IT Glossary
Key Terms To Know In The IT Industry

Modular Design

A design approach that subdivides a system into smaller parts (modules) that can be independently created and then used in different systems to drive multiple functionalities.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, General IT

Modular Programming

A software design technique that emphasizes separating the functionality of a program into independent, interchangeable modules.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Modularity in Software Design

A design principle that divides a system into smaller parts called modules, each of which can be developed, tested, and managed independently.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, General IT

Modulation

The process of varying one or more properties of a periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal that typically contains information to be transmitted.

You will find this term commonly used in Telecommunications

Modulation Techniques

Methods used to encode digital information onto an analog carrier signal, including amplitude, frequency, and phase modulation techniques. Crucial in telecommunications.

You will find this term commonly used in Telecommunications, Networking

Module

A self-contained unit of software that encapsulates a specific functionality, which can be used interchangeably with other modules to build complex systems.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Momentary Switch

A type of switch that is only active as long as it's being activated or pressed. Commonly used in various computing and electronic devices.

You will find this term commonly used in Hardware

Monero

A secure, private, and untraceable cryptocurrency that is open-source and accessible to all. It uses a special kind of cryptography to ensure that all its transactions remain 100% unlinkable and untraceable.

You will find this term commonly used in Cryptocurrency

MongoDB

A cross-platform document-oriented database program that uses JSON-like documents with optional schemas.

You will find this term commonly used in Databases

Monolithic Architecture

A software development model where the application is built as a single and indivisible unit, typically suited for small to medium-sized applications.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Monorepo

A development strategy where code for many projects is stored in the same repository. Advocates argue it simplifies management of dependencies and cross-project changes.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development

Monotonic Function

In mathematics and computer science, a function that preserves the given order when mapped from one space to another, ensuring consistency in algorithms, especially in optimization problems.

You will find this term commonly used in Algorithms, Mathematics

Moore's Law

An observation stating that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years, leading to exponential growth in computing power.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT

Moore's Paradox

A situation in computing where the number of transistors on microchips doubles approximately every two years, leading to exponential increases in computing power and efficiency.

You will find this term commonly used in Hardware, Electronics

Moore's Second Law

Also known as Rock's Law, it suggests that the capital cost of a semiconductor fabrication plant doubles approximately every four years. It is a counterpart to Moore's Law, which predicts the increase in transistor density and hence processing power.

You will find this term commonly used in Hardware, Semiconductors

Morphing

In computer graphics, morphing is an animation technique in which one image is gradually transformed into another. This technique can be used in various applications, including film, television, advertising, and video games.

You will find this term commonly used in Computer Graphics, Animation

Morse Code

A method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called dots and dashes.

You will find this term commonly used in Telecommunications

Motion Graphics

Animation or digital footage creating the illusion of motion, often combined with audio for use in multimedia projects.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Media

Mouseover

A graphical control element that is activated when the mouse is hovered over it. Used in web design and software applications.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Web Development

MPL (Microsoft Public License)

A free and open source software license released by Microsoft. It allows the software to be freely used, modified, and redistributed.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Security

MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)

A technique in telecommunications networks that directs data from one node to the next based on short path labels rather than long network addresses.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)

A lightweight, publish-subscribe network protocol that transports messages between devices.

You will find this term commonly used in IoT, Networking

MUD (Multi-User Dungeon)

A multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat.

You will find this term commonly used in Gaming, Online Communities

Multi-cloud

Multi-cloud is a cloud computing strategy that involves using services and resources from multiple cloud providers, aiming to avoid vendor lock-in, increase redundancy, and optimize performance and cost.

You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing

Multi-factor Authentication

A security measure that requires users to provide two or more forms of verification before granting access to a system or application.

You will find this term commonly used in Security

Multi-Programming

A method of operating system process management that allows more than one process to be loaded into the executable memory at a time and running part of it.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Operating Systems

Multi-Site Hosting

A web hosting setup that allows multiple websites to be hosted on a single server, often used to efficiently manage resources and reduce costs.

You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, Hosting

Multi-tenancy

Multi-tenancy is a software architecture where a single instance of a software application serves multiple tenants (users or organizations), each with its own isolated data and configuration.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Cloud Computing

Multiboot

The ability of a computer to load and execute one of multiple operating systems stored on different partitions or disks at boot time.

You will find this term commonly used in Operating Systems

Multicast

A networking method where data is sent from one sender to multiple recipients simultaneously.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Multicast Address

An address in computer networking used to deliver a packet of information to a group of destination computers simultaneously in a single transmission from the source.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Telecommunications

Multicast DNS (mDNS)

A way of using standard DNS programming interfaces, protocols, and packets with a small change so that machines can use DNS programming interfaces to resolve names within the local network.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Multicast Routing

The network routing process used to send Internet Protocol (IP) packets to a group of interested receivers.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Multicore Programming

The practice of writing software that efficiently utilizes multiple CPU cores at the same time to improve performance. This involves understanding parallelism and concurrency concepts.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Parallel Computing

Multihoming

The practice of connecting a host or a network to more than one network. This is often used for redundancy and reliability.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Multimedia

The use of computers to present text, graphics, video, animation, and sound in an integrated way.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Media

Multimedia Codec

Software or hardware that compresses and decompresses digital media files such as songs or videos.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Multimedia

Multimedia Integration

The process of combining text, audio, images, animation, video, or interactive content forms and making them accessible through a computer or electronic device.

You will find this term commonly used in Media, Web Development

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)

A standard way to send messages that include multimedia content over mobile networks.

You will find this term commonly used in Mobile Communications

Multimodal Biometrics

The use of multiple biological characteristics, such as fingerprints and facial recognition, to verify identity for security purposes.

You will find this term commonly used in Security, Biometrics

Multimodal Interaction

Refers to the interaction with a computer or device using multiple modes of input/output, such as speech, touch, and gesture recognition.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT, AI

Multipath Propagation

Occurs when electromagnetic waves travel from a transmitter to a receiver via multiple paths due to reflection, refraction, or diffraction. Crucial in wireless communication system design.

You will find this term commonly used in Telecommunications

Multipeer Connectivity

A framework that supports discovering services provided by nearby devices, supporting the creation of sessions and sharing of data among these devices.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking, Mobile Development

Multiplexing

A method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium.

You will find this term commonly used in Telecommunications

Multiprocessing

The use of two or more central processing units (CPUs) within a single computer system.