| Term
|
Explanation
|
| .ogg
|
File extension for Ogg Vorbis, an open-source patent-free audio compression format
|
| 21 CFR Part 11
|
United States Food and Drug Administration electronic records and electronic signatures rule
|
| Academia.edu
|
A web site that allows academics to share research papers and exchange information
|
| accuracy
|
Defines how well the results of an analysis or measurement conforms to the actual or "correct" value
|
| AEQ
|
Analytical equipment qualification
|
| agnostic
|
A term applied to both hardware and software that indicates that the item is interoperable with different systems (The correct term should probably be "technology-independent" or "technology-neutral," but the use of the term "agnostic" appears to be well entrenched.)
|
| AHP
|
Analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a structured technique developed by Thomas Saaty in the 1970s for organizing and analyzing complex decisions
|
| AIQ
|
Analytical instrument qualification, a term used in the pharmaceutical industry for the process of ensuring that an instrument meets the requirements for its intended application
|
| Apache Hadoop YARN
|
Yet Another Resource Negotiator (YARN), a technology for managing resources on a cluster of computers
|
| Apache Lucene
|
A software library for information retrieval from fields of text contained within document files
|
| ASE
|
Adaptive Server Enterprise
|
| Audit trail
|
A log of records documenting the sequence of activities that have been performed on a system
|
| binary package distribution
|
A compilation of the compiled version of a program and all related documentation designed for release to the end user
|
| BREW
|
Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, a runtime and application development environment from Qualcomm that isolates portable applications from the hardware interface of mobile phones employing code division multiplex access (CDMA)
|
| BRR
|
Business readiness rating
|
| CDMS
|
Chromatography data management system
|
| CFR
|
United States Code of Federal Regulations
|
| change log
|
A log documenting the changes made to a software product, which may include a list of new features, changes to behavior, or elimination of software bugs
|
| COC
|
Chain of custody, a paper or electronic documentation trail that documents responsibility of a sample (This is required for legal reasons under various regulatory programs, and it also provides information used to track faulty or contaminated items back to their source.)
|
| committer
|
The person that represents the quality control of the community, controlling what changes are included in the originally licensed version, though users are free to make any changes they want in their own copies of the program
|
| Compiere
|
A suite of open-source applications (for small- to medium-sized businesses) that provides a number of business support applications
|
| copyleft
|
Per Wikipedia:
Copyleft (a play on the word "copyright") is the practice of offering people the right to freely distribute copies and modified versions of a work with the stipulation that the same rights be preserved in derivative works down the line.
Copyleft is a form of licensing, and can be used to maintain copyright conditions for works ranging from computer software, to documents, to art. In general, copyright law is used by an author to prohibit recipients from reproducing, adapting, or distributing copies of their work. In contrast, under copyleft, an author may give every person who receives a copy of the work permission to reproduce, adapt, or distribute it, with the accompanying requirement that any resulting copies or adaptations are also bound by the same licensing agreement.
Copyleft licenses (for software) require that information necessary for reproducing and modifying the work must be made available to recipients of the binaries. The source code files will usually contain a copy of the license terms and acknowledge the author(s).
Copyleft type licenses are a novel use of existing copyright law to ensure a work remains freely available. The GNU General Public License, originally written by Richard Stallman, was the first software copyleft license to see extensive use, and continues to dominate in that area. Creative Commons, a non-profit organization founded by Lawrence Lessig, provides a similar license provision condition called ShareAlike.
|
| Cosmos
|
C# Open Source Managed Operating System
|
| COTS
|
Commercial, off-the-shelf
|
| CROMERR
|
Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (or typically 40 CFR Part 3), an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule specifying how electronic reporting should be performed for the EPA's various regulatory programs
|
| Cygwin
|
A collection of tools that emulate a Linux environment, allowing Linux applications to be compiled for and executed in a MS Windows environment
|
| data loading
|
The loading of data into static tables, including test definitions, sample container descriptions, location information, etc.
|
| database-agnostic
|
Indicates an application capable of running with database systems from any vendor
|
| digital commons
|
Name given to a collaboratively developed online resource that is managed by a community of people
|
| DMOZ
|
Also known as the Open Directory Project (ODP), an attempt to create the largest human curated open-content directory of web links (Originates from one of its earlier domain names, directory.mozilla.org)
|
| Docker
|
A system designed to package an application with all of its dependencies into a standardized software container using an alternate architectural approach than a virtual machine, while providing similar resource isolation in a smaller footprint
|
| Documentation, Administrator
|
Documentation for a system designed to be issued to a system administrator, providing information on configuring and operating the application
|
| Documentation, Developer
|
Documentation for a system designed to be issued to a system developer, providing detailed information on how the system operates and is structured as well as how to alter the system code and extract data from the system in an ad hoc manner
|
| Documentation, User
|
Documentation for a system designed to be issued to a user, helping to guide the user through using the application
|
| DOI
|
Digital object identifier, a character string identifier used to uniquely identify an electronic document (In many instances a scientific/technical publication will have a DOI printed on it, allowing you to access or purchase the article on-line; standardized under ISO 26324.)
|
| Drizzle
|
A MySQL 6.0-derived database optimized for cloud computing
|
| Drupal
|
An open-source application designed for creating and managing a variety of web sites
|
| Eclipse
|
A Java-based integrated development environment that can be customized via use of community-developed plug-ins
|
| EDD
|
Electronic data delivery or electronic data deliverable
|
| EHR
|
Electronic health record
|
| Elasticsearch
|
An open-source search engine employing a RESTful (see "REST") interface, built on Apache Lucene
|
| ELN
|
Electronic laboratory notebook
|
| EMR
|
Electronic medical record
|
| EPA
|
United States Environmental Protection Agency
|
| ERP
|
Enterprise resource planning, typically constituting a variety of integrated applications, with a shared database, that integrates critical business functions such as accounting, human resources, customer relationship management, inventory and order tracking, etc. into a single system
|
| F/OSS
|
Free/open-source software (See "FOSS")
|
| FAME
|
Filter, Analyze, Measure, and Evaluate (FAME) methodology for evaluating open-source applications
|
| FDA
|
United States Food and Drug Administration
|
| Fedora
|
A version of the Linux operating system sponsored by Red Hat
|
| Firefox
|
One of a number of open-source web browsers that can be highly customized via the use of member-developed "plug-ins"
|
| FLOSS
|
Per Wikipedia:
The acronym FLOSS was coined in 2001 by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh for "free/libre and open-source software." Later that year, the European Commission (EC) used the phrase when they funded a study on the topic.
Unlike "libre software," which aimed to solve the ambiguity problem, FLOSS aimed to avoid taking sides in the debate over whether it was better to say "free software" or to say "open-source software"
|
| FLOSShub
|
Per FLOSS Research Group:
FLOSShub is a portal for free/libre and open source software (FLOSS) research resources and discussion. FLOSShub's goal is to provide a central location for connecting researchers and FLOSS community members to research papers, data, tools, and most importantly, community.
|
| Forge
|
Per Wikipedia:
In FLOSS development communities, a forge is a web-based collaborative software platform for both developing and sharing computer applications. (The word derives from the metalworking forge, used for shaping metal parts.) A forge platform is generally able to host multiple independent projects.
For software developers it is a place to host, among others, source code (often version-controlled), bug database and documentation for their projects. For users, a forge is a repository of computer applications.
Software forges have become popular, and have proven successful as a software development model for a large number of software projects.
The term forge refers to a common prefix or suffix adopted by various platforms created after the example of SourceForge (such as GForge and FusionForge).
|
| Forking
|
The process where a group takes an open-source application's source code and starts developing it in an independent direction from the original program
|
| FOSS
|
Per Wikipedia:
Free and open-source software (FOSS) is computer software that can be classified as both free software and open-source software. That is, anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source code is openly shared so that people are encouraged to voluntarily improve the design of the software. This is in contrast to proprietary software, where the software is under restrictive copyright and the source code is usually hidden from the users.
|
| free software
|
See "software, free"
|
| Free Software Foundation
|
Per Wikipedia:
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, which promotes the universal freedom to study, distribute, create, and modify computer software, with the organization's preference for software being distributed under copyleft ("share alike") terms, such as with its own GNU General Public License. The FSF was incorporated in Massachusetts, USA, where it is also based.
From its founding until the mid-1990s, FSF's funds were mostly used to employ software developers to write free software for the GNU Project. Since the mid-1990s, the FSF's employees and volunteers have mostly worked on legal and structural issues for the free software movement and the free software community.
Consistent with its goals, only free software is used on the FSF's computers.
|
| functional requirement
|
Per Wikipedia:
In software engineering (and systems engineering), a functional requirement defines a function of a system and its components. A function is described as a set of inputs, the behavior, and outputs (see also software).
Functional requirements may be calculations, technical details, data manipulation and processing and other specific functionality that define what a system is supposed to accomplish. Behavioral requirements describing all the cases where the system uses the functional requirements are captured in use cases. Functional requirements are supported by non-functional requirements (also known as quality requirements), which impose constraints on the design or implementation (such as performance requirements, security, or reliability). Generally, functional requirements are expressed in the form "system must do <requirement>", while non-functional requirements are "system shall be <requirement>". The plan for implementing functional requirements is detailed in the system design. The plan for implementing non-functional requirements is detailed in the system architecture.
|
| GALP
|
Good Automated Laboratory Practices
|
| GCP
|
Good Clinical Practice
|
| GCP
|
Good Laboratory Practice
|
| GMP
|
Good Manufacturing Practice
|
| GNU
|
GNU’s Not Unix, a project to create a FLOSS operating system
|
| GNU General Public License
|
Per Wikipedia:
The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or GPL) is the most widely used free software license, which guarantees end users (individuals, organizations, companies) the freedoms to run, study, share (copy), and modify the software. Software that allows these rights is called free software and, if the software is copylefted, requires those rights to be retained. The GPL demands both. The license was originally written by Richard Stallman of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU project.
In other words, the GPL grants the recipients of a computer program the rights of the Free Software Definition and uses copyleft to ensure the freedoms are preserved whenever the work is distributed, even when the work is changed or added to. The GPL is a copyleft license, which means that derived works can only be distributed under the same license terms. This is in distinction to permissive free software licenses, of which the BSD licenses and the MIT License are the standard examples. GPL was the first copyleft license for general use.
|
| GNU Project
|
Per Wikipedia:
The GNU Project is a free software, mass collaboration project, announced on 27 September 1983, by Richard Stallman at MIT. Its aim is to give computer users freedom and control in their use of their computers and computing devices, by collaboratively developing and providing software that is based on the following freedom rights: users are free to run the software, share it (copy, distribute), study it and modify it. GNU software guarantees these freedom-rights legally (via its license), and is therefore free software; the use of the word "free" always being taken to refer to freedom.
In order to ensure that the entire software of a computer grants its users all freedom rights (use, share, study, modify), even the most fundamental and important part, the operating system (including all its numerous utility programs), needed to be written. The founding goal of the project was, in the words of its initial announcement, to develop "a sufficient body of free software [...] to get along without any software that is not free." Stallman decided to call this operating system GNU (a recursive acronym meaning "GNU's not Unix"), basing its design on that of Unix; however, in contrast to Unix which was proprietary software, GNU was to be freedom-respecting software (free software) that users can use, share, study and modify. Development was initiated in January 1984. The goal of making a completely free software operating system was achieved in 1992 when the third-party Linux kernel was released as free software, under version 2 of the GNU General Public License, to be used with the GNU software stack.
|
| Google Scholar
|
A version of Google search optimized for searching and retrieving scholarly papers
|
| GPL
|
See "GNU General Public License"
|
| HDL
|
hardware description language
|
| HL7
|
A non-profit organization working to define standard methods for the exchange and retrieval of medical information
|
| IEC
|
International Electrotechnical Commission
|
| illegal operation
|
Term for an operating system command that is unknown to the operating system or processor
|
| ISO
|
International Organization for Standardization, an independent, non-governmental membership organization and the world's largest developer of voluntary International Standards
|
| Jabber
|
An XML based instant messaging platform
|
| LIMS
|
Laboratory information management system, an informatics system designed to track samples and analytical results through a laboratory
|
| LIS
|
Laboratory information system, an informatics system designed to track samples and test results through a clinical laboratory
|
| LMS
|
Library management system
|
| Microsoft Academic Search
|
An experimental Microsoft search project focusing on scientific and technical information
|
| modular
|
A design process where an application is broken down into smaller parts, frequently grouped by function
|
| MongoDB
|
An open-source NoSQL document-oriented database
|
| native code
|
A program that is designed to run with a specific computer's hardware program codes, on a different computer/processor via the use of an emulator
|
| non-functional requirements
|
Requirements describing how the system works and how it should behave
|
| OALib
|
Open Access Library, an open-access search engine and journal
|
| ODBC
|
Open Database Connectivity, a middleware API that allows an application to connect with any database
|
| ODF
|
Open Document Format, an XML based open-source document format developed for office suite use, prominent in the OpenOffice and LibreOffice projects
|
| ODP
|
Open Directory Project; see "DMOZ"
|
| OSI
|
Open Source Initiative, a global non-profit organization promoting open source and preventing abuse of the open source concept; also the steward of the Open Source Definition (OSD)
|
| OpenDOAR
|
Directory of Open Access Repositories
|
| OpenLogic Exchange
|
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) governance platform for comprehensive governance and provisioning of open-source software
|
| OpenSSL
|
A general-purpose encryption library used in many web servers that provides an implementation of the Internet's Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols
|
| OpenVPN
|
Open-source virtual private network (VPN) software; see "VPN"
|
| OPML
|
Outline Processor Markup Language, an XML-based file format used for creating outlines
|
| OS
|
Operating system
|
| OSDL
|
Open Source Development Labs, conceived as a facility to allow open source developers to collaborate to create standardized implementations of Linux and Linux applications by IBM, Intel, and Computer Associates
|
| OSS
|
Per Wikipedia:
Open-source software (OSS) is computer software with its source code made available with a license in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. Open-source software may be developed in a collaborative public manner. Open-source software is the most prominent example of open-source development and often compared to (technically defined) user-generated content or (legally defined) open-content movements.
|
| OSS Watch
|
An independent non-advocacy service on free and open-source software
|
| PDA
|
Parenteral Drug Association
|
| PDF
|
Adobe Portable Document Format
|
| Perl
|
An interpreted script programming language invented by Larry Wall that is popular for creating common gateway interface (CGI) programs
|
| precision
|
How closely a set of measurements agree with their average
|
| proprietary software
|
See "software, proprietary"
|
| PROSE
|
Promoting Open Source in Europe
|
| QA
|
Quality assurance, responsible for auditing the QC process and ensuring that all SOPs and standards are being followed
|
| QC
|
Quality control, responsible for ensuring all parts of a process are within designed specifications (designated testing and inspection)
|
| QMS
|
Quality management system
|
| QSOS
|
Qualification and Selection Open Source, a methodology for evaluating open-source applications backed by Atos Origin
|
| REST
|
Representational state transfer (occasionally ReST), an architectural style commonly used for APIs that is defined by six constraints: uniform interface, stateless, cacheable, client-server, layered system, and code on demand
|
| ResearchGate
|
A professional network allowing scientists and researchers to exchange papers and collaborate
|
| revenue trigger
|
A method of bringing in money to support program development, appearing as ad sales to training, consulting contracts, and/or support subscriptions
|
| RFI
|
Request for information, a document sent by potential customers to vendors requesting detailed information regarding their system, usually in relation to selecting a hardware or software system to acquire
|
| RFID
|
Radio frequency identification device
|
| RFP
|
Request for proposal, a document sent to vendors specifying application requirements and requesting a proposal of what they can supply
|
| Ruby
|
An open-source object-oriented scripting/programming language created by Yukihiro Matsumoto
|
| Samba
|
An implementation of Server Message Block (SMB) and Common Internet File System (CIFS) client/server protocols that allows shared access of resources over a network
|
| shareware
|
Per Wikipedia:
Shareware is a type of proprietary software which is provided (initially) free of charge to users, who are allowed and encouraged to make and share copies of the program, which helps to distribute it. The word "shareware" is a portmanteau combining the words "share" and "software". Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a magazine.
There are many types of shareware, and while they may not require an initial up-front payment, all are intended to generate revenue in one way or another. Some limit use to personal non-commercial purposes only, with purchase of a license required for use in a business enterprise. The software itself may be limited in functionality or be time-limited. Or it may remind you that payment would be appreciated.
Shareware is available on all major personal computer platforms. Titles cover a very wide range of categories including: business, software development, education, home, multimedia, design, drivers, games, and utilities. Because of its minimal overhead and low cost, the shareware model is often the only one practical for distributing non-free software for abandoned or orphaned platforms such as the Atari ST and Amiga.
The term shareware is used in contrast to open-source software, in which the source code is available for anyone to inspect and alter, and freeware, which is software distributed at no cost to the user but without source code being made available. Note that two types of shareware, donationware and freemiums, are also types of freeware.
|
| Smalltalk
|
An experimental language developed at Xerox in the 1970s to investigate the concept of object-oriented programming
|
| SME
|
Subject matter expert, a person who is an authority on the particular subject area or topic that a software application addresses
|
| software, free
|
Per Wikipedia:
Free software, software libre, or libre software is computer software that gives users the freedom to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, modify, and distribute the original software and the adapted versions. The rights to study and modify free software imply unfettered access to its source code. For computer programs which are covered by copyright law this is achieved with a software license where the author grants users the aforementioned freedoms. Software which is not covered by copyright law, such as software in the public domain can also be free if the source code is in the public domain (or otherwise available without restrictions). Other legal and technical aspects such as software patents and DRM may impede users from exercising these rights, and thus prevent software from being free. Free software may be developed collaboratively by volunteer computer programmers or by corporations; as part of a commercial activity or not.
Free software is primarily a matter of liberty, not price: users, individually or collectively, are free to do whatever they want with it – this includes the freedom to redistribute the software free of charge, or to sell it (or related services such as support or warranty) for profit. Free software thus differs from proprietary software (such as Microsoft Windows), which to varying degrees prevents users from studying, modifying and sharing the software. Free software is also distinct from freeware, which is simply a category of proprietary software which does not require payment for use. Proprietary software (including freeware) uses restrictive software licences or user agreements and usually does not provide access to the source code. Users are thus prevented from modifying the software, and this results in the user becoming dependent on software companies to provide updates and support (vendor lock-in). Users can also not necessarily reverse engineer, modify, or redistribute proprietary software.
|
| software, open-source
|
Per Wikipedia:
Open-source software (OSS) is computer software with its source code made available with a license in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. Open-source software may be developed in a collaborative public manner. Open-source software is the most prominent example of open-source development and often compared to (technically defined) user-generated content or (legally defined) open-content movements.
|
| software, proprietary
|
Per Wikipedia:
Proprietary software, non-free software (in the sense of missing freedoms), or closed-source software is software, where the developers or distributors reserve all freedoms and rights.
Among the freedoms and rights that proprietary software deprives (to end-users), are:
- the freedom to analyze the software, and to change it (often deprived through intentional non-availability of sourcecode, or through Non-disclosure agreements (NDA))
- the freedom to share the software (often deprived through copy prohibition via EULA (End User License Agreement) or NDA)
- the freedom to run the software for any purpose (often deprived through user-restrictions via EULA).
In contrast to proprietary software, free software, is software that grants a user all these freedoms, on reception of the software.
Proprietary software is licensed under legal right of the copyright holder, with the intent that the licensee is given the right to use the software only under certain conditions, and restricted from other uses, such as modification, sharing, studying, redistribution, or reverse engineering. Usually the source code of proprietary software is not made available.
Complementary terms include free software, licensed by the owner under more permissive terms, and public domain software, which is not subject to copyright and can be used for any purpose. Proponents of free and open-source software use proprietary or non-free to describe software that is not free or open-source.
A related, but distinct categorization in the software industry is commercial software, which refers to software produced for sale, but without meaning it is closed-source.
|
| SOP
|
Standard operating procedure
|
| source code
|
A version of the program in human-readable form
|
| source package distribution
|
A consolidation of all of the source code and documentation relevant to a specific software release intended for the application developer and/or maintainer
|
| SourceForge
|
A software repository on the web providing support for open source developers and for distribution of their application
|
| spaghetti code
|
A contemptuous phrase applied to unstructured applications, particularly those with GOTO statements or other control structures bouncing control around different portions of the program
|
| SQA
|
Software quality assurance, responsible for auditing the SQC process and ensuring that all SOPs and standards are being followed
|
| SQC
|
Software quality control, responsible for ensuring all parts of a process were within designed specifications (designated testing and inspection)
|
| SQL
|
Structured Query Language
|
| Subversion
|
An open-source program designed by Karl Fogel and Ben Collins-Sussman to serve as a version control system that tracks changes made to files and folders
|
| system suitability testing
|
Applied to analytical procedures, the idea that everything involved in the analysis (analytical equipment, data capture electronics, analytical procedures, and analytical samples) constitutes a system and can be evaluated as such
|
| tcpdump
|
A command line tool for monitoring network traffic, also useful in troubleshooting network problems
|
| Tsunami UDP
|
A file transfer protocol enabling high-speed data transfers over networks with large end-to-end delays, often used for bulk data transfers
|
| URI
|
Per Wikipedia:
In computing, a uniform resource identifier (URI) is a string of characters used to identify the name of a resource. Such identification enables interaction with representations of the resource over a network, typically the World Wide Web, using specific protocols. Schemes specifying a concrete syntax and associated protocols define each URI. The most common form of URI is the uniform resource locator (URL), frequently referred to informally as a web address. More rarely seen in usage is the uniform resource name (URN), which was designed to complement URLs by providing a mechanism for the identification of resources in particular namespaces.
|
| URL
|
Universal resource locator, a specific type of uniform resource identifier that identifies objects on the World Wide Web, including their address
|
| URS
|
User requirements specification, a document that lists all of the requirements that the users require the system to support, frequently considered the key document in regards to the development life cycle of the application
|
| user experience
|
The overall aspects that an end-user experiences when interacting with the application, distinct from the functionality of the user interface
|
| USP
|
Per the USP:
The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a scientific nonprofit organization that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements manufactured, distributed and consumed worldwide. USP’s drug standards are enforceable in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration, and these standards are used in more than 140 countries.
|
| validation
|
A process of confirming that the application works as designed
|
| vendor-neutral
|
A business approach designed to avoid lock-in with a particular supplier and ensure broad compatibility and interchangeability of products and technologies
|
| versioning
|
The assignment of a unique name or number to a given compilation of software, frequently in terms of a major and minor version number
|
| VM
|
Virtual machine, a program running on another computer that emulates a full computer system (Originally developed to allow more efficient use of idle time on existing hardware servers)
|
| WAN
|
Wide area network, a computer network connecting multiple locations, as opposed to a local area network (LAN) that services one location
|
| wiki
|
A server program designed to promote collaborating development and used in a diverse variety of ways, including system documentation
|
| WLAN
|
Wireless local area network
|
