Test Your Nerd Knowledge for Oct. 11, 2022

October 10, 2022

Thanks for playing! Here’s a quick review of today’s questions:

  1. In computer parlance, what does URL stand for?
  2. What did network engineer Mark Kempf invent in 1983 while working for the Networking Advanced Development group of Digital Equipment Corporation? 
  3. What enterprise software company is based in Walldorf, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany?

And here are the answers:

  1. Answer: Uniform Resource Locator. People toss the initials, “U.R.L.” around every day, but how many people actually know what URL stands for? While it could be easily defined as a “web address,” URL has deeper origins that involve syntax, schemes, queries and paths, all components of the coding used to signal a web address that it is being located by a user. As defined by Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web) in 1994 during his collaboration with the Internet Engineering Task Force, it is “the syntax and semantics of formalized information for location and access of resources on the Internet.” 
  2. Answer: The Managed Switch. Also known as a switching hub, bridging hub, or MAC bridge, the network switch is a fundamental component of all technology infrastructure. Computer Engineer Mark Kempf of Tewksbury, Mass., began his journey toward developing and patenting the network switch in 1980, just as theories about the growth of the ethernet were stalled by the challenge of bridging different networks. Routing protocols presented additional challenges, but by the time Kempf and his team introduced LANBridge 100 in 1983, the writing was on the wall for how this technology would benefit just about everyone who uses a computer. Today’s switches offer options for configuration, management features and traffic monitoring capabilities.
  3. Answer: SAP. According to alltopeverything.com, SAP, which is headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, is the third largest software company in the world. SAP’s primary directive is developing enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations, but it is also the world leader in sales of ERP. Founded by Dietmar Hopp and his team of former IBM engineers in 1972, the company’s German name is Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung, which translates to “System Analysis and Program Development.” The company has more than 100,000 employees worldwide.
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