A List of Common Computer Acronyms
Learning about computers requires you to become familiar with a series of acronyms that refer to various aspects of computer technology.
Acronyms of IT Terms!
The list of computer acronyms used to describe various components can be overwhelming if you are just beginning to understand the world of computer science. To help you focus on the most significant terms, we have organized a list of computer acronyms to help you get started.
AI – Artificial Intelligence
It is a branch of computer science that aims to create and perform tasks that normally require human intelligence.
AD – Active Directory
AD is a Microsoft directory service with a domain controller. The controller authenticates and authorizes a set of processes and services accessed by users and computers running on a Windows Server operating system and domain network.
AIFF – Audio Interchange File Format
AIFF is a common audio format developed by Apple Corporation and is used as a standard format for storing and transmitting audio samples.
API – Application Programming Interface
Application Programming Interface (API) or Application Program Interface (API), is an interface for letting a program communicate with another program. API facilitates interaction between different software programs similar to the way the user interface.
ABI – Application Binary Interface
ADSL – Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
It is one form of the Digital Subscriber Line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice telephone call.
AMOLED– Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode
AMOLED is a type of power saving display technology commonly used in mobile devices. The technology is comprised of an active matrix of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) pixels integrated with a TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) array which controls electrical currents being transmitted to each individual pixel within the device display.
API – Application Program Interface
API is a technology used to create software applications using a group of set protocols and routines that define the functionality of the software.
ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASCII is a format used for text files in both UNIX and DOS operating systems. The files consist of 7-bit binary numbers that represent a numeric, alphabetic, or special character within the code. The purpose of the files is to support specific functions within an operating system.
AVI –Audio Visual Interleave
AVI is a Microsoft container format which stores both audio and video files to allow the playback of audio with video.
GHz – Gigahertz
It is a unit of frequency equal to 1,000,000,000 Hz (109 cycles per second). It is a unit of speed measurement use for CPU clock cycles. The unit Hertz is named after the German physicist Heinrich Hertz who made important scientific contributions to the study of electromagnetism.
MHz – Mega Hertz
Hertz (Hz) is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second. One megahertz (MHz) is equal to one million hertz (1,000,000 Hz). The megahertz is commonly used to express microprocessor clock speed and Often used to measure radio frequencies. The unit hertz is named after the German physicist Heinrich Hertz, who made important scientific contributions to the study of electromagnetism.
MIPS – Million Instructions Per Second
It
is a method of measuring the raw speed of a computer’s processor, but not the
whole system. 1 MIPS is 1,000,000 instructions per second.
BCD – Binary Coded Decimal
It is a method representing decimal numbers in binary. In this system each decimal digit is represented by four binary digits (nibble). For example, the decimal number 143 would be represented in BCD as: 0001 0100 0011
BRD – Blue Ray Disc
BIT – Binary Digit
Binary digit (bit) is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications. A Binary digit can be 0 or 1. or in other words it can represent either as ON or OFF.
CD – Compact Disc
Compact Disc (CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data.
CD-R – Compact Disc-Recordable
Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R) is a variation of the Compact Disc (CD) which can be recorded only once. The main feature of CD-R is multisession recording capability which enables you to keep adding data to an optical disk over time.
CD-RW – Compact Disc-ReWritable
Compact Disc-ReWritable (CD-RW) is a rewritable optical disc format. A CD-RW optical disk that can be written (record), erased and rewritten (rerecord) many times.
UI – User Interface
User Interface (UI) is the means by which the user and a computer system interact, in particular, the use of input devices and software. UI design refers to the design of visual elements of a software application or a hardware device that determines how a user interacts with an application, website or other technologies, and how information is displayed on the screen.
CUI – Character User Interface /Command-line User Interface
Character User Interface (CUI), also known as command-line user interface, is a means for interacting with a computer program by typing commands to perform specific tasks.
GUI – Graphical User Interface
Graphical User Interface (GUI) is a type of User Interface (UI) that allows users to interact with a computer using graphical elements such as windows, icons, and menus rather than text commands. GUI elements are usually accessed through a pointing device such as a mouse, pen, or stylus.
MDI – Multiple-Document Interface
Multiple-Document Interface (MDI) is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that enables users to work with multiple documents at the same time. MDI applications enable to display multiple documents at the same time, with each document displayed in its own window. MDI applications often have a Window menu item with submenus for switching between windows or documents.
USB – Universal Serial Bus
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an interface standard developed for short-distance data communications that define the cables, connectors, and protocols used for connection, communication, and power supply between computers and electronic devices. USB is a plug-and-play interface that allows the easy connection of peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, keyboards, digital cameras, external hard drives, and many other peripherals to a computer.
POST – Power-On Self-Test
Power-On Self-Test (POST) refers to routines run immediately after power is applied, by nearly all electronic devices. The POST is a built-in diagnostic program that checks your hardware to ensure that everything is present and functioning properly, before the BIOS begins the actual boot.
PSU – Power Supply Unit
Power Supply Unit (PSU) is a component of a Personal Computer (PC) that converts the Alternating Current (AC) into Direct Current (DC) because all of the PC components work only on DC.
CPU – Central Processing Unit
Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the primary component of a computer that performs most of the processing inside a computer. CPU is considered as the brain of the computer.
UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) or Uninterruptible Power Source (UPS), is an electrical equipment that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source fails or drops to an unacceptable voltage level. UPS contains mainly three basic components, a battery, a charger, and an inverter. The primary role of UPS is to provide short-term power during unexpected power outages and also react quickly to a power surge or fluctuations. The main three general categories of UPS are off-line (standby), online (no-break) and line-interactive.
GPU – Graphics Processing Unit
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is a dedicated hardware device to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display. GPU is primarily used for computing 3D functions for general purpose scientific and engineering computing. GPU is more effective than general-purpose CPU for manipulating computer graphics and to improve gaming performance.
HTML – HyperText Markup Language
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the main markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building blocks of web pages. A markup language uses tags to define elements within a document.
HTTPS – HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) or HTTP Secure (HTTPS), is a combination of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol with the SSL/TLS protocol to provide encrypted communication and secure identification of a network web server.
HTTP – HyperText Transfer Protocol
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a networking protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems.
IP – Internet Protocol
Internet Protocol (IP) is a communications protocol for exchanging data between one computer to another on the Internet.
DNS – Domain Name System/Server
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical naming system built on a distributed database for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network.
CLR – Common Language Runtime
DTP – DeskTop Publishing
DTS – DeskTop System
WORM – Write-Once, Read-Many
It refers to a recordable or data storage device where information, once written, cannot be modified or overwritten.
WORA
SSD – Solid-State Drive / Solid-State Disk
Solid-State Drive (SSD) or Solid-State Disk (SSD), is a storage device that stores data on non-volatile memory. Solid-State means storage that doesn’t require moving parts. Unlike Hard Disk Drive (HDD), there are no moving parts to an SSD. Some advantages of SSD are faster access time, noiseless operation and lower power consumption.
IC'S – Integrated Circuit
Integrated Circuit (IC), chip or microchip, is a miniaturized electronic circuit consisting of multiple electronic components interconnected to form a complete electronic function. It is manufactured in the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material.
LSI – Large-Scale integration
Large-Scale Integration (LSI) refers to the placement or integration of thousands of electronic components on a single semiconductor microchip.
MSI – Medium-Scale integration
Medium-Scale Integration (MSI) is a term used in the electronic chip manufacturing industry for an Integrated Circuit (IC) which contained hundreds of transistors on each chip. MSI is an earlier measurement of transistor density on a chip.
SSI – Small-Scale integration
Small-Scale Integration (SSI) is the process of creating an Integrated Circuit (IC) by integrating less than 100 transistors onto a single chip. The term SSI was a very early measurement of transistor density on a chip.
VLSI – Very Large-Scale integration
Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) is the process of creating an Integrated Circuit (IC) by integrating hundreds of thousands of transistors onto a single chip. The microprocessor is a VLSI device.
ULSI – Ultra Large-scale integration
Ultra-Large Scale Integration (ULSI) is a term used in the electronic chip manufacturing industry for an Integrated Circuit (IC) which contained more than one million components per chip.
MODEM – Modulator-Demodulator
Modulator-Demodulator (Modem) is a device that converts digital information to analog by MODulating it on the sending end and DEModulating the analog information into digital information at the receiving end.
VDU – Visual Display Unit
Visual Display Unit (VDU), also known as Video Display Unit (VDU), is a device with a screen that displays characters or graphics generated by a computer or other electronic device.
SRAM – Static Random Access Memory
Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) is a type of semiconductor memory in which the data remains constant as long as electric power is supplied to the memory chip. The term static is derived from the fact that it does not need to be refreshed like dynamic RAM (DRAM).
DRAM – Dynamic Random Access Memory
Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) is a type of volatile memory that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit. The term “Dynamic” means that the memory must be constantly refreshed or re-energized otherwise it will lose its contents.
PROM – Programmable Read-Only Memory
Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM) is a type of read-only memory that can be modified once by a user. Standard PROM can only be programmed once because PROM chips are manufactured with a series of fuses one programmed, it remains there forever. The chip is programmed by a special device called a PROM programmer or PROM burner which supplies an electrical current to specific cells in the ROM that effectively blows a fuse in them. The open fuses are read as ones, while the burned fuses are read as zeros. Thus by burning specific fuses, a binary pattern of ones and zeros is imprinted on the chip.
EPROM – Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
An EPROM (rarely EROM), or erasable programmable read only memory, is a type of memory chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. In other words, it is non-volatile.
EEPROM – Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data. EEPROM can be erased and reprogrammed through the application of electrical charge.
CRT – Cathode Ray Tube
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) is a specialized vacuum tube used to display
images. It contains one or more electron guns as a source of electrons and a
phosphorescent screen and a magnetic field generating plates. The electron gun
produces a beam of electrons that are deflected by means of the magnetic plates
to strike the phosphorescent screen which in turn glows at the points of
striking of the electrons.
Cathode rays are so named because they are emitted in a vacuum tube by the
negative electrode or cathode. CRT is a technology widely used in traditional
computer monitors and televisions.
LCD – Liquid Crystal Display
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) is a thin, flat electronic visual display that contains liquid crystals, whose optical properties change in the presence of an electric field. LCDs must have an external light source to be visible. LCDs are commonly used in calculators, watches, digital cameras, and notebook computers.
LED – Light-Emitting Diode
Light-Emitting Diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits visible light when an electric current passes through it. It is simply a PN-junction diode which emits light when activated.
TV – Television
Television (TV) can refer to a television set, the telecommunication medium or the field of television broadcasting. A television set or TV set is an electronic device for viewing television programs and movies, consisting of a display screen and speakers. Television is a mass medium for advertising, entertainment, and news.
VDT – Video Display Terminal/ Visual Display Terminal
RAM – Random Access Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM) is a type of computer memory that makes it possible to access data very quickly in random order. RAM is normally a volatile memory, where stored information is lost if power is removed, although non-volatile RAM has also been developed.
ROM – Read-Only Memory
Read-Only Memory (ROM) is a non-volatile storage medium meant for permanent storage. To a ROM, data can only be recorded once and cannot be modified. ROM is meant for permanent storage and does not require a constant source of power to retain the information stored on it.
CU – Control Unit
Control Unit (CU) is a component of a computer’s Central Processing Unit (CPU) that controls the flow of data through the processor, and coordinates the activities of the other units within it.
ALU – Arithmetic Logic Unit
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) is a part of the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer that performs arithmetic and logical operations.
MU – Memory Unit
IR – Information Retrieval/ Infrared
PD – Public Domain
DVD – Digital Versatile Disk
Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), sometimes also known as Digital Video Disc (DVD), is an optical disc storage media format for storing digital data. DVD offers higher storage capacity than Compact Disc (CD) while having the same dimensions. A DVD is capable of holding 4.7 GigaByte (GB) storage capacity on a single-sided, one-layered disk. DVDs can be single or double-sided and can have two layers on each side. A double-sided, two-layered DVD can hold up to 17 GB of digital data.
HDD – Hard Disk Drive
Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is a device for storing and retrieving digital information, primarily computer data.]
FDD – Floppy Disk Drive
Floppy Disk Drive (FDD) is a device used to read and write a floppy disk.
PPM – Pages Per Minute
PPM is used to measure the printing speed of both inkjet and laser printers.
CPS – Characters Per Second
Characters Per Second (CPS) is a unit of measure used to describe the speed of a dot-matrix printer.
PCB – Printed Circuit Board
FORTRAN – Formula Translation
FORTRAN (Formula Translation) is a high-level programming language designed by John Backus and developed by the International Business Machines (IBM). Fortran is widely used for programming scientific and mathematical applications.
COBOL – Common Business-Oriented Language
COmmon Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) is one of the oldest high level programming languages primary designed for business applications.
PASCAL – Pascaline
Pascal is a general purpose, high-level procedural programming language developed by Niklaus Wirth. It is named after the French mathematician, scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal, in honor of his contributions to construct the first mechanical calculator called Pascaline (Arithmetic Machine) in 1642.
XML – eXtensible Markup Language
eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language used to describe data. A markup language uses tags to define elements within a document.
ATM – Automated Teller Machine/ Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or Automatic Teller Machine, is a computerized machine that dispenses cash or performs other self-service banking features to the customers of a financial institution, without the need for a human cashier or bank personnel.
Or,
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a network technology based on transferring data in cells or packets of a fixed size.
GPS – Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system owned and operated by the United States government. The service is available globally and is free to anyone with a GPS receiver. The United States Department of Defense (USDOD) originally put the satellites into orbit for military use, but later they were made available for civilian use. GPS is a network of orbiting satellites that send precise details of their position in space back to earth. The GPS receivers use this information and trilateration to calculate a user’s exact location.
ARPANET – Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) is the world's first packet-switched network and is the predecessor of the Internet. It was developed in 1969 by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), now the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the United States Department of Defense. The ARPANET was an experimental computer network to connect universities and research centers in the United States, which later on became the basis for the Internet.
DOD – Definition of Done/ Department Of Defense
SAM – Serial Access Memory
MROM – Mask Read Only Memory
FTP – File Transfer Protocol
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol used to transfer files between computers on a computer network. FTP is a commonly used protocol to transfer files between clients and servers over the Internet.
SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is a TCP/IP protocol used in sending and receiving e-mail.
ASP – Active Server Pages
Active Server Pages (ASP) is a server-side scripting language and engine developed for dynamically-generated web pages. ASP.NET is a web application framework developed and marketed by Microsoft.
JSP – JavaServer Pages
JavaServer Pages (JSP) is a Java technology that helps software developers to simplify the controlling of content or appearance of Web pages.
PHP – Hypertext Preprocessor
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), originally stood for Personal Home Page, is a free and open source general-purpose scripting language designed for web development. PHP allows the web developers to write dynamically generated pages quickly and efficiently.
JS – JavaScript
WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get
WYSIWYG (pronounced: “wiz-ee-wig”) is a text editor or a program that allows a developer to how the end result will look like while the document is being created.
WYSIWYS – What You See Is What You Sign
What You See Is What You Sign (WYSIWYS), used in cryptography, that ensures the integrity of digital documents and their digital signatures.
CSS – Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language use to specify how web pages should be displayed. CSS allows web site designers to add style to Web pages and have more control over the appearance of a webpage such as fonts, colors, spacing etc.
LSD – Least Significant Digit/ Limited Slip Differential
The rightmost non-zero digit of a decimal number is the Least Significant Digit(LSD) or least significant figure.
Or,
Limited Slip Differential (LSD) is a type of differential gear arrangement that allows one wheel to spin only a percentage faster than the other. This has its advantages in allowing more traction, especially during hard cornering.
MSD – Most Significant Digit
SD-CARD – Secure Digital/ Standard Definition
Secure Digital (SD) Card is a non-volatile memory card format. SD card is a popular storage media for digital cameras and other mobile devices.
Or,
Standard Definition (SD) is a term use to describe resolution that is not considered to be either enhanced or high-definition.
HP – Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard (HP) is a multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States. The company is named after its founders, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to determine the name to be used, whether Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett.
WINDOWS – Wide Interactive Network Development for Office Work Solution
YAHOO – Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle
Yahoo! is an internet portal and web services provider headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The two founders of Yahoo!, David Filo and Jerry Yang, Ph.D. candidates in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, started their guide in a campus trailer in February 1994 as a way to keep track of their personal interests on the Internet. The name Yahoo! is a backronym for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle or Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle, but Filo and Yang insist they selected the name because they liked the general definition of a yahoo: rude, unsophisticated, uncouth.
GOOGLE – Global Organization Of Oriented Group Language Of Earth
Google was founded in 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin as a
research project, both being Ph.D. students at Stanford University. The name
“Googol” which was supposed to be the name of the search engine is the
mathematical term for a very large number, “that is 1 followed by 100 zeros”.
Google’s use of the term reflects their mission to organize the world’s immense
(very large) amount of information and make it universally accessible and
useful. BackRub was the working name before Google was decided on.
IBM – International Business Machine
International Business Machines (IBM) is a multinational technology and consulting firm headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM was named by Thomas John Watson Sr. To one-up them in all respects, he called his company International Business Machines.
MS – MicroSoft
Microsoft (MS) or Microsoft Corporation, is a multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses computer software systems, and related services. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United States.
ENIAC – Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer
Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) was the first programmable general-purpose electronic digital computer. ENIAC was designed and built for the United States Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory (BRL) to calculate artillery firing tables.
EDSAC – Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator
Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC) was an early British computer. EDSAC was the first practical stored-program electronic computer and first to run a graphical computer game.
EDVAC – Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer
EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) was an early electronic computer that embodied several important technological advances, including the stored-program concept.
UNIVAC – UNIVersal Automatic Computer
UNIVersal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) was the first commercial computer produced in the United States. UNIVAC was designed by John Mauchly and John Presper Eckert and could handle numbers and alphabetic characters.
IT – Information Technology
Information Technology (IT) is the use of technologies and systems such as computers & telecommunications to create, store, exchange and utilize information in various forms.
0 Comments