Computer/Technical Jargon
[#] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] [Facts] [Index]
W3C: The governing body that creates and defines how web pages are designed and rendered. It is supported by donations. Ideally, a page that is W3C compliant will look the same on every browser and every computer. However, that is rarely the case. The W3C standards are updated often, so older browsers, like Internet Explorer 6, are not compliant. In fact, sadly, many newer browsers are not compliant with the latest standards.
Wi-Fi: The common name for the IEEE-802.11 standard. Wi-Fi does not stand for anything, the name was created to be catchy. The first standard did not have the letter in front of it and operated at 2 Mbit/second and at the frequency of 2.4 GHz. Next came 802.11a at 54 Mbit/s at the frequency of 5 GHz. The next standard was 802.11b at 11 MBit/s and frequency of 2.4 GHz. The next consumer standard was 802.11g at 54 MBit/s and frequency of 2.4 GHz and is fully compatible with 802.11b. 802.11n is the next version and is still not finalized (although this hasn't stop companies from making 802.11n devices like it was final). Note that some devices labeled pre-N or draft-N or just N are not based on the final standard and may not be compatible with the real 802.11n devices in the future. In fact, the devices using non-standards may not be compatible with other devices with the same label. You should always avoid buying devices that do not use final standards. Speeds for 802.11n rival wired connections and use multiple antennas for multiple connections to increase speed, called MIMO and is fully compatible with 802.11b. However, 802.11n devices are known to conflict with nearby non-802.11n devices. Simply put, if you get a 802.11n device and your neighbor has 802.11g device, your device may disable your neighbors. The specifications supported by a particular device are listed in alphabetical order after the number, for instance 802.11bg supports both 802.11b and 802.11g.
Wiki: A collection of information edited and maintained by everyone, usually through a website. Wikis are, by defination, what makes the internet great in that information is owned by no one and freely distrubuted. Perhaps the most popular wiki is Wikipedia. Wikis have come under intense attack by established mediums, often claiming since there is no professional editor the information is unreliable. It is true that people have used wikis to slander or lie, but this is usually limited to information on living individuals or controversial subjects. For instance, some members of Congress came under attack once it was made public they posted false information about opponents and glorified themselves in Wikipedia. By and large, however, wikis are, at worst, only slightly less acurate than established mediums, like encylopedias. In some cases, they are more accurate. Just remember to check with multiple sources for everything, whether it is a wiki or not. Just because it is on the internet does not make it true. And since Wikis do not have a professional editor, it would be unwise to quote it as a source for published information or reports.
WiMAX: The common name for the IEEE-802.16 standard. Unlike Wi-Fi, WiMAX means something: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. The idea behind WiMAX is cheap, fast Internet for everyone, even people in rural areas.
WMA: Windows Media Audio. A lossy and lossless compressed audio format similar to MP3's designed and owned exclusively by Microsoft. WMA is a popular choice for music download services because of its tight intergration with DRM. Microsoft loves it too because it discourages users to competiting Operating Systems like Linux, UNIX, and Macs. If your music player requires WMA files for downloaded music, you must use Windows. As far as sound quality, all things being equal, the sound quality is equivalent to MP3's and inferior to Ogg Vorbis and AAC. Another compliant against some Microsoft's DRM, and thus WMA files, is that some services, such as Napster, want you to rent the music and then charge extra to burn to a CD so you can own the song. And Microsoft has ceased supporting some songs bought from a store they phased out, making the songs useless because of the DRM of the song file.
Worm: Software that does not require a host program and adversely affects your computer. The difference between worms and other forms of malware is worms have a way of replicating and act just like a virus.
WORM: Write-Once Read-Many. A disk or disc that once data is recorded on it is permanent but can be read several times.
WYSIYG: What You See Is What You Get. This is exactly like it sounds. The requested output, such as on a printer, is exactly like you see, such as on the monitor.
[#] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] [Facts] [Index]
