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Owen Martin
AOIT I
Mrs. Awde
22 May 2015
Random Technical Terms for Understanding
In order to succeed in a society with great demands of technological knowledge one must
be proficient in the various terms used in the technical world. The vast quantity of technical
words can be broken up into three categories: hardware, software, and general terms and/or
dialect. As technology has shaped not only our language, but our lives, knowledge of this
technology gives an immense advantage to those who possess it.
Hardware consists of any physical components of a computer and/or electronic device
and even the entire devices themselves. Most hardware is developed by engineers known as
computer hardware engineers, who on average make $97,400 annually (Dvorak). Jobs details can
vary from designing computer chips to entire supercomputers, with each being equally
important. In order to do so, however, one must learn basic hardware terminology.
One of the most basic concepts of computer hardware is redundancy. Similar to that of its
literary definition, computer redundancy is the unnecessary addition of critical components
within a computer in an attempt to avoid complete system failure. This is very efficient due to
the fact that only one redundant component is needed to operate at any given time; the likelihood
of having both fail simultaneously is extremely small, making the process much safer than only
having one. Redundancy can be bad nevertheless, as argued by this anonymous contributor:
“Redundancy sometimes … creates a more complex system which is more prone to various
issues, it may lead to human negligence of duty, and it may lead to higher production demands
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which are overstressing the system making it less safe” (Redundancy). These concerns are
legitimate, but unnecessary, as the devices that require redundant components often already are
complex and require a myriad of parts to be functional.
One form of hardware redundancy can increase user efficiency on almost every personal
computer around: dual monitors. A computer monitor is what allows the computer to output data
visually for the user; by increasing size we can increase effectiveness. But why go for bigger
when you can just have more? Various computers contain multiple visual ports, allowing for the
plug-in of multiple monitors. There are, however, special programs needed in order to allow the
use of both monitors (UltraMon being the most recommended). (Bass)
Some of the most common components of any piece of hardware are wires. Though there
are many different types, three of the fastest are called Thunderbolt, Firewire, and fiber optics.
Thunderbolt (2) is known to have the highest data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gb/s to 20 Gb/s.
Firewire (800), in contrast, has only 800 Mb/s data transfer. (Layton) Thunderbolt is also
superior in that it is isochronous, meaning it can transfer data steadily instead of in bursts. (Intel)
Though both previous means of data transfer are fast, fiber optics are by far the fastest. Reaching
speeds over 100 petabits per second, fiber optics are the crème de la crème of data transfer.
Though they are fast, they are hard to come by, as they are both expensive and complex to
construct. (Beal)
Another cable commonly found in technology everywhere is an HDMI cable. Used to
stream both audio and video, HDMI cables can be found anywhere where the two apply:
computers, projectors, CD/DVD players, etc. HDMI cables are much more compact than most
other cables because they come as single cords; instead of using three to five wires to connect
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devices a single HDMI cable can be used. HDMI also surpasses all current media sizes, meaning
it can be used for any existing amount of audio/video streaming at top speeds. (Beal)
Flash memory is also under the list of “fast and expensive”, though that is quickly
changing. A form of read-only memory, flash memory is replacing current hard drives because
of their better size and speed. A hard drive is large and noisy, as it has moving parts. In contrast,
flash memory is solid, nonvolatile and silent. Flash memory is also very easily updated; data can
be erased in “chunks” rather than one byte at a time, so it can be rewritten faster than other forms
of read only memory. The prices of flash memory are steadily dropping while capacity and speed
are on the rise, so be ready for their integration in most personal computers. (What Is Flash
Memory?)
Software is any component of a computer or device that is not an actual physical part of
it. Code, programs, and data are all examples of software. Those who design it are called
software engineers, and can make anywhere from $55,700 to $143,450 (US News). Software is
arguably a much larger field than hardware, namely because the manipulation of data is much
easier and inexpensive than the manipulation of physical components, leading to an increase in
needed output.
Some of the most versatile elements of software are files and file formats. One major
breakthrough in the representation of documents on a computer was the PDF file format. PDFs,
developed by Adobe Inc., are able to visually recreate a document that is viewed the same
universally, regardless of operating system used. This makes it an incredibly powerful tool, as it
enables anyone to share anything anywhere without fear of incompatibility with others devices.
(Adobe Systems Incorperated)
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Any software in which the original code is available to the public is known as open
source software. This is generally practiced by smaller companies rather than corporations in an
effort to help their software improve through user editions. The only drawback to this system is
that the company makes no money: “The rationale for this movement is that a larger group of
programmers not concerned with proprietary ownership or financial gain will produce a more
useful and bug-free product for everyone to use” (Beal).
Software that is distributed free of charge but is not edited by the receiver is known as
shareware. The distributors of shareware usually request a small fee for the use of the software.
Payment is not mandatory, but refusing to pay will result in the rejection of future software and
even future updates of the current software. Shareware may be distributed free of charge but
cannot be sold; software distributed is still under copyright protection. (Shareware)
Sharing data has been essential since the days of the first personal computers. Recently,
however, a new kind of sharing has been introduced to computing. In a process named cloud
computing, multiple computers link to a server or to each other with the intended purpose of
solving complex problems similar to a supercomputer. The combined processing power of each
computer allows for the high-speed output of a larger computer without the slower ones acting as
bottlenecks. (Beal)
The amount of data needed to run certain programs can sometimes exceed the limit of
what can be stored on a computer. This can be fixed through another process called data
compression. Data compression is the ability to store data in a way that takes up less space than a
file normally would. Though the size of data is lessened, the data remains unchanged: “Data
compression is particularly useful in communications because it enables devices to transmit or
store the same amount of data in fewer bits” (Beal).
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Today’s computers hold vast amounts of data within them, but fortunately there are ways
to sort through it. Structured Query Language (SQL) is a type of computational language that
allows for the interflow of data to and from a database. An example of this is Microsoft Excel;
data entered by the user can be retrieved by the computer under certain parameters that the user
specifies. SQL was developed at IBM under the name “SEQUEL” but was changed due to
trademark infringements. (SQL)
Data within a database can only be interpreted by the computer through data modeling.
Showing relationships between multiple items using data modeling allows the database to
interpret the information presented to it and draw up multiple queries based on these
relationships. (Data Modeling)
A type of software that can connect any two separate applications is called middleware.
Middleware is mostly used to link data to a server in order to obtain information and represent it
according to the user’s requests. An example of this is the connection of a database to a web
server through middleware. It is important to note that middleware cannot be included within one
of the applications themselves: “The term middleware is used to describe separate products that
serve as the glue between two applications. It is, therefore, distinct from import and export
features that may be built into one of the applications” (Middleware).
Retrieving data from web servers from a web browser is often filtered by a proxy server.
A proxy server is essentially a virtual net that “catches” web pages for near-future use and allows
for the quick recollection of past web pages. This process makes requesting data from the web
much easier, as the data is already store on the server. Furthermore, proxy servers can prohibit
the use of specific web sites or pages, which are set by the server moderator. (Beal)
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Another form of server is the blade server. This server is hosted on individual circuit
boards with high performance and minimal space occupation. These boards can slide into
existing servers to add an extra little boost to productivity. Also energy saving, blade servers are
extremely cost-efficient, making them ideal for small companies.
Application Programming Interface (API) is used in the virtual construction of computer
programs. They are blueprints used by developers in order to build software applications; API’s
provide a reference to developers so that their code is consistent with the operating environment.
API’s are both used and available to be used by many corporations and websites including
Google, Microsoft, YouTube, and Twitter. (Beal)
Some computers store data in two formats, in the traditional “real memory” and in the
vaguer “virtual memory”. Virtual memory refers to a second set of information not actually
stored within the computer’s hardware, but within an imaginary area on the computers chipsets.
In this imaginary area information is elaborated on by the computer; it can be drawn upon
selectively, as all of it would not fit on the computers main memory. (Virtual Memory)
ISO images are traditionally applied to CD and DVD burning, and can be attributed to
any file that is an exact copy of a file system on these media types. ISO files can be created by an
application that can download and edit CD or DVD image files and then converts them into ISO
format. Due to their size capacity, ISO files can contain the entirety of a CD-ROM. (ISO Image)
Some technologies are made in conjunction with both hardware and software. Three of
these technologies include biometrics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. The field of
biometrics is heavily ingrained in computer security, being an advanced way to protect
information contained within a computer. It is effective because it relies on the uniqueness of an
individual as a password; a vast number of physical features of a person are unique to them, so
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they can be scanned and used as measures of security. (Beal) Virtual reality is the combined use
of hardware and software in an attempt to recreate the interpretation of the real world on some (if
not all) of the senses. Still in development, it is far from use and is not expected to emerge
anytime soon. (Virtual Reality) Artificial intelligence (AI) is possibly the topic of hundreds of
science fiction novels throughout history. Humans have always wondered if they could recreate
the pinnacle of Creation: themselves. Technology has evolved to the point where we can now
attempt to make it sentient and maybe even be close to human. Though also far from completed,
AI is a field that will be the topic of conversation for many years to come. (Beal)
Many technical vocabulary words are merely terms used by technological aficionados,
but must be understood notwithstanding. The acronym WYSIWYG stands for “What You See Is
What You Get”, applying to the outputted version of a file in relation to how it appears onscreen;
what you see on your screen is what you will get when you print it (for instance). (WYSIWYG)
A LAN party is a social gathering for gamers who want to play multiplayer games over their
own Local Area Network. (LAN Party) The creation of a real life object into that of a (fully
functioning) virtual entity known as virtualization A more devious practice in the technical world
is iJacking, the practice of seizing control of a person’s device and/or identity in an attempt to
commit crimes under their name virtually. (iJack)
Some vocabulary applies directly to computers themselves, such as data transfer rates, or
the speed data is transferred from one computer to another. This speed is measured in megabits
and megabytes. (Beal) Load balancing is the distribution of processing across a range of devices
in an attempt to avoid crashing them. This is normally applied to websites that get heavy traffic;
speeds may drop and even stop altogether if overwhelmed. (Load Balancing) High availability is
the predicted availability of data within a computer system after its failure. This can be increased
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by the use of redundancy (see page one). (High Availability) The last term, site license, refers to
the granted permission of a person to use specified software on a website on an unlimited
number of computers. (Site License)
Even if someone was the best technological expert on the planet, if they did not possess
the knowledge of how to relay information they have to others they would not succeed. This
makes the industry of technology extremely dependent on communication, meaning one must
learn how to use technical vocabulary in order to succeed. The field of computer technology is
an ever-growing business and, if you have the know-how, you can satiate society’s need for
technical experts.
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Works Cited
Adobe Systems Incorperated. "PDF Reference Sixth Edition." PDF Guide. 2006. Web.
Bass, Steve. "Dual Monitors, the Only Way to Go." 2 September 2008. pcworld.com. Web. 8
May 2015.
Beal, Vangie. "AI - Artificial Intelligence." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
—. "All About Blade Servers." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 14 May 2015.
—. "API - application program interface." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 14 May 2015.
—. "Biometrics." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 14 May 2015.
—. "Cloud Computing (The Cloud)." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 14 May 2015.
—. "Data Compression." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 11 May 2015.
—. "Data Transfer Rate." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
—. "Fiber Optics." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
—. "HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 14 May 2015.
—. "Proxy Server." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
—. "Shareware." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 11 May 2015.
—. "Virtual Memory." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
—. "Virtualization." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
—. "What is Open Source Software?" 26 September 2008. webopedia.com. Web. 11 May 2015.
"Data Modeling." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
Dvorak, William. "How Much on Average Do Computer Engineers Make?" 15 January 2012.
careervillage.org. Web. 20 May 2015.
"High Availability." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
"iJack." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 11 May 2015.
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Intel. Thunderbolt. 30 April 2014. Web. 11 May 2015.
"ISO Image." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 14 May 2015.
"LAN Party." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 11 May 2015.
Layton, Julia and Tyson, Jeff. "How FireWire Works." 28 September 2000. howstuffworks.com.
Web. 11 May 2015.
"Load Balancing." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
"Middleware." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 14 May 2015.
"Redundancy." 6 May 2015. Wikipedia.com. Web. 11 May 2015.
"Site License." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 11 May 2015.
"SQL." 5 May 2015. Wikipedia.com. Web. 7 May 2015.
US News. "Software Developer: Salary." n.d. usnews.com. Web. 22 May 2015.
"Virtual Reality." n.d. webopedia.com. Web. 13 May 2015.
"What Is Flash Memory?" n.d. WiseGeek.org. Web. 8 May 2015.
"WYSIWYG." 2015. Dictionary.com. Web. 8 May 2015.