Jargon Computer Acronyms

spider · 01-16-2005, 02:59 PM

I was listening to the radio the other day, a program about language and words. Some one had written in saying that the acronym TWAIN, which I have often come across regarding scanners, printers etc (TWAIN compliant, for instance) means: Technology Without An Interesting Name.

Surly not! Had me in stitches for ten minutes but it was said without any humour and seems to have been swallowed hook line and sinker. Does any one know if this true? Or of any other interesting and amusing computer acronyms?

elf · 01-16-2005, 03:24 PM

Q. What is TWAIN?
From Sue Chastain,

A.
Some say TWAIN stands for "technology (or toolkit) without an interesting name," but that's a myth. What matters is what TWAIN does. Released in 1992, Twain is the interface standard for Windows and Macintosh that allows imaging hardware devices (such as scanners and digital cameras) to communicate with image processing software. Prior to TWAIN, image acquisition devices all came with their own proprietary software. If you wanted to work with a scanned image in a different application, you had to save the image to disk first, then open the application of your choice and re-open the image there.
Nearly all image processing software today is TWAIN compliant. If your software supports TWAIN, you will find an "Acquire" command in the menus or toolbars (though sometimes the command is hidden under an Import menu). This command provides access to any TWAIN hardware devices installed on the system. Although the software appearance and capabilities for each device can vary, the TWAIN Acquire command calls up the hardware interfacing software, and places the acquired image into the image processing software, without the need for the image to first be saved to disk.

So what does TWAIN really stand for? According to The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing and substantiated by the TWAIN Working Group's official Web site, it's not an acronym at all:

Quote:

The word TWAIN is from Kipling's "The Ballad of East and West" - "...and never the twain shall meet...", reflecting the difficulty, at the time, of connecting scanners and personal computers. It was up-cased to TWAIN to make it more distinctive. This led people to believe it was an acronym, and then to a contest to come up with an expansion. None were selected, but the entry "Technology Without An Interesting Name" continues to haunt the standard. -The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, Editor Denis Howe

**Jason** · 01-16-2005, 03:24 PM

SCSI = Still Can't See It
IBM = I Blame Microsoft
WINDOWS = When I Need Data Output Without Speed
OS/2: Obsolete Soon, Too.
COBOL: Completely Obsolete Business Oriented Language
DOS: Defective Operating System
ISDN: It Still Does Nothing
PCMCIA: People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms
WWW: World Wide Wait

elf · 01-16-2005, 03:30 PM

hehe, now that I've been informative time for some fun.

APPLE - Arrogance Produces Profit-Losing Entity

MICROSOFT - Most Intelligent Customers Realize Our Software Only Fools Teenagers

WINDOWS - Will Install Needless Data On Whole System

BIOS - Boots In One Second

AOL - Advertising Overloads Losers

NTFS - Not a Trusted File System

SSL - Sessions Seriously Lagging

There are ALOT more, but those are some of my choice picks.

**Fox** · 01-16-2005, 04:10 PM

Quote:

APPLE - Arrogance Produces Profit-Losing Entity

^ my favorite

Chevy · 01-16-2005, 08:23 PM

I used this one to buy troubleshooting time when I was stationed in England .... Snowballed our Captain long enough to get him off our backs:

FREEM errors ... Fast Read End Executable Module ....

**MD_Willington** · 01-16-2005, 09:23 PM

My fave's

#1 RTFM "read the freaking manual"

#2 GGIYAH "go google it you @ss h0L3" .. used on uppity noobs and @sshats that dont do #1

MD

bry623 · 01-17-2005, 06:26 AM

PEBCAK- Problem exists between chair an keyboard

Windows ME- Windows Mistake Edition

Used to play a game online called Acrophbia, had to come up with Acronyms for the letters the put on the screen, Then everyone else voted on them.

CTSNKY · 01-17-2005, 06:31 AM

Quote:

PEBCAK- Problem exists between chair an keyboard

LOL.....I'll be adding this one to my lexicon, next to ID Ten T errors.

**Holmes** · 01-17-2005, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bry623

PEBCAK- Problem exists between chair an keyboard

bry623 · 01-17-2005, 08:13 AM

Another non computer one that I like is the one where a woman went into a gas station and said she needed somehting called "seven ten". They garage guys looked at her strange but she insisted. So they went out to her car, popped the hood and showed them where she need her "710" (OIL upside down).

Another idiot error is and HUA- Head up a$$.

elf · 07-05-2005, 05:59 PM

ID-tenT error!

(id10t)

**Spatcher** · 07-06-2005, 08:21 AM

Lol these are tooooo funny!

**ReeKorl** · 07-06-2005, 08:22 AM

PENTIUM - Produces Erroneous Numbers Through Incorrect Use of Math.

and a variation on bry's PEBCAK:

PICNIC - Problem In Chair Not In Computer

MACINTOSH - Most Applications Crash; If Not, Then Operating System Hangs

**Spatcher** · 07-06-2005, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReeKorl

MACINTOSH - Most Applications Crash; If Not, Then Operating System Hangs

HP - Having Problems
INTEL - Infrastructure Needs Tune-up; Exterior Lame.

01-16-2005, 02:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
spider Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Caversham, Reading, Berks Posts: 3 OS: Windows 98 SE (build 4.10.2222)	Jargon Computer Acronyms I was listening to the radio the other day, a program about language and words. Some one had written in saying that the acronym TWAIN, which I have often come across regarding scanners, printers etc (TWAIN compliant, for instance) means: Technology Without An Interesting Name. Surly not! Had me in stitches for ten minutes but it was said without any humour and seems to have been swallowed hook line and sinker. Does any one know if this true? Or of any other interesting and amusing computer acronyms?

01-16-2005, 03:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jason BANNED Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Pasco, FL Posts: 8,497 OS: Windows Vista My System Blog Entries: 2	SCSI = Still Can't See It IBM = I Blame Microsoft WINDOWS = When I Need Data Output Without Speed OS/2: Obsolete Soon, Too. COBOL: Completely Obsolete Business Oriented Language DOS: Defective Operating System ISDN: It Still Does Nothing PCMCIA: People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms WWW: World Wide Wait __________________ Posting Tips \| Advice for New People \| Common Fixes \| Agus na damnaithe fágtha gan focal Glaoigh ormsa i measc na naomh Love to ONE, friendship to a FEW, and good will to ALL.

01-16-2005, 03:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
elf Manager, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Knoxville, TN or Austin, TX depending Posts: 7,049 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 and Windows 7 My System	hehe, now that I've been informative time for some fun. APPLE - Arrogance Produces Profit-Losing Entity MICROSOFT - Most Intelligent Customers Realize Our Software Only Fools Teenagers WINDOWS - Will Install Needless Data On Whole System BIOS - Boots In One Second AOL - Advertising Overloads Losers NTFS - Not a Trusted File System SSL - Sessions Seriously Lagging There are ALOT more, but those are some of my choice picks. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! I do not subscribe to threads, so if I stop replying, PM me with a link to your thread so I can find it again. Last edited by elf; 01-16-2005 at 03:35 PM.

01-16-2005, 09:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
MD_Willington Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: WA State & BC Posts: 587 OS: XP	My fave's #1 RTFM "read the freaking manual" #2 GGIYAH "go google it you @ss h0L3" .. used on uppity noobs and @sshats that dont do #1 MD __________________ Mainboard: PCC M848ALU / ECS L7S7A2 / ECS 748-A, HDD: Western Digital 40Gb, RAM: 2-256Mb DDR266 by Micron 4x AGP Card: 3DForce4-MX440, CDRW: Liteon 52x32x52, PSU: Antec True430, CPU: XP2200+ (AXDA2200DUV3C) *It's OK to be ignorant; it's not OK to play stupid.* *Never assume you are entitled to an answer. You are not.*

01-17-2005, 06:26 AM	#8 (permalink)
bry623 Manager, The Conversation Pit/Analyst, Security Team Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: NW Territory circa 1787 Posts: 11,717 OS: winxp pro sp2	PEBCAK- Problem exists between chair an keyboard Windows ME- Windows Mistake Edition Used to play a game online called Acrophbia, had to come up with Acronyms for the letters the put on the screen, Then everyone else voted on them. __________________ "If you aren't a liberal when you're 20, you have no heart. If you aren't a conservative when you are 50, you have no brain"

01-16-2005, 08:23 PM	#6 (permalink)
Chevy Retired Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Notlob Posts: 5,452 OS: Vista Ultimate My System	I used this one to buy troubleshooting time when I was stationed in England .... Snowballed our Captain long enough to get him off our backs: FREEM errors ... Fast Read End Executable Module ....

01-17-2005, 08:13 AM	#11 (permalink)
bry623 Manager, The Conversation Pit/Analyst, Security Team Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: NW Territory circa 1787 Posts: 11,717 OS: winxp pro sp2	Another non computer one that I like is the one where a woman went into a gas station and said she needed somehting called "seven ten". They garage guys looked at her strange but she insisted. So they went out to her car, popped the hood and showed them where she need her "710" (OIL upside down). Another idiot error is and HUA- Head up a$$. __________________ "If you aren't a liberal when you're 20, you have no heart. If you aren't a conservative when you are 50, you have no brain"

07-05-2005, 05:59 PM	#12 (permalink)
elf Manager, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Knoxville, TN or Austin, TX depending Posts: 7,049 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 and Windows 7 My System	ID-tenT error! (id10t) __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! I do not subscribe to threads, so if I stop replying, PM me with a link to your thread so I can find it again.

07-06-2005, 08:21 AM	#13 (permalink)
Spatcher Henry Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,484 OS: Mac OSX	Lol these are tooooo funny! __________________ JohnThePilot: Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon (a nation without a language is a nation without a heart) John Butler Trio: Go take a step outside, see what's shakin' in the real world - Good Excuse Paul Kelly: Just add a dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and that extra tang - How to Make Gravy

07-06-2005, 08:22 AM	#14 (permalink)
ReeKorl Superhuman Computer Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 6th Circle, The City of Dis, Hell Posts: 1,610 OS: WinXP Pro SP2 My System	PENTIUM - Produces Erroneous Numbers Through Incorrect Use of Math. and a variation on bry's PEBCAK: PICNIC - Problem In Chair Not In Computer MACINTOSH - Most Applications Crash; If Not, Then Operating System Hangs __________________ "Sorry, the number you have dialled is imaginary. Please rotate dial by 90 degrees and try again." Last edited by ReeKorl; 07-06-2005 at 08:28 AM.