Technology changes a lot and pretty fast so sometimes it can seem like the industry has its own secret language filled with mysterious acronyms. If you ever found yourself thinking „What does that even mean?“ this blogpost might be right for you. Let’s take an adventure through the jargon and make the tech universe more understandable.

AWS – Amazon Web Services

AWS is a cloud computing platform provided by Amazon. AWS services can offer an organisation tools such as compute power, database storage and content delivery services.

VCS – Version Control Systems

A VCS automates the process of version control. It tracks the changes to a file or a set of files over time. It keeps a complete history of your code and other files, allowing an user to return to a previous version if needed.

ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange

ASCII is 128 specified characters that are categorized into seven-bit integers which define standard encoding for letter, number and symbol characters. 

It also became the standard for the US government in 1968.

WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get

“What you see is what you get” refers to the ability of an editor/software to show the user exactly how their content will look. A very common example for that is Microsoft Word.

SDK – Software Development Kit

An SDK is used to create applications for a specific platform or programming language. A SDK typically includes an API, but it also includes other resources like documentation, sample code, and development tools.

SaaS – Software-as-a-Service

SaaS is a cloud based software delivery model that allows end users to access software applications over the internet.

IDE – Integrated Development Environment

An IDE is a software application that helps programmers develop software code efficiently.

WWW – World Wide Web

WWW is a network of online content that is formatted in HTML and accessed via HTTP. The term refers to all the interlinked HTML pages that can be accessed over the internet.

URL – Uniform resource locator

URL is another name for a web address. URLs are made of letters, numbers and other symbols in a standard form. People use them on computers, to make the computer fetch and show some specific resource (usually a web page) from another computer (web server) on the Internet.

APN – Access point name

APN is a gateway between a cellular network and the internet. It’s an important entry point for cellular devices because it defines the type of network access the device will receive and allows security.

HDMI – High definition multimedia interface

The HDMI cable transmits data (in form of digital 0s and 1s) from a source to device such as a TV, computer, laptop, projector or speaker. The Standard HDMI cable is one of the most common and has been designed to work with satellite TV resolutions of up to 720p and 1080i, with the bandwidth being capable of speeds up to 5Gbps.

LED – Light emitting diode

LED is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current is passed through it. Light is produced when the particles that carry the current combine together within the semiconductor material.

RAM – Random access memory

RAM is your computer or laptop’s short-term memory. It’s where the data is stored that your computer processor needs to run your applications and open your files.

WiFi – Wireless Fidelity

WiFi is a wireless technology used to connect computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices to the internet.

EOF – End Of File

EOF is a code placed by a computer after a file’s last byte of data.