Common Abbreviations You'll Encounter When Developing Software
Tags: computerscience, dev, beginners
Published: 2019-09-30 12:47:05

#So Many Abbreviations!

Whether you are communicating or reading about tech, you will inevitably come across abbreviations that you may or may not recognize. Abbreviations can be fun and helpful for specificity or to cut down on communication time. So, here's a list and some brief explanations of what each abbreviation stands for.

##The List, Alphabetically

* AJAX - Asynchronous JavaScript and XML

This dev tech was created to make asynchronous web applications possible. Thanks to AJAX, a client can make requests and run other processes *before*(or while) receiving a response.

* API - Application Program Interface

An interface for simplifying client/server communications. The idea is that a request formatted a certain way will receive a response formatted to fit the request.

* ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange

A standard for character encoding for electronic communication. Most modern character encoding is based on this.

* bash - Bourne Again Shell

Most widely used CLI shell.

* bin - Binary

.bin or /bin(especially in UNIX-like file paths) just means binary!

* BIOS - Basic Input Output System

Firmware for starting up hardware for booting. A newer version of BIOS is:

* UEFI - Unified Extensible Firmware Interface

Serves the same purpose as BIOS.

* bit - Binary Digit

Abbreviated as 'b'. This is your 1 or 0.

* byte - By Eight

A group of eight bits.

* CAPTCHA - Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart

Yes, these are those annoying little tests that many web apps make you pass, in hopes of weeding out any malicious automated users.

* CDN - Content Delivery Network

A group of servers that host the same information but in different locations, to minimize users' access time.

* CLI - Command Line Interface

Interface that utilizes text commands.

* CRUD - Create, Read, Update and Delete 

The four basic operations of persistent data storage.

* CS - Computer Science

The science of all things to make computers do what they do.

* DBMS - Database Management System

The software used to manage databases. Examples would be MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, etc..

* DOM - Document Object Model

A language independent interface that creates a tree structure out of HTML/XML documents. Each tree node/object represents a part of the document. It's how the web happens!

* ECMA - European Computer Manufacturers Association

A standards organization for information and communication systems. ECMAScript is the scripting-language specification on which JavaScript(among others) is based. Currently their official name is "Ecma", not "ECMA".

* EOD - End of Day

Usually a reference point for finishing work.

* FIFO/LIFO - First In First Out/Last In First Out

Commonly used when describing certain data structures(queues, stacks, etc..)

* FS - File System

How an operating system organizes its files.

* GNU - GNU's Not Unix

Recursive acronym for an operating system and collection of software that are open-source. GNU led to the bash and Linux.

* HDD - Hard Disk Drive

A form of persistent memory that is a disk that spins in order to perform CRUD operations.

* HTML - Hypertext Markup Language

The main document type for creating web pages.

* HTTP(s)—Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure)

The foundation for communication on the world wide web. The secure version encrypts data before it is sent.

* IDE - Integrated Development Environment

Software used for developing software.

* IoT - Internet of Things

A system of interrelated devices that can transfer data without human input. Example: a smart appliance that sends and receives information without user input.

* IP - Internet Protocol

The principal communications protocol for relaying data around the world via networks

* ISP - Internet Service Provider

The entity responsible for giving you a pathway to access the internet.

* JSON - JavaScript Object Notation

A common data format, with a diverse range of applications, like AJAX systems. It is human-readable and is an open standard file format.

* LAN - Local Area Network

A computer network that connects computers that are within a limited area, like computers in one building.

* MAC - Medium Access Control

In networking, a sublayer that controls hardware responsible for transmission medium(wireless, wired, optical)

* OOP - Object-Oriented Programming

Programming style based on the idea of "objects" that can contain data, in the form of fields(properties, attributes).

* PaaS/Iaas/SaaS - Platform/Infrastructure/Software as a Service

Cloud based services that provide previously localized services like providing the infrastructure to build and maintain apps or access to apps themselves.

* POSIX - Portable Operating System Interface

An IEEE group of standards for maintaining compatibility between operating systems. 

* REST - Representational State Transfer

A style of building software that defines formats for creating web services.

* SASS - Syntatically Awesome Style Sheets

A stylesheet language, compiles to CSS. It's something like 'CSS+'

* sbin - Superuser Binary

In UNIX/UNIX-like systems, it contains fundamental utilities such as init, usually needed to start, maintain and recover the system.

* SDK - Software Development Kit

Set of dev tools to work with a particular application.

* SSH - Secure Shell

A cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network.

* su - SuperUser

In UNIX/UNIX-like systems, the highest level of user access.

* tl;dr - Too Long; Didn't Read

This is how we all feel when we want that ONE tidbit of information but it's hidden in an unnecessarily verbose explanation.

* UI - User Interface

The means by which a user interacts with a device.

* UX - User Experience

A benchmark for gauging a user's overall experience of using a product.

* URI - Uniform Resource Identifier

A string of characters that unambiguously identifies a particular resource.

* URL - Uniform Resource Locator

AKA 'web address', is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. 

* VPN - Virtual Private Network

A simulated network whose connected members share IP addresses, thereby masking each individuals' identities.

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That's all for now. I will be extending this more very soon.!



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