Questions tagged [technology]
The development and application of techniques or tools to accomplish a desired result.
96
questions
3
votes
4answers
116 views
Do people still use the word “program” as a noun?
Liberal Arts kind of guy who wormed his way into Information Technology here.
Part of my job involves explaining technology to people who have little technical aptitude at all, so I look for ways to ...
2
votes
5answers
290 views
What is a term for “modern” technology that doesn't imply up-to-date?
I am working on a game where the player is one of very very few people who own spaceships capable of jumping between planetary systems. Different planets have vastly different technology, but roughly ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
What is an overview page of a newspaper (online) called
I am actually working at a German newspaper as a programmer, so this question might sound embarrassing or silly to you. Still we have a dispute on how to name the "overview" pages on our website.
...
1
vote
3answers
140 views
How to pronounce August Dvorak's last name in English?
I've recently come across the existence of the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard created by professor August Dvorak. And I've been looking for solid sources on how to pronounce the man's name and I can't ...
8
votes
5answers
3k views
How old is the word “upskirting”?
In the comments section of this question the subject derailed slightly: is the word upskirting dependent on today's technology or is it older?
1
vote
0answers
40 views
Is the term “carriage return” outdated in a (near) post-typewriter world?
When we say "Return key" or "Enter key", either are clear in meaning to those with even very light keyboarding experience. But "Return" is a diminutive of "Carriage Return". Fully saying/writing "...
0
votes
1answer
117 views
What does “years off” mean? [closed]
What does "years off" mean in a technological background? For example, I have encountered a sentence:
"Scientists had thought that the technology was years off."
I don't quite get what the ...
0
votes
3answers
342 views
Why do some people misspell “kernel” with an “a”?
Sometimes when working with servers, one may encounter a problem with the kernel. I have noticed many times when participating in support groups on IRC, that some people type "kernal" instead of "...
0
votes
4answers
92 views
Term for an image that briefly appears on computer screen
What do you call an image, usually fragmented, that appears on a computer screen for a split second, such as when a webpage is loading or an app is launching? I know the term exists, but can't ...
1
vote
0answers
76 views
Which verb to use with noun “action”?
In technical manual how would you write: “to run the default action press the button” or to launch the default action? Or to activate? Or something else?
1
vote
3answers
117 views
What does “boots” mean in this context about making technological improvement and making work easier?
I encountered this usage:
We can do massive training closer to the operator on a smartphone, using their own device, right now, we’re doing tests in plants, so people have boots and computers and ...
0
votes
4answers
166 views
Alternative words for “Decoding”
I'm trying to pitch something about my project. While training on this pitch I got comments telling me that the word "decode" is not appropriate and it's a "blunt" for such type of pitching and for ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
What do you call a collection of coordinated servers?
A "network" is any collection of server machines that are physically connected and/or can see each other.
Now consider some subset of those servers that are configured to coordinate with each other. ...
-2
votes
5answers
91 views
One word describing a money transfer to a digital wallet
I'm wondering how to describe in one word (a noun) the act of transferring money from a lottery operator to the digital wallet of a player who won a prize.
It's supposed to be the name of a wallet ...
0
votes
1answer
306 views
“Develop against” usage and meaning [duplicate]
I've recently come across a phrase
"Develop against the Sandbox and learn to use the different operators in your testing."
It's not clear why the preposition against is used in this case. Can it ...
2
votes
2answers
105 views
A word to describe somebody with smartphone-only tech skills
I'm stuck finding a word to use for somebody who thinks he has tech skills because he can use the latest trendy mobile apps, though in fact he knows nothing about technology (e.g. how an app is made: ...
2
votes
3answers
77 views
What noun applies to all things transformed by human hands
As opposed to naturally occurring or unintentionally produced by human activity. It would include commodities, products, merchandise, parts, materials, etc.
Specifically a thing that has any work ...
1
vote
0answers
156 views
meaning of fruit fly in a sentence
What is the meaning of the word fruit fly in the context of a business/technology conversation?
Example: This technology is a fruit fly which is good and bad!
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Word to describe an increase in technology and processes
I am trying to say the following:
"The Machine Stops" is E.M. Forster’s literary attempt to call to attention to an ever-growing technicalization of society.
Of course, that is not a word, but I ...
0
votes
1answer
509 views
Is it ok to say that the software version is “frozen”? Why? [closed]
I often hear phrases like code freeze, version freeze but I have never heard of frozen being used in this context.
3
votes
3answers
137 views
What is a term to collectively describe the state or condition of a piece of media's “being” as it pertains to being either physical or digital?
For instance, if I have a movie on DVD, that particular movie holds a physical form, in the form of the disc. That particular movie is subject to the same physical limitations as anything else. In ...
2
votes
1answer
827 views
What is the equivalent of a click in a touch screen with the finger?
In computing, "an act of pressing a button on a mouse or similar device is called" : click.
Does the action of pressing or touching the screen with the finger has a special name?
2
votes
1answer
151 views
A word similar to “fleet” that would apply to IoT technology?
If the navy deploys a fleet of vessels or a courier deploys a fleet of trucks, what would a hardware manufacturer deploy if each unit was part of a collective that connected to a cloud infrastructure? ...
3
votes
11answers
2k views
Equivalent for “Crowd” in the context of machines
As in M-W, the term crowd is defined as "a large number of persons especially when collected together". In this regard, concept of crowdsourcing has been introduced in the scientific and research ...
1
vote
1answer
81 views
What word that to describe Query+Response
In computer science, what would be the right word to describe an object that includes a query and the query's response?
Thank you
0
votes
1answer
96 views
Why does an alarm go “off” when it really goes on?
Why is an alarm said to go "off" when it really is being turned "on"?
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is “closed source” used, and does it parallel “open source”? [closed]
When the source code of software is freely available, we say it is "open source".
When the source code of software is not freely available, we say it is "closed source".
Why do we not use "close ...
4
votes
4answers
285 views
“Cinematic” for Video Games
What's a word meaning "of or relating to video games" in the same way that cinematic is to film? I want to describe a bit of music as having video game like qualities, something more general than ...
0
votes
1answer
169 views
Could a non-self-contained program be called as an “app”?
Can an add-on for a browser, a plugin for a text processing (like Word) or a content unit for a software (like an Anki deck) be called an app without misunderstanding?
The definition of an app is a ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
What’s so floppy about floppy disks?
While reading through Etymology of the use of "Drive" to refer to a digital storage medium and its various mentions of floppy disks, it occurred to me that, while drive is in origin a ...
1
vote
3answers
58 views
Word that Means a Pool of PCs that Distribute their Processing Power Equally?
I want a word or phrase that means a group of PCs that distribute their processing power equally. For example, when one computer is in sleep and another is active, the active computer can be boosted ...
0
votes
3answers
104 views
Term for calling a non-programmer who has an effective, important role in a project [closed]
What is the official term (within a (software) project organization) for calling someone who is not a programmer however (s)he plans the nuts and bolts of the system, it goals, challenges and ...
36
votes
24answers
9k views
What's a good term for source code that could theoretically still run, but is purposefully not?
I'm a software engineer. There are many times when I write a good chunk, or even the entirety of, a feature, but opt not to make it actually run in the program for some reason or another. This code is ...
4
votes
2answers
806 views
What is the origin of mule in test mule?
A test mule is a prototype that is used for performance evaluation. It is a common term for preproduction cars, but is also widely used in non-automotive product development. Where did the term come ...
0
votes
2answers
137 views
“Cross-posting” - is this word able to be used literally nowadays?
"Cross-posting" is the act of asking a question of more than one site within a system.
As far as I know, it has always had a poor reputation, because doing so encourages answers that are not seen ...
-2
votes
1answer
107 views
Is “demo” understood in all languages? [closed]
The word "demo" is widely used in the information technology field as "demonstration" in many languages.
Many applications are distributed in a "demo" form before users purchase them.
I would like to ...
-2
votes
1answer
1k views
Is '⚡' an emoji? [closed]
Me and a few other people debated over this for a while. I wanted to see what you guys thought it was.
The debate started here: http://mcforums.org/threads/208/#post-2031
6
votes
3answers
6k views
Is there a word that includes laptops, desktops, Macs and PCs, but not mobile devices
I want to write the sentence "I am creating an app which is intended for use on laptops, desktops, for both MAC and PC". Is there a single word I can use in place of what I have bolded?
They are all ...
0
votes
3answers
321 views
Origins of the term “High Definition”?
I just found a 1996 VHS cassette with 'Super HD' written on it. I was under the impression that 'High Definition' is a relatively new term but it seems pretty old :D.
When did 'High Definition' come ...
6
votes
5answers
2k views
What do kids say instead of "videotape”?
In a conversation I just had I used the word "videotape" to mean recording a video on a cell phone. It occurred to me that this is probably not the word youngsters use today, but I couldn't think of a ...
0
votes
3answers
445 views
Need a word for 'spiderfy' or confirmation that spiderfy is OK to use in Technical Documentation
Question
Is spiderfy a word? Is it OK to use in technical documentation for software? Is there a better alternative?
Context
I'm using the Google Maps API and there is this concept that many ...
1
vote
2answers
228 views
Singular and plural mess-up for an algorithm
How do I define a term and then use it in singular or plural context?
Here is the problem:
I am looking for a word which would collectively define the parameter setting for all the parameters in an ...
-1
votes
1answer
775 views
English of Modern Technology [closed]
English is a dynamic, fast evolving language. Many new technological terms and expressions have been recently added to the language. My question is where to find good resources (books, forums, etc) to ...
6
votes
7answers
305 views
New term for “disk”
With Solid State Drives taking over, the term "disk" is becoming a misnomer. What word do you use? "File system", "persistent storage" and "mass storage" are correct, but a little long. Is there ...
3
votes
3answers
3k views
Another word besides cyborg or android?
I'm trying to find the word to describe a type of robot. Here are my assumptions about the terms I have found thus far:
Cyborgs are biological creatures that have had cybernetic implants.
Bionics ...
-2
votes
2answers
29k views
What is an “IT” person called who isn't a manager? [closed]
What is an "IT" person called who isn't a manager? An information technologist?
I'm writing short biographical articles and beginning each with a summary of their work history. E.g. Sam Jones: ...
-1
votes
1answer
2k views
Wi-Fi, WiFi, wi-fi, wifi [duplicate]
Shame the previous thread on this was closed. A lot of my work entails getting stuff right and being able to justify it but like many on this previous thread How do you spell wifi / Wi-Fi / WiFi? ...
1
vote
3answers
4k views
What’s the verb for discontinuing a call on a mobile phone?
What is the correct term for stopping a conversation on a mobile phone?
In the old days we used to put the phone down when we were done talking. Do we now put the mobile down instead of putting the ...
0
votes
2answers
758 views
In At vs In From vs Into
For a user interface project, my group is trying to determine the correct phrasing for when an account is being used at multiple computers. There were a few different options being given, but which ...
0
votes
4answers
670 views
Word for “entity who/that decides whether to grant or deny a request”?
Checker comes to mind but I want something better.
The context I have in mind is in software development. What would you call the mechanism that will allow or deny user actions (based on users' ...
