IT Glossary

Software that grants users the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change, and improve the software. Free software is more about liberty than price, and it must be distributed under terms that allow these freedoms to be preserved.

Commonly used in General IT, Software Development

A license under which software is freely available for modification, use, and redistribution, subject to certain conditions that preserve the same freedoms for others.

Commonly used in General IT, Open Source

A technology that uses light propagated in free space (air, outer space, vacuum) to wirelessly transmit data for telecommunications or computer networking.

Commonly used in Networking

The loss of power over a line-of-sight path in free space, typically used in telecommunications to analyze the strength of radio signals over long distances.

Commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications

An examination of a software project to identify and evaluate all the open-source components it uses. This can help ensure compliance with open source licenses, identify potential security vulnerabilities, and manage dependencies.

Commonly used in Software Development, Security

In digital signal processing, a range of frequencies defined within a specific window, used for analyzing signals in the frequency domain.

Commonly used in Networking, Signal Processing

A technique whereby the total bandwidth available in a communication medium is divided into a series of non-overlapping frequency bands, each of which is used to carry a separate signal.

Commonly used in Networking

A method used in wireless communications to spread signals over rapidly changing frequencies, each allocated for a short duration. This technique reduces interference and improves security, making it harder for eavesdroppers to intercept communications.

Commonly used in Networking, Security

A method of transmitting information over a carrier wave by varying its frequency. Commonly used in radio broadcasting.

Commonly used in Broadcasting, Telecommunications

A method of sound synthesis that is central to digital audio processing and music technology, involving altering a waveform’s frequency to produce new sounds.

Commonly used in Digital Signal Processing, Multimedia

In computing, the technique of adjusting the frequency of the processor’s operational clock to manage power consumption and heat generation. Dynamic frequency scaling allows a processor to run at a lower frequency to save power or reduce heat.

Commonly used in Hardware, Operating Systems

The part of a website or application that users interact with directly. It is everything that users experience visually: texts, images, sliders, and interactive elements.

Commonly used in Software Development

Specializes in developing the visual and interactive elements of web applications users interact with directly.

Commonly used in Web Development

The development of the graphical user interface of a website, through the use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, so that users can view and interact with that website.

Commonly used in Software Development

Encrypting data on the client-side before it is sent across the network to ensure data privacy and security.

Commonly used in Security, Web Development

The process in engineering design projects that comes after conceptual design and before detailed design. It involves the detailed planning and layout of processes and systems.

Commonly used in Software Development, System Design

A development tool or script that prepares and loads the front-end resources of a web application for client-side use.

Commonly used in Web Development

The process of improving aspects of a website that affect its loading time and user experience on the client-side, such as minifying CSS and JavaScript files, optimizing images, and implementing lazy loading for faster page rendering.

Commonly used in Web Development

A specialized computer that manages communications to and from a mainframe computer, handling all data formatting, transmission, and reception.

Commonly used in Networking, General IT

The practice of writing scripts in languages like JavaScript that run on the client-side (in the user’s web browser) to create interactive and dynamic web pages. This is a key component of web development, enhancing user experience and web application functionality.

Commonly used in Web Development

The testing of the front-end components of a web application or website, focusing on the user interface and user experience aspects. It ensures that the application behaves as expected across different browsers and devices.

Commonly used in Software Testing, Development

A software framework that is designed to support the development of web applications including web services, web resources, and web APIs. Frameworks provide a standard way to build and deploy web applications on the World Wide Web.

Commonly used in Software Development

The process of combining various front-end technologies and services into a cohesive user interface. This can involve integrating different web services, APIs, and third-party tools to create a seamless experience for the user.

Commonly used in Web Development

A nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom. It advocates for the freedom to study, distribute, create, and modify computer software.

Commonly used in General IT, Software Development

A standard network protocol used for the transfer of computer files between a client and server on a computer network.

Commonly used in Networking, General IT

A method of accessing an FTP server that allows users to log in without providing a username and password. Anonymous access is often used to distribute files publicly but poses security risks if not carefully managed.

Commonly used in Networking, Security

A software that enables a user to upload, download, and manage files on a remote FTP server.

Commonly used in Networking, General IT

An extension of the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) that adds support for the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) cryptographic protocols. FTPS ensures secure transmission of data over the Internet.

Commonly used in Networking, Security

An extension of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) that adds support for the Transport Layer Security (TLS) and the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocols.

Commonly used in Networking, Security

An encryption method that allows computation on ciphertexts, generating an encrypted result which, when decrypted, matches the result of operations performed on the plaintext. This allows data to be processed securely without exposing it at any point.

Commonly used in Security, Cryptography

A developer who has the ability to work on all aspects of a web application, including front-end, back-end, database, version controlling, and debugging.

Commonly used in Software Development

An application framework that provides both backend and frontend development tools and libraries. Full stack frameworks aim to simplify the development process by offering a unified environment for client-side and server-side programming.

Commonly used in Software Development

An IT professional with expertise across all layers of network infrastructure, from physical cabling and network topologies to network services and applications.

Commonly used in Networking, General IT

A comprehensive testing strategy that covers all layers of a web application, from the front end (user interface) to the back end (databases and server-side logic), as well as the software’s infrastructure and network. Full stack testing ensures the application functions correctly as a whole.

Commonly used in Software Testing

A virtualization technique used to provide a virtual machine environment that is a complete simulation of the underlying hardware. Full virtualization allows an unmodified guest operating system to be run in isolation.

Commonly used in Cloud Computing, Networking

A method of data protection that encrypts all the data on a disk drive, including the operating system, application files, and user data. FDE protects the data in case the physical disk is stolen or accessed by an unauthorized party.

Commonly used in Security, Data Protection

A communication system that allows two or more entities to transmit information to each other simultaneously. In networking, full-duplex can increase the efficiency of communication protocols.

Commonly used in Networking

Works on both the front-end and back-end of web applications, handling project development from start to finish.

Commonly used in Web Development

An approach in networking that involves understanding and working across all layers of the networking stack, from the physical infrastructure to the application layer. This is important for designing and troubleshooting complex networked systems.

Commonly used in Networking, Cloud Computing

A database that allows for the storage and search of documents or database entries as complete texts.

Commonly used in Data Management, Database Design

The process of creating an index of every word in a set of documents or database records to support comprehensive and rapid search queries.

Commonly used in Data Management

A search technique that scans all the words in every stored document as it tries to match search criteria (e.g., text queries). It is widely used in databases and search engines to provide quick, comprehensive searches of text-based content.

Commonly used in Databases, Web Development

A block of organized, reusable code that is used to perform a single, related action. Functions are fundamental to procedural programming, and many languages have built-in functions that perform specific operations.

Commonly used in Software Development

A design approach where individual functions or services are deployed as independent microservices, often in a serverless computing environment. This allows for scaling, updating, and managing functions separately for greater flexibility and efficiency.

Commonly used in Cloud Computing, Software Development

A serverless computing model where functions are deployed to act as proxies for more complex operations or services, often enabling lightweight and flexible integrations between different systems or components. FaaP can simplify architecture by abstracting underlying services.

Commonly used in Cloud Computing, Software Development

The performance cost associated with invoking a function in programming, particularly relevant in languages and environments where function calls are frequent.

Commonly used in Software Development, Performance Optimization

A functional programming technique of converting a function that takes multiple arguments into a sequence of functions each with a single argument.

Commonly used in Software Development

A key on a computer or terminal keyboard which can be programmed so as to cause an operating system to perform certain actions. Function keys are typically labeled F1 through F12 or F15 and can perform default actions or custom shortcuts in applications.

Commonly used in Hardware, User Interface

A feature in many programming languages that allows the creation of several functions with the same name, which differ from each other in the type or number of their parameters.

Commonly used in Software Development

A standardized method to measure software development effort and size based on the functionality delivered to the user. Function point analysis considers elements such as inputs, outputs, user interactions, files, and external interfaces.

Commonly used in Software Development, Management