Monday, February 24, 2003		ITerminology

Samba: An open source implementation of the SMB file sharing protocol that provides file and print services to SMB/CIFS clients. Samba allows a non-Windows server to communicate with the same networking protocol as the Windows products. Samba was originally developed for Unix but can now run on Linux, FreeBSD and other Unix variants. It is freely available under the GNU General Public License. The name Samba is a variant of SMB, the protocol from which it stems.

Contrast ration: In reference to computer monitors, the measurement of the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black. Contrast ratio is often used in marketing computer monitors, where a high contrast ratio, such as 400:1, represents a better colour representation (the better the information will appear against a darker background) on the monitor than a lower contrast ratio, such as 150:1. The term is used more frequently in reference to LCD monitors than CRT monitors.

Edress: Shortened form of e-mail address.

LACNIC: The abbreviation for the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry, one of four regional Internet registries that supply and administer IP addresses. LACNIC focuses on the Latin American and Caribbean region.

XBRL: Short for Extensible Business Reporting Language, an XML-based specification for publishing the financial information of an enterprise. The standardisation of the specification makes it easier for public and private companies to share information with each other and with industry analysts across all software formats and technologies, including the Internet.