The Wifi is a term that everyone knows nowadays. It is something that many relate to the internet and the way it works. While many of us have used Wi-Fi as shorthand for “wireless fidelity,” it seems we’ve been wrong all our lives, since Wi-Fi doesn’t really have a real meaning.
During an interview with Boingboing nearly 20 years ago, Phil Belanger, one of the founding members of the Wi-Fi Alliance, noted that the term “Wi-Fi” doesn’t really have a meaning, and it’s just a word that the marketing team created. This was what was mentioned about it:
“Wi-Fi doesn’t represent anything.
It is not an acronym. there is no meaning
The only reason we talk about ‘wireless fidelity’ is because several of my colleagues were scared. They didn’t know about brands or marketing. They couldn’t be seen using the name ‘Wi-Fi’ without having to explain it afterwards, so we agreed to include the tagline ‘The Standard of Wireless Fidelity.’”
What we know as “Wi-Fi”, is actually called IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence, but let’s just say that this name doesn’t have the same appeal that “Wi-Fi” does. During his 2005 interview, Belanger points out that the public should forget about “Wi-fi.” However, and as is obvious, this prayer fell on deaf ears. On related topics, Internet Explorer is dead.
Editor’s Note:
This is a huge reveal that, at the end of the day, doesn’t mean anything. No one is going to stop associating Wi-Fi with internet connectivity, not today, not tomorrow. However, it’s nice to have a little extra knowledge to impress someone in the future.
Via: boingboing
#WiFi #Doesnt #Atomix