IT Glossary
Key Terms To Know In The IT Industry

Linear Regression

Linear regression is a statistical method used to model the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables by fitting a linear equation to the observed data.

You will find this term commonly used in Data Analysis

Linear Search

A method for finding a target value within a list that sequentially checks each element of the list until a match is found or the whole list has been searched.

You will find this term commonly used in Algorithms, Programming

Linearizability

A consistency condition for distributed systems that ensures global operations appear to occur instantaneously at some point between their start and end times. It's key for understanding the correctness of concurrent algorithms and systems.

You will find this term commonly used in Distributed Systems

Linguistic Variable

A variable whose values are words or sentences in natural or artificial language.

You will find this term commonly used in AI/Fuzzy Logic

Link

A link is a communication pathway that connects two or more devices in a network.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Link Aggregation

A method of combining multiple network connections in parallel to increase throughput and provide redundancy in case one link fails.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Link Encryption

Link encryption is the process of encrypting data as it travels over a network link to prevent unauthorized access.

You will find this term commonly used in Security

Link Failure

Link failure occurs when a network connection or communication link becomes unavailable or non-functional.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Link Farm

A group of websites that all hyperlink to every other site in the group to increase search engine rankings. Considered a form of spamdexing.

You will find this term commonly used in Cybersecurity/SEO

Link Farming

The practice of creating a network of websites that link to each other, often with the sole purpose of increasing the number of inbound links to a particular site to manipulate search engine rankings. It's considered a black hat SEO technique.

You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, SEO

Link Layer

The link layer is the lowest layer in the OSI model responsible for the physical transmission of data between nodes on a network.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Link Popularity

A measure used by search engines to determine the relevance and importance of websites, based on the number of inbound links.

You will find this term commonly used in SEO

Link Prediction

A problem in network theory where the goal is to predict the formation of new links or the disappearance of existing links in networks. It's used in social network analysis, bioinformatics, and recommendation systems.

You will find this term commonly used in Data Analysis, Machine Learning

Link Quality Monitoring

Link quality monitoring is the process of assessing the performance and reliability of network links based on factors such as packet loss, latency, and jitter.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Link Rot

The process by which hyperlinks on the internet point to web pages, servers, or other resources that have become permanently unavailable over time. Link rot is a significant issue for maintaining the reliability and integrity of digital documents and references.

You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, Digital Archiving

Link Speed

Link speed refers to the maximum data transfer rate supported by a network connection or interface.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Link State Advertisement (LSA)

A type of network protocol message in OSPF used to inform other routers about the network topology.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Link-local Address

A link-local address is an IP address assigned to a network interface for communication within a local network segment.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Link-State Routing

Link-state routing is a dynamic routing algorithm that calculates the shortest path to a destination based on the state of network links.

You will find this term commonly used in Networking

Linked Data

A method of publishing structured data so that it can be interlinked and become more useful. It builds upon standard Web technologies such as HTTP, RDF, and URIs, but rather than using them to serve web pages, it uses them to share data.

You will find this term commonly used in Web Development, Semantic Web

Linked List

A linear collection of data elements, whose order is not given by their physical placement in memory. Instead, each element points to the next. It is a data structure used in computer science.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT, Software Development

Linker

A linker is a program that combines multiple object files or modules into a single executable file or library.

You will find this term commonly used in Programming

Linker Script

A file used by a linker to control the linking process. It specifies how sections of code and data should be mapped to memory, defining various memory regions and symbols.

You will find this term commonly used in Programming, Embedded Systems

Linux

An open-source, Unix-like operating system kernel that is the basis for a variety of operating systems (distros) used on servers and desktops.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT

Linux Containers (LXC)

An operating system-level virtualization method for running multiple isolated Linux systems (containers) on a single control host. LXC combines cgroups and namespace support to provide an isolated environment for applications.

You will find this term commonly used in Cloud Computing, Virtualization

Linux Distribution

A variant of the Linux operating system that includes a package management system and a selection of applications, tailored for specific needs or user groups. Distributions (distros) provide easy installation and configuration tailored to specific use cases.

You will find this term commonly used in Operating Systems

Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)

Validates the skills to perform essential Linux system administration tasks.

You will find this term commonly used in Operating Systems, Linux

Linux Kernel

The core interface between a computer's hardware and its processes, providing basic services for all parts of the operating system.

You will find this term commonly used in General IT

Linux Professional Institute (LPI)

Offers certifications for Linux professionals, validating skills in installation, operation, and troubleshooting of Linux systems.

You will find this term commonly used in Operating Systems

Liquid Cooling

A method used to cool electronic and computer components through the use of a liquid coolant, which is circulated past the components to absorb heat. Liquid cooling is more efficient than air cooling and is used in high-performance computing and gaming systems.

You will find this term commonly used in Hardware, Cooling Systems

Liquid Crystal Technology

A technology used in displays, based on liquid crystals that align to modify light passage. It's widely used in monitors, TVs, and digital signs for its ability to produce clear images with efficient energy use.

You will find this term commonly used in Electronics, Display Technology

Liquid State Machine

A type of recurrent neural network with a liquid or pool of neurons and dynamic synapses that can change over time, used for processing time-varying inputs. It's a concept in bio-inspired computing and neural networks.

You will find this term commonly used in Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience

Liquidity Mining

A network participation strategy in decentralized finance (DeFi) where users provide capital to a protocol in exchange for tokens or rewards, often used in cryptocurrency markets.

You will find this term commonly used in Cryptocurrency, Blockchain

Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP)

A concept in object-oriented programming that states objects of a superclass should be replaceable with objects of a subclass without altering the correctness of the program. It's one of the five SOLID principles for designing OO systems in a way that makes them more maintainable and extendable.

You will find this term commonly used in Software Development, Object-Oriented Programming

List Comprehension

A compact way to process all or part of the elements in a sequence and return a list with the results.

You will find this term commonly used in Programming

List Inversion

The process of reversing the order of elements in a list. In computer science, this operation is a common task in data manipulation and algorithm design, often used to demonstrate basic principles of algorithms and data structures.

You will find this term commonly used in Data Structures, Algorithms

List Processing

A form of data processing where data is maintained in lists (either singly linked or doubly linked) and operations are performed to manipulate, search, and sort these lists. It's foundational in functional programming and Lisp-like languages.

You will find this term commonly used in Programming, Data Structures

Listicle

An article or content piece published primarily on the web that is formatted as a list. Listicles are popular for their readability and engagement, often used to present information in a structured, easily digestible way.

You will find this term commonly used in Digital Content, Marketing

Literal

In programming, a notation for representing a fixed value in source code. Literals can be classifications of numbers, characters, strings, or boolean values.

You will find this term commonly used in Programming

Literal (Programming)

A notation for representing a fixed value in source code.

You will find this term commonly used in Programming

Live Chat

Live chat is a real-time communication channel that allows users to interact with each other or with customer support representatives.