Struggling with'geek-speak'? Here are twelve particularly confusing terms.
Apps - now used almost exclusively to describe mobile computing software. There are applications on your computer but apps on your phone or tablet - Photoshop (the application) on your iMac but Photoshop (the app) on your iPhone.
Big Data - the scale of the information now available is beyond the human capacity to analyse it. Step forward highly powered computers which can 'uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations and other useful information' - see here
Bitcoin - the most popular 'virtual' currency - see here.
BYOD - Bring your own technology - see here
MOOC - A MOOC is an online course with open enrolment and no fees - see here
Ping -

In practical terms to ping is to notify a website(s) that you have updated your site with new material. This is usually done automatically - via Twitter, Facebook etc.
SEO - search engine optimisation. SEO is the art of making your web page easier to find by the 'spiders' which crawl the web looking to recognise images and content visitors will be interested in.
Each page has a ranking depending on the search term - the aim is to get as close to the top of the page as possible.
Spoof - in general English this means to parody in an affectionate way - the Airplane films being a good example. In current IT usage the word has darker connotations - to spoof a password or user ID is to falsify, usually with the intention to defraud.
SSD - A solid state device.
![]() |
An SSD is lighter and more reliable than traditional hard drive |
3G+4G
Third and fourth generation access to bandwidth - or broadcasting capacity. In practical terms this means
3G - fast internet connection for mobile phones now slowed down by weight of traffic
4G - much faster connection.
Solution: everyone moves to 4G? Only problem is that access to networks is in the end controlled by national governments. In the UK this means that licences are finally becoming available - but at a very high price. So 4G will slowly become available but cost more than 3G.
And when that network slows down - bring on 5G.
English Language Teaching Pack - only £1.99
Comments
Post a Comment