Terminology

See https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Lingo for info

ABBR

Abbreviation

AJAX 

Asynchronous JavaScript and XML = A means to exchange data with a server without loading a whole new page.

API 

Application Programming Interface

APT 

Advanced Package Tool. Created by the Debian project.

ASP 

Application Service Provider

Application Server Pages - an old technology by Microsoft

ATM 

Automated Teller Machine (please don't call it an 'ATM Machine', that's redundant)

BLU 

Boston Linux & Unix = a Linux User Group in Boston, MA, USA with roots that go back into the days of Unix before Linux was a thing

BMW 

Bavarian Motor Works = German car company

coax

coaxial cable

CSS 

Cascading Style Sheets = A technology that deals with the presentation of content on the web

DKIM 

DomainKeys Identified Mail = An IETF specification that combats SPAM on the Internet

DNS 

Domain Name System. An Named Host to IP Address lookup system

DPL 

Dynamic Page Lists = Like a Cuisinart food processor, it allows you to slice and dice the contents of your wiki.

DRM 

Digital Restrictions Management = Electronic methods to control what you can and can't do.

FOSS 

Free Open Source Software. An attempt to communicate the 'freedom' aspect of free software de-emphasizing the price connotation of 'free'.

FLOSS 

Free / Libre Open Source Software = Another attempt to de-emphasize the price connotation of 'free' and instead recognize that free means liberty.

FSF 

Free Software Foundation. fsf.org

FUBAR 

F*cked Up Beyond All Recognition

FUSE 

Filesystem in User Space

GAFYD 

Google Apps For Your Domain

GNHLUG 

Greater New Hampshire Linux User Groups = an association of User Groups in and around the state of New Hampshire, USA of people interested in Linux technology and/or those who created it in the first place; and continue to this day.

GNU 

Gnu's Not Unix, because Unix is proprietary software while Gnu is software that respects your freedom.

GPL 

General Public License = A sane copyright license

HHVM 

HipHop Virtual Machine = a PHP interpreter created at Facebook as an alternative to the Zend Engine interpreter. http://hhvm.com/

HTML 

HyperText Markup Language = structured text that uses logical links (hyperlinks) between nodes containing text.

HTTP 

HyperText Transfer Protocol = the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web. See HTML

HTTPS 

HTTP Secure = HTTP using SSL or the newer TLS

IANAL 

I Am Not A Lawyer = but I'll play one on the Internet

IETF 

Internet Engineering Task Force = organization to make the Internet work better

IP 

Internet Protocol. An IP Address is a host or device name in numeric form.

IPv4 

Internet Protocol version 4

IPv6 

Internet Protocal version 6

IPR 

Intellectual Property Rights = A crazy idea that nonetheless is pervasive in the global legal system. See Also: GPL

IRL 

In Real Life = A TLA used when 'virtual' was a thing. Now the virtual has permeated 'meat space' and so the two are not so distinct.

ISBN 

International Standard Book Number = 10-digit or 13-digit codes used by the publishing industry to uniquely identify individual book titles and editions. Some 10-digit ISBNs may end with an "X" instead of a digit.

JS 

JavaScript = A computer language.

JSON 

JavaScript Object Notation = A data representation format in JavaScript

KIO 

KDE Input/Output slaves

LUG 

Linux User Group = a general term whereas a specific LUG will often have a geographic focus

MOTD 

Message Of The Day = MOTD

NPM 

Node Packaged Modules = a package manager for the Nodejs system

NSFW 

Not Safe For Work

OASIS 

Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards = a global standards organization

OOP 

Object Oriented Programming = hard to define. See OOP.

OOUI 

Object Oriented User Interface mw:OOUI

ORM 

Object Relational Mapping = a database approach

PDF 

Portable Document Format = a widely used standard for representing documents electronically and print. PDF

PEAR 

PHP Extension and Application Repository = a collection of code started in 1999 to enhance the utility of PHP.

PHAR 

PHP Archive = a distribution format. See https://secure.php.net/manual/en/intro.phar.php

Phishing 

attempt to acquire sensitive information such as passwords or credit card details by masquerading as a trusted party.

PHP 

PHP is the HyperText Preprocessor = the most popular programming language for the web

POTD 

Picture Of The Day

POTY 

Picture Of The Year

PRURL

PRURLs

Protocol Relative URL. Starts with '//' instead of 'HTTP(S)://'

PSR-1 

PHP Standard Recommendation 1

PSR-2 

PHP Standard Recommendation 2

Regex 

Regular Expression = a search and replace syntax that allows for powerful pattern matching

RSS 

Really Simple Syndication = a syntax for sharing data across the web.

SCM 

Software Configuration Management

SEO

Search Engine Optimization

SPAM 

unsolicited bulk email

SPF 

Sender Policy Framework

SMW

Semantic MediaWiki = See Metadata

SSL 

Secure Sockets Layer = secure (encrypted) underpinning for HTTP

TLA 

Three-Letter Acronym

TLS 

Transport Layer Security

UOP 

User Operation Prohibition = things you're not allowed to do with a DVD, like skip the FBI warning w:User operation prohibition

UPO 

User Preference Option = things that you can set in your "preferences". Special:Preferences

URL

URLs

Uniform Resource Locator = an address of a web page or other component, including the protocol.

VCS 

Version Control System

VE 

Visual Editor

WMF 

WikiMedia Foundation = the organization which runs various projects including Wikipedia.org

WOFF 

Web Open Font Format

WWW 

World Wide Web = the part of the Internet where websites and documents can be found via HTTP or HTTPS.

XML

Extensible Markup Language = a system for markup such that you can create your own 'schema' of terms rather than a specific markup language.

Abbreviation

Asynchronous JavaScript and XML = A means to exchange data with a server without loading a whole new page.

Extensible Markup Language = a system for markup such that you can create your own 'schema' of terms rather than a specific markup language.

Application Programming Interface

Advanced Package Tool. Created by the Debian project.

Application Service Provider

Application Server Pages - an old technology by Microsoft

Automated Teller Machine (please don't call it an 'ATM Machine', that's redundant)

Boston Linux & Unix = a Linux User Group in Boston, MA, USA with roots that go back into the days of Unix before Linux was a thing

Bavarian Motor Works = German car company

coaxial cable

Cascading Style Sheets = A technology that deals with the presentation of content on the web

DomainKeys Identified Mail = An IETF specification that combats SPAM on the Internet

Internet Engineering Task Force = organization to make the Internet work better

unsolicited bulk email

Domain Name System. An Named Host to IP Address lookup system

Internet Protocol. An IP Address is a host or device name in numeric form.

Dynamic Page Lists = Like a Cuisinart food processor, it allows you to slice and dice the contents of your wiki.

Digital Restrictions Management = Electronic methods to control what you can and can't do.

Free Open Source Software. An attempt to communicate the 'freedom' aspect of free software de-emphasizing the price connotation of 'free'.

Free / Libre Open Source Software = Another attempt to de-emphasize the price connotation of 'free' and instead recognize that free means liberty.

Free Software Foundation. fsf.org

F*cked Up Beyond All Recognition

Filesystem in User Space

Google Apps For Your Domain (now called Google Workspace)

Greater New Hampshire Linux User Groups = an association of User Groups in and around the state of New Hampshire, USA of people interested in Linux technology and/or those who created it in the first place; and continue to this day.

Gnu's Not Unix, because Unix is proprietary software while Gnu is software that respects your freedom.

General Public License = A sane copyright license

HipHop Virtual Machine = a PHP interpreter created at Facebook as an alternative to the Zend Engine interpreter. http://hhvm.com/

PHP is the HyperText Preprocessor = the most popular programming language for the web

HyperText Markup Language = structured text that uses logical links (hyperlinks) between nodes containing text.

A worker machine in a Kubernetes cluster.

HyperText Transfer Protocol = the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web. See HTML

HTTP Secure = HTTP using SSL or the newer TLS

Secure Sockets Layer = secure (encrypted) underpinning for HTTP

Transport Layer Security

I Am Not A Lawyer (but I'll play one on the Internet ;-)) Because this acronym can be interpreted as crude, Heather Meeker suggests an alternative 'disclaimer' in online discussions: "If this were legal advice, it would have come with an invoice."

Internet Protocol version 4

Internet Protocal version 6

Intellectual Property Rights = A crazy idea that nonetheless is pervasive in the global legal system. See Also: GPL

In Real Life = A TLA used when 'virtual' was a thing. Now the virtual has permeated 'meat space' and so the two are not so distinct.

Three-Letter Acronym

International Standard Book Number = 10-digit or 13-digit codes used by the publishing industry to uniquely identify individual book titles and editions. Some 10-digit ISBNs may end with an "X" instead of a digit.

JavaScript = A computer language.

JavaScript Object Notation = A data representation format in JavaScript

KDE Input/Output slaves

Linux User Group = a general term whereas a specific LUG will often have a geographic focus

Message Of The Day = MOTD

Node Packaged Modules = a package manager for the Nodejs system

Not Safe For Work

Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards = a global standards organization

Object Oriented Programming = hard to define. See OOP.

Object Oriented User Interface mw:OOUI

Object Relational Mapping = a database approach

Portable Document Format = a widely used standard for representing documents electronically and print. PDF

PHP Extension and Application Repository = a collection of code started in 1999 to enhance the utility of PHP.

PHP Archive = a distribution format. See https://secure.php.net/manual/en/intro.phar.php

attempt to acquire sensitive information such as passwords or credit card details by masquerading as a trusted party.

Picture Of The Day

Picture Of The Year

Protocol Relative URL. Starts with '//' instead of 'HTTP(S)://'

Protocol Relative URL. Starts with '//' instead of 'HTTP(S)://'

Uniform Resource Locator = an address of a web page or other component, including the protocol.

PHP Standard Recommendation 1

PHP Standard Recommendation 2

Regular Expression = a search and replace syntax that allows for powerful pattern matching

Really Simple Syndication = a syntax for sharing data across the web.

Software Configuration Management

Search Engine Optimization

Sender Policy Framework

Semantic MediaWiki = See Metadata

User Operation Prohibition = things you're not allowed to do with a DVD, like skip the FBI warning w:User operation prohibition

User Preference Option = things that you can set in your "preferences". Special:Preferences

Uniform Resource Locator = an address of a web page or other component, including the protocol.

Version Control System

Visual Editor

WikiMedia Foundation = the organization which runs various projects including Wikipedia.org

Web Open Font Format

World Wide Web = the part of the Internet where websites and documents can be found via HTTP or HTTPS.