Technology 101: Computer jargons made easy

by Oluwatobi Soyombo

It’s funny how very few people understand the real meaning of some computer terminologies but somehow find themselves using it anyway. It’s amazing how people often call me back to get explanations to some keywords I had mention earlier in a conversation with them.

We call these ‘keywords’, Technical Jargons. Jargons are terms that are fondly used within a particular profession. Yes! There are Computer Jargons, MOSTLY understood by geeks and their inner circles. Others outside that circle are forced to use them without really knowing what they mean.

Today, I bring you some of the commonly used computer terms and their meanings. Most of them are frequently used in today’s digital world so it’s important to understand their meaning.

Here we go:

 

The term “firewall” originally referred to fireproof walls

 that were designed to prevent the spread of fire

 from one room or building to the next.

Access Point: An access point provides wireless access to a network. Devices connected to an access point can communicate with other devices on the network. They may also connect to the Internet if the access point is linked to an Internet connection, which is commonly the case. Access points that use Wi-Fi are also called base stations. For example: “The coffee shop provides an access point for customers with Wi-Fi devices.”

Bcc: Stands for “Blind Carbon Copy.” Blind carbon copying is a useful way to let others see an e-mail you sent without the main recipient  knowing. It is faster than sending the original message and then forwarding the sent message to the other recipients. It is also good netiquette to use Bcc when copying a message to many people. This prevents the e-mail addresses from being captured by someone in the list who might use them for spamming purposes. However, if it is important that each recipient knows who your message was sent to, use carbon copy (Cc) instead.

Beta Software: Before a commercial software program is released to the public, it usually goes through a “beta” phase. During this stage, the software is tested for bugs, crashes, errors, inconsistencies, and any other problems. Though beta versions of software used to be made available only to developers, they are now sometimes made available for the general public to test, usually through the software company’s Web site.

Bandwidth: Bandwidth refers to how much data you can send through a network or modem connection. It is usually measured in bits per second, or “bps.” You can think of bandwidth as a highway with cars travelling on it. The highway is the network connection and the cars are the data. The wider the highway, the more cars can travel on it at one time. Therefore more cars can get to their destinations faster. The same principle applies to computer data — the more bandwidth, the more information that can be transferred within a given amount of time.

Firewall: The term “firewall” originally referred to fireproof walls that were designed to prevent the spread of fire from one room or building to the next. A computer firewall limits the data that can pass through it and protects a networked server or client machine from damage by unauthorized users. Firewalls can be either hardware or software-based. A router is a good example of a hardware device that has a built-in firewall. Most routers can be configured to limit traffic from certain IP addresses or block requests based on other criteria. Software programs that monitor and restrict external access to a computer or network can also serve as firewalls. A network firewall only allows authorized traffic from the Internet to flow in and out of the network.

The above terms was curled from Sharpened (http://www.sharpened.net/glossary/)

There are many of them. Be sure to drop by at the site to learn more. The days of using terms you know little about are over. Keep Evolving!

 

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