Stories Behind Everyday Technology Terms

Hey everyone,

Did you know that some of the tech terms that you probably use every day at work actually have other meanings? Courtesy of Mashable, here are a few interesting stories behind some of the most common tech terms:

Hacker

Hacking wasn't always evil – in fact, it used to mean just being smart with electronics in general. Even now, there is a culture of “positive hackers” who prefer to call their notorious counterparts “crackers” instead (we wonder how the good people at Ritz feel about this?).

Firewall

Sometimes, a term’s origins are striking literal: behold firewall. Yes, it does actually refer to a wall that protects buildings from fire (although perhaps “no-firewall” would be even more suitable, don’t you think?). Anyway, these days more people are familiar with the tech version of the term, which refers to virus and malware protection.

Spam

Geeks usually love Monty Python, and so most of you have seen the legendary Spam skit a few million times (but what’s one more viewing –click here!). Perhaps because Spam isn’t the kind of food that most people look forward to eating, the term is now widely used in the tech world to refer to annoying, unsolicited emails.

Mouse

This one is kind of strange, because even the inventor isn’t sure where the term for the tech device came from! “I don’t know why we call it a mouse. Sometimes I apologize. It started that way and we never did change it,” commented the late Douglas Engelbart. Later on he added that “it looked like a mouse with a tail, and we all called it that in the lab." (Although he could have called it a rat instead, right?). Do you know the reason behind a popular tech term? Or perhaps you and your team have invented some new words? Share your thoughts by commenting below!