I’m sure you are already well aware of how acronym-rich the IT industry is – it’s right there in the name! You’ve probably already committed a lot of valuable brain cells to remembering these acronyms but struggling to keep up with the pace of acronym creation. With new technology developments popping up nearly every day it seems each has their own new bunch of letters to describe it. So we’ve created a list of our most used terms to keep up with your IT team:
TWAIN – Technology Without An Interesting Name – This is a legitimate protocol often used for communication between software and imaging devices like scanners and cameras. While this wasn’t originally intended to be an acronym, it was too good of an opportunity to have an amusing name so it stuck.
PCMCIA – Personal Computer Memory Card International Association – this is an organisation that defined storage and communications standards in the ’90s. This is a pretty standard acronym of the time but it also has a more amusing definition – People Can’t Memorise Computer Industry Acronyms.
WYSIWYG (pronounced whizzy wig) – What You See Is What You Get – A term used to describe a software application, typically a web page editor, where instead of editing code you edit the page like a document. What you see in the editor closely resembles how the page would appear on the web.
SCSI – Small Computer System Interface – An interface standard for attaching devices to computers. A pretty standard acronym but is much better represented as System Can’t See It.
Then there are the less common, but more amusing, IT acronyms that you are not likely to find in any textbook or manual:
PEBKAC – Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair – Often used by hilarious co-workers and support staff (though you won’t find us using it!) as a codeword to explain that the user is the cause of the problem rather than the technology.
PICNIC – Problem In Chair, Not In Computer – refer to PEBKAC
MACINTOSH – Most Applications Crash If Not The Operating System Hangs – This one is for the Mac fans.
We know it can be difficult to keep up and understand the world of technology acronyms. It’s easy to get lost in technical conversations which means you may not be getting what you think you’re getting. We can provide solutions and support in an easy to understand plain English.
If you’re looking for consultancy services to help design your own IT business processes, contact Starboard IT to find out what we can do for you.
