Jargon Watch
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Apache
Apache HTTP Server
The Apache Project is a collaborative software development effort aimed at creating a robust, commercial-grade,
well featured, and freely-available source code implementation of an HTTP (Web) server.
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API
Application Programming Interface
A published programming interface for an application or platform.
ASP
Active Server Pages
A technology enabling the creation of dynamic HTML content, using the
VBScript or JScript languages, which may draw information from a
database or another software component.
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information
ASP.NET
Active Server Pages for .NET
A technology enabling the creation of dynamic HTML or other XML like
content, using the C#, VB.NET or other .NET
languages, which may draw information from a databases, web services or other software components.
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information
BASIC
BASIC Programming Language
BASIC stands for "Beginner's All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code". BASIC was developed in 1964 as a programming
language that would be simple to learn and would help users to learn more advanced programming languages.
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BSD
Berkeley Software Design UNIX
BSD is the original open source clone of the Unix operating system developed in the 1960s at the University Of Berkeley, California. BSD exists today in a number of versions, such as FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD.
BSD is regarded as one of the most secure of the Open Source operating systems.
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Business Intelligence
An application of targeted CRM
The use of data about customer behaviour and buying habits to merchandise products.
C#
C# Programming Language
C# is an object oriented programming language, developed by Microsoft and published as a standard by
ECMA. C# is one of the more popular programming languages for the .NET framework.
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C++
C++ Programming Language
C++ is an object oriented programming language. C++ is a superset of C and the name is a pun on the ++ postfix
operator in C and C++ which increments the value of the variable that it is applied to.
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CMS
Content Management System
A computer system designed to manage various aspects of content creation, storage, management and publishing. CMS systems are often used to manage the content of web sites and intranets.
CRM
Customer Relationship Management
The corporate practice of gathering information about it's customers and their habits in order to better service their needs.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheet
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a simple mechanism for adding style (e.g. fonts, colours, spacing) and layout to
HTML documents. When used in accordance with W3C standards and accessibility guidelines CSS can
improve the accessibility of web pages.
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DNS
Domain Name System
An Internet service that translates domain names into their corresponding numeric IP addresses. Textual domain names
are easier for humans to remember, however the actual Internet addressing is based on numeric IP addresses. The DNS
system is a federated network of servers where each server knows how to translate a particular domain.
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DSDM
Dynamic Systems Development Method
DSDM is a high level RAD framework methodology for software development projects.
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ECMA
European Computer Manufacturers Association
"ECMA is an international industry association founded in 1961 and dedicated to the standardisation of information
and communication systems." ECMA is the European computer standardisation association equivalent to the ISO.
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ECMAScript
ECMA Standardised Scripting Language
Scripting language mainly used to add client side dynamic functionality to HTML pages.
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ERP
Enterprise Resource Planning
A catch-all term for integrated enterprise operational, financial and human resource management systems.
escrow
Escrow is a legal agreement where property is held by a third party and released to a grantee only after certain conditions are fulfilled. Escrow may be used to ensure that a software product customer is granted access to the source code in certain situations.
Exchange Server
Microsoft Exchange Server
A messaging and collaboration server, providing workgroup and Internet email, shared contact management and shared calendaring services.
GNU Linux
GNU/Linux Operating System
The free operating system created by the GNU foundation and Linus Torvalds which has now become synonymous with the
Free Software movement.
The GNU/Linux operating system is highly regarded for its reliability, security and cost effectiveness.
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HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language
The markup language invented by Tim Berners-Lee which is used to create web pages. HTML is used to display the page
that you are currently reading.
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HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
Protocol used to request and transfer HTML documents across a network, such as the Internet.
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HTTPS
Secure Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
Protocol used to request and securely transfer HTML documents of other information across a network, such as the
Internet. HTTPS uses a system of digital certificates to ensure the security and authenticity of information
transmitted.
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IMAP
Internet Message Access Protocol
IMAP is a method of accessing electronic mail or bulletin board messages that are stored on a remote server. An
alternative to POP3.
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iTV
Interactive TV
Data services provided via digital television broadcasting. Also know as "the red button".
J2EE
Sun Microsystems Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition
J2EE is a combination of the Java software development kit and a collection of libraries of functionality enabling
rapid and standardised development of complex enterprise systems.
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Java
Sun Microsystems Java Platform
The Java language is a popular object oriented programming language.
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JavaScript
Alternative terminology for ECMAScript
See ECMAScript
JScript
Microsoft terminology for ECMAScript
See ECMAScript
JSP
Java Server Pages
A technology enabling the creation of dynamic HTML content, using the
Java language, which may draw information from a database or another software component.
more information
Linux
GNU/Linux Operating System
See GNU Linux.
log4j
Logging system for the Java platform
log4j from the Apache Software Foundation is the de facto standard application logging library for the Java platform. log4j is used by applications to log messages relating to internal events. The routing of the messages to relevant parties may be configured by the application administrator.
log4net
Logging system for the .NET platform
log4net is the port of the Java logging library, log4j, to the .NET Framework.
.NET
Microsoft .NET Framework
The .NET framework is a new application platform launched by Microsoft and based on a technologies such as
XML,SOAP and C#.
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Object Oriented
Object Oriented Software Design and Programming
Object oriented software development is a method of designing and implementing software that uses the concept of objects. Objects encapsulate units of data and functionality; these may represent real world objects such as people or may represent more abstract ideas such as algorithms. Object oriented design also enables the use of inheritance and polymorphism to implement solutions that enable code reuse and extension. Object oriented programming is a different paradigm of software development to procedural programming. Object oriented languages include Java, C++ and SmallTalk.
Open Source
Open Source Software
Open source software is software that is made publicly available in source code form. Open source projects are generally worked on by a number of contributors. Advantages of open source software include improved security through analysis of the source code by many individuals and speedy responses to issues.
Operating System
Operating System
The program which your whole computer, handles talking to the hardware, displaying what you see on screen and all
other basic system functions.
Examples of an OS are Microsoft Windows or Linux.
OS
Operating System
See operating system
OQL
Object Query Language
OQL is the query language used in object databases. Similar in syntax to SQL it is the most
flexible (and complex) method of performing queries across object extents.
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PocketPC
Microsoft PocketPC
Handheld device variant of the Windows CE operating system.
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POP3
Post Office Protocol 3
POP3 is used to access stored email from a remote client computer.
Adobe Portable Document Format
An increasingly popular format for publishing documents intended for electronic distribution.
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RAD
Rapid Application Development
RAD is a catch all term for a set of software development methodologies designed to facilitate rapid delivery of software systems.
RDF
Resource Description Framework
A general purpose language for representing information on the World Wide Web.
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RSS
RDF Site Summary
An extension of the RDF language, RSS is a standardised XML schema for syndicating news articles.
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SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
SOAP
Simple Object Access Protocol
A protocol for accessing objects (in object oriented software systems) across networks. The
protocol is based on XML representations of objects.
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Servlet
Java Servlet
A framework for servicing requests for data. Most commonly used to service HTTP requests as
part of a dynamic web site.
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SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
The protocol by which electronic mail is transfered between computers on a network. This is the standard protocol used to send mail messages on the Internet.
Soft Systems Analysis
Soft systems analysis is the examination of an existing or required process to determine the requirements for an
information system to manage the process. There are a number of methodologies and tools that may be used to perform this
type of analysis.
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Solaris
Sun Microsystems Solaris
Solaris is a commercial UNIX variant developed by Sun Microsystems.
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SQL
Structured Query Language
SQL is used to describe queries and other operations used in the operation of relational databases such as Oracle,
MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server.
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Source Code
Software Source Code
Software is written by developers in source code, a human readable language such as C, Java or PERL. These languages provide a layer of abstraction over computer readable instructions, allowing complex semantics to be represented more easily.
Tomcat
Jakarta Tomcat
The Apache Software Foundation's reference implementation of the Java Servlet and
JSP technologies.
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UNIX
UNiplexed Information and Computing System
Coined in 1969 to describe a specific computer operating system, the term "Unix" now covers a whole host of variations, including Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris. The name was intended as a pun on an earlier system called "Multics" (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service). This pun is the key to understanding the acronym, since the word "uniplexed" does not mean anything in particular. ("Multiplexed" refers to a communications system able to carry many messages simultaneously.)
VBScript
VBScript Scripting Language
A scripting language with a similar syntax to Visual Basic that may be used for creating
client or server side applications for Microsoft web development platforms.
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Visual Basic
Visual Basic Language
A programming language derived from the BASIC programming language. Visual Basic and the
Visual Basic development environment are designed to facilitate rapid development of graphical applications, without
the need for detailed understanding of operating system functionality.
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XML
Extensible Markup Language
A means of structuring data for transformation or exchange. For example, this document has been created by
transforming XML into HTML.
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XSL
Extensible Stylesheet Language
See XSLT
XSLT
Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations
A language used to express XML document transformations.
more information
WAP
Wireless Application Protocol
The protocol adopted as a standard by mobile device manufacturers to interact with online services. I.e. it is what is used to enable web browsing from a mobile phone.
Web Part
SharePoint Portal Server Web Parts
Components of functionality, implementing certain required interfaces, that may be used within SharePoint Portal Server.
Web Part framework for ASP.NET 2.0
Components of functionality, implementing certain required interfaces, that may be used in the development of ASP.NET 2.0 applications.
Web Server
Hardware
A physical computer that hosts one or more web sites.
Software
The software that services HTTP requests for data. Apache and IIS are examples of web server software implementations.
Web Service
An application delivered via the Internet
A software application that is accessible via the Internet using the SOAP protocol or similar, usually for the purpose of integration with another application.
Wiki
A web application designed to enable collaborative knowledge management
A web application that enables groups to create and manage shared information resources. The name is based on the
Hawaiian term wiki wiki, meaning quick or informal. Most wiki applications maintain a full history of changes and use a
simple formatting syntax
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