There is a lot of confusion on the internet about what the word ISO means and where it comes from. A quick online search reveals at least four different meanings as well as three different origins for the word, depending on the context.
Adding to the confusion, one of them is a well diffused, though mistaken, origin for the word that claims ISO is an acronym for International Organization for Standardization. Although the term does refer to the organization, it is not one since an acronym for the organization would read IOS.
So, what does ISO stand for? And what does ISO mean?
What Does ISO Stand For?
Iso is not an acronym as suggested by the theory mentioned above. Instead, the International Organization for Standardization simply took the Greek word “isos” and shortened it to ISO, meaning the term is actually an abbreviation.
Since the organization could not find an ideal acronym (a different acronym would be necessary for the many languages of its member countries), they settled for a shortened version of the Greek word “isos,” which means equal. The organization found it a suitable solution for the problem, since it aims to provide international standards.
What Is ISO?
ISO is an independent non-governmental international standard-setting organization composed of representatives from several national standards bodies, such as the American National Standards Institute, the Association Française de Normalisation (French Association for Standardization), and the Rosstandart (Federal Technical Regulation and Metrology Agency) from Russia.
The organization’s main task is to develop and publish international standards to create uniformity across markets. For example, allowing Company X’s hard drive to work with Company Y’s computer or to facilitate the exchange of goods and services across international borders. ISO also attempts to foster cooperation in scientific, technical, and economic spheres.
What Does ISO Mean?
The term ISO came into use when it only referred to the International Organization for Standardization. However, when the standards it issued for various industries came into common international use, the products bearing the standard’s tag “ISO” also came to be known by the term, or at least some of its features or characteristics.
One such example is the ISO film speed standard, whose nomenclature, even though film is mostly digital nowadays, is still used to represent a camera’s digital sensor’s response to light. And yet another one is the ISO optical disk image file extension.
What Is an ISO File?
An ISO file is a single digital file containing all the information present in an optical disk. This includes its file system (usually ISO 90660), after which its file extension is named, and why this type of file is known as ISO. This means that all data in an ISO file is identically structured to the optical disk from which it was created, since it must always retain its original file system.
This type of file is used as a virtual CD-ROM. They are commonly used in emulators to replicate a CD image or for burning disk images of software to install them.
What Does ISO Mean on the Internet?
There is a final but unrelated meaning for ISO on the internet. As social media networks like Facebook caught on and instant messaging became a thing, a lot of neologisms started to pop up, many of which are acronyms; one of these: ISO.
What does ISO mean on Facebook? On Facebook and the internet in general (particularly social media), ISO is an acronym for “in search of.” In this context, the term usually means the same as LTB (looking to buy) and WTB (want to buy).
What Does ISO Mean? It Depends On the Context
Except for the unrelated social media ISO acronym, all other ISO meanings take root in the Greek “isos,” in the context of the International Organization for Standardization and its widely adopted standards.
Still, the three most widely accepted ISO meanings are a camera’s film speed, an optical disk image file, and, of course, that of the International Organization for Standardization.
0 Comments