Term of the Moment
algospeak
Definition: naming misnomers
One could write volumes about the thoughtless naming of technical concepts, products, menus and messages in this industry. Dig into the bowels of the tech field, and the shortsighted naming of routines and statements programmers use when writing source code causes massive headaches when others try to read it. Not to be forgotten is the constant renaming of the same application by marketers who believe new names mean new business. See USB drive names, digital media hub terminology, user interface and never say.
Never Use Ordinary Words
A big mistake is made when common words are used for specific technologies. "Object" is a very useful English word because it can describe any "object" whatsoever. When object-oriented programming was the hot buzzword years ago, "object" had to be stricken from the English language when writing about software development in order not to imply object technologies.
Flash Memory and Memory
Flash memory is permanent storage (until erased), but it is not memory, which is transient. Storage and memory working together are the two essential components in a computing device. However, flash memory is not memory (see storage vs. memory and flash memory).
Tongue Twisters
Years ago, the PCMCIA association introduced the "PC Card," a credit card-sized module that plugged into some laptops. Back then, much larger expansion cards were the norm in desktop PCs; thus, every card was a PC card. As a result, people ditched the official name and pronounced all six letters: "P-C-M-C-I-A card." Happily, PCMCIA cards are history. See PCMCIA.
Just Not Thinking
When Facebook was created, it defined a user's page as a "profile" and a business page as a "page." Because websites are nothing but Web pages, it is only natural for people to say "I posted this on my Facebook page." No harm done, just an example of careless naming. Tech people love to make up names. In fact, they are required to do it all the time when writing code because each routine they create in their programs must be uniquely named. See subroutine.
Apple TV and Apple TV+?
When Apple introduced its Apple TV digital media hub in 2007, perhaps its future streaming service was not on its radar. Nevertheless, the media hub is Apple TV and the streaming service is Apple TV+, which means Apple TV+ is on Apple TV. Most people ditch the + and call the service Apple TV. If Apple TV had been named "Apple hub," then Apple TV would clearly identify Apple's streaming service. See digital media hub.
Famous Names - Who Needs Them?
Marketing hype is often more important than clever marketing. Enamored by the Web frenzy in the mid-1990s, Novell added Internet functions to NetWare, a brand known the world over, and renamed it "IntranetWare." Not only did the most familiar name in networking disappear, but the new name had four syllables instead of two. Novell soon switched back to NetWare. Similarly, Borland, a software company widely known throughout the industry, changed its name to Inprise and buried another familiar name. It later reverted back to Borland.
From Twitter to X
In 2023, Twitter was reborn as "X." Tweets became "posts," and retweets became "reposts." However, people still refer to "Twitter" and "tweets" and will likely do so for a while. In this encyclopedia, "X/Twitter" refers to "X, formerly Twitter." See X.com, X/Twitter and Twitterese.
AI and Just Plain I
Every computer-based product from a high-end workstation to a child's talking bear uses a processor of some type, and anything with a processor is considered "intelligent." However, the more computers mimic humans so thoroughly that it is impossible to tell which is which, that is now "artificial intelligence." Therefore, your coffee maker is intelligent but the essay generated from a few words is "artificial" (see intelligence). See AI in a nutshell.
Let's Drive Everyone Crazy
Allow Da Fup What??
Never Use Ordinary Words
A big mistake is made when common words are used for specific technologies. "Object" is a very useful English word because it can describe any "object" whatsoever. When object-oriented programming was the hot buzzword years ago, "object" had to be stricken from the English language when writing about software development in order not to imply object technologies.
Flash Memory and Memory
Flash memory is permanent storage (until erased), but it is not memory, which is transient. Storage and memory working together are the two essential components in a computing device. However, flash memory is not memory (see storage vs. memory and flash memory).
Tongue Twisters
Years ago, the PCMCIA association introduced the "PC Card," a credit card-sized module that plugged into some laptops. Back then, much larger expansion cards were the norm in desktop PCs; thus, every card was a PC card. As a result, people ditched the official name and pronounced all six letters: "P-C-M-C-I-A card." Happily, PCMCIA cards are history. See PCMCIA.
Just Not Thinking
When Facebook was created, it defined a user's page as a "profile" and a business page as a "page." Because websites are nothing but Web pages, it is only natural for people to say "I posted this on my Facebook page." No harm done, just an example of careless naming. Tech people love to make up names. In fact, they are required to do it all the time when writing code because each routine they create in their programs must be uniquely named. See subroutine.
Apple TV and Apple TV+?
When Apple introduced its Apple TV digital media hub in 2007, perhaps its future streaming service was not on its radar. Nevertheless, the media hub is Apple TV and the streaming service is Apple TV+, which means Apple TV+ is on Apple TV. Most people ditch the + and call the service Apple TV. If Apple TV had been named "Apple hub," then Apple TV would clearly identify Apple's streaming service. See digital media hub.
Famous Names - Who Needs Them?
Marketing hype is often more important than clever marketing. Enamored by the Web frenzy in the mid-1990s, Novell added Internet functions to NetWare, a brand known the world over, and renamed it "IntranetWare." Not only did the most familiar name in networking disappear, but the new name had four syllables instead of two. Novell soon switched back to NetWare. Similarly, Borland, a software company widely known throughout the industry, changed its name to Inprise and buried another familiar name. It later reverted back to Borland.
From Twitter to X
In 2023, Twitter was reborn as "X." Tweets became "posts," and retweets became "reposts." However, people still refer to "Twitter" and "tweets" and will likely do so for a while. In this encyclopedia, "X/Twitter" refers to "X, formerly Twitter." See X.com, X/Twitter and Twitterese.
AI and Just Plain I
Every computer-based product from a high-end workstation to a child's talking bear uses a processor of some type, and anything with a processor is considered "intelligent." However, the more computers mimic humans so thoroughly that it is impossible to tell which is which, that is now "artificial intelligence." Therefore, your coffee maker is intelligent but the essay generated from a few words is "artificial" (see intelligence). See AI in a nutshell.
Was there a contest to come up with the most idiotic names for internal folders in this early digital camera? Store images in "100msdcf." Really! For more nonsense, see user interface.
Perhaps a tad more informative message would have been "can devices in the vicinity access your device?" See Device Association Framework and user interface.