W2K
|
See Windows 2000.
|
W3C
|
World Wide Web Consortium. This is an
organisation made up of academic institutions and industry players. They
focus on promoting web-related standards.
|
Wan
|
Wide Area Network. A network typically linking cities within
and between countries, enabling connected devices (e.g. PCs) to communicate
with each other.
It is best to think of a WAN as a
network that links two or more LANs together over a large distance.
|
Wap
|
Wireless Application Protocol. A
technology designed to give users access to the web via palm tops and PDAs.
Sadly this is text based and lacking in user applications. Somewhat old
school, but still in use.
|
Waterfall
|
This us a reference to the traditional
approach to building IT systems. See RAD and Agile for alternative
approaches.
|
Web 2.0
|
A somewhat vague term used to convey
that the web has become exciting again. Possibly it is suggesting the web
moving from being just a big library of information to an applications
superstore. See Web Services.
|
Web Application Server
|
Hardware and software that manages the
delivery of web based applications to the users. Such technologies underpin
e-business. Examples include WebSphere and WebLogic.
|
Web farm
|
A reference to a site that houses many
servers. Often associated with large storage users such as Google. End user
companies can own web farms. However a web farm can be a reference to a
company that provides storage and processing services to clients.
|
Web server
|
Hardware and software that is capable
of handling web page requests from browsers. Examples include Apache and MS
Internet Information Server.
|
Web Services
|
A concept that describes the delivery
of applications to users via the web. Rather than buying the applications,
the users rent the service so to speak. This is a hot area of IT.
|
Wi-fi
|
See WLAN.
|
Wiki
|
An approach to sharing information
and knowledge via the web. Wikis allow visitors to update the content, which
gives it a community feel. However there is also the risk that knowledgeable
contributors may not underpin the content.
|
Windows
|
A style of presentation associated
with IT. Both applications and operating systems can have a Windows
interface. These days this is seen as standard. They are graphical in nature
and very much associated with the GUI concept. Whilst Microsoft did not
create the concept Windows is often a reference to the MS Windows family of
operating systems.
|
Windows 2000
|
Also known as Win2K. A member of the
Microsoft Windows operating system family. It was developed for both the
desktop and the server.
|
Windows 2003
|
A member of the Microsoft Windows
operating system family. It was developed for the server only.
|
Windows 95
|
An old school member of the Microsoft
Windows operating system family. Developed for the desktop. This was an
important operating system for Microsoft in that it was critical to Microsoft
winning the battle of the desktop operating system market.
|
Windows 98
|
An old school member of the Microsoft
Windows operating system family. It was developed as something of a knee jerk
reaction to Microsoft’s late discovery that the Internet was not going to be
something that it could compete with. As such it was rushed to market and in
its early versions was nothing less than substandard, and so was only sold to
consumers.
|
Windows CE
|
Windows Compact Edition. A version
of Microsoft Windows designed to work on non-standard computing devices such
as mobile phones, TVs and fridges.
|
Windows ME
|
Windows Millennium Edition. An old
school member of the Microsoft Windows operating system family. It was
developed as a successor to Windows 98.
|
Windows NT
|
Windows New Technology. A member
of the Microsoft Windows operating system family. It was developed for both
the desktop and the server. It is no longer new technology.
|
Windows Vista
|
A member of the Microsoft Windows
operating system family. It was developed for the desktop only.
|
Windows XP
|
A member of the Microsoft Windows
operating system family. It was developed for the desktop only.
|
WiMAX
|
A wireless standard associated with
metropolitan area networks. Ie LANs that stretch around a city. Also known as
802.16.
|
Wintel
|
This is a reference to computing
devices that run Microsoft Windows and are powered by an Intel processor. It
is usually a reference to a computer based on IBM’s original PC
specification.
|
WLAN
|
Wireless Local Area Network. This is a
short range wireless networking technology. In essence it is a wireless
version of Ethernet. Also known as 802.11(a-z). See Wi-Fi.
|
WML
|
Wireless Markup Language. A formatting
language for text based wirelessly delivered web pages. See Wap.
|
Workstation
|
A general term referring to computers
normally found on the user’s desk.
|
Worm
|
A self-replicating virus that
eventually leads to the infected computer crashing.
|
World Wide Web
|
A library of interconnected
information (not necessarily accurate) stored on pages on servers sprinkled
across the Internet. See also Web 2.0.
|
World Wide Web Consortium
|
See W3C.
|
