Citation
Yoko Prentice, J. (2010), "Glossary", Reference Services Review, Vol. 38 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/rsr.2010.24038baa.003
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Glossary
Article Type: Glossary From: Reference Services Review, Volume 38, Issue 2
As libraries take advantage of the capabilities offered by mobile broadband, and move into new mobile services, the following terms will increasingly be part of the professional vocabulary. Of course not all librarians will be building applications themselves, but being comfortable with these concepts will be important as we collaborate with faculty, students, and information technologists as Joan Lippincott encourages in the article she contributes to this issue. With smartphone applications skyrocketing (over 100,000 applications have been built for the iPhone in less than three years and the number of applications submitted to Apple has tripled since the introduction of the iPad), academic libraries are increasingly competing with private enterprise and independent developers to meet the mobile information needs of their students (Dalrymple, 2010; Silverman, 2010). This glossary provides an introduction to some of the terminology of the exciting changes taking place on the mobile frontier:
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2G. Second Generation digital phone technologies, including GSM, Global System for Mobile communications. Technically 2G refers to the first iteration of digital phones as “1G,” though not a commonly used term, refers to analog mobile phones (MobileBurn, 2010a).
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3G. Third Generation digital phone technologies, which at this point is used generically to refer to current wireless device networks. Generally speaking, in order to be considered 3G a network must provide a connection speed of 384kbps (MobileBurn, 2010b).
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4G. Fourth Generation digital phone, which will eventually replace 3G technologies. 4G technologies are still in the process of development. WiMAX (World Interoperability for MicroAccess, Inc.) network technology is considered a promising technology on which 4G development will be based (Garg, 2009; MobileBurn, 2010b).
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AJAX (Asynchronous JAvaScript and XML). A combination of various technologies to improve both the functionality and speed of web applications (Powell, 2008).
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App (Application). Software that performs tasks for the user; generally tasks are in the activities of storing, processing, and communicating information (Messerschmitt, 1999).
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Client/Server. An architecture in which processing is divided into clients and servers. A client can be considered the requester of the service, while a server can be considered a provider of service (Messerschmitt, 1999).
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ColdFusion. An Adobe application server that uses its own markup language. CFML (ColdFusion Mark-up Language) is very similar to HTML (HyperText Markup Language), which some programmers claim makes it easier to use than PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) and other programming languages (McFarland, 2008).
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Database Management System (DBMS). Software that manages various aspects of one or more databases. It typically manages integrity and security of data contained in databases (Messerschmitt, 1999).
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Geolocation. Real time geographic location identification of a network connected device such as a computer, mobile phone, or web browser. Geographic information is typically available via the connection’s IP address, location of mobile device in relation to the closest cell phone tower, or the use of satellite signals such as the case with GPS (Global Positioning System)(MIT AUTO-ID Labs Blog, 2009).
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GSM (Global System for Mobile communications). A European technology, characteristic of many 2G digital phones that currently comprises 71 percent of the world market (GSM Association, 2010).
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HyperText Markup Language (HTML). The markup language that uses tags to describe the appearance of a website (w3schools.com, 2010).
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ITU (International Telecommunications Union). A United Nations agency that deals with issues concerning information and communication technology. ITU-T is the standards producing wing of this agency (International Telecommunications Union, 2010).
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LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). This protocol, which is similar to HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or FTP (File Transfer Protocol), allows access to a directory (TechTarget, 2010b).
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MOPAC. Mobile OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog).
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N-Tier. An application built on multiple tiers where each tier can be individually modified for flexible application development (Thakur, 2008).
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Native Apps. An application that is created for one specific platform and is not functional across multiple platforms.
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Netbooks. Smaller versions of notebooks with a screen size of anywhere between 7 to 12 inches. Netbook processors have smaller, less powerful processors than their larger notebook counterparts (BiersDorfer, 2009).
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PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). A handheld device that typically has calendaring and address book capabilities in addition to internet access (bNET, 2010).
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PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor). A commonly used web site development scripting language that can be embedded into HTML (PHP, 2010).
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Skype. A very popular VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) service that also provides video calling, IM (instant message) and SMS (Short Message Service) services for free. Calls out to landlines and mobile phones, however, Skype is not free (Skype Limited, 2010).
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Smartphone. Cell phones that facilitate access to the Internet and have built in applications. The most popular smartphone in the United States as of the 4th quarter of 2009 is the Motorola BlackBerry with over 41.6 percent of the market-share (Ali, 2010).
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SMS. Stands for “short message service” and has become an industry standard.
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SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). An XML based protocol that allows communication between programs operating in different operating system environments (TechTarget, 2010a).
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SQL (Structured Query Language). SQL is the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standardized language of relational databases. It is the most widely used database language (Kline et al., 2009).
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Text Reference. Reference services provided through an SMS (Short Message Service) gateway. Services can be provided mobile device to mobile device or through a web-client.
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UI (User Interface). The aspect of computer software and/or hardware the user interacts with to complete tasks. The interface is the medium through which the user interacts with all aspects of the computer system (Stone et al., 2005).
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VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). VoIP allows users to make phone calls using an internet connection rather than an analog telephone service (Federal Communications Commission, 2010).
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WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). An open, global protocol that provides access to information via most mobile networks to any mobile, wireless device (Open Mobile Alliance, 2002).
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Web-Based Application. An application that is utilized through a web browser and is hosted on the internet.
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WebKit. An open source web browser initially developed by Apple, Inc (WebKit, 2010).
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Wi-Fi. “Wi-Fi” is a Wi-Fi Alliance granted designation that certifies devices are compliant with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) 802.11 standards. The term is often used generically in reference to a wireless local area network (WLAN) (Wi-Fi Alliance, 2009).
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XML (Extensible Markup Language). A very flexible markup language that also serves as a meta-language, allowing programmers to create their own tags (Myer, 2005).
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Yugma (Skype Edition). A Skype certified plug-in that allows users to share their computer screens over a Skype connection, allowing users to web conference over various platforms (Yugma, 2010).
Julian Yoko PrenticeLibrarian, Chabot College and Adjunct Instructor, California State University, East Bay, California, USA
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