6 Commonly Misunderstood Tech Terms

Most high-tech terms are not easy to understand, especially if you?don?t work in technology.? It?doesn?t?have to be that way though! Most terms just need to be explained in a different way.? On the flip side, if you work in IT, you know it?s not always easy to explain things in a way that a non-techie will understand, and here?s where we find ourselves at an impasse.? I wrote this article with the idea in mind that I could help bridge this gap by describing a few of the most commonly misunderstood terms in a way that could make sense to even the most tech-illiterate.

CPU

A CPU is not a computer; let?s get that out of the way right off the bat.? CPU actually stands for Central Processing Unit.? The CPU is really the brains of the computer.? That seems easy to understand,?doesn?t?it?? The CPU is in charge of receiving input from the computer?s hardware and software and interpreting it in a way that it can be executed.? Without the CPU, you?wouldn?t?be able to pull up Microsoft Word, send an email or doing anything really.? You might have to make the choice between an AMD and Intel processor; you are choosing a CPU manufacturer.? Some people only like Intel, some AMD; it just depends on what you plan on doing with your computer system.

The Internet

What?s the difference between the Internet and the intranet?? Well, first off, see that the Internet is capitalized; that?s because it?s describing the Internet itself, a living, breathing network of networks.? The Internet consists of government, educational and private entities that are connecting via wired or wireless networking technologies.? The Internet can seem to be something beyond understanding, but this Ted talk from Andrew Blum titled ?What is the Internet Really?? should help you understand it much better than you ever have before.

The Cloud

I guarantee you haven?t heard a buzzier tech world in your life than ?the cloud.? ?There are so many misconceptions about the cloud.? You can store your data in the cloud, house your email in the cloud, and play music that?s in the cloud on your device, among many other things.? Simply put, the cloud is a collection of servers or storage containers that exist in a location other the than your own computer?s hard drive.? For you to access your data in the cloud, you basically need an end point or a device with Internet access such as your phone, tablet or PC.? When you access your data/music/backups in the cloud, you are simply logging into a hosting company?s server or storage device and pulling down your data through the Internet.? It?s that simple.? Where your data/music/backups are?doesn?t?matter to you, just as long as you can get it on demand.? In fact, most of you have been using the cloud for a long time and don?t even realize it.? If you have any sort of webmail, such as Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, guess what?? You are using the cloud. Doesn?t?seem so complicated now does it?

VoIP

Voice-over-Internet Protocol or VoIP is a great technology.? Much like the cloud,?you?ve?most likely used VoIP before.? Ever used Skype?? Tango?? Vonage?? You guessed it;?you?ve?used VoIP technology.? VoIP uses the Internet Protocol to deliver voice from end to end. Basically, you are using the Internet to talk instead of a standard phone line.

App

Yes, we?ve all heard the ?there?s an app for that? ad campaign by Apple, but what is an app really?? There are apps for your banking, movie times, sports, news and, of course, games.? Apps or applications, are what I like to think of as the Internet a la carte.? Apps are basically the Internet in smaller doses.? Remember the days when we used to surf the Internet to find out banking info, or surf the Internet to read the news or get sports scores?? That era is dead (mostly, anyway) and the era of apps or Internet a la carte is alive and well.

Ethernet

We all know that the cable plugged into our router and into the back of our computer is an Ethernet cable, right?? Wrong.? The cable is actually a Cat5e cable, not an Ethernet cable.? Ethernet is a protocol used by computers to deliver networking across a physical medium such as Cat5e cable.? Ethernet can also be delivered wirelessly via radio waves emitted from a wireless router, which is what just about all of use on a daily basis.

If You?Didn?t?Know, Now You Know

Congratulations! You now know some geek speak! When it comes down to it, it?s just good to learn something new or understand it better.? The only thing I want you to take away is to never be afraid to ask a question if you don?t understand something.? There are no dumb questions, and any good IT guy would love to explain to you in detail any tech topic you are interested in.? The guys that can talk your ear off are the guys that love what they do, so don?t be afraid to ask!

Or, if geek speak is like your second language, hopefully this article will help you the next time you get stuck trying to explain to your family what you do for a living. ?I know you?ve been there!

(Editor?s note: See Greg?s blog for a post he wrote asking people to help him figure out a way to describe virtualization to his family.)

Need to brush up on your basics? Check out TrainSignal?s new CompTIA A+ 220-801 (2012 Objectives) course and sign up for a 3-day free trial to access all of our courses.

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About the Author

Greg Stuart is a vExpert and systems administrator/network administrator by trade, who has worked a slew of IT jobs in his career. He's put his time in with certification training, obtaining A+, Network+, Security+, MCP, CCNA, VCP4, VCP5 and NCDA. He now works as an IT consultant and runs the blogs, vDestination and vLATAM.

Author's Website: http://vdestination.com/

Source: http://www.trainsignal.com/blog/misunderstood-tech-terms

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