Computer press dictionary

I never intended to write a book. I am a data communications consultant, and I read magazines constantly. Realizing that I was not remembering most of what I carefully read, I began by writing down expansions of acronyms. Then I started recording juicy factoids and descriptions. Then things sort of got out of control.

Here is the result. Over several years it has grown to critical mass (and maintaining it is a big part of what I do every day). I hope you find it a fast and convenient way to get a basic or updated grasp of that newest acronym.

This book is not intended to be the definitive or authoritative work on any of the topics inside. It is a fast and condensed way to get up-to-speed on topics that you have heard mentioned by colleagues or seen in magazines and in advertisements but have not had the time to track. The many cross-references at the end of each entry show that it all (sort of) fits together.

Also, this is not intended to be your very first introduction to computer terms. For example, you need to already know what a PC is, what a bit and byte are, and the difference between a floppy and a hard disk drive.

Table of contents :
Although there are over 1,000 entries, they generally have one of the following themes:

• DataCommunications APIs (Application Program Interfaces)
  
• Wireless Communication
  
• The Internet and TCP/IP
  
• PC Hardware
  
• LANs (Local Area Networks)
  
• WANs (Wide Area Networks)
  
• Multimedia