Tech jargon has become a normal part of life, but many terms are used incorrectly. It’s not usually a big deal since the intent behind the usage remains the same, but it is interesting to look at some of the most common wrongly-used terms.
Memory
Memory is often wrongly used in reference to the storage capacity of a device, to measure a device’s total storage capacity (measured in megabytes,gigabytes, or terabytes).
In terms of “computer memory” the term better refers to banks of fast-access memory designed for immediate use likeRAM(which stands for random access memory). This memory is much faster than traditional storage since swapping data in and out of memory for immediate use can greatly impact computer performance.VRAMis specific to graphical operations, where the “v” stands for “video” and the specification makes upan important aspect of graphics card design.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fihas become a catch-all term for the internet, owing to the ubiquity of the technology in our modern lives. It’s not unusual to hear questions like “is the Wi-Fi slow?” on a flight or when checking in to a hotel, and though this is a valid expression, it’s not entirely accurate.
Wi-Fi specifically relates to a wireless networking protocol. Wireless networking is used to connect your device (like a smartphone or a laptop) to gateways that provide access to the wider internet or other machines on the network. Wi-Fi is local, whilethe internet is a global network. Once upon a time,Wi-Fi didn’t existand computers had to connect to the internet vianetwork cablesor by connecting a modem directly. Wi-Fi simply bridges the smaller gap between your machine and the internet.
Knowing this, the question “is the Wi-Fi slow?” can take on other meanings. For example, an older router that doesn’t supportmodern wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 7may be subject to slower speeds, local interference, and performance issues due to too many devices. In this case, the answer is “yes, the Wi-Fi is slow” even if the wider internet connection is not.
Understanding the difference can even help you overcomeissues with your home network. For example, you might be paying forinternet speeds that you cannot fully take advantage ofbecause your router is too old. Buying anew wireless routerthat supports faster speeds and newer protocols can help.
Hacking, Hacker, and Hacked
The term “hacker” probably makes you think of a dingy basement that is littered with a mess of computers and monitors, like Neo’s apartment in “The Matrix.” The truth is far less grungy than that, though there’s an odd disconnect between the way the term is used and the kind ofstock photos that show upwhen you search for the term.
Hacking is not guessing someone’s password becausethey chose “password123”and neverenabled two-factor authentication. Hacking is not using social engineering techniques to convince someone to hand over their login credentials. The people runningremote access scams who promise to fix your computerover TeamViewer are not hackers, they are scammers. Your teenage son is not a hacker for gaining access to the router’s control panel becauseyou never changed the admin passwordwhen you set up your home network.
Though definitions are looser than ever before, to useCodecademy’s definition: “Hacking involves using technical skills to break into computer systems and access sensitive data.” Hackers are penetration testers, looking for vulnerabilities within software and hardware that require more than guessing passwords.
Linux or GNU/Linux
Some people have argued that what most of us think of as a modern Linux operating systemis technically a GNU/Linux operating system, on account of the software using a combination of free and open source GNU software and the Linux kernel.
The debate dates back to 1983 when Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation set out to create a completely free operating system known as GNU. Due to difficulties with the GNU kernel design, the Linux kernel (developed by Linus Torvalds) was instead implemented alongside Stallman’s GNU software in 1991. The simpler “Linux” name has since been adopted to refer to the entire operating system, not just the kernel on which it runs.
As time wore on, several names were suggested in place of simply Linux to acknowledge the free GNU software that makes up most modern Linux releases. These include LiGNUx, Linux/GNU/X (in reference to the X Window System), and later GNU/Linux. Modern Linux releases like Debian and Ubuntu that include aspects of the GNU project would fall under this naming convention if adopted, while projects that omit GNU code (like Android, which is also based on the Linux kernel) would not.
Proponents of sticking to the simpler “Linux” naming convention cite the presence of non-GNU software, the simplicity and widespread adoption of the shorter name, and (perhaps controversially) the pettiness of squabbling over a naming convention. Whether you’re “using it wrong” is a matter of opinion.
Artificial Intelligence or AI
The success ofproducts like ChatGPTand large language model-based chatbots has catapulted the term “AI” into the mainstream. It’s not uncommon to see daytime TV broadcasts discussing the ramifications of an “AI-controlled” hellscape where your employer replaces you with a Mac mini and you’re unable to believe anything you see or hear anymore due to the rise ofdeep fakes.
In reality, the concept of AI is nothing new. It has been around since the 1950s when Alan Turing published a paper about a future in which machines could “think” that later spawned the famous Turing Test. AI has been a cornerstone of video game design dating back to a similar period.
You’ve likely interacted with AI systems for years, though it’s true that the technology has seen some big advancements in recent years with the arrival of machine learning (deep learning), neural networks, and computer chips designed to better facilitate these sorts of actions.
What many now refer to as “AI” is in fact a collection of large language models and generative image, video, and audio tools. These neural networks have been trained on vast amounts of data (much of it ripped straight off the internet) and are capable of regurgitating much of it in a manner that many of us would interpret as human-like. Thoughtools like ChatGPT have some interesting uses, they’re alsoprone to lying, oftenbad at math, and have been derided by some as little more than word (or pixel) prediction engines
To quoteNature Machine Intelligence: “A chatbot like ChatGPT may seem to have a confident answer to everything, but it also makes simple factual and conceptual mistakes. This is arguably because LLMs have no real experiences and no understanding of the real world, in a non-linguistic way. They learn ‘form’ of language but no meaning.”
iPad
The iPad has become something of a Xerox or a Kleenex in that it is frequently used as a catch-all term for any tablet computer. Though Apple certainly helped to popularize the tablet format, they weren’t the first company to launch a tablet, and the iPad wasn’t even Apple’s first tablet (that wasthe Newton, released in 1993).
Though the iPad is still the best-selling tablet, it’s far from the only option out there. Android offerings like theGoogle Pixel Tabletand the Amazon Fire OS-poweredFire Max 11prove that there’s still a market out there for non-Apple tablets.
Knowing the difference could help you avoid disappointing your kids at Christmas since they almost certainly know what an iPad is.
Modem
Modem, or modulator-demodulator, handles the conversion of a digital signal to an analog one (and vice versa) for transmission over an analog medium like a telephone line. These devices are now commonplace in modern networking setups either as part of a combinedrouter and modemsetup or as a separate device that connects to a router. Even your smartphone performs this task, and many devices that act as modems have become effectively invisible.
That’s why"resetting the modem" and “resetting the router"often refer to different pieces of equipment (unless you have a combined unit, of course). Resetting the modem will only sever the internet connection, reconnecting you to the global network. Resetting your router will affect the local network, taking your Wi-Fi and wired networks offline for a moment but having no effect on the wider connection to the internet.
Many ISPs are guilty of referring to routers as modems, while others avoid the term entirely (preferring terms like Network Termination Device instead).
We’re Splitting Hairs Here
The way that languageisused is more important than the way itshouldbe used. Most people know exactly what you’re referring to when you ask “is the Wi-Fi slow?” or to “pass the iPad” and splitting hairs over these uses is not going to bring you enlightenment.
If you’ve enjoyed this you might also enjoy learning about some of thetech terms that you’ve been pronouncing wrongtoo.
