Some software terms explained – 5

October 29, 2008
Intellectual Property News and Interesting Facts

A glossary of legal terms used in technology – part 5

TC: treacherous computing — A somewhat pejorative term used to describe the development of computer hardware in which the makers of software loaded on the computer have the right to prohibit the owner of the computer from using it in certain ways.
TC: trusted computing — A relatively neutral term used to describe the development of computer hardware in which the makers of software loaded on the computer have the right to prohibit the owner of the computer from using it in certain ways.
vendor lock-in — Condition where a person or organization has become dependent upon specific hardware and/or software, and where it would be impossible or prohibitively expensive to change to something else.
viral — A type of marketing where users of a product are encouraged to spread word of mouth advertising about the product. Also refers to videos published over the Internet.