Acronym references are taken from the Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications (Third Edition). Please rereference the UIS Glossary for acronyms specific to University Information Services.
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A |
ACL |
access control list |
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ADK |
application development kit |
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ADSL |
asymmetric (not asynchronous) digital subscriber line |
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ADT |
application development toolkit |
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Avoid; use ADK instead, if possible |
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AM/FM |
amplitude modulation/frequency modulation |
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Do not spell out |
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ANSI |
American National Standards Institute |
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Spell out only to refer to the organization itself, do not to refer to ANSI standards or text format |
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API |
application programming interface |
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APPC |
advanced program-to-program communications |
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A protocol in Systems Network Architecture |
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ASCII |
American Standard Code for Information Interchange |
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Do not spell out |
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:A technology for building applications for Internet Information Services. Use the phrase ASP page. Do not spell out in the context of ASP.NET |
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ASP |
application service provider |
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A provider of application services over the Internet. Always spell out on first mention.
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ATM |
asynchronous transfer mode |
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A/V |
audio/video |
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AVI |
Audio Video Interleaved |
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A multimedia file format for storing sound and moving pictures in Resource Interchange File Format(RIFF). |
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BID |
board interface driver |
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BIFF |
binary interchange file format |
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BIOS |
basic input/output system |
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BISYNC |
Binary Synchronous Communications Protocol |
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BPP |
bits per pixel |
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bps |
bits per second |
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Lowercase. |
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CBT |
computer-based training |
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Avoid; use tutorial. |
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CD |
Compact Disc |
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Do not spell out. |
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CDF |
Channel Definition Format |
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Spell out on first use. When referrimg to the specification, italicize and provide a version number. |
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CDS |
Circuit Data Services |
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CD-ROM |
compact disc read-only memory |
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Do not spell out. See CD. |
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CGA |
color/graphics adapter |
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CGI |
Common Gateway Interface |
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CIS |
computer information systems |
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CISC |
complex instruction set computer |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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CMC |
1. Continuous Media Controller
2. Common Messaging Calls (MAPI term)
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complementary metal oxide semiconductor |
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CMS |
1. continuous media server 2. Content Management System |
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Do not use; use MMS instead. |
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CMY |
cyan-magenta-yellow |
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CMYK |
cyan-magenta-yellow-black |
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COFF |
Common Object File Format |
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Capitalize to refer to the specification. Use lowercase to refer to the file format itself |
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COM |
Component Object Model |
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COM+ |
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Do not spell out. |
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CPI-C |
Common Programming Inter-face for Communications |
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CPU |
central processing unit |
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Do not spell out. |
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CR/LF |
carriage return/line feed |
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CRT |
cathode-ray tube |
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Do not spell out. |
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CSR |
customer service representative |
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CTI |
Computer-Telephony Integration |
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D |
DAE |
data access engine |
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double-byte character set |
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database management system |
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distributed computing environment |
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Do not spell out. Use only to refer to the DCOM wire protocol. |
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distributed database management system |
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Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol |
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dynamic Hypertext Markup Language; dynamic HTML |
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If HTML has already been spelled out, introduce as dynamic HTML (DHTML) . |
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device-independent bitmap |
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Domain Name System (a net-working protocol). The Windows 2000 feature that implements that protocol. |
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Do not use dynamic DNS or DDNS. Instead, refer to a DNS server that sup-ports the dynamic update protocol . Do not use to mean digital nervous system. Do not spell out the Microsoft DNS feature. Say DNS, not DNS Server or Microsoft DNS Server. |
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Do not spell out. Avoid except as MS-DOS. |
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1. digital satellite system
2.decision support system |
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digital versatile disc, read-only memory |
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E |
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enhanced graphics adapter |
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Extended Industry Standard Architecture |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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F |
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frequently asked questions |
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Always spell out file allocation table to refer to the table itself. Do not spell out with reference to the file system; always use FAT file system. |
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Do not use FAX ; use fax instead. Do not spell out at first mention. |
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Initial cap only. Do not spell out. |
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All lowercase when used in an Internet address |
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Financial Transaction Services |
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G |
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Graphics Device Interface |
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Graphics Interchange Format |
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graphics programming inter-face |
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globally unique identifier |
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H |
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hardware abstraction layer |
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High-level Data Link Control |
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An information transfer protocol. |
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high-performance file system |
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host running object table |
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Hypertext Markup Language |
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Hypertext Transfer Protocol |
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Not HyperText . All lowercase (http) when used in an Internet address. |
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I |
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Internet Assigned Numbers Authority |
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interactive broadband network |
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independent content provider |
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Internet Connection Sharing |
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1. integrated device electronics
2. integrated development environment |
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Sometimes seen as integrated drive electronics. Spell out at first mention and use one consistently. |
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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. |
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independent hardware vendor |
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installable indexed sequential access method |
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interprocess communication |
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Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange |
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SPX also seen as Session Packet Exchange. |
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Service for real-time online conversation. |
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Internet service provider |
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Industry Standard Architecture |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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indexed sequential access method |
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Internet Server Application Programming Interface (or Internet Server API ) |
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Integrated Services Digital Network |
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International Organization for Standardization |
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independent software vendor |
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J |
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Joint Photographic Experts Group |
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Refers both to the standard for storing compressed images and a graphic stored in that format. |
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L |
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layered-architecture device driver |
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Not necessary to spell out at first mention. |
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locale identifier, locale ID |
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Do not abbreviate as LCID. Use LCID only as a data type. |
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local descriptor table register |
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lightweight remote procedure call |
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Endpoint in an SNA network. |
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M |
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Spell out on first mention. See MAC (media access control) . |
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metropolitan area network |
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Messaging Application Pro-gramming Interface |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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Micro Channel Architecture |
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multicolor graphics array |
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monochrome display adapter |
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multiple-document interface |
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Microsoft Foundation Classes |
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Musical Instrument Digital Interface |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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Microsoft Interface Definition Language |
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Management Information Format |
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Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions |
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Protocol for defining file attachments for the Web. |
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millions of instructions per second |
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management information systems |
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Microsoft multimedia operating system architecture |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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Moving Picture Experts Group |
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Sometimes called Motion Picture(s) Expert(s) Group , but follow the spelling given. |
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Do not use as abbreviation. |
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Microsoft Broadcast Data Network |
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Microsoft Message Queuing |
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For Windows 2000 and later, do not use; use Message Queuing instead. On first mention, it is all right to say Message Queuing (also known as MSMQ). |
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multiple service operator |
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N |
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not applicable, not available |
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Do not use abbreviation, even in tables. |
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National Center for Super-computing Applications |
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network driver interface specification |
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NetBIOS Enhanced User Interface |
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network basic input/output system |
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national language support |
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The redundant phrase is correct. Do not use NT file system or New Technology file system. |
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National Television System Committee |
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O |
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optical character recognition |
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Open Database Connectivity |
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Object Description Language |
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Open Data Services library |
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original equipment manufac-turer |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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object linking and embedding |
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object-oriented file system |
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object-oriented programming |
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object remote procedure call |
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Do not use as an abbreviation for operating system. |
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Open Systems Interconnection |
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P |
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Product Assistant Request |
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Palo Alto Research Center |
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Avoid; use computer instead. |
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Personal Computer Memory Card International Association |
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primary domain controller |
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1. Portable Document Format file
2.Package Definition File |
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1. File format used by Acrobat.
2. Used in some SDKs. |
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program evaluation and review technique |
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personal identification number |
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programmable read-only meomory |
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Q |
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R |
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1. redundant array of independent disks
2. retrieval and information database (Microsoft only) |
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1. remote access server
2. Remote Access Service |
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Remote Access Service is Microsoft Windows-based software. The server is a host on a LAN equipped with modems. |
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1. relative byte address 2.resource-based approach |
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relational database management system |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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Resource Interchange File Format |
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1. Routing Information Protocol
2. Remote Imaging Protocol
3. Raster Image Processor |
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Always spell out at first mention to avoid confusion. |
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remote initiation program load |
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reduced instruction set computer |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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read-only memory basic input/output system |
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S |
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Systems Application Architecture |
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[SQL] Server Administration Facility |
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Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange |
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Format used to create a time-synchro-nized captioning file. |
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Service Advertising Protocol |
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single-byte character set |
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small computer system interface |
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Precede acronym with a, not an (pro-nounced 'scuzzy'). |
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synchronous data link control |
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Standard Generalized Markup Language |
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standard industry classification |
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single inline memory module |
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Not necessary to spell out in technical documentation. |
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Serial Line Internet Protocol |
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Method of transmitting data over serial lines such as phone lines. |
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symmetric multiprocessing |
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system management software |
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Simple Mail Transfer Protocol |
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Systems Network Architecture |
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Simple Network Management Protocol |
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service provider interface |
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Structured Query Language |
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T |
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Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol |
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Telephony Service Provider Interface |
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terminate-and-stay-resident |
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teletype/telecommunication device for the deaf |
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U |
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Universal Naming Conven-tion |
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uninterruptible power supply |
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Sometimes called Universal Resource Locator, but use Uniform in Microsoft documents. |
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Coordinated Universal Time |
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The internationally recognized name for Greenwich Mean Time. Do not |
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spell out as Universal Time Coordinate. |
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universally unique identifier |
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ultra extended graphics array |
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V |
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Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications. |
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Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition |
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virtual control program interface |
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Not necessary to spell out at first mention. |
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Virtual Reality Modeling Language |
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virtual storage access method (or memory) |
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W |
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World Wide Web Consortium |
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Web-based Enterprise Management |
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Windows Open Services Architecture |
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All lowercase (www) when used in an Internet address. Okay to use Web after first mention. |
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what you see is what you get |
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X |
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Extensible Hypertext Markup Language |
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Extensible Markup Language |
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extended memory specifica-tion |
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Extensible Stylesheet Language |
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Y |
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Spell out at first mention. |
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Z |
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Zero Administration for Windows |
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Spell out at first mention. |
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