Geek Speak Decoded #5: Welcome to Acronym Hell

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Nancy Cluts
Developer Technology Engineer
Microsoft Corporation

November 12, 1998

The following article was originally published in Site Builder Magazine (now known as MSDN Online Voices).

On my very first day working at Microsoft, I attended a daily meeting (called triage) where we prioritized work, discussed technical problems, and generally kvetched. During this meeting, a myriad of acronyms and code names flew about the room. Finally, I could stand it no longer and asked what all of these acronyms stood for, to which one of my co-workers replied, "Welcome to acronym hell."

If you are new to the development world, you might feel the same way. This article is intended to explain what some of these acronyms stand for and where you can find more detailed information about each term. The acronyms I chose to define for you are those that I think you are most likely to run into when reading overviews of technologies or tools, as well as introductions to programming. Many overviews assume some basic knowledge of terms and, although the acronyms will be spelled out in these articles, they tend to neglect to explain just what this term means. That's where this articles comes in.

For an extensive list of acronyms, check out the MSDN Online Glossary. If you see terms in this list that aren't currently in the glossary, don't be alarmed; I'm sure they will show up in the glossary very soon. Between this series and the glossary, you should be fluent in geek speak in no time.

Acronyms and Terms

ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) A set of compact objects that you can use to access data via Internet applications. The interfaces for these objects ship with Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and Microsoft Visual InterDev™. ADO enables you to write an application to access and manipulate data in a database server through an OLE DB provider. More information on ADO can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/data/ado/ .

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop) An asymmetric digital subscriber loop offers a high-speed connection to the Internet (see DSL). ADSL is used for transferring data where the bandwidth available for a downstream connection is significantly larger than for an upstream connection. For example, if you have a big, fast server on one end and smaller client machines on the other end, ADSL will provide the clients a faster download but a slower upload. This works really well for Internet browsing or client-server computing. The transfer rate for ADSL depends on the length and quality of the line connecting the client machine to the telephone company (the farther away you are from the hub, the slower your transfer rate will be). For more information about ADSL, check out http://www.adsl.com/ .

API (Application Programming Interface) A set of routines that an application can use to communicate with the operating system or other applications. When you create an application for an operating system, you use the API to send messages, request data, write data, display items on the screen, or to have the operating system perform a certain task. The API used for programming Windows applications is known as the Win32 API. More information about the Win32 API can be found on the MSDN Web site .

CDO (Collaboration Data Objects) A COM library designed to send and receive e-mail via SMTP. More information about CDO can be found at http://www.15seconds.com/Issue/980325.htm.

CIFS (Common Internet File System) A standards-based technology that enables groups to work together and share documents across the Internet or a local intranet. CIFS is designed to be cross-platform and runs over TCP/IP using the Internet's global Domain Naming Service (DNS). More information about CIFS can be found at http://www.cifs.com/ .

CLSID (Class Identifier) A universally unique identifier (UUID) that identifies a type of OLE object. CLSIDs are stored in the registry by the application that created the object. This allows other programs to access the object's class and to use the object.

COM (Component Object Model) COM makes it easier to create components (pieces of code) or use pre-existing components that can interact with other components and applications (using the object model). A plus is that these components can be written using a variety of computer languages. More information about COM can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/com/default.asp .

CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) A standard defined by the Object Management Group (OMG) that provides a mechanism to share objects. This mechanism is known as the Object Request Broker (ORB). The ORB is a framework that applications use to allow objects to communicate independent of programming language.

DAO (Data Access Objects) A set of objects that developers can use to read and write records to a database without having to know the physical details of the database. Examples of data access objects in a database application include databases, table definitions, and fields. More information about DAO can be found on the MSDN Web site .

DBCS (Double-Byte Character Set) The character set used to represent languages that require more than 256 characters. Applications that are written for an international audience may use DBCS. DBCS uses 16-bits to represent each character. More information about DBCS and internationalization can be found on the MSDN Web site .

DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) DCOM is COM over a network. DCOM enables software components to communicate directly over a network. DCOM is based on the Open Software Foundation's DCE (Distributed Computing Equipment) Remote Procedure Call specification and works across platforms. This means that third-party tool vendors can support it. More information about DCOM can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/com/dcom.asp .

DHTML (Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language) An open, standards-based technology that exposes the properties (i.e., font, background color, and so forth) for each object on the page, as well as the events associated with objects (i.e., mouse click, object load, etc.). More information about DHTML can be found in the DHTML section of the MSDN Online Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/workshop/author/default.asp.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) A family of digital telecommunications protocols for high-speed data communication over existing phone lines. With DSL, you don't need a special type of line run to your house in order to gain access to high-speed Internet connections from about 256 Kbps (thousand kilobytes per second) to 768Kbps. Typical modems today run at 56Kbps. The faster the line speed, the higher the cost. You will need to check in your area to see if your phone company offers this service. More information about DSL can be found at http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?Digital+Subscriber+Line .

DVD (Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disk) A digital storage medium for video and data, much like a compact disc. DVDs provide more storage space than a typical CD-ROM (about 25 times more) and can store data on both sides of the disk. DVDs use MPEG-2 compression, and double-layered, double-sided, compressed disks can hold up to nine hours of video. More and more software companies are distributing software via DVD, so you could lobby your boss for one -- just don't tell him that the real reason you want it is to get the latest cool video.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) A graphics file format originally designed by CompuServe to display raster images on the Internet. The GIF format is an industry standard that supports up to 256 8-bit colors. The GIF image format includes compression, and the size of the file is dependent on the number of colors used and the sections of colors in the image. For example, large sections of the same color value compress well, making them smaller than those with a gradient of two colors. GIFs can be used on a variety of different computer platforms, and can even be animated via tools such as those provided in Microsoft FrontPage .

GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) A globally unique identifier (see UUID) is used to uniquely identify COM objects. Running the Guidgen.exe command line program creates GUIDs. More information about GUIDs can be found on the MSDN Web site .

IHV (Independent Hardware Vendor) A manufacturer of hardware for computers. This includes peripherals, such as printers, scanners, and video cameras.

IID (Interface ID) A globally unique identifier (GUID) associated with an interface. Some functions take IIDs as parameters to allow the caller to specify which interface pointer should be returned. More information about IIDs can be found on the MSDN Web site .

ISAPI (Internet Services Application Programming Interface) This API is used with Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) to provide a server-side interface to the Internet for back-end Internet applications. More information about ISAPI can be found in the ISAPI reference at http://www.microsoft.com/win32dev/apiext/isapiref.htm .

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) A system of digital phone connections that is based on DSL. With ISDN, both voice and data (including video) are transmitted simultaneously over a single telephone line or fiber optic cable. ISDN transmits data faster than the current standard 56.6K modem. ISDN is capable of transmitting at 64Kbps (64,000 bits per second) or at 128Kbps (which is called a "bonded" connection). ISDN is provided by your telephone company and is not available everywhere. Check with your local telephone company for availability and pricing. More information about ISDN can be found at http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?ISDN .

ISV (Independent Software Vendor) A company that creates software for operating systems that the company does not create. Intuit (creator of Quicken), Visio (creator of Visio), and Wordperfect (creator of Wordperfect) are examples of ISVs.

JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) A technology created by JavaSoft that allows Java programs to communicate with relational databases. It can be compared to Microsoft's Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) specification. A lot of information about JDBC and Java can be found on the JavaSoft site at http://www.javasoft.com:80/products/jdk/1.1/docs/guide/jdbc/index.html , as well as the Java World site at http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/common/jw-ti-jdbc.html .

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) A graphics algorithm used for compressing and storing photographic images. Many Web browsers today support files compressed using JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF). More information about JPEG can be found at http://www.jpeg.org/ .

MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface) A part of the Win32 API that manipulates communications, such as e-mail. MAPI functions are used to create communication-aware applications.

MP3/MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) MPEG provides compression algorithms for both video and sound. There are multiple standard levels for MPEG (MPEG1, MPEG2, and so on). Movies saved in the MPEG format are highly compressed and consume much less disk space than would normally be required. MP3 is the acronym used for audio compressed in the MPEG1 Layer 3 format. Currently, there is MPEG1 and MPEG2; MPEG4 is on the way. DVD uses MPEG2 for encoding video. More information about MPEG can be found at http://www.crs4.it/HTML/LUIGI/MPEG/mpegfaq.html .

ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) An API that is used for database access. ODBC is based on the Call-Level Interface (CLI) specifications created by X/Open and ISO/IEC. It uses SQL (Structured Query Language) as its database access language. With ODBC, you can write an application that accesses databases on any personal computer (including Windows-based and Apple systems), minicomputer, or mainframe that supports an ODBC data source. In addition, database drivers can be added to a system to allow an application to use any database management system (DBMS). More information about ODBC can be at http://www.microsoft.com/data/odbc/ .

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) A manufacturer of computer equipment, such as Dell, Gateway, or IBM.

OLE DB (Object Linking and Embedding for Databases) A set of interfaces for data access. OLE DB is designed to give applications the ability to access data over the entire enterprise's network, regardless of the data type. OLE DB provides the database architecture that the application uses. More information about OLE DB can be found on the OLE DB Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/data/oledb/prodinfo.htm .

OLE DB for OLAP (OLE Database Connectivity for Online Analytical Processing) A mouthful of an acronym representing a set of objects and interfaces that extend OLE DB to provide access to multidimensional data sources. More information about the OLE DB for OLAP specification is available at http://www.microsoft.com/data/oledb/olap/ .

OSIG (Online Special Interest Group) Online communities of developers who share common technical interests, such as Web authoring for the client, electronic commerce, or multimedia. MSDN Online has an entire section devoted to OSIGs in the Member Community area. You can go to an OSIG to get a question answered or to gather information from others who may have already solved one of your current quandaries. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/community/osig/default.asp to check out the OSIGs offered by MSDN Online.

PICS (Platform for Internet Content Selection) An industry-wide standard for rating content over the Internet. The PICS standard helps Web sites to rate themselves, as well as allowing third-party rating. Rating your Web site accurately helps the user to know whether or not he wants to visit your site or should allow his children to visit a site. The PICS standard can be found on the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Web site at http://www.w3.org/PICS/ .

PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) A specification for transmitting data to and from machines from different manufactures via a serial point-to-point link. PPP is not limited by the protocol used -- protocols can be simultaneously transmitted across a single serial link. Detailed information about PPP can be found at http://www.acc.com/internet/whitepapers/ppp.html .

PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) A network protocol that is based on PPP and TCP/IP. With PPTP, you can securely transfer data from a remote client machine across a corporate firewall using TCP/IP by creating a virtual private network. PPTP works with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to make the connection. Many companies use PPTP for remote dial-up access to their corporate networks. The technical specifications for PPTP can be found at http://infodeli.3com.com/infodeli/tools/remote/general/pptp/pptp.htm .

RDS (Remote Data Service) A feature of ADO. RDS provides the services ADO needs to use ODBC to access databases on the Internet or on a corporate intranet. RDS supports the caching of client-side data, update of data, and data-aware ActiveX® controls. More information about RDS can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/data/ado/rds/ .

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) An Internet protocol designed to transfer electronic mail reliably across the Internet. You are most likely to run into this acronym when you are configuring your e-mail client. SMTP is used on the server to accept e-mail, as well as on the client to transfer e-mail. The e-mail client generally picks up e-mail via either the POP (Point of Presence) or the IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) protocols. SMTP is described in RFC 821 .

TAPI (Telephony Application Programming Interface) A Win32 API function set that lets a computer communicate directly with telephone systems. Information about TAPI 3.0 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/server/Technical/networking/iptelephony.asp .

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) provides the protocol (or language) that computers use to communicate across the Internet. The protocol defines how data is packaged up (into packets) and sent across the network.

UCS-2/Unicode (Universal Character Set-2) A character-coding system that is designed to support modern written languages, including those spoken in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia. Developers who create applications that will be distributed worldwide use Unicode as their character set. (Note: Unicode does not currently support all written languages.) More information about Unicode and internalization can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/workshop/management/intl/unicode.asp.

UDA (Universal Data Access) Microsoft's strategy for high performance, end-to-end access to data across the enterprise, including access to databases. UDA encompasses the whole alphabet soup of data access acronyms, including Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), RDS, ADO, OLE DB, and ODBC. For an overview of what UDA is, go to the UDA Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/data/whatuda.htm .

UUencode/UUdecode A method of encoding and decoding attachments to be sent across the Internet. UUencoding take a binary file (such as a graphic or an application) and converts it to ASCII text file so that the file can be attached to an e-mail message or downloaded in a newsgroup. Once the file is transferred, it is UUdecoded to return it to its binary format.

UUID (Universal Unique Identifier) Akin to a globally unique identifier (GUID), a UUID is a 128-bit value that uniquely identifies an object including an OLE server, an interface, or a client object. UUIDs are used to communicate across processes using RPC or OLE.

XML (Extensible Markup Language) A means for describing the format of data on the Web. It is a subset of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). With XML, you can define a structure for your data that your HTML pages can use. For example, let's say that you want to represent your address book on a Web page. You could use XML to specify that you have several items that all have the same type of data -- name, address, and phone number -- and use Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) to specify the style for all names, addresses, and phone numbers. XML elements also provide the framework for allowing search and sort, so you could enable users to search by name, address, or phone number. Check out http://www.microsoft.com/xml/default.asp for loads of information about XML.

XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) A means for describing structured XML data and documents. With XSL, you can specify the STYLE attributes for specific structured data. For example, if you have XML data that includes information about an article, such as author, date posted, and date updated, you could use XSL to specify that the author name should always be in bold in a 12-point Verdana font. XSL does not replace Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) as a method for generalized style definitions. Instead, XSL supports all of the capabilities of XML. In addition, you can use "XSL Patterns" to query or manipulate XML data. More information about XSL can be found in the XML section of the MSDN Online Web Workshop at http://www.microsoft.com/xml/default.asp.

Ever since MSDN Online developer-technology writer Nancy Cluts became a godmother recently, she's been making us offers we can't refuse.