Abbreviations and Acronyms |
4 |
4GL |
Fourth Generation (Programming) Language |
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A |
AD |
Active Directory |
ADSL |
Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line |
AGP |
Accelerated Graphics Port |
AI |
Artificial Intelligence |
AIO |
All-In-One |
ANSI |
American National Standards Institute |
ASCII |
American Standard Code for Information Interchange |
ASP |
Active Server Pages is an server-side script engine for dynamically-generated web pages, developed by Microsoft. |
AT |
Advanced Technology. The first form factor to become widely used. Released in 1984 by IBM. |
AT&T |
American Telephone & Telegraph Company |
ATM |
Asynchronous Transfer Mode |
ATX |
Advanced Technology Extended. A form factor created by Intel. The successor of the AT form factor |
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B |
b / bit |
Binary Digit |
B / Byte |
An ordered collection of (usually 8) bits, in which each bit denotes the binary value of 1 or 0 |
BASIC |
Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code |
BIOS |
Basic Input and Output System |
bps |
bits per second |
Bus |
Binary Unit System |
|
C |
C |
A high-level language designed for system programming, usually (but not exclusively) for software development in the UNIX environment |
CAD |
Computer-Aided Design |
CAE |
Computer-Aided Engineering |
CAI |
Computer Assisted Instruction |
CAM |
Computer-Aided Manufacturing |
CASE |
Computer-Aided Software Engineering |
CD |
Compact Disk |
CD-R |
Compact Disc-Recordable |
CD-ROM |
Compact Disk-Read Only Memory |
CD-RW |
Compact Disc ReWritable |
CGA |
Colour Graphics Adapter |
CISC |
Complex Instruction Set Computer |
CMYK |
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK |
COBOL |
COmmon Business-Oriented Language |
cps |
Characters per Second |
CPU |
Central Processing Unit |
CR |
Carriage Return |
CSS |
Cascade Style Sheet |
|
D |
DAC |
Digital-to-Analog Converter |
DAT |
Digital Audio Tape. DAT decks are becomming the standard for professional music recording |
DBMS |
DataBase Management System |
DD |
Disk Drive |
DD |
Double Density (Floppydisk) |
DDE |
Dynamic Data Exchange |
DDoS |
Distributed Denial of Service |
DDR |
Double-Data-Rate |
DDR2 |
Double-Data-Rate Two |
DEC |
Digital Equipment Corporation |
DHCP |
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A protocol that allows for automatic network configuration on IP based networks. |
DIMM |
Dual In-line Memory Module |
DIN |
Deutsches Institut für Normung, German national standards organization.
The term DIN-connector can apply to many or all of the connectors specified by the German Institute.
To specify a certain DIN-connector, the document number of the relevant DIN standard is added.
Computer keyboards used a DIN-connector before the use of PS/2 was adapted.
|
DMA |
Direct Memory Access |
DMZ |
DeMilitarized Zone. A zone inside a network that exposes certain services to an untrusted part of a network. |
DNS |
Domain Name System. DNS translates, among others, domain names to computer addresses. |
DOS |
Disk Operating System |
DoS |
Denial of Service |
dpi |
dots per inch |
DRAM |
Dynamic Random Access Memory |
DS |
Double Sided (Floppydisk) |
DTP |
DeskTop Publishing |
DTV |
DeskTop Video |
DVD |
Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc |
DVD+R |
DVD + Recordable |
DVD+RW |
DVD + ReWritable |
DVD-R |
DVD - Recordable |
DVD-Rom |
DVD Read Only Memory |
DVD-RW |
DVD - ReWritable |
DVI |
Digital Visual Interface a video interface standard which provides very high quality on digital displays |
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E |
EDO-RAM |
Extended Data Out Random Access Memory |
EGA |
Enhanced Graphics Adaptor |
EISA |
Extended Industry Standard Architecture |
EPROM |
Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory |
EPS(F) |
Encapsulated PostScript (File) |
|
F |
FD |
Floppy Disk |
FDD |
Floppy Disk Drive |
FDDI |
Fiber Distributed Data Interface |
FPU |
Floating-Point Unit |
FSB |
Front Side Bus |
FTP |
File Transfer Protocol |
FTP |
Foiled Twisted Pair |
|
G |
Gb |
Gigabit (1,000,000,000 bits) |
GB |
Gigabyte (1024 megabytes) |
GHz |
Gigahertz: one billion cycles per second |
GPRS |
General Packet Radio Service |
GUI |
Graphical User Interface |
GVIF |
Gigabit Video Interface is a digital video serial interface designed by Sony to deliver video
display output over a single twisted pair. It is intended primarily for automotive applications
and its design is compatible with the HDCP encryption system. |
|
H |
HD |
Hard Disk |
HD |
High Density (Floppydisk) |
HD |
High Definition |
HDCP |
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection is a digital copy protection created by Intel Corporation
to prevent the copying of digital video and audio content as it travels across DisplayPort,
Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI),
Gigabit Video Interface (GVIF), or Unified Display Interface (UDI) connections. |
HDD |
Hard Disk Drive |
HDMI |
High-Definition Multimedia Interface |
HDTV |
High-Definition TeleVision |
HP |
Hewlett Packard |
HTML |
HyperText Markup Language |
Hz |
Hertz (unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second), named after Heinrich Hertz |
|
I |
IBM |
Internation Business Machines |
IC |
Integrated Circuit |
ICT |
Information and communication Technology |
IDE |
Integrated Drive Electronics: a standard hard disk controller |
I/F |
Interface |
I/O |
Input/Output |
IP |
Internet Protocol |
IPSec |
Internet Protocol Security |
IRQ |
Interrupt ReQuest |
ISA |
Industry Standard Architecture. An ISA bus is 16 bits wide |
ISDN |
Integrated Services Digital Network |
ISO |
International Standard Organisation |
|
J |
JPEG |
Joint Photographic Experts' Group: Standard in image compression |
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K |
Kb |
Kilobit (1.000 bits) |
KB |
Kilobyte (1024 Bytes) |
Kbps |
Kilobits per second |
KHz |
Kilohertz: 1000 Cycles per second |
|
L |
LAN |
Local Area Network |
LASER |
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation |
LCD |
Liquid Crystal Display |
LED |
Light Emitting Diode |
LQ |
Letter Quality |
|
M |
MATX |
microATX |
Mb |
Megabit (1.000.000 bits) |
MB |
MegaByte: one million bytes |
MB |
Mother Board |
Mbps |
Megabits per second |
MBps |
Megabyte per second |
MC |
Memory Card |
MCA |
Micro Channel Architecture: standard 32-bits bus |
MDI |
Medium Dependent Interface |
MDIX |
Medium Dependent Interface Crossover (the "X" representing crossover) |
MFM |
Modified Frequency Modulation (format to recognise disks: IBM and compatibles) |
MHz |
Megahertz: one million cycles per second |
MIDI |
Musical Instrument Digital Interface |
MIPS |
Million Instructions Per Second |
MODEM |
MOdulator/DEModulator |
MPEG |
Moving Pictures Expert Group: standard for compressing and decompressing images |
ms |
millisecond: thousandth of a second |
MS-DOS |
Microsoft Disk Operating System |
MTBF |
Mean Time Between Failure: Refers to the average rate of hours that a hardware device functions |
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N |
NAK |
Negative AcKnowledgement |
NAS |
Network Attached Storage |
NAT |
Network Address Translation |
NIC |
Network Interface Card |
NLQ |
Near Letter Quality |
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O |
OCR |
Optical Character Recognition |
OEM |
Original Equipment Manufacturer |
OLE |
Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding Standard |
OOP |
Object Orientated Programming |
OS |
Operating System |
OSF |
Open Software Foundation |
OSI |
Open System Interconnection |
|
P |
PABX |
Private Automated Branch eXchange |
PC |
Personal Computer |
PCI |
Peripheral Component Interconnect |
PCI-E |
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express |
PCMCIA |
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association |
PDF |
Portable Document Format |
PHP |
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor |
pixel |
Picture Element |
POST |
Power On Self Test |
POTS |
Plain Old Telephone Service |
ppi |
Pixels Per Inch |
PPPoA |
Point-to-Point Protocol over ATM |
PPPoE |
Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet |
PPTP |
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol |
PROM |
Programmable Read-Only Memory |
PS |
PostScript |
PS/2 |
Personal System/2 |
PSC |
Printer-Scanner-Copier |
PSU |
Power Supply Unit |
|
R |
RAID |
Redundant Array of Independent Disks |
RAM |
Random Access Memory |
RGB |
Red, Green, Blue |
RIP |
Raster Image Processor |
RISC |
Reduced Instruction Set Computer |
RoHS |
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive. This Directive restricts the use of certain hazardous
substances in electrical and electronic equipment. It restricts the use of six hazardous materials in
the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. RoHS is often referred to as
the lead-free directive, but it restricts the use of the following six substances:
1. Lead (Pb)
2. Mercury (Hg)
3. Cadmium (Cd)
4. Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)
5. Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
6. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)
|
ROM |
Read-Only Memory |
RS Series |
Requirement Specification, referring to the interconnection standards for computing devices: RS232, RS422 and RS423 |
|
S |
SATA |
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment |
SCSI |
Small Computer System Interface |
SD |
Secure Digital |
SDRAM |
Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory |
SIMM |
Single In-line Memory Module: circuit boards that contain RAM chips |
SNA |
System Network Architecture: data network architecture developed by IBM |
SO-DIMM |
Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module |
SOHO |
Small Offices/Home Offices |
SQL |
Standard Query Language |
STP |
Shielded Twisted Pair |
SVGA |
Super Video Graphics Adapter |
|
T |
TB |
TeraByte: one trillion MegaBytes |
TCP |
Transmission Control Protocol |
TCP/IP |
Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol |
TELEX |
TELeprinter EXchange |
TFT |
Thin Film Transistor: In a TFT display, each pixel is produced by three tiny transistors: one each for red, green and blue. This allows for very clear and stable pictures |
TFTP |
Trivial File Transfer Protocol |
TIFF |
Tagged Image File Format: the kind of graphics file format created by a scanner |
|
U |
UDI |
Unified Display Interface is a digital video interface specification based on Digital Visual Interface. |
UDP |
User Datagram Protocol |
UDP/IP |
User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol |
UMTS |
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System |
UPS |
Uninterruptible Power Supply |
URI |
Uniform Resource Identifier |
URL |
Uniform Resource Locator |
URN |
Uniform Resource Name |
USB |
Universal Serial Bus |
UTP |
Unshielded Twisted Pair |
|
V |
VAX |
Virtual Address eXtension |
VDT |
Video Display Terminal |
VDU |
Visual Display Unit |
VESA |
Video Electronics Standards Association is an international standards developing organization
for computer graphics and was founded in 1989 by NEC Home Electronics and eight other video
display adapter manufacturers
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VGA |
Video Graphics Array |
VMS |
Virtual Memory System |
VPN |
Virtual Private Network |
|
W |
WAN |
Wide Area Network |
WEP |
Wired Equivalent Privacy (often inaccurately referred to as Wireless Encryption Protocol) |
WFW |
Windows For Workgroups |
WIMP |
Window, Icon, Mouse and Pointer |
WLAN |
Wireless Local Area Network |
WORM |
Write-Once/Read-Many |
WP |
Word Processor |
WP |
WordPerfect |
WWW |
World Wide Web |
WYSIWYG |
What You See Is What You Get |
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X |
XHTML |
eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language |