What "PC" Means & Other Computer Acronyms

Net-book: A type of PC

The most common problem people face when they first start learning about using computers is the torrent of Acronyms! "PC" is one example.

Acronyms and short-hand spellings are common place amongst avid computer users. This is mainly because of the long names of things and how much it hurts your hands when you have to type it all out.

Most people are too embarrassed to admit they do not know what "PC" or any other Acronym stands for, so for this post I'm just going to write down as many as I can remember!

PC = Personal Computer

"A small computer, built around a microprocessor, for use by one person at a time"

CD = Compact Disk

"A form of digital media on a plastic disc read by a laser in a CD drive. It comes in several varieties."

DVD = Digital Versatile Disk 

"An optical disc, typically one holding a commercially-recorded movie."

HDD = Hard Disk Drive 

"A device used for storing large amounts of data for a computer that persist while the computer is turned off."

Wi-Fi = Wireless Fidelity

"A mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices."

USB = Universal Serial Bus

" An international standard for interconnecting personal computer devices using simple plugs and sockets and lightweight cables."

LAN = Local Area Network

"An interconnection of computers that are in relatively close proximity to each other, such as within a building."

WWW = World Wide Web

"Collectively, all of the web pages on the Internet which hyperlink to each other and to other kinds of documents and media."

IM = Instant Message

"A form of realtime communication where two or more people exchange text messages, usually short, using computers or other devices"

IE = Internet Explorer

"A series of internet browsers that ship with the Microsoft Windows operating systems"

There are (A few!) more, but really that should be all you need to get started. I don't want to just flood you with information. I promise you will now be able to at least understand what someone means when they start using the acronyms in real life, which almost everyone does. It is also a good starting point because when I cover these topics in later posts you will be able to refer back to here. 

Next post: Definitions! 

I'll cover things like what "Ethernet" and "Mouse" Mean, as well as give some visual examples. 

Extra reading:

The Full Computing Acronym list!

Credits:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page