Do cookies eventually become stale? Do you really want your media streaming?
Just how common are object request brokers? How can you become one? And would
you earn high commissions?
Bi Star
As software applications become increasingly complex, the jargon associated
with the tools and techniques used to construct the software is becoming
increasingly obscure. It seems that acronyms and technology are bi star (they
always seem to go together, like binary stars).
But you shouldn't feel left out of the digital revolution just because you
can't remember what every acronym means. Let SIGPC help you, with a guide to
some of the major technology acronyms in current use. If you can remember just a
few of these, you'll be on your way to conquering your jitterati: fear and
anxiety associated with not knowing the latest jargon, acronyms, and buzzwords
of the Wired generation.
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Acronym Soup
There is little doubt that computer science, information technology, and
software engineering are all intricate areas. Complicating matters is the fact
that there are few subjects that are in such a state of flux. Rapidly changing
technology is giving rise to new terminology daily, causing acronym overload for
most people. Even worse, several terms are often used to refer to essentially
the same thing. How many acronyms from this diagram can you decipher?
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Here are the
definitions I use for these cryptic terms:
|
ActiveX |
Microsoft’s
COM adapted for the Web |
|
API |
Application
Program Interface |
|
Applet |
Application
running in a Web browser |
|
ASP |
Active
Server Page |
|
CBD |
Component
Based Design |
|
CBS |
Component
Based System |
|
CERT |
Computer
Emergency Response Team |
|
CGI |
Common
Gateway Interface |
|
CM |
Configuration
Management |
|
CMM |
Capability
Maturity Model |
|
COM |
Component
Object Model |
|
COM+ |
Microsoft’s
next version of DCOM |
|
CORBA |
Common
Object Request Broker Architecture |
|
COTS |
Commercial
Off The Shelf |
|
CS |
Computer
Science |
|
CSS |
Cascading
Style Sheet |
|
DCOM |
Distributed
Component Object Model |
|
DCT |
Distributed
Component Technology |
|
DDE |
Dynamic
Data Exchange |
|
DHTML |
Dynamic
HTML |
|
DL |
Distance
Learning |
|
DM |
Data Mining |
|
DNA |
Distributed
Network Architecture |
|
DNS |
Domain Name
Service |
|
DOM |
Document
Object Model |
|
DOT |
Distributed
Object Technology |
|
DSL |
Digital
Subscriber Line |
|
DTD |
Document
Type Definition |
|
EC |
Electronic
Commerce |
|
EJB |
Enterprise
Java Bean |
|
EUP |
End User
Programming |
|
GUI |
Graphical
User Interface |
|
HTML |
Hypertext
Markup Language |
|
HTTPS |
Hypertext
Transfer Protocol (Secure) |
|
IDL |
Interface
Definition Language |
|
IIOP |
Internet
Interoperability Protocol |
|
IIS |
Internet
Information Server |
|
IMAP |
Internet
Mail Access Protocol |
|
IP |
Internet
Protocol |
|
ISO |
International
Standards Organization |
|
ISP |
Internet
Service Provider |
|
IT |
Information
Technology |
|
Java |
Sun’s
programming language |
|
Jini |
Sun’s
networked device architecture |
|
JIT |
Just in
Time |
|
LDAP |
Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol |
|
MM |
Multimedia |
|
MTS |
Microsoft
Transaction Server |
|
NCC |
Net Centric
Computing |
|
NDI |
Non
Developmental Item |
|
OLE |
Object
Linking and Embedding |
|
OMG |
Object
Management Group |
|
OOP |
Object
Oriented Programming |
|
ORB |
Object
Request Broker |
|
Orblet |
Miniature
ORB |
|
PC |
Personal
Computer |
|
POP |
Post Office
Protocol or Point of Presence |
|
PSP |
Personal
Software Process |
|
PU |
Program
Understanding |
|
QC |
Quantum
Computing |
|
QoS |
Quality of
Service |
|
RE |
Reverse
Engineering |
|
RMI |
Remote
Method Invocation |
|
RPC |
Remote
Procedure Call |
|
SE |
Software
Engineering |
|
SEET |
Software
Engineering Education and Training |
|
Servlet |
A miniature
server |
|
SGML |
Standard
Generalized Markup Language |
|
SIG |
Special
Interest Group |
|
SM |
Streaming
Media or Software Maintenance |
|
SMTP |
Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol |
|
SPI |
Software
Process Improvement |
|
SQL |
Structured
Query Language |
|
TC |
Thin Client |
|
TCP |
Transmission
Control Protocol |
|
TPS |
Transaction
Process Server |
|
TQM |
Total
Quality Management |
|
TSP |
Team
Software Process |
|
UML |
Unified
Modeling Language |
|
USB |
Universal
Serial Bus |
|
VBA |
Visual
Basic for Applications |
|
VM |
Virtual
Machine |
|
VPN |
Virtual
Private Network |
|
VRML |
Virtual
Reality Modeling Language |
|
WE |
Web
Engineering |
|
Web |
The World
Wide Web |
|
WPP |
Web
Presence Provider |
|
WSE |
Web Site
Evolution |
|
WWW |
World Wide
Web |
|
XML |
Extensible
Markup Language |
|
Y2K |
Year 2000 |
It's neither possible nor desirable to keep abreast of absolutely every
single trend in this field. Some trends are really just fads, quickly fading
away. Other trends, however, are truly important. The trick is being able to
distinguish fads from fundamentals. In either case, it helps to know the jargon,
if only so that you can understand what all the CGI Joes are talking about.
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BTW
By
the way (BTW), a "404" is someone who is clueless. The term comes from
the common Web server error message "404 Not Found." So someone who is
an "acronym 404" is someone who is not up on with latest
technology-related acronyms. Don't let this happen to you! Learn a few of the
terms listed in this article, and soon you'll be byte-bonding with your best
friends.
If
you have ingredients that you'd like to see added to the
acronym soup, or if you think I've defined one
incorrectly, please send
me email.
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