Quick Links
Computer jargon can be opaque even to those that know the words well.
So it’s no surprise the surviving jargon is often more than a little odd.
Here are some of my favorite weird terms.
Lucas Gouveia / Jason Montoya / How-To Geek
Daemon
A “daemon” is a background process that handles some sort of task.
It most likely comes from the Greek word for a supernatural spirit.
They understood it to be a key in of attending spirit from the Greek meaning.
Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek / MidJourney
Yes, the same guy who wroteStarship Troopers,among many other classics.
In a computer context, it means understanding something intuitively.
For example, if you Grok generative AI, you really understand it on a deep level.
Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek / MidJourney
Thekernelis the core of an operating system, and the bit that’s in charge of everything.
The whole system will stop, and the machine has to be rebooted.
The kernel has lost control of the situation and is flipping the table, basically.
Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek / MidJourney
It’s “fatal” in the sense that it’s the end of the road.
it’s possible for you to’t keep going anymore.You are an ex program.
Nonces are crucial in preventing a specific punch in of attack referred to as a"replay" attack.
Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek / MidJourney
This is where a hacker records data that’s been sent and simply repeats it to gain access.
according to the Cambridge dictionary.
Salt
Somewhat related to nonces, “salt” is random data added to a hash.
Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek / MidJourney
Hashes are commonly used toencrypt passwords.
The server does not have your original password.
If the hash matches the one on file, the password is correct.
However, hackers can use something known as a “rainbow table” to defeat this security.
There’s something endearing about the lore behind computer terms.
I wonder which of the computer terms we invent will still be in use 50 years from now?
