GPRS- General Packet Radio Service

GSM -Global System for Mobile Communications

SIM-A subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module (SIM)

COMPUTER-Commonly operated machine particularly used for technical & educational research

AGPAccelerated Graphics Port is a type of expansion card slot on the mother board that is optimized to work with high performance video cards. They enable better viewing of 3D graphics and full motion video on your display.

BIOSBasic Input Output System is code used when a PC first starts up. It contains configuration information about all the Input and Output devices in the PC so that the processor chip knows how to connect to and work with them.

BITThis is binary digit and is the smallest piece of information a computer uses. A bit is always in one of two states, either 0 or 1, except for the tiny instant of time required to switch from one state to the other.

BYTEA byte is eight bits. The data and instructions (code) that a CPU uses are coded into bytes. For example capital letter 'A' in ASCII (PC) code is byte 0100 0001. A lower case 'a' is byte 0110 0001.

BROWSERSoftware on a computer used to request and display web pages from a Server.

CABLE MODEMA type of modem that provides very high speed access to the Internet over the same cable that your cable TV service uses. Rates are asymmetric. This means that downloads are much faster than uploads. Typical download rates are 2 to 3 Mbps and uploads are in the 500Kbs range. This is blazing speed compared to a 56Kbps dial-up modem.

CACHECache is a small fast SRAM type of memory. It prevents CPU slowdown, which happens when the CPU has to wait on slower devices like RAM memory and the hard drive. There are two levels of cache.

Level 1 or L1 cache is a small fast memory located on the same chip as the CPU. When files are first requested by the CPU they are read into the CPU from the hard drive and written into the L1 cache at the same time. When the CPU needs data again it checks the L1 cache and if it finds it there it gets it instantly. If not, it looks successively in the L2 cache, RAM and finally the hard drive, each of which is a little slower in delivering the data the CPU has requested.

If the CPU finds the data it wants in a cache it's called a 'hit' and that's good. If it doesn't it's called a 'miss' which makes the CPU wait a little longer to get the data or instruction it needs from one of the other slower devices.

This little bit of time saved by cache hits may not seem significant, but keep in mind that millions of accesses can be performed in a second. Every cache hit shaves time off the data access. Every cache miss adds time to the access. Cache misses lower performance and cache hits raise it!

Because level 2 or L2 cache is located in chips on the motherboard or on the board that holds the CPU it takes a little longer to access than the L1 cache.

L2 cache is becoming more important as it grows in size and performance. The L1 cache is very small because it is on the same chip as the large CPU. Due to it's small size, chances are high that the CPU won't find the data it needs there. An L1 cache miss causes the CPU to look in the L2 cache for the data.

The long and short of all this - If the data the CPU needs is not found in the L1 cache or L2 cache, the CPU must to wait to get it from the RAM memory. And if it isn't in RAM, then the CPU goes on vacation for a number of milliseconds, which is a long time in the CPU world, while the data is retrieved from the hard drive.

CDDCompact Disk Drive is a storage device that uses optics to read data from compact disks. CDDs that can read as well as write are very popular now.

CPUThe Central Processing Unit is a special chip that controls what happens in a PC. It fetches instructions and does high speed computations on data. It is somewhat like our brain in that it controls everything we do.

DIMMDual Inline Memory Module is a small printed circuit board that contains DRAM memory chips. When we say a PC has 256 MBytes of memory we are talking about the total capacity of all the DIMM modules installed in it. Modern motherboard provide two to four sockets that accept DIMMs.

DOMAIN NAMEA unique name, formed with letters and numbers, that points to the actual numerical Internet address which locates a particular computer connected to the Internet. For instance, The Yahoo domain name points to Internet address 66.218.71.198.

So when you enter www.yahoo.com in your browser and click go, a special server called a domain name server intercepts and directs your request to the server located at address 66.218.71.198.

DRAMDynamic Random Access Memory is type of memory that must constantly be refreshed to retain it contents. It is used as the main memory in a PC and is packaged in DIMMs which plug into the motherboard.

DSL ModemDSL stands Digital Subscriber Line. The DSL modem is a fairly new device, which allows high speed data to move between your PC and the telephone company on the same line that you use for your telephone calls. Yes. you can use your PC and talk over this line at the same time without interference!

How? Picture of a double-decker bridge with two levels. The traffic on the two levels does not interfere with each other even though it is the same bridge, right? Think of your phone call using the lower level and your PC using the upper level. Instead of being separated by different levels in space, the separation is done by your PC and voice each using a different carrier frequency, just like two different radio stations.

FAT16FAT is the abbreviation for File Allocation Table. It is a table where the system keeps basic information for each file on your hard drive. The 16 indicates the number of bits used to address the hard drive. The largest partition FAT16 can access is 2MB. When used on a hard drive that is bigger than 2MB the drive space will be divided into a number of partitions.

For example a 10MB drive would be divided into five partitions of 2MB each. If the drive were the only one in the system the partitions would be called C:, D:, E:, F:, and G:.

FAT32FAT is the abbreviation for File Allocation Table. It is a table where the system keeps basic information for each file on your hard drive. The 32 indicates the number of bits used to address the hard drive. The largest partition FAT32 can access is 2 Terabytes (two trillion bytes)! So far there are no hard drives I know of that begin to approach this size. Windows 98 was the first of the Windows OS to support this file structure.

FDDFloppy Disk Drive is a device which provides a way for the PC to read and write floppy disks, which are a type of removable storage media. Floppy disks (3 1/2 inch) have a capacity of 1.44 Mbytes. When PCs first came out, floppy disks were 5 1/4 inch and held 720 Kbytes.

FIREWIREFirewire also known as IEEE 1394 or iLink is a very fast serial bus that runs at 400 Mbps. It competes directly against USB 2.0. Transmit and Receive data are carried on two separately-shielded twisted pair transmission lines. There are two other, rarely used, wires that provide power to remote devices. Many newer computers have Firewire ports that are used to connect them to very fast external devices.

FTPFile Transfer Protocol is the method used by computers to send and receive files over the Internet.

HTMLHyper Text Markup Language is the coding that is used to format web pages on Servers so that Browsers can display them.

HTTPHyper Text Transport Protocol is used by browsers and servers to facilitate the transport of web pages across the Internet.

HDDHard Disk Drive is a device that provides a large fixed typically (non removable) storage area. Some units today easily removable from the front of the PC. The capacity of HDDs has continued to increase. 40Gbyte drives are readily available and inexpensive. The HDDs used in the first PC had only 10Mbytes of storage.

IDEIntegrated Drive Electronics refers to the electronic control section of a Hard or Floppy Drive. This control section coordinates the electromechanical operation of the drive so that data can be written to and read from the spinning disk inside it. The motherboard connects to Drives over an IDE ribbon cable.

I/OThis means Input/Output. Input is data or signals that are fed into a device. Output is data or signals that a device drives to the outside. Some devices can do both, others are only one or the other.

ISAIndustry Standard Architecture refers to a type of expansion slot on the motherboard. It is the oldest of all expansion type slots and first appeared in the IBM PC XT. Thousands of expansion or add-on cards as

they are also called, have been designed to plug into the ISA slot. The use of expansion cards vastly extends the function and capability of the PC.

MEMORY NON-VOLATILEMemory is a device that retains information electronically. When power is removed the information is retained.

MEMORY VOLATILEMemory is a device that retains information electronically. When power is removed the information is lost. The DRAM memory used in a PC is the volatile type.

OSOperating Systems are the basic foundation or platform programs that allow you to load and run other programs on a PC. Windows 95 is an example of an Operating System.

PARALLEL PORTThe parallel port is a standard port on a PC and moves data out of the PC. One byte (eight bits in parallel) are sent out on 8 pins for each data transfer. Historically this port is connected to your printer. It also known as a 'Centronics' port, named after the manufacturer of the 38- pin connector first used on the parallel port.

PCIPeripheral Component Interconnect refers to a type of expansion slot found on PC motherboards. It is a newer type of expansion slot than ISA, and many types of Add-On cards have been designed to use it.

RANDOM ACCESSThis refers to an access method. It means that any random location in a storage or memory device can be immediately accessed, with out going serially to get there. It's like a cassette where your at the beginning and have to wind through everything on the tape to get to the last song! Compact Disks and PC Main memory are random access devices.

SERIAL ACCESSThis access method is found in audio or video cassettes. It means you can not access any location you choose to instantly. You might have to rewind or fast forward through lots of information you are not interested in to get to where you want to go.

SERIAL PORTThe serial port is standard port on a PC and can move data in and out of the PC. The serial port moves one bit on each data transfer. Many different types of devices connect to a PC through it.

SERVERSoftware on a computer that serves web pages in response to requests from a Browser.

SIMMSingle Inline Memory Module is a small printed circuit board that contains DRAM memory. This is an older board style that was used in PCs before DIMMs were developed.

SRAMStatic Random Access Memory is type of memory that retains data without being refreshed. It is used in the cache memories of the PC.

TROJAN HORSETrojan horses are dangerous programs that appear like they might perform some useful task, or provide entertainment. This false appearance encourages people to run them. When they are run, they can damage files or place a virus on your computer.

Unlike a virus a Trojan horse does not replicate and spread. Since it isn't a virus it can't be repaired and must be erased from your computer.

USBUniversal Serial Bus is a high speed serial bus found on all newer PCs. Eventually it will obsolete the serial and parallel ports still found on most PCs.

USB specifies three data rates. Every USB port may not support the highest rate. If you buy a device with a USB port, make sure out find out which rates it does support.

Low speed - 1.5Mb/s Full Speed - 12Mb/s High Speed - 480 Mb/s

VIDEO ADAPTERThe video adapter is circuit board found in the PC or monitor that controls how data is converted and sent to the monitor for viewing.

Most displays and video adapters adhere to the Video Graphics Array (VGA) standard, which describes how data - the red, green, blue data streams - are passed from the computer to the display.

In addition, it defines the frame refresh rates in hertz and the number and width of horizontal lines, which in turn identifies the screen resolution in pixels.

Here are some of the video standards that have been used:

CGA is 320 x 200 - developed in 1981 by IBM, no longer in use. EGA is 640 x 350 - developed in 1984 by IBM, no longer in use. VGA is 640 x 480 - developed in 1987 by IBM and still in use. Super VGA is 800 x 600. Extended Graphics Adapter, XGA is 1024 x 768. Super XGA is 1280 x 1024. Ultra XGA is 1600 x 1200.

VIRUSIt is a program designed to change the way your computer operates without your permission or knowledge. When a virus attaches itself to another file, it infects it. Any time you activate an infected file it can damage files, cause erratic system behavior, or display messages. Some system viruses are programmed specifically to corrupt programs, delete files, or erase your disk.

Viruses are inactive until you run an infected program, start your computer from a disk with infected system files, or open an infected file. Once a virus is active in memory it can infect any other programs, local or network, that you run.

Files infected with a virus can be inoculated (the virus is removed from the program).

WORMWorms are a close cousin to viruses and Trojan Horses. Unlike a virus they don't infect other programs. They do however make many copies of themselves in memory, which effectively consumes all your memory. This leaves no memory to run you regular programs. Your PC may behave very erratically, or just grind to a halt!

Some worms get into your e-mail list and e-mail themselves to everyone on your e-mail list without you knowledge. When each unsuspecting recipient opens such an e-mail, it broadcasts itself to everyone on their e-mail list. This is how worms rapidly travel throughout the Internet! Worms can not be repaired since they are not viruses. They must be erased from your computer, the sooner the better!

ANSI: It stands for American National Standards Institute. This is the place that sets standards for data communications, like the Internet. Analog: Not digital. This is data in the form of a continuous flow. A record or a tape is analog. Digital, on the other hand, is in pieces or samples. More to come on that. AppleShare: This is Apple Computer's network system. It allows many different end users (people on computers) to attach to one central location and get files. (Sound familiar?) Application: This is a program. It does things when called upon. A shortened version gave Java its name: applet. Archie: Search tool used to find resources stored on Internet-based FTP servers. ASCII: It stands for American Standard Code Information Exchange. This is text. It's all those things you see on your keyboard. However, it is standardized text so data transfer is allowed between systems. It works by representing letters and characters through a seven-digit code of ones and zeros. An example would be that "Joe" might look like this to the computer:

0011010,0111100,01010011 Asynchronous: Transferring data with the help of start and stop bits that indicate the beginning and end of each character being sent. ASP: Active Server Pages. An invention from Microsoft that runs on their server software. See here. AVI: Stands for Audio/Video Interleaved. Microsoft's format for encoding video & audio for digital transmission.

B

Backbone: Well, all of these computers have to come together somewhere. There are many "backbones" on the Internet. Think of the backbone as the next larger grouping of computers you connect with to get included in the Web. You're at the end of a rib coming off of the backbone -- get the picture? The main backbone of the Internet here in the U.S. is the NSFNet. It stands for National Science Foundation Net. Bandwidth: The carrying capacity of a wire attached from one computer to another. It is usually measured in the amount of bits carried. You know that 28.8 modem you have? It will allow a bandwidth of 28,800 bits per second. Baud: This is a measurement of the amount of data that can be transferred in one second. Example: A 14.4 baud modem can transfer 14,400 bits of information in one second. BBS: Stands for Bulletin Board Service. BIOS: Stands for Basic Input/Output System. This is the little set of programs that lets all the different parts of the computer talk to each other. Binary: This is a basic system of numbering using ones and zeros.

Bit/s: "Bit" is a grouping of the words "binary" and "digits." Think of a bit as a number, a 1 or a 0 to be exact. A grouping of bits helps to make up ASCII code. Data transfer is often in terms of the number of these "bits" that can be moved in a second. BMP (pronounced "bimp"): It's a bitmap, an image made up of little dots. Buffer: The buffer is a section of the computer where data is stored before being used. This buffering allows time for an application to fix differences in bit rates among other things. It creates a space of time for compensation. Browser: User's software program for viewing & browsing information on the Internet. Burst: Most people know this from "pipeline burst cache." Burst means to send data in a large package all at one time rather than small bits over a longer time. Bus: There are wires between all the parts of your computer. There is a wire from the memory to the brain, and from the brain to the printer, etc., etc. Those wires are called busses. They differ from one another by the amount of data they will transfer at one time. Byte: A unit of space. It is also used to represent a series of seven or eight ASCII code digits representing a character.

C

C: A programming language developed at AT&T. Cache: This is a memory section that holds data while the CPU (central processing unit) or brain, is working on it. Go to your Netscape directory -- you'll see a cache full of files marked ".moz". Those are "mozilla" files. That's what Netscape calls pages after they've been displayed and saved. CD-ROM: Compact Disc - Read Only Memory. It's a storage place that disallows recording or manipulating of its data. CGA: Stands for Color Graphics Adapter. It's a piece of hardware that plays with colors. Client: A computer attached to an Internet server. COBOL: Stands for Common Business Oriented Language. COM: Stands for Component Object Module. Compiler: This is an application that converts a programming language into a machine language program. CPU: Stands for Central Processing Unit. This is the brain of your computer. It is made up of two parts: The Arithmetic Logic Unit (this does all the processing) and the Control Unit (this makes sure every part of the computer is working together to present the information). CSS: Stands for Cascading Style Sheets. See here. Cyberspace: This is a term that gives us a way to sort of "see" what we are surfing while on the Net. It's a generic term for the entire Internet, not just the World Wide Web.

D

Data: Anything that is recorded or used for processing. The stuff that transfers between computers needed a name -- data seemed good. Database: Anything that accepts data is a database. A pile of newspapers is a database. A computer database has the ability to manipulate that data. It is possible to attach applications to that database to search the contents.

Data Rate: Speed that information moves from one item to another. This is usually in the form of bits. DDS: Stands for Direct Digital Signal. Dedicated Line: This is a phone line meant specifically for one thing, like being attached to a computer. Demodulation: This is the process of converting analog information (like over phone lines) into digital information (like in a computer). See "Modem" for more. DHTML: Stands for Dynamic HTML. See here. Dial-Up Line: This is a telephone line that is connected to a server. When it is called, tones are exchanged between the server and the devise calling in order to attach. Digital: Your CD player is digital. It is a series of small samples of data playing together very quickly (30,000 times a second). Digital recording of information means representing the bits of data through ones and zeros. Playing the bits back to again create what was recorded is called digital processing. DNS: This stands for Domain Name System. The Internet runs by assigning different sites "Names." They are actually 4-part strains of numbers associated with names, but names nonetheless. Getting a DNS error means that the address you are attempting to reach is not recognized by the Internet community. Domain: This is a higher level section of the Internet, usually given its own DNS. The domain is the section of an address before the directory slashes start. "htmlgoodies.com" is my domain. Click here if you want one of your own! DOS: Stands for Disc Operating System. It is a generic term for the many programs that accept commands to trip applications to run. The most popular is MS-DOS (MS stands for Microsoft). DPI: Stands for Dots Per Inch. Dumb Terminal: This a video screen that is seeing manipulation in another computer. Example: If you log in to AOL, your computer is not doing the work -- AOL's computer is. You are just being offered a window into that world. That window is your screen. It's a terminal, but it's just watching -- thus a dumb terminal.

E

EBCDIC: Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code. It is also called the Extended ASCII Code, as it adds an eighth digit to the normal seven-digit code. E-Mail: Stands for Electronic Mail. E-mail is actually a method of transferring files among computers, rather than the file itself, but that's what the name has come to mean. Encryption: This is any one of many methods to transfer a file into a hard-to-crack code. It is often done by scrambling or by letter-to-letter replacement. Engine (as in "Search Engine"): This is the working part of a database or application. Ethernet This is a method of file transfer that uses dedicated cables rather than dial up phone lines. Ethernets are usually set up attaching end users to a central system like an Intranet. It was invented by Xerox believe it or not. F FAT Stands for File Allocation Table. Basically this is a table of contents in a directory that tells the computer what al is in there. Look at your Netscape cache, you'll see a FAT. It'll be the first file.

FAQ Stands for Frequently Asked Questions. An FAQ is a file or document where a moderator or administrator will post commonly asked questions and their answers. Fiber-Optic This is a new style of cable being used for very high speed data transmission. It works by pushing (modulating) a light wave across cable. The data is carried along with the light. File Sharing This is the most important feature of the Internet. This is a method of allowing one server to give the same file to many different end users. FORTRAN Stands for FORmula TRANslation. Freeware This a shortened version of Free Software. Programmers offer their work without wanting pay in return. FTP Stands for File Transfer Protocol. G Gateway As in Common Gateway Interface (CGI). It is a piece of software that allows two items to communicate with each other. They are used to make connections between computers and systems inside that computer. GIF Pronounced "jif." Stands for Graphical Interchange Format. It is an image format created by Compuserve. Gigabyte (GB) It's about a billion bytes. Actually it's 2 to the 30th power or 1,073,741,824. GIGO It's an acronym that stands for Garbage In, Garbage Out. Gopher One of the first commonly used interfaces for the Internet with a format structure and resource for providing information. It was created at the University of Minnesota who's mascot is the gopher. GUI Pronounced "gooey". It stands for Graphical User Interface. It's the graphical representations you see on the screen.

H

Hardware These are the physical items including your computer and floppy discs. Helper Application This is an application your browser uses to manipulate a downloaded program. Hotlist List of URLs saved within the Mosaic Web browser. (Bookmark in Netscape.) HTML Stands for HyperText Markup Language. Common language used to write documents on World Wide Web. HTTP Stands for HyperText Transport Protocol. Common protocol used to communicate between World Wide Web Servers. Hypertext This is a mark-up language that allows for non-linear transfers of data. The method allows your computer to provide the computational power rather than attaching to a mainframe and waiting for it to do the work for you.

I

IBM Stands for International Business Machines Icon A small video display that acts as an activation link when clicked on. Interface This is any type of point where two different things come together. Most often, the term is used to describe the programs between you and your computer like Windows, OS/2 and others. What you see on the screen is the interface between you and what your computer is doing.

IS Stands for Information System. ISO Stands for the International Standards Organization. Someone has to say what is the standard for transferring data. These people are it. You'll find them in Paris. ISDN Stands for Integrated Services Digital Network.

J

Java Java is an Object Oriented Program developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems. Java is delivered over the Internet in the form of little applications or "applets" that do tricks when they download and are read by the browser. Java Script This is a language very close to Java that allows for more interaction with the viewer. It is much more forgiving than Java as doesn't require it's own window in which to work. JPEG Pronounced "J-Peg." Stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It's an image format that allows for compression when stored. Jughead Search browser like "Archie".

K

Kilobyte (KB) This is about a thousand bytes of space. In reality, it's two to the 10th power or 1,024 bytes. Kbit/s Stands for thousands of bits per second.

L

LAN Stands for Local Access Network. And Intranet would be one of these. It's a smaller network covering a set area. Live Script This is the former name of Java Script. There are few updates between the two. Login To attach to a computer. It has also come to represent your User ID command. Login Script This is the small text file that is run by the server gateway to make the attachment between it and your computer.

M

Mainframe Mostly a mainframe is only a mainframe when compared to a desktop computer. It's bigger and much more powerful. Sometimes it's called a server or CPU. Megabyte (MB) About a million bytes of space. Actually it's 2 raised to the 20th power or 1,048,576 bytes of space. MIDI Stands for Music Instrument Digital Interface. It allows a computer to store and replay a musical instrument's output. Modem This is a word created out of the beginning letters of two other words: MOdulation and DEModulation. The words mean the changing of data from digital (computer language) to analog (phone line language) and then back again. It represents the purpose of your computer's modem. Mosaic The first Web browser to have a consistent interface for the Macintosh, Windows, and Unix environments. It was created at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). The success of this browser is really responsible for the expansion of the Web.

MPEG Stands for Motion Picture Experts Group. A format to make, view, and transfer both digital audio and digital video files. Multiplexer This is a piece of hardware that allows one item to take the place of several. An example would be using a multiplexer to allow 10 computers to attach where only one could before.

N

NACS Stands for Netware Asynchronous Communication Services. Network This a system that sends and receives data. Network Adapter This is the hardware that allows the computers that are part of a network to communicate with each other.

O

Object Something that contains both the data and the application that operates on that data. OOP Stands for Object Oriented Program. A larger program made up of smaller objects. Operating System Often written just as OS. This is the software that manages the computer system. It controls all functions and direction. Examples include Windows and Windows 95.

P

PPP Stands for Point To Point Protocol. It's a software application that allows an attachment to a server. PICT Pronounced "Pick,t." It is another image format. Plug-In This is a program that your browser uses to manipulate a downloaded file. It differs from a Helper Application in that the plug-in works inside the browser window. Port This is the connecting component or hardware that allows two computers to attach to one another. Protocol This is a series of set rules that allow items to transfer.

Q

Query This is to make a computer request of a database.

R

RAM Stands for Random Access Memory. It's the memory of the computer. RealAudio This is a method of playing sounds invented by Rob Glasser that creates a buffer between the supplying server and your computer. The file is played without downloading it completely. Real Time This is method of processing data the moment it is received. Batch mode is a term used for a mainframe computer dealing with data when it has the time. ROM Stands for Read-Only Memory. This is memory and information that cannot be changed.

S

Serial This is a consecutive occurrence of two items in the same channel. Server This is a mainframe computer that serves the other computers attached to it. Shareware This is an application that a programmer makes available to users for a set amount of time and then asks for a donation. In return for the donation, a registration number is often returned that can be used to "turn on" the features of the program. Shell This is a program that sets parameters and acts as a series of boundaries in which an application can run. SLIP Stands for Serial Line Interface Protocol. This is another application that allows for a connection to another computer. SMTP Stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Software This is a program, the actual code the computer reads. All other stuff is hardware. A floppy disc is hardware. Spam This is to transmit unwanted messages, usually over email, to a great many people. SVGA Stands for Super Video Graphics Adapter. It's a high level monitor.

T

TCP/IP Stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. This is a large grouping of programs and standards that govern how information moves round the Internet. The protocols were established around 1970-1980 to allow computers to attach to one another. Telnet One of the TCP/IP Protocols. It allows a connection to another computer over dedicated phone lines. Terabyte (TB) It's about a trillion bytes. Actually it's 2 to the 40th power or 1,009,511,627,776 bytes. Terminal This is what you look at when you're on the Internet. It's your computer screen. Terminal Emulation This is an application that allows your terminal to act as a dumb terminal. Transparent Something that occurs without being known to the user. TWAIN Stands for Technology Without An Interesting Name. I like this, I found it on another site.

U

UNIX This is an operating system developed by AT&T. It's big push it that it allows one server to service many different end users at one time. URL Stands for Universal Resource Locator. It's a fancy way of saying Internet Address. User Someone attached to a server or host.

V

VDD Stands for Virtual Device Driver. Veronica Stands for Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives. A database of menu names from a large number of Gopher servers. A quick and easy way to search Gopher resources for information by keyword.

VGA Stands for Video Graphics Adapter. This is a lower level color monitor. VIRUS Stands for Very Important Resource Under Siege (or...Vicious Internal Rabbit/Rodent Uprooting Stuff). Actually, it's a small program written specifically to cause problems in your computer. I caught a computer virus that disallowed me to save any of my text files as anything but temporary files. That meant each time I turned off the computer, the files were lost. VMS Stands for Video Memory System VRML Stands for Virtual Reality Modeling Language. It's a form of application that gives a 3-D effect to pictures sometimes allowing you to "move" through them.

W

WWW Short for World Wide Web. WAIS Stands for Wide Area Information Servers. Searches large indexes of information on the Internet. WAN Stands for Wide Area Network, like the Internet. WAV Stands for WAVeform sound format. Microsoft's format for encoding sound files. Workgroup Persons sharing files and data between themselves. Workstation The computer attached to the Internet. WPG Stands for Word Perfect Graphics.

XYZ

ZIP Stands for Zone Information Protocol. This is an application that allows for the compression of application files.

0–9

/. —Slashdot 1GL —First-Generation Programming Language 1NF —First Normal Form

10B2 —10BASE-2 10B5 —10BASE-5 10B-F —10BASE-F 10B-FB —10BASE-FB 10B-FL —10BASE-FL 10B-FP—10BASE-FP 10B-T —10BASE-T 100B-FX —100BASE-FX 100B-T —100BASE-T 100B-TX —100BASE-TX 100BVG —100BASE-VG 286 —Intel 80286 processor 2B1Q —2 Binary 1 Quaternary 2GL —Second-Generation Programming Language 2NF —Second Normal Form 3GL —Third-Generation Programming Language 3NF —Third Normal Form 386 —Intel 80386 processor 486 —Intel 80486 processor 4B5BLF —4 Byte 5 Byte Local Fiber 4GL —Fourth-Generation Programming Language 4NF —Fourth Normal Form 5GL —Fifth-Generation Programming Language 5NF —Fifth Normal Form 6NF —Sixth Normal Form 8B10BLF —8 Byte 10 Byte Local Fiber

A

AAT —Average Access Time AA —Anti-Aliasing AAA —Authentication Authorization, Accounting AABB —Axis Aligned Bounding Box AAC —Advanced Audio Coding AAL —ATM Adaptation Layer AALC —ATM Adaptation Layer Connection AARP —AppleTalk Address Resolution Protocol ABCL —Actor-Based Concurrent Language ABI —Application Binary Interface ABM —Asynchronous Balanced Mode ABR —Area Border Router ABR —Auto Baud-Rate detection ABR —Available Bitrate ABR —Average Bitrate AC —Acoustic Coupler AC —Alternating Current ACD —Automatic Call Distributor

ACE —Advanced Computing Environment ACF NCP —Advanced Communications Function—Network Control Program ACID —Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability ACK —ACKnowledgement ACK —Amsterdam Compiler Kit ACL —Access Control List ACL —Active Current Loop ACM —Association for Computing Machinery ACME —Automated Classification of Medical Entities ACP —Airline Control Program ACPI —Advanced Configuration and Power Interface ACR —Allowed Cell Rate ACR —Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio AD —Active Directory AD —Administrative Domain ADC —Analog-to-Digital Converter ADC —Apple Display Connector ADB —Apple Desktop Bus ADCCP —Advanced Data Communications Control Procedures ADO —ActiveX Data Objects ADSL —Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ADT —Abstract Data Type AE —Adaptive Equalizer AES —Advanced Encryption Standard AF —Anisotropic Filtering AFP —Apple Filing Protocol AGP —Accelerated Graphics Port AH —Active Hub AI —Artificial Intelligence AIX —Advanced Interactive eXecutive Ajax —Asynchronous JavaScript and XML AL —Active Link AL —Access List ALAC —Apple Lossless Audio Codec ALGOL —Algorithmic Language ALSA —Advanced Linux Sound Architecture ALU —Arithmetic and Logical Unit AM —Active Matrix AM —Access Method AM —Active Monitor AM —Allied Mastercomputer AM —Amplitude Modulation AMD —Advanced Micro Devices AMQP —Advanced Message Queuing Protocol AMR —Audio Modem Riser ANN —Artificial Neural Network ANSI —American National Standards Institute ANT —Another Neat Tool

AoE —ATA over Ethernet AOP —Aspect-Oriented Programming APCI —Application-Layer Protocol Control Information API —Application Programming Interface APIC —Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller APIPA —Automatic Private IP Addressing APL —A Programming Language APR —Apache Portable Runtime ARC —Adaptive Replacement Cache ARC —Advanced RISC Computing ARIN —American Registry for Internet Numbers ARM —Advanced RISC Machines AROS —AROS Research Operating System ARP —Address Resolution Protocol ARPA —Address and Routing Parameter Area ARPA —Advanced Research Projects Agency ARPANET —Advanced Research Projects Agency Network AS —Access Server ASCII —American Standard Code for Information Interchange ASG —Abstract Semantic Graph ASIC —Application-Specific Integrated Circuit ASIMO –Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility ASLR –Address Space Layout Randomization ASM —Algorithmic State Machine ASMP —Asymmetric Multiprocessing ASN.1 —Abstract Syntax Notation 1 ASP —Active Server Pages ASP —Application Service Provider ASR —Asynchronous Signal Routine AST —Abstract Syntax Tree ASSP —Application-Specific Standard Product AT —Advanced Technology AT —Access Time AT —Active Terminator ATA —Advanced Technology Attachment ATAG —Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines ATAPI —Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface ATM —Asynchronous Transfer Mode AVC —Advanced Video Coding AVI —Audio Video Interleaved AWK —Aho Weinberger Kernighan AWT —Abstract Window Toolkit

B

B2B —Business-to-Business B2C —Business-to-Consumer

BAL —Basic Assembly Language Bash —Bourne-again shell BASIC —Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code BBP —Baseband Processor BBS —Bulletin Board System BCD —Binary Coded Decimal BCNF —Boyce–Codd normal form BEEP —Blocks Extensible Exchange Protocol BER —Bit Error Rate BFD —Bidirectional Forwarding Detection BFD —Binary File Descriptor BFS —Breadth-First Search BGP —Border Gateway Protocol BiDi —Bi-Directional bin —binary BINAC —Binary Automatic Computer BIND —Berkeley Internet Name Domain BIOS —Basic Input Output System BJT —Bipolar Junction Transistor bit —binary digit Blob —Binary large object Blog —Web Log BMP —Basic Multilingual Plane BNC —Bayonet Neill-Concelman BOINC —Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing BOM —Byte Order Mark BOOTP —Bootstrap Protocol BPDU —Bridge Protocol Data Unit BPEL —Business Process Execution Language BPL —Broadband over Power Lines bps —bits per second BRR —Business Readiness Rating BSA —Business Software Alliance BSB —Backside Bus BSD —Berkeley Software Distribution BSoD —Blue Screen of Death BSS —Block Started by Symbol BT —BitTorrent BT —Bluetooth BTAM —Basic Telecommunications Access Method BW —Bandwidth BYOD —Bring Your Own Device

C

CA —Certificate Authority CAD —Computer-Aided Design

CAE —Computer-Aided Engineering CAID —Computer-Aided Industrial Design CAI —Computer-Aided Instruction CAM —Computer-Aided Manufacturing CAPTCHA —Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart CAT – Computer-Aided Translation CAQ —Computer-Aided Quality Assurance CASE —Computer-Aided Software Engineering cc —C Compiler CD —Compact Disc CDE —Common Desktop Environment CDMA —Code Division Multiple Access CDN —Content Delivery Network CDP —Continuous Data Protection CD-R —CD-Recordable CD-ROM —CD Read-Only Memory CD-RW —CD-Rewritable CDSA —Common Data Security Architecture CERT —Computer Emergency Response Team CES —Consumer Electronics Show CF —Compact Flash CFD —Computational Fluid Dynamics CFG —Context-Free Grammar CFG —Control Flow Graph CG —Computer Graphics CGA —Color Graphics Array CGI —Common Gateway Interface CGI —Computer-Generated Imagery CGT —Computational Graph Theory CHAP —Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol CHS —Cylinder-Head-Sector CIDR —Classless Inter-Domain Routing CIFS —Common Internet Filesystem CIM —Common Information Model CISC —Complex Instruction Set Computer CJK —Chinese, Japanese, and Korean CJKV —Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese CLI —Command Line Interface CLR —Common Language Runtime CM —Configuration Management CM —Content Management CMMI —Capability Maturity Model Integration CMOS —Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor CMS —Content Management System CN —Canonical Name CN —Common Name CNC —Computer Numerical Control CNR —Communications and Networking Riser

COBOL —Common Business-Oriented Language COM —Component Object Model CORBA —Common Object Request Broker Architecture COTS —Commercial Off-The-Shelf CPA —Cell Processor Architecture CPA —Converged Packet Access CPAN —Comprehensive Perl Archive Network CP/M —Control Program/Monitor CPRI —Common Public Radio Interface CPS —characters per second CPU —Central Processing Unit CR —Carriage Return CRAN —Comprehensive R Archive Network CRC —Cyclic Redundancy Check CRLF —Carriage Return Line Feed CRM —Customer Relationship Management CRS —Computer Reservations System CRT —Cathode Ray Tube CRUD —Create, Read, Update and Delete CS —Cable Select CS —Computer Science CSE —Computer Science and Engineering CSI —Common System Interface CSP —Communicating Sequential Processes CSRF —Cross-Site Request Forgery CSS —Cascading Style Sheets CSS —Content-Scrambling System CSS —Closed Source Software CSS —Cross-Site Scripting CSV —Comma-Separated Values CT —Computerized Tomography CTAN —Comprehensive TeX Archive Network CTCP —Client-To-Client Protocol CTI —Computer Telephony Integration CTL —Computational Tree Logic CTM —Close To Metal CTS —Clear To Send CTSS —Compatible Time-Sharing System CUA —Common User Access CVS —Concurrent Versioning System

D

DAC —Digital-To-Analog Converter DAC —Discretionary Access Control DAO —Data Access Objects DAO —Disk-At-Once

DAP —Directory Access Protocol DARPA —Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DAT —Digital Audio Tape DB —Database DBA —Database Administrator DBCS —Double Byte Character Set DBMS —Database Management System DCC —Direct Client-to-Client DCCP —Datagram Congestion Control Protocol DCCA —Debian Common Core Alliance DCL —Data Control Language DCMI —Dublin Core Metadata Initiative DCOM —Distributed Component Object Model DD —Double Density DDE —Dynamic Data Exchange DDL —Data Definition Language DDoS —Distributed Denial of Service DDR —Double Data Rate DEC —Digital Equipment Corporation DES —Data Encryption Standard dev —development DFA —Deterministic Finite Automaton DFD —Data Flow Diagram DFS —Depth-First Search DFS —Distributed File System DGD —Dworkin's Game Driver DHCP —Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol DHTML —Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language DIF —Data Integrity Field DIMM —Dual Inline Memory Module DIN —Deutsches Institut für Normung DIP —Dual In-line Package DIVX —Digital Video Express DKIM —Domain Keys Identified Mail DL —Download DLL —Dynamic Link Library DLNA —Digital Living Network Alliance DLP —Digital Light Processing DMA —Direct Memory Access DMCA —Digital Millennium Copyright Act DMI —Direct Media Interface DML —Data Manipulation Language DML —Definitive Media Library DMR —Dennis M. Ritchie DN —Distinguished Name DND —Drag-and-Drop DNS —Domain Name System DOCSIS —Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification

DOM —Document Object Model DoS —Denial of Service DOS —Disk Operating System DP —Dot Pitch DPC —Deferred Procedure Call DPI —Deep Packet Inspection DPI —Dots Per Inch DPMI —DOS Protected Mode Interface DPMS —Display Power Management Signaling DRAM —Dynamic Random Access Memory DR-DOS —Digital Research - Disk Operating System DRI —Direct Rendering Infrastructure DRM —Digital Rights Management DRM —Direct Rendering Manager DSDL —Document Schema Definition Languages DSDM —Dynamic Systems Development Method DSL —Digital Subscriber Line DSL —Domain-Specific Language DSLAM —Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer DSN —Database Source Name DSN —Data Set Name DSP —Digital Signal Processor DSSSL —Document Style Semantics and Specification Language DTD —Document Type Definition DTE —Data Terminal Equipment DTP —Desktop Publishing DTR —Data Terminal Ready DVD —Digital Versatile Disc DVD —Digital Video Disc DVD-R —DVD-Recordable DVD-ROM —DVD-Read Only Memory DVD-RW —DVD-Rewritable DVI —Digital Visual Interface DVR —Digital Video Recorder

E

EAI —Enterprise Application Integration EAP —Extensible Authentication Protocol EBCDIC —Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code EBML —Extensible Binary Meta Language ECC —Elliptic Curve Cryptography ECMA —European Computer Manufacturers Association ECN —Explicit Congestion Notification ECOS —Embedded Configurable Operating System ECRS —Expense and Cost Recovery System EDA —Electronic Design Automation

EDI —Electronic Data Interchange EDO —Extended Data Out EDSAC —Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator EDVAC —Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer EEPROM —Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory EFF —Electronic Frontier Foundation ENIAC —Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator EFI —Extensible Firmware Interface EFM —Eight-to-Fourteen Modulation EGA —Enhanced Graphics Array EGP —Exterior Gateway Protocol eID —electronic ID card EIDE —Enhanced IDE EIGRP —Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol EISA —Extended Industry Standard Architecture ELF —Extremely Low Frequency ELF —Executable and Linkable Format ELM —ELectronic Mail EMACS —Editor MACroS EMS —Expanded Memory Specification ENIAC —Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer EOF —End of File EOL —End of Life EOL —End of Line EOM —End Of Message EPIC —Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing EPROM —Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory ERP —Enterprise Resource Planning ESCON —Enterprise Systems Connection ESD —Electrostatic Discharge ETL —Extract, Transform, Load ESR —Eric Steven Raymond EUC —Extended Unix Code EULA —End User License Agreement EXT —EXTended file system

F

FAP —FORTRAN Assembly Program FASM —Flat ASseMbler FAT —File Allocation Table FAQ —Frequently Asked Questions FBDIMM —Fully Buffered Dual Inline Memory Module FC-AL —Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop FCB —File Control Block FCS —Frame Check Sequence FDC —Floppy Disk Controller

FDS —Fedora Directory Server FDD —Floppy Disk Drive FDDI —Fiber Distributed Data Interface FDMA —Frequency-Division Multiple Access FEC —Forward Error Correction FEMB —Front-End Motherboard FET —Field Effect Transistor FHS —Filesystem Hierarchy Standard FICON —FIber CONnectivity FIFO —First In First Out FIPS —Federal Information Processing Standards FL —Function Level FLAC —Free Lossless Audio Codec FLOPS —FLoating-Point Operations Per Second FLOSS —Free/Libre/Open Source Software FMC — Fixed Mobile Convergence "Mobile UC or Unified Communications over Wireless" FOLDOC —Free On-line Dictionary of Computing FOSDEM —Free and Open source Software Developers' European Meeting FOSI —Formatted Output Specification Instance FOSS —Free and Open Source Software FP —Function Programming FPGA —Field Programmable Gate Array FPS —Floating Point Systems FPU —Floating Point Unit FRU —Field Replaceable Unit FS —File System FSB —Front Side Bus fsck —File System Check FSF —Free Software Foundation FSM —Finite State Machine FTTC —Fiber To The Curb FTTH —Fiber To The Home FTTP —Fiber To The Premises FTP —File Transfer Protocol FQDN —Fully Qualified Domain Name FUD —Fear Uncertainty Doubt FWS —Folding White Space FXP —File eXchange Protocol

G

G11N —Globalization Gas —GNU Assembler Gb —Gigabit GB —Gigabyte GCC —GNU Compiler Collection GCJ —GNU Compiler for Java

GCR —Group Code Recording GDB —GNU Debugger GDI —Graphics Device Interface GFDL —GNU Free Documentation License GIF —Graphics Interchange Format GIGO —Garbage In, Garbage Out GIMP —GNU Image Manipulation Program GIMPS —Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search GIS —Geographic Information System GLUT —OpenGL Utility Toolkit GML —Geography Markup Language GNOME —GNU Network Object Model Environment GNU —GNU's Not Unix GOMS —Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection rules GPASM —GNU PIC ASseMbler GPG —GNU Privacy Guard GPGPU —General-Purpose Computing on Graphics Processing Units GPIB —General-Purpose Instrumentation Bus GPL —General Public License GPL —General-Purpose Language GPRS —General Packet Radio Service GPT —GUID Partition Table GPU —Graphics Processing Unit GRUB —Grand Unified Boot-Loader GSM —Global System for Mobile Communications GTK+ —GIMP Toolkit GUI —Graphical User Interface GUID —Globally Unique IDentifier GWT —Google Web Toolkit

H

HAL —Hardware Abstraction Layer HBA —Host Bus Adapter HCI —Human Computer Interaction HD —High Density HDD —Hard Disk Drive HCL —Hardware Compatibility List HD DVD —High Definition DVD HDL —Hardware Description Language HDMI —High-Definition Multimedia Interface HF —High Frequency HHD —Hybrid Hard Drive HID —Human Interface Device HIG —Human Interface Guidelines HIRD —Hurd of Interfaces Representing Depth HLASM —High Level ASseMbler

HMA —High Memory Area HP —Hewlett-Packard HPC —High-Performance Computing HPFS —High Performance File System HTC —High-Throughput Computing HSM —Hierarchical Storage Management HT —Hyper Threading HTM —Hierarchical Temporal Memory HTML —Hypertext Markup Language HTTP —Hypertext Transfer Protocol HTTPd —Hypertext Transport Protocol Daemon HTX —HyperTransport eXpansion HURD —Hird of Unix-Replacing Daemons HVD —Holographic Versatile Disc Hz —Hertz

I

I²C —Inter-Integrated Circuit I18N —Internationalization IANA —Internet Assigned Numbers Authority iBCS —Intel Binary Compatibility Standard IBM —International Business Machines IC —Integrated Circuit ICANN —Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ICE —In-Circuit Emulator ICE —Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics ICMP —Internet Control Message Protocol ICP —Internet Cache Protocol ICT —Information and Communication Technology IDE —Integrated Development Environment IDE —Integrated Drive Electronics IDF —Intermediate Distribution Frame IDL —Interface Definition Language IDS —Intrusion Detection System IE —Internet Explorer IEC —International Electrotechnical Commission IEEE —Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IETF —Internet Engineering Task Force IFL —Integrated Facility for Linux IGMP —Internet Group Management Protocol IGRP —Interior Gateway Routing Protocol IHV —Independent Hardware Vendor IIOP —Internet Inter-Orb Protocol IIS —Internet Information Services IL —Intermediate Language IM —Instant Messaging

IMAP —Internet Message Access Protocol IME —Input Method Editor INFOSEC —Information Systems Security I/O —Input/Output IP —Intellectual Property IP —Internet Protocol IPC —Inter-Process Communication IPL —Initial Program Load IPO —Inter Procedural Optimization IPP —Internet Printing Protocol IPS —Intrusion Prevention System IPsec —Internet Protocol security IPTV —Internet Protocol Television IPX —Internetwork Packet Exchange IR —Intermediate Representation IRC —Internet Relay Chat IrDA —Infrared Data Association IRI —Internationalized Resource Identifier IRP —I/O Request Packet IRQ —Interrupt Request IS —Information Systems ISA —Industry Standard Architecture ISA —Instruction Set Architecture ISAM —Indexed Sequential Access Method ISC —Internet Storm Center iSCSI —Internet Small Computer System Interface ISDN —Integrated Services Digital Network ISO —International Organization for Standardization iSNS —Internet Storage Name Service ISP —Internet Service Provider ISPF —Interactive System Productivity Facility ISR —Interrupt Service Routine ISV —Independent Software Vendor IT —Information Technology ITIL —Information Technology Infrastructure Library ITL —Interval Temporal Logic ITU —International Telecommunication Union IVRS -Interactive Voice Response System

J

J2EE —Java 2 Enterprise Edition J2ME —Java 2 Micro Edition J2SE —Java 2 Standard Edition JAXB —Java Architecture for XML Binding JAX-RPC —Java XML for Remote Procedure Calls JAXP —Java API for XML Processing

JBOD —Just a Bunch of Disks JCE — Java Cryptography Extension JCL —Job Control Language JCP —Java Community Process JDBC —Java Database Connectivity JDK —Java Development Kit JES —Job Entry Subsystem JDS —Java Desktop System JFC —Java Foundation Classes JFET —Junction Field-Effect Transistor JFS —IBM Journaling File System JINI —Jini Is Not Initials JIT —Just-In-Time JMX —Java Management Extensions JMS —Java Message Service JNDI —Java Naming and Directory Interface JNI —Java Native Interface JNZ —Jump non-zero JPEG —Joint Photographic Experts Group JRE —Java Runtime Environment JS —JavaScript JSON —JavaScript Object Notation JSP —Jackson Structured Programming JSP —JavaServer Pages JTAG —Joint Test Action Group JUG —Java Users Group JVM —Java Virtual Machine jwz —Jamie Zawinski

K

K&R —Kernighan and Ritchie KB —Keyboard Kb —Kilobit KB —Kilobyte KB —Knowledge Base KDE —K Desktop Environment kHz —Kilohertz KM —Knowledge Machine KRL —Knowledge Representation Language KVM —Keyboard, Video, Mouse

L

L10N —Localization L2TP —Layer two Tunneling Protocol LAMP —Linux Apache MySQL Perl

LAMP —Linux Apache MySQL PHP LAMP —Linux Apache MySQL Python LAN —Local Area Network LBA —Logical Block Addressing LCD —Liquid Crystal Display LCR —Least Cost Routing LCOS —Liquid Crystal On Silicon LDAP —Lightweight Directory Access Protocol LE —Logical Extents LED —Light-Emitting Diode LF —Line Feed LF —Low Frequency LFS —Linux From Scratch LGPL —Lesser General Public License LIB —LIBrary LIF —Low Insertion Force LIFO —Last In First Out LILO —Linux Loader LISP —LISt Processing LKML —Linux Kernel Mailing List LM —Lan Manager LOC —Lines of Code LPC —Lars Pensjö C LPI —Linux Professional Institute LPT — Line Print Terminal LSB —Least Significant Bit LSB —Linux Standard Base LSI —Large-Scale Integration LTL —Linear Temporal Logic LTR —Left-to-Right LUG —Linux User Group LUN —Logical Unit Number LV —Logical Volume LVD —Low Voltage Differential LVM —Logical Volume Management LZW —Lempel-Ziv-Welch

M

MAC —Mandatory Access Control MAC —Media Access Control MAN —Metropolitan Area Network MANET —Mobile Ad-Hoc Network MAPI —Messaging Application Programming Interface Mb —Megabit MB —Megabyte MBCS —Multi Byte Character Set

MBR —Master Boot Record MCA —Micro Channel Architecture MCA —Microsoft Certified Architect MCAD —Microsoft Certified Application Developer MCAS —Microsoft Certified Application Specialist MCDBA —Microsoft Certified DataBase Administrator MCDST —Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician MCITP —Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional MCM —Microsoft Certified Master MCP —Microsoft Certified Professional MCPD —Microsoft Certified Professional Developer MCSA —Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator MCSD —Microsoft Certified Solution Developer MCSE —Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer MCT —Microsoft Certified Trainer MCTS —Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist MDA —Mail Delivery Agent MDA —Model-Driven Architecture MDA —Monochrome Display Adapter MDF —Main Distribution Frame MDI —Multiple Document Interface ME —[Windows] Millennium Edition MF —Medium Frequency MFC —Microsoft Foundation Classes MFM —Modified Frequency Modulation MGCP —Media Gateway Control Protocol MHz —Megahertz MIB —Management Information Base MICR —Magnetic Ink Character Recognition MIDI —Musical Instrument Digital Interface MIMD —Multiple Instruction, Multiple Data MIMO —Multiple-Input Multiple-Output MINIX —MIni-uNIX MIPS —Million Instructions Per Second MIPS —Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages MIS —Management Information Systems MISD —Multiple Instruction, Single Data MIT —Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIME —Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions MMDS —Mortality Medical Data System MMI —Man Machine Interface. MMIO —Memory-Mapped I/O MMORPG —Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game MMU —Memory Management Unit MMX —Multi-Media Extensions MNG —Multiple-image Network Graphics MoBo —Motherboard MOM —Message-Oriented Middleware

MOO —MUD Object Oriented MOS —Microsoft Office Specialist MOSFET —Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor MOTD—Message Of The Day MOUS —Microsoft Office User Specialist MPAA —Motion Picture Association of America MPEG —Motion Pictures Experts Group MPL —Mozilla Public License MPLS —Multiprotocol Label Switching MPU —Microprocessor Unit MS —Memory Stick MS —Microsoft MSB —Most Significant Bit MS-DOS —Microsoft DOS MT —Machine Translation MTA —Mail Transfer Agent MTA —Microsoft Technology Associate MTBF —Mean Time Between Failures MTU —Maximum Transmission Unit MSA —Mail Submission Agent MSDN —Microsoft Developer Network MSI —Medium-Scale Integration MSI —Message Signaled Interrupt MSI —Microsoft Installer MUA —Mail User Agent MUD —Multi-User Dungeon MVC —Model-View-Controller MVP —Most Valuable Professional MVS —Multiple Virtual Storage MX —Mail exchange MXF —Material Exchange Format

N

NACK —Negative ACKnowledgement NAK —Negative AcKnowledge Character NaN —Not a Number NAS —Network-Attached Storage NASM —Netwide ASseMbler NAT —Network Address Translation NCP —NetWare Core Protocol NCQ —Native Command Queuing NCSA —National Center for Supercomputing Applications NDPS —Novell Distributed Print Services NDS —Novell Directory Services NEP —Network Equipment Provider NetBIOS —Network Basic Input/Output System

NEXT —Near-End CrossTalk NFA —Nondeterministic Finite Automaton NFS —Network File System NGL —aNGeL NGSCB —Next-Generation Secure Computing Base NI —National Instruments NIC —Network Interface Controller NIM —No Internal Message NIO —New I/O NIST —National Institute of Standards and Technology NLP —Natural Language Processing NLS —Native Language Support NP —Nondeterministic Polynomial time NPL —Netscape Public License NPU —Network Processing Unit NS —Netscape NSA —National Security Agency NSPR —Netscape Portable Runtime NMI —Non-Maskable Interrupt NNTP —Network News Transfer Protocol NOC —Network Operations Center NOP —No OPeration NOS —Network Operating System NPTL —Native POSIX Thread Library NSS —Novell Storage Service NSS —Network Security Services NSS —Name Service Switch NT —New Technology NTFS —NT Filesystem NTLM —NT Lan Manager NTP —Network Time Protocol NUMA —Non-Uniform Memory Access NURBS —Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline NVR —Network Video Recorder NVRAM —Non-Volatile Random Access Memory

O

OASIS —Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards OAT —Operational Acceptance Testing OBSAI —Open Base Station Architecture Initiative ODBC —Open DataBase Connectivity OEM —Original Equipment Manufacturer OES —Open Enterprise Server OFTC —Open and Free Technology Community OLAP —Online Analytical Processing OLE —Object Linking and Embedding

OLED —Organic Light Emitting Diode OLPC —One Laptop per Child OLTP —Online Transaction Processing OMF —Object Module Format OMG —Object Management Group OMR —Optical Mark Recognition OO —Object-Oriented OO —OpenOffice OOE —Out-of-Order Execution OOM —Out Of Memory OOo —OpenOffice.org OoOE —Out-of-Order Execution OOP —Object-Oriented Programming OOTB —Out of the box OPML —Outline Processor Markup Language ORB —Object Request Broker ORM —Oject-Relational Mapping OS —Open Source OS —Operating System OSCON —O'Reilly Open Source CONvention OSDN —Open Source Developer Network OSI —Open Source Initiative OSI —Open Systems Interconnection OSPF —Open Shortest Path First OSS —Open Sound System OSS —Open-Source Software OSS —Operations Support System OSTG —Open Source Technology Group OUI —Organizationally Unique Identifier

P

P2P —Peer-To-Peer PAC —Programmable Automation Controller PAN —Personal Area Network PAP —Password Authentication Protocol PARC —Palo Alto Research Center PATA —Parallel ATA PC —Personal Computer PCB —Printed Circuit Board PCB —Process Control Block PC DOS —Personal Computer Disk Operating System PCI —Peripheral Component Interconnect PCIe —PCI Express PCL —Printer Command Language PCMCIA —Personal Computer Memory Card International Association PCM —Pulse-Code Modulation

PCRE —Perl Compatible Regular Expressions PD —Public Domain PDA —Personal Digital Assistant PDF —Portable Document Format PDH —Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy PDP —Programmed Data Processor PE —Physical Extents PERL —Practical Extraction and Reporting Language PGA —Pin Grid Array PGO —Profile-Guided Optimization PGP —Pretty Good Privacy PHP —PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor PIC —Peripheral Interface Controller PIC —Programmable Interrupt Controller PID —Proportional-Integral-Derivative PID —Process ID PIM —Personal Information Manager PINE —Program for Internet News and Email PIO —Programmed Input/Output PKCS —Public Key Cryptography Standards PKI —Public Key Infrastructure PLC —Power Line Communication PLC —Programmable Logic Controller PLD —Programmable Logic Device PL/I —Programming Language One PL/M —Programming Language for Microcomputers PL/P —Programming Language for Prime PLT —Power Line Telecoms PMM —POST Memory Manager PNG —Portable Network Graphics PnP —Plug-and-Play PoE —Power over Ethernet POID —Persistent Object Identifier POJO —Plain Old Java Object POP —Point of Presence POP3 —Post Office Protocol v3 POSIX —Portable Operating System Interface POST —Power-On Self Test PPC —PowerPC PPI —Pixels Per Inch PPP —Point-to-Point Protocol PPPoA —PPP over ATM PPPoE —PPP over Ethernet PPTP —Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol PS —PostScript PSA —Professional Services Automation PS/2 —Personal System/2 PSU —Power Supply Unit

PSVI —Post-Schema-Validation Infoset PTS-DOS —PhysTechSoft - Disk Operating System PV —Physical Volume PVG —Physical Volume Group PVR —Personal Video Recorder PXE —Preboot Execution Environment PXI —PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation

Q

QDR —Quad Data Rate QA —Quality Assurance QFP —Quad Flat Package QoS —Quality of Service QOTD —Quote of the Day Qt —Quasar Toolkit QTAM —Queued Teleprocessing Access Method

R

RACF —Resource Access Control Facility RAD —Rapid Application Development RADIUS —Remote Authentication Dial In User Service RAID —Redundant Array of Independent Disks RAID —Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks RAIT —Redundant Array of Inexpensive Tapes RAM —Random Access Memory RARP —Reverse Address Resolution Protocol RAS —Reliability, Availability and Serviceability RAS —Remote Access Service RRAS Routing and Remote Access Service RC —Region Code RC —Release Candidate RC —Run Commands RCS —Revision Control System RDBMS —Relational DataBase Management System RDC —Remote Desktop Connection RDF —Resource Description Framework RDM —Relational Data Model RDOS —Real-time Disk Operating System RDS —Remote Data Services REFAL —REcursive Functions Algorithmic Language REST —Representational State Transfer regex —Regular Expression regexp —Regular Expression RF —Radio Frequency RFC —Request For Comments

RFI —Radio Frequency Interference RFID —Radio Frequency Identification RGB —Red, Green, Blue RGBA—Red, Green, Blue, Alpha RHL —Red Hat Linux RHEL —Red Hat Enterprise Linux RIA —Rich Internet Application RIAA —Recording Industry Association of America RIP —Raster Image Processor RIP —Routing Information Protocol RIR —Regional Internet registry RISC —Reduced Instruction Set Computer RISC OS —Reduced Instruction Set Computer Operating System RJE —Remote Job Entry RLE —Run-Length Encoding RLL —Run-Length Limited RMI —Remote Method Invocation RMS —Richard Matthew Stallman ROM —Read Only Memory ROMB —Read-Out Motherboard ROM-DOS —Read Only Memory - Disk Operating System RPC —Remote Procedure Call RPG —Report Program Generator RPM —RPM Package Manager RSA —Rivest Shamir Adleman RSI —Repetitive Strain Injury RSS —Radio Service Software RSS —Rich Site Summary, RDF Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication RTAI —Real-Time Application Interface RTC —Real-Time Clock RTE —Real-Time Enterprise RTEMS —Real-Time Executive for Multiprocessor Systems RTL —Right-to-Left RTOS —Real-Time Operating System RTP —Real-time Transport Protocol RTS —Ready To Send RTSP —Real Time Streaming Protocol

S

SaaS —Software as a Service SAN —Storage Area Network SAS —Serial attached SCSI SATA —Serial ATA SAX —Simple API for XML SBOD —Spinning Beachball of Death SBP-2 —Serial Bus Protocol 2

sbin —superuser binary SBU —Standard Build Unit SCADA —Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition SCID —Source Code in Database SCM —Software Configuration Management SCM —Source Code Management SCP —Secure Copy SCPI —Standard Commands for Programmable Instrumentation SCSI —Small Computer System Interface SCTP —Stream Control Transmission Protocol SD —Secure Digital SDDL —Security Descriptor Definition Language SDH —Synchronous Digital Hierarchy SDI —Single Document Interface SDIO —Secure Digital Input Output SDK —Software Development Kit SDL —Simple DirectMedia Layer SDN —Service Delivery Network SDP —Session Description Protocol SDR —Software-Defined Radio SDRAM —Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory SDSL —Symmetric DSL SE —Single Ended SEAL—Semantics-directed Environment Adaptation Language SEI —Software Engineering Institute SEO —Search Engine Optimization SFTP —Secure FTP SFTP —Simple File Transfer Protocol SFTP —SSH File Transfer Protocol SGI —Silicon Graphics, Incorporated SGML —Standard Generalized Markup Language SHA —Secure Hash Algorithm SHDSL —Single-pair High-speed Digital Subscriber Line SIGCAT —Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications and Technology SIGGRAPH —Special Interest Group on Graphics SIMD —Single Instruction, Multiple Data SIMM —Single Inline Memory Module SIP —Session Initiation Protocol SIP —Supplementary Ideographic Plane SISD —Single Instruction, Single Data SISO - Single-Input and Single-Output SLED —SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop SLES —SUSE Linux Enterprise Server SLI —Scalable Link Interface SLIP —Serial Line Internet Protocol SLM —Service Level Management SLOC —Source Lines of Code SPM —Software project management

SPMD —Single Program, Multiple Data SMA —SubMiniature version A SMB —Server Message Block SMBIOS —System Management BIOS SMIL —Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language S/MIME —Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions SMP —Supplementary Multilingual Plane SMP —Symmetric Multi-Processing SMS —Short Message Service SMS —System Management Server SMT —Simultaneous Multithreading SMTP —Simple Mail Transfer Protocol SNA —Systems Network Architecture SNMP —Simple Network Management Protocol SNTP —Simple Network Time Protocol SOA —Service-Oriented Architecture SOE —Standard Operating Environment SOAP —Simple Object Access Protocol SoC —System-on-a-Chip SO-DIMM —Small Outline DIMM SOHO —Small Office/Home Office SOI —Silicon On Insulator SP —Service Pack SPA —Single Page Application SPF —Sender Policy Framework SPI —Serial Peripheral Interface SPI —Stateful Packet Inspection SPARC —Scalable Processor Architecture SQL —Structured Query Language SRAM —Static Random Access Memory SSA —Static Single Assignment SSD —Software Specification Document SSD —Solid-State Drive SSE —Streaming SIMD Extensions SSH —Secure Shell SSI —Server Side Includes SSI —Single-System Image SSI —Small-Scale Integration SSID —Service Set Identifier SSL —Secure Socket Layer SSP —Supplementary Special-purpose Plane SSSE —Supplementary Streaming SIMD Extensions su —superuser SUS —Single UNIX Specification SUSE —Software und System-Entwicklung SVC —Scalable Video Coding SVG —Scalable Vector Graphics SVGA —Super Video Graphics Array

SVD —Structured VLSI Design SWF —Shock Wave Flash SWT —Standard Widget Toolkit Sysop —System operator

T

TAO —Track-At-Once TASM —Turbo ASseMbler TB —TeraByte Tcl —Tool Command Language TCP —Transmission Control Protocol TCP/IP —Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol TCU —Telecommunication Control Unit TDMA —Time Division Multiple Access TFT —Thin Film Transistor TI —Texas Instruments TLA —Three-Letter Acronym TLD —Top-Level Domain TLS —Thread-Local Storage TLS —Transport Layer Security TLV —Type-length-value tmp —temporary TNC —Terminal Node Controller TNC —Threaded Neill-Concelman connector TPF —Transaction Processing Facility TROFF —Trace Off TRON —Trace On TRON —The Real-time Operating system Nucleus TRS-DOS —Tandy Radio Shack - Disk Operating System TSO —Time Sharing Option TSP —Traveling Salesman Problem TSR —Terminate and Stay Resident TTA —True Tap Audio TTF —TrueType Font TTL —Transistor-Transistor Logic TTL —Time To Live TTS —Text-to-Speech TTY —Teletype TUCOWS —The Ultimate Collection of Winsock Software TUG —TeX Users Group TWAIN —Technology Without An Interesting Name

U

UAAG —User Agent Accessibility Guidelines UAC —User Account Control

UART —Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter UAT —User Acceptance Testing UCS —Universal Character Set UDDI —Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration UDMA —Ultra DMA UDP —User Datagram Protocol UEFI —Unified Extensible Firmware Interface UHF —Ultra High Frequency UI —User Interface UL —Upload ULA —Uncommitted Logic Array UMA —Upper Memory Area UMB —Upper Memory Block UML —Unified Modeling Language UML —User-Mode Linux UMPC —Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer UNC —Universal Naming Convention UPS —Uninterruptible Power Supply URI —Uniform Resource Identifier URL —Uniform Resource Locator URN —Uniform Resource Name USB —Universal Serial Bus usr —user USR —U.S. Robotics UTC —Coordinated Universal Time UTF —Unicode Transformation Format UTP —Unshielded Twisted Pair UUCP —Unix to Unix Copy UUID —Universally Unique Identifier UUN —Universal User Name UVC —Universal Virtual Computer UX —User Experience

V

var —variable VAX —Virtual Address eXtension VCPI —Virtual Control Program Interface VR —Virtual Reality VRML —Virtual Reality Modeling Language VB —Visual Basic VBA —Visual Basic for Applications VBS —Visual Basic Script VDSL —Very High Bitrate Digital Subscriber Line VESA —Video Electronics Standards Association VFAT —Virtual FAT VFS —Virtual File System

VG —Volume Group VGA —Video Graphics Array VHF —Very High Frequency VLAN —Virtual Local Area Network VLSM —Variable Length Subnet Mask VLB —Vesa Local Bus VLF —Very Low Frequency VLIW —Very Long Instruction Word VLSI —Very-Large-Scale Integration VM —Virtual Machine VM —Virtual Memory VNC —Virtual Network Computing VOD —Video On Demand VoIP —Voice over Internet Protocol VPN —Virtual Private Network VPU —Visual Processing Unit VSAM —Virtual Storage Access Method VSAT —Very Small Aperture Terminal VT —Video Terminal? VTAM —Virtual Telecommunications Access Method

W

W3C —World Wide Web Consortium WAFS —Wide Area File Services WAI —Web Accessibility Initiative WAIS —Wide Area Information Server WAN —Wide Area Network WAP —Wireless Access Point WAP —Wireless Application Protocol WASM —Watcom ASseMbler WBEM —Web-Based Enterprise Management WCAG —Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCF —Windows Communication Foundation WDM —Wavelength-Division Multiplexing WebDAV —WWW Distributed Authoring and Versioning WEP —Wired Equivalent Privacy WFI —Wait For Interrupt WiMAX —Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access WinFS —Windows Future Storage WINS —Windows Internet Name Service WLAN —Wireless Local Area Network WMA —Windows Media Audio WMV —Windows Media Video WOL —Wake-on-LAN WOM —Wake-on-Modem WOR —Wake-on-Ring

WPA —Wi-Fi Protected Access WPAN —Wireless Personal Area Network WPF —Windows Presentation Foundation WSDL —Web Services Description Language WSFL —Web Services Flow Language WUSB —Wireless Universal Serial Bus WWAN —Wireless Wide Area Network WWID —World Wide Identifier WWN —World Wide Name WWW —World Wide Web WYSIWYG —What You See Is What You Get WZC —Wireless Zero Configuration

X

XAG —XML Accessibility Guidelines XAML —eXtensible Application Markup Language XDM —X Window Display Manager XDMCP —X Display Manager Control Protocol XCBL —XML Common Business Library XHTML —eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language XILP —X Interactive ListProc XML —eXtensible Markup Language XMMS —X Multimedia System XMPP —eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol XMS —Extended Memory Specification XNS —Xerox Network Systems XP —Cross-Platform XP —Extreme Programming XPCOM —Cross Platform Component Object Model XPI —XPInstall XPIDL —Cross-Platform IDL XSD —XML Schema Definition XSL —eXtensible Stylesheet Language XSL-FO —eXtensible Stylesheet Language Formatting Objects XSLT —eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations XSS —Cross-Site Scripting XTF —eXtensible Tag Framework XTF —eXtended Triton Format XUL —XML User Interface Language XVGA -Extended Video Graphics Adapter

Y

Y2K —Year Two Thousand YAAF —Yet Another Application Framework YACC —Yet Another Compiler Compiler

YAML —YAML Ain't Markup Language YaST —Yet another Setup Tool

Z

ZCAV —Zone Constant Angular Velocity ZCS —Zero Code Suppression ZIF —Zero Insertion Force ZIFS —Zero Insertion Force Socket ZISC —Zero Instruction Set Computer ZOI —Zero One Infinity ZOPE —Z Object Publishing Environment ZMA —Zone Multicast Address ZPL —Z-level Programming Language