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We understand that IT jargon can be confusing and as such we try not to use it unless we really have to. Here are some of the more common terms used in IT, in plain English.
Backend System
A generic term for large data-driven systems which are usually not seen by the outside world (unlike a website for example) but often power the public facing systems. Backend system can include databases, inventory management systems, resource planning systems etc.
Bandwidth
A measure of the total amount of data transferred over a period of time, often used to measure how busy a website is.
Bluetooth
A wireless communication system (usually over short distances) that allows computing devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and PC to communicate without connection through wires.
Browser
A browser is an application program that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web. Examples are Internet Explorer from Microsoft or Safari from Mac.
Buffer
A temporary storage area for data, often used to "smooth out" incoming audio or video streams. Several seconds worth of material is stored in the buffer and it is then played back from there, so that if there is a brief interruption in the stream your music or video doesn't stop.
Byte
A basic unit of measurement within computing for pieces of information; the space required to store one character.
Cache
A temporary storage area for frequently or recently used data, either in memory or on hard disk. It is most commonly referenced in relation to webpages that have recently been visited, by storing the webpage in the cache the computer does not have to download the whole page to display it.
Cookie
A small data file placed on your computer by a website. The cookie helps the website "remember" your preferences (such as pre-populating passwords etc) but can also be used to track your behaviour such as which adverts you’ve looked at.
Crawler
A program that indexes pages on the World Wide Web for search engines such as Google and Yahoo.
DNS
Domain Name Service. An internet service that converts a human web address such as www.jadelynx.com.au into the numeric address that computers use, called the IP address.
Download
Transferring information from a network or website to an individual PC.
Ethernet
An internet standard, usually used for internal networks, which connects local PCs and servers together. See LAN.
Firewall
A security layer, either hardware or software, between your PC / network and the rest of the internet. It is designed to prevent hackers from accessing your PC / network.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. A common method of transferring files to or from an internet server.
Gigabyte (of Gig)
Unit of measurement for pieces of information : approximately 1 billion bytes. Harddisk sizes are usually measure in Gigs.
GUI
Graphical User Interface. Essentially the "look and feel" of the IT application. The IT program's controls are represented pictorially, with symbols, buttons etc as opposed to coding language. This allows the user to interact with the program by clicking on buttons and navigating with a mouse rather than through a coding interface.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language. The most commonly used coding language for displaying pages on the World Wide Web. Most websites on the Web are coded using this language as it is a common format for most browsers to display.
IP Address
Internet Protocol Address. A unique number assigned to any computer connected to the internet, including the one you’re using right now. The unique number is used to identify the specific computer so others can communicate with it.
J2EE
A widely used platform for server side programming in the Java language. It is often thought of as the “enterprise version” of Java because it is typically used in larger, more complicated systems than regular Java.
Java
One of the most commonly used programming languages. The language was originally developed by Sun Microsystems and is now used in a wide variety of applications and websites.
LAN
Local Area Network. A network of computers connected together, usually in a single department or building.
Linux
An operating system which can be used for PCs or servers. The major difference with Linux is that it is "open source", which means that anyone can create their own version of it without having to pay royalties unlike Microsoft’s Windows or IBM’s OS/2.
Motherboard
The main circuitboard in the computer - all the other bits and pieces are plugged into it.
Open Source
Software that is created and distributed with either relaxed or no copyright restrictions which allows the wider community to use or adapt it, typically without paying royalties.
Operating System (OS)
Every computer has an operating system, which could be considered the master program that runs automatically when you switch the computer on. It is responsible for various tasks that make the computer run: moving the pointer when you move the mouse, providing icons and menus, running other programs such as a word processor, controlling the various disk drives, the screen and so on. Examples are Microsoft Windows, Linux, IBM OS/2.
P2P (Peer-to-peer)
A type of network where computers are connected together directly, rather than via a server, allowing them to access each other's information directly. This network model was made famous by Napster which allowed user to directly share music without requiring a central storage hub.
POP3
A protocol for transmitting and receiving email, but mostly used just for receiving.
Portal
Definitions vary but a portal usually refers to a website that provides links to lots of useful sites on a particular theme. It is typically considered a “one-stop shop” of information for a particular subject or theme.
RAM
Random Access Memory. The computer's main “day-to-day” memory, which it uses to hold whatever you are currently working on. Unlike something saved to your hard drive the contents of RAM are lost when the computer is switched off.
Router
A device used to connect networks together so data can be shared between computers. For example it allows many computers to share one internet connection.
Server
Typically larger-scale computers which act as a central repository for information or functionality that serve multiple PCs. For example servers allow data to be stored in a single location but then accessed by multiple PCs. They are usually more powerful machines to handle greater performance requirements when serving multiple PCs.
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. The original method of transmitting and receiving email on the internet.
TCP/IP
Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A common protocol / language which computers use to communicate with other computers, particularly on the internet.
Upload
Transferring information from a user PC to a network or the Internet.
URL
Universal Resource Locator. An address used to locate something on the internet, most often a webpage or specific item.
VOIP
Voice Over IP. A system used for making phone calls by transferring the data (your voice) over the internet rather than through a regular phone line.
Webserver
A computer which fetches or stores World Wide Web pages and provides them over the internet on request. Usually specifically focused on serving the webpages rather than storing data or performing another function.
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