Jargon buster
It can be difficult keeping up to date with all the technology and terminology, so here is our quick reference guide to IT speak which we will continue to update over time.
It is not an exhaustive list of all jargon; just those more relevant within the engineering IT industry, so we hope you will find it both useful and simple to use.
If you do have any requests for additional terms, please contact us with your comments or suggestions.
A
- ActiveX
- This is the Microsoft equivalent to Sun's Java technology. It represents an environment to support portable, self sufficient components that can be run anywhere on a Windows network, typically within a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.
- AJAX
- (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is an approach which allows components within a web page to update individually rather than requiring a full web page update. This enables quicker and much richer web applications.
- API
- (Application Programming Interface) allows a developer to programmatically communicate with an application. It can typically be a library of commands or functions to be used as an interface.
- Applet
- A small Java application which can be sent to the user along with a web page. It can typically perform simple application type operations such as data input and calculations without requiring additional requests to your web server.
- Architect
- Over-used definition given to someone who develops and designs an IT systems structure, components and inter-relationships. Alternatives you might see are System Architect, Solution Architect. Before you accept this definition from a supplier on face value, qualify it with relevant experience.
- ASCII
- (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) being the lowest common denominator for transfer of information between systems. It's basically a text file, and can be read and transferred by almost anything. It has no specific formatting and if your applications support this, you should be able to integrate relatively easily.
- ASP .NET
- Next generation version of Microsoft Active Server Pages which runs within Microsoft Internet Information Server. Allows web site developers to dynamically build pages from the results of various queries to a database and supports languages such as Visual Basic, Perl and C++/C#.
B
- Bespoke
- In a similar way to getting a 'bespoke' suit, this relates to getting a custom made or individual development where an off-the-shelf application does not fit with the requirements... just for you!
- BLOB
- (Binary Large Object) describes a large file which is stored into a database. The term fits with the fact that the database doesn't really know (or care) what file type it is, i.e. video or image etc, so it might as well be a... BLOB!
- BOM
- (Bill Of Materials) lists the materials and quantities required of a specific product or assembly/sub-assembly. Additional information can also be indicated such as assembly stage etc by a structured or 'Indented' BOM.
C
- Cache
- A temporary space to hold commonly accessed information. Avoids the need to contact the server as often. It may be a disk cache to hold files or a memory cache both of which can speed up the running of applications.
- CAD
- (Computer Aided Design) relates to the software used by the construction and engineering industries to create accurate two-dimensional drawings or three-dimensional models of products.
- CAE
- (Computer Aided Engineering) is the cover-all term to describe the use of computers to aid the analysis, design, development and manufacture of products and processes. Combines CAD, CAM etc.
- CAM
- (Computer Aided Manufacturing) means the use of computers in defining and operating manufacturing processes.
- CGI
- (Common Gateway Interface) generally describes the mechanism used for a web server to forward requests from a user to an application and then pass the response back to the user. This application can be any language, typically Perl or Java etc, so these applications can be termed CGI applications or scripts.
- Client
- The client is the program or user which makes a request and receives a response in a client/server relationship, e.g. Web browser (client) requests information from a Web server (server).
- COTS
- (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) means ready made software or products which can be purchased.
- CSS
- (Cascading Style Sheet) is a file used in web development which holds all the 'styles' to be used in the web page. The styles have an order of precedence, hence the cascade bit. If you reference these styles in your web page, you get a level of consistency and conformity across the page(s), so if the style changes it changes everywhere.
- CSV
- (Comma Separated Value) file is a basic ASCII or text file with commas (,) between each piece of different information. It is a lightweight file for distributing simple information. For more complex structures of information, use an XML file.
D
- Database
- A tabular and structured store of data, usually optimised to provide quick update and retrieval of information. Typical applications would be product, sales, customer information through to storage of CAD data.
- DHCP
- (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a networking term which allows network administrators automatically assign (IP: internet protocol) an address for your machine.... lets it get on the network.
- DHTML
- (Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language) is a generic term used to describe a means of making web pages more interactive and 'dynamic' than static and older HTML pages. It can allow web pages to work more like applications.
- DMS
- (Document Management System) system to handle the upload, recording and management of native format, or scanned documents. Aimed at being a single point of reference including access and release control.
E
- ERP
- (Enterprise Resource Planning) describes activities or a system which is used to manage business operations such as product planning, purchasing, supplier interaction, human resources, order tracking and management etc.
- Ethernet
- The most commonly used local area network (LAN) technology. Commonly called 10BASE-T providing transmission speeds up to 10Mbps (Mega bits per second), with faster versions taking you up to 10Gbps (10 Billion bits per second).
F
- FTP
- (File Transfer Protocol) is one of the standard internet protocols and provides the simplest way to exchange files between computers on the internet. It uses the internet TCP/IP protocols to allow copy, delete, rename and move files. You can access via login or anonymously
H
- HTML
- (Hyper Text Markup Language) is the basic standard or recommendation to describe a series of tags or 'markup' which are included in a text file to allow a Web browser to display the page together with the intended formatting. It has moved through various versions withe current being dynamic HTML/HTML 5 or XHTML (Extensible Hyper Text Markup Language) which aims to make browser pages work more and more like applications.
- HTTP
- (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is the basic set of rules for transferring files of any format on the Internet or World Wide Web. All basic communication you make with a Web Server from your Browser is made using this protocol.
- HTTPS
- (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer) is just a security layer available on top of the basic HTTP protocol which encrypts and decrypts information between your browser and the server you are communicating with.
I
- IP Address
- (Internet Protocol Address) describes your specific address on the internet, so that all components of the network between you and the server (and all other components) know how to communicate with each other. It is basically a unique address.
J
- J2EE
- (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) is a Java platform designed for large scale use in large enterprises. It is designed to simplify the development of a thin-client/server based system through re-use of many modular components and could typically be used to build (for example) a 'PDM' system from these building blocks.
- Java
- Java is a programming language designed for use across a distributed environment such as the internet. It can be used to develop single applications through to complex applications running across multiple machines on a network. It can also be used to develop a small application called an applet which runs within your browser.
- JDK
- (Java Development Kit) ... its what it says!... the kit for developing Java applications which sits on top of the operating system. It allows developers to run the Java applications as well as develop and compile them.
- JRE
- (Java Runtime Environment) is a cut down JDK. It provides the minimum environment to allow Java applications to run, so does not include the development tools.
- JSP
- (Java Server Pages) is a technology which allows small programs defined on a web page to be run on the web server (via servlets) to modify the content before it is sent to the user. A typical example may be to look into a database and create a table showing the contents of an assembly as a list.
- JVM
- (Java Virtual Machine) is the machine specific 'Engine' of Java. It is the 'thing' which interprets your Java instructions (in your Java program) into computer language 'bytecode' which the machine can understand.
L
- LDAP
- (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is another protocol (yes there are lots!), to enable anyone access to organisational structures, such as network devices, files, individuals. An example is the use of LDAP in allowing a PDM system to 'look-up' user details for login and email from a single source.
R
- RMI
- (Remote Method Invocation) is a Java mechanism to allow functions (or methods) in a Java program to be executed remotely or on separated machines. In techy terms it is Java's Remote Procedure Call mechanism and allows separated interaction at the 'Object' level.
