As Devolutions’ marketing coordinator, I’m in charge of the company’s social media and advertising portfolios. I’m also responsible for establishing, maintaining and developing relationships within and beyond the Remote Desktop Manager community. I’m also in charge of the Devolutions blog, which means that I’ll be writing about various topics that, I hope, will be interesting and relevant to community members like you.
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!
From zoos to zero-gravity landings—here are 6 board games the Devolutions team is loving right now (plus some friendly competition and maybe a bit of sabotage).
Discover 5 key cybersecurity mistakes SMBs make—revealed through the lens of Revenge of the Sith—and learn how to avoid them with help from Obi-Wan, Anakin, and the Devolutions team.
This blog explores six essential cybersecurity lessons inspired by Star Wars, blending IT best practices with memorable scenes from the saga to highlight the importance of vigilance and teamwork.