pages that are more interactive and usable.
Bitmap – A map made up of dots and pixels generated by a computer and used to represent types and images.
Bandwith – The amount of data that can be transferred through a network within stipulated time.
CPU – Central Processing Unit, or processor. Basically, the brain of your machine.
CRM – Customer Relations Management, pretty self explanatory.
DPI – This stands for dots per inch, it’s a measurement of resolution of an image either in screen or in print.
DSL – Digital Subscriber Line. Data transfer over a regular line. A DSL circuit is faster than a regular phone connection despite the copper wires used.
E-Commerce – Electronic Commerce. This is the action of buying and selling products over the internet.
Encryption – This is how data is kept secret from hackers, and can only be deciphered by the creator.
Freeware – This is software copyrighted and created to be made available to anyone for free.
FTP – This stands for file transfer protocol, and is used to exchange files over a network. It requires two computers, a server and a client
GIF – Graphics Interchange Format, or a compressed image.
HTML – Hyper-Text Markup Language, a.k.a. the language that web pages are written in. It’s a variety of letters, numbers, tags, and programmer-speak.
HTTP – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, which is the protocol which is used to transfer data over the world wide web.
IP Address – This code made up of numbers is separated by three dots and identifies a specific computer. Each computer has its own specific IP address.
JPEG – This is the most standard format used for photos online, and stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group.
LAN – Stands for Local Area Network, and is a computer network that covers a small geographic area, kind of like owning property for your home.
MySQL – A language used for adding, removing, and modifying information in a database. It is commonly found on web servers.
POP3 – Post Office Protocol, a method of delivering e-mails which is simple and standardized.
URL – Uniform Resource Locator, the address that indicates where a file is located on the internet.
VoIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol, a combination of hardware and software with the help of which people can use the internet to transmit telephone calls.
Any more questions? Is your head spinning? Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it, if I can, and I’m just a silly writer, anyone can! These words and abbreviations have become a part of my daily conversation! While that probably won’t be the case for you, you can bet you’ll notice them a lot more while using a computer, even if it is just at home! 🙂
Talk to you soon!
Nicole
