Let's Get Alphanumerical - computer jargon - Glossary

Do you prefer coffee or tea? Classical or rock? Letters or numbers? With the latter, sometimes you get both, at least when it comes to computer lingo. We know, we know: As if computer terminology isn't confusing enough without mixing things up even more. But we don't make up the rules, and you probably wouldn't like it if we did. Anyway, this month, Cyberspeak takes a look at some of the terms made up of a combination of letters and numerals.

T1

Sounds like some type of military aircraft that exceeds Mach 3 and features stealth technology, but T1 is a lot less exotic. T1 is a dedicated line that has a much higher capacity than ordinary telephone lines. Capable of handling data at more than 1.5 Mbps, it can be used for purposes such as links to ISPs or linkages for private computer networks. The plus with T1 lines is the capacity is great enough to cover large volume usage. The downside is the expense, with costs (usually monthly fees paid to telephone companies) increasing with the distance covered. But many businesses feel it's a worthwhile investment to support their information-sharing needs.

MP3

If you want to seem totally uncool to anyone under 18, tell them you think MP3 is an army police sergeant. When they quit laughing, maybe they'll explain the contemporary trend for downloading music from the Internet. MP3 is a format for audio compression technology. With MP3, a layer of the MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group) video format is used to compress audio to only one-twelfth of its original size. The process removes sounds outside the range of human hearing, making it possible for the remaining sound to retain high quality. With MP3, music can be downloaded from the Internet and easily stored on CDs or other media. Already the subject of major copyright lawsuits and a catalyst for new developments in devices for storing and playing music, MP3 is sure to be in the news for some time.

V.90

If a V-8 engine is more powerful than a V-6, can you imagine rocketing down the interstate with a V-90? Actually, V-90, with a period instead of a hyphen, refers to a modem standard adopted a few years ago by the International Telecommunications Union. The standard promotes technical specifications for PCM modems (also known as 56K modems). The V.90 standard has made life better for home-based businesses or others relying on modems and ordinary telephone lines for their connection to cyberspace. Of course, they still suffer in comparison with high-speed network connections, but you can't have everything. You can find more than you'll ever want to know about this standard at www.v90,com. The site includes a V.90 overview, news updates, industry links, and tips on buying a modern.

B2B

Not the name of a new bomber, this has become an increasingly common term in the business community. Short for business-to-business, it refers to commerce between one business and another. For example, an online company providing application software to other businesses, as opposed to selling directly to the public, is operating in a B2B mode. This differs from B2C, or business-to-consumer, in which businesses deal directly with individual customers.

RJ-45

If you think this has something to do with a 45-RPM record, don't even bother to read the entry on MP3s! It stands for Registered Jack-45, a type of connector featuring eight wires. It's commonly used to connect computers to local area networks (LANs). If you're having network problems and want to impress the technician, tell him you checked the RJ-45 and it looked okay, so it must be something else. For details on this and other types of connectors, check out the Made IT Web site at www.made-it.com.

RJ-11

If Richard Simmons got hold of an RJ-45, it might look like an RJ-11. This is a smaller connector, with four or six wires, which may also be used as a network connector but more typically is used to connect telephone equipment. As you can infer from the previous description, RJ-11 stands for Registered Jack-11.

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