| Anyone remember George Carlin, Woodstock, | | | | In the early 1990s, John Sculley, the former Apple |
| and Hill Street Blues? - then, you need to give | | | | CEO, presented the Apple Newton term "personal |
| refresh your vocabulary when you're talking about | | | | digital assistant" (PDA) that referred to handheld |
| the beloved computer. New technology is | | | | computers. This technology continued to be used |
| developed everyday, and along with these new | | | | in 1996. But, then the Palm Pilot became the big |
| developments, comes a whole new set of | | | | demand within the corporate world. Today, |
| acronyms. | | | | Blackberry and iPhone handheld computers, are |
| Recently, I learned that several technical | | | | known as "smartphones." |
| computer terms and phrases, are outdated. | | | | -- INTERNET TELEPHONY |
| For instance, do you remember ASPs (Active | | | | The term "Internet Telephony" has been changed |
| Server Pages)? Well, they've just become "cloud | | | | to Voice over IP (VoIP). But, be aware, VoIP is, |
| computing," although the two are virtually the | | | | also, going out of style, because very soon, |
| same thing. ASP or ASP Classic was Microsoft's | | | | telephone calls will be routed over the Internet. |
| first server-wide script engine, for | | | | Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN) will |
| dynamically-generated web pages. | | | | be extinct. And, PSTN will soon be put into |
| More, newly outdated terms follow: | | | | storage, because all voice, video, and data |
| -- INTRANET | | | | trafficking will be transmitted on the Internet. |
| In the 1990s, the term "intranet" referred to | | | | -- WEBLOG |
| private networks running the Internet Protocol | | | | The well-known blog is really a shortened version |
| (IP), and others, such as, Hypertext Transfer | | | | of "Weblog." This term came about in the late |
| Protocol (HTTP). Companies used internal | | | | 1990s, and described comments, opinions, and |
| Websites that could only be used by employees, | | | | statements published online, by individuals. The |
| and were hosted behind firewalls. However, today | | | | Weblog gave birth to words like, "blogger" and |
| private networks use IP, and a new term has | | | | "blogosphere." Nowadays, people don't have time |
| been put into play. Virtual Private Network (VPN) | | | | to "blog," and are now "microblogging." Twitter is |
| now describes individual, private IP-based | | | | becoming a generic term to turn out |
| networks. | | | | 140-character observations or opinions, and |
| -- EXTRANET | | | | "blogosphere" will soon be gone. |
| The term "extranet" referred to private network | | | | -- THIN CLIENT |
| connections that were based on Internet | | | | The term "thin client," popular in the early 1990s, |
| standards, like IP and HTTP. These connections | | | | referred to Oracle's alternative terminal-like |
| went outside the organization and could be used | | | | approach. Larry Ellison brought to light, flaws in |
| between businesses. Many times point-to-point | | | | client/server computing architecture, and |
| electronic data interchange (EDI) was replaced by | | | | advertised "thin clients" was the way to improve |
| Extranets. But, today communications between | | | | network security and manageability. However, |
| business partners is accessed by the company's | | | | "thin clients" never replaced PCs, the concept is |
| VPN. | | | | similar to "virtual desktops." |
| -- SURFING | | | | -- RBOC |
| Today, the terms Internet and World Wide Web | | | | In 1984, AT&T was forced to split up into |
| are one and the same to teens. If you slip and | | | | seven (7) Regional Bell Operating Companies |
| mention that you were surfing the Web, most | | | | (RBOCs), and became known as Baby Bells. |
| likely you'll be thought to be speaking a foreign | | | | Customers purchased local service from RBOCs, |
| language! So, if you want the younger crowd to | | | | and long-distance service from other carriers, |
| understand what you're saying, use "browsing" | | | | such as AT&T. Throughout the last 15 years, |
| instead of "surfing." | | | | mergers within the Telecom industry, and |
| -- PUSH TECHNOLOGY | | | | integrated local- and long-distance carriers, like, |
| In 1996, PointCase Network was released. This | | | | AT&T, Verizon and Qwest were born. This |
| was a Web service that send news streams to | | | | change makes terms, such as, RBOC, Incumbent |
| their subscribers. This network demanded too | | | | Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC), and Competitive |
| much network bandwidth, and Really Simple | | | | Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) obsolete. |
| Syndication (RSS) feed technology was | | | | -- LONG-DISTANCE CALL |
| developed. RSS is the preferred methods to | | | | Distinguishing between local and long-distance calls |
| publish information for Internet subscribers. | | | | are unnecessary today, due to available flat-rate |
| -- APPLICATION SERVICE PROVIDER (ASP) | | | | calling plans. And, there's no need to distinguish |
| The term "Application Service Provider" was | | | | between terrestrial and wireless calls because |
| changed to "Software-as-a-Service" (SaaS). | | | | wireless services have all but replaced them. Pay |
| Although both terms refer to vendor hosted | | | | phones and long-distance calls are relics of the |
| software applications. This software is purchased, | | | | past. |
| on a subscription basis, instead of owning and | | | | -- WORLD WIDE WEB |
| operating the program. The term ASP was | | | | Nobody talks about the "World Wide Web," or the |
| popular before the term dot-com demise. The | | | | "Information Superhighway," anymore. Today, the |
| fashionable term today is "cloud computing." | | | | only term is "Internet. |
| -- PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT (PDA) | | | | |