BATTLE PLANS
with help from Claude.ai

DIP Switches

A DIP (Dual Inline Package) switch is a small manual electric switch packaged in a series of individual on/off switches housed in a single unit, commonly used to configure hardware settings on circuit boards. 

Cloud

A term for the internet or the web and more specifically storage online with  internet service providers like OneDrive, DropBox, Google Drive, Amazon Web Services.

Dark Pattern

A dark pattern is a deceptive User Interface design trick intentionally crafted to manipulate users into doing something they didn’t mean to do: like signing up for a subscription, sharing more data than intended, or making an accidental purchase. Dark Patterns exploit cognitive biases uses and confusing layouts.

On Perm

“On-premises” refers to hosting and running software and data on one’s own machines, rather than relying on third-party cloud providers. This gives users direct control over their data, security, and compliance.

Zip File

The ZIP file format is a widely used archive format that compresses one or more files into a single file, reducing size and easing transfer especially executable files that could be blocked from downloading.

Side loading

Sideloading is the process of installing an app on a device directly from a file (such as an APK on Android) rather than through the device’s official app store, bypassing the platform’s standard review and distribution process.

Phishing

Phishing is a cyberattack where criminals impersonate legitimate organizations or individuals — typically through deceptive emails, texts, or fake websites — to trick people into revealing sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, or personal data. 

Spinning vs. Solid State

Traditional spinning hard drives (HDDs) store data on rotating magnetic platters and use a mechanical read/write arm to access data, making them slower and more vulnerable to damage from drops or movement, but they offer large storage capacities at a lower cost per gigabyte. Solid State Drives (SSDs) have no moving parts and instead store data on flash memory chips, making them significantly faster, quieter, more durable, and energy-efficient but more expensive. 

M.2

M.2 is a compact form factor for Solid State Drives that plugs directly into a slot on the motherboard, and when using the NVMe protocol, delivers blazing-fast speeds several times quicker than a traditional SATA SSD, making it the preferred choice for modern computers where performance is a priority.

Spicy Pillow

A “spicy pillow” is a slang term used to describe a laptop battery that has become dangerously swollen or bloated due to internal chemical breakdown, causing it to puff up and potentially warp the laptop’s case. This condition that poses a serious fire and safety hazard requiring immediate battery replacement.