Do you ever seem to get overwhelmed with the 2, 3, and 4 letter abbreviations for things in the computer world? Don't feel alone! It isn't easy to keep up on these things, even for a Computer Professional. Trust Me on that! 
This list is of common acronyms, so don't by any means think of it as complete. But I hope that it can shed some light on these things that have invaded our English Language, making it feel too high-tech some times, when you just wish you could figure something out easily!
I've arranged them in an easy to read format, and will be adding to this list as time goes on. Feel free to bookmark this page and check back in the near future if you like. NO they are not in alphabetical order. Yet! I need to get them all in there first!
ASDL |
Asyncronus DSL Service; common High Speed acces for homes. Download speed is faster than upload and speeds vary widely |
BIOS |
Basic Input Output Systems; this is basically a chip that's on your computer main board that holds default information regarding the basic hardware setup. I.E. types and numbers of drives and the O.S. |
CPU |
Central Processing Unit; this is the computer's brain. This chip is the one you see advertised as 2.x or 3.x Gigs (for speed) and the two manufacturers will commonly be either Intel® or AMD® |
DSL |
Digital Subscriber Line; this is a dedicated, high speed Internet Connection that is brought to you via your telephone line and is many times faster than a Dial-Up connection |
Cable Internet |
Cable provides yet another high speed Internet option for you, in places that are too far from the CO to allow for DSL |
CO |
Central Office; the main connection hub in your area for telephone wiring. If you are too far from this office DSL service speed degrades remarkably or else it's simply not available. |
ISP |
Internet Service Provider; this is the company that you purchase your Internet Connection through, regardless of the type of connection you have. |
PC |
Personal Computer; As of the past few years, this term has become a way to dfferentiate the APPLE/MAC computer from the WINTEL systems |
OS |
Operating System; whether it is a MAC type computer or a Wintel based system it will have an Operating System on it |
DSP |
Digital Signal Processing; this is how a PC sends information. Signals are digital, not analog |
HTTP |
Hypertext Transfer Protocol; this is the protocol used on the Web for accessing web Servers. It is the language of your computer's Browser |
FTP |
File Transfer Protocol; this is the method by which files are transferred to a server so that they can be viewed from or through, the browser |
PGP |
Pretty Good Privacy; an Email protocol designed to encrypt your mail so that is is more private than a conventional Email system really is. |
Snail-Mail |
This is what Email users consider the Post Office Mail
to be these days! |
Bandwidth |
The size of the data input pipe to your computer. On dial up systems you may only have 56K per second, whereas a Cable or DSL system will offer 15 to 25 times that speed. |
The way to save a page or a search, within your Web Browser. Just like tabbing a book, an Internet Bookmark allows you to go back to the same place whenever you need or want to. |
|
Flash Drive |
See USB Drive |
Client |
This is a general term, referring to a computer or it's software that connects to, and is dependent upon, the computer it's connecting to for content. Such as an office computer reaching a database on the Server, or such as a home computer reaching a website on a server. |
Internet Protocol; what it boils down to, is that your computer on the network has an address just like your home does on your street. |
|
Server |
This is either the main computer on a network which handles all of the client requests, or it could also be a computer holding the information on a Website you are viewing. |
Router |
This is a main networking device; it splits the signal between addresses on a network, so that all computers connected to it can share files and Internet Access. |
Internet |
the WorldWide network of computers that George Orwell once wrote about. Each machine has an address and is searchable by others. |
USB Drive |
This is a small device that plugs into your computer's USB ports, and it allows data transfer, backup or both. Available in many sizes and cheap. |
USB |
Universal Serial Bus; the small rectangular ports on your computer that allow multiple things to be plugged in at once and (hopefully) recognised. |
WWW |
World Wide Web; otherwise known as the Internet |
WINTEL |
Windows/Intel the most common format for a Personal Computer, comprised of a Windows operating System and an Intel CPU |
Call Paul Brustas at 619-850-5218 and find out for yourself just how much he can help you.