C
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A general purpose programming language. Was very popular because of its close
association with the Unix operating system.
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C #
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Microsoft’s ‘kill off Java’ programming
language, based on C++ and Java. Microsoft has relinquished control of C# and
so today it is an open standard. Microsoft has its own version called Visual
C#.
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C Sharp
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See C #.
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C++
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A general purpose programming language based
on C. It is simply a version of C
that has been enhanced to support object orientation.
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C2B
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Consumer to business. An e-business term for
transactions from consumers to businesses over the Internet. As a concept it
highlighted the power of the Internet to put the consumer in the driver’s
seat. Somewhat passé term.
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C2C
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Consumer to consumer. An e-business term for
transactions between consumers over the Internet. E-Bay would be an example.
Somewhat passé term.
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Cache memory
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Computer memory used to store data, which is
likely to be used again by the same or another user sometime in the foreseeable
future.
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CAN
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See Campus Area Network.
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Campus Area Network
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A variant of LAN, where the network extends
beyond one building to a group of buildings that are in reasonable proximity.
A campus being a good example of this.
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Case
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Computer Aided Software Engineering. A
collective term for tools used to develop software. In practice such tools
are more associated with analysis and design than programming. See ALM.
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Case Tool
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See Case.
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CCO
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Chief Customer Officer. This is a role
associated with organisations that like to think of themselves as customer
–centric. Hasn’t really taken off.
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CDMA
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A cellular technology that allows several
voice/data channels to multiplexed into one. There is overlap with GSM and so
can be considered a 2G technology. Qualcomm pioneered the use of this
technology. Used in Global Positioning System applications.
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CDMA 2000
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The latest version of CDMA, which is being
used in some parts of the world for the next generation of wireless computing
commonly known as 3G.
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Centralised architecture
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A computing architecture where all the
processing takes place on one device, e.g. standalone PC, Mainframe. Compare
with Client-server or n-tier architecture.
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Certificate Authority
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Certificate authorities exist to manage
security with respect to e-business. Specifically they manage credentials and
encryption/decryption. They form part of the security architecture known as
the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI),
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CGI
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Common Gateway Interface. This is a web
programming language standard. It is
associated with the production of server based Web applications. A typical server based Web application may
accept a request from a user, which requires extracting data from a
server-based database. Perl is often the programming language used in CGI programming.
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CICS
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Customer Information Control System. A transaction management software package
that operates on IBM’s family of systems and provides database and data
communications support for transaction based programs. Old school.
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CIO
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Chief Information Officer. Equivalent to IT
Director. Some say it also stands for career is over. Ideally it should stand
for Chief Innovation Officer.
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Circuit switching
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A telecoms term used to describe the
mechanism by which data travels across the network. When mentioned in
conversation, the suggested facial expression is – frown, as this is
essentially an old technology. See packet switching.
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Cisco
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A very popular networking product company.
Best known for its routers.
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CL
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Control Language. It is a job control language associated with the AS/400. Old
school.
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Clicks and mortar
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A dotcom era e-business expression for an
organisation with real assets (bricks and mortar) and thus a real world
presence, coupled with a viable e-business infrastructure and strategy.
Initially .brks were seen to be in danger from the .coms. Increasingly
organisations are using the strengths of both styles of business, i.e. the
innovation and speed to market of the. coms and the proven track record of
the .brks. A passé term nonetheless.
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Client Server
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Conceptual application software architecture
where common resources are shared.
The shared resource resides on the server e.g. database server. The
software requesting the service is called the Client. Multi-user applications
are all client-server in design. Thus client-server is not in itself
particularly interesting. However its variants, Fat and Thin client, are of
significant interest.
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Clustering
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An approach to enhancing the processing
available by integrating the power of individual processors such that they
act as one large virtual processor.
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Cobol
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A programming language developed for
commercial data intensive systems.
There are probably more lines of Cobol written than any other
programming language. Regarded by most people these days as legacy
technology.
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Code
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See software.
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Cold Fusion
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A product for building and running dynamic
web sites. Now owned by Adobe. Similar in function to Microsoft ASP.
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.com (dot com)
|
Is a term used to describe a business where
the Web is its only route to market. A somewhat passé term.
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Com
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Component Object Model – This is a Microsoft
architecture that defines how software objects communicate with each other.
It embraces OLE, COM+ and DCOM. Now superseded by .NET.
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Com +
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Component Object Model with a plus on the end
(sorry!) – This is the latest version of Microsoft’s com and dcom
architectures. Now old hat.
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Command Line Interface
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A term used to describe pre-GUI user
interfaces. Users have to type what they want the computer to do via a
command line. Very much associated with old school terms such as ‘green
screen’, dumb terminal and DOS.
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Commodore 64
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One of the first generation of personal
computers. Characterised by a command line interface and no hard disk (thus
requiring a cassette recorder to store data and software). Today it enjoys a
certain degree of retro chic. Not used in business.
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Comparative shopping
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The ability to compare products on different
web pages by utilising the features provided by XML and other languages.
Shopbots make this possible.
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Compiler
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Software tool that converts the language
written by the programmer (source code) into a language understandable by the
computer (machine code).
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Construction
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The build phase of an application development
life-cycle, where the software is written.
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Corba
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Common Object Request Broker
Architecture. This is a middleware
standard created by the Object Management Group to enable objects to
communicate across multiple platforms.
NB. The platforms are not
restricted to Windows. So Cobol
objects running on an AS/400 could talk to Java objects running on an HP9000.
Past its peak.
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Cracker
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A serious hacker who manipulates firewall
software so that they can pass freely through whenever it suits them. A kind
of covert hacker.
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CRM
|
Customer Relationship Management. A
philosophy, which focuses on making all departments in an organisation
customer facing, so to speak. In recent years it has manifested itself as a
form of enterprise application software. Despite the wisdom of keeping track
of customers and their behaviour there is a niggling feeling that CRM systems
have not lived up to their promise.
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CRAMM
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A risk analysis and management methodology
created by the CCTA. Often found on the CVs of heavyweight project managers.
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CRUD
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An acronym used in database circles for the
four fundamental functions associated with a database, i.e. Create, Read,
Update, Delete.
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CTO
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Chief Technology Officer. The top technical
person in the IT department.
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Cyber Sourcing
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Outsourcing a business’s IT needs via the
Internet. Very much associated with the application service provision / web services.
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Cyber Warrior
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A malicious type of hacker who derives
pleasure from causing damage to organizations by defacing their websites
and/or making the organization’s computing resources unavailable.
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