PCMCIA

A play on words, this phrase originally referred to "Personal Computer Memory Card International Association." It is more popularly known as "People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms."

(1) Personal Computer Memory Card International Association:
A group formed by several modem-card manufacturers in the late 1980's. Its purpose was to define a standard for making and marketing credit-card-sized expansion cards for laptop computers (and some desktops). PCMCIA used some principles of the Japanese Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA) in developing the standard. Both organizations continue to support international standards for PC cards, as they are now called.

PC Cards are now used in many, varied applications, including several types of RAM memory, pre-programmed ROM cards, modems, sound cards, floppy disk controllers, hard drives, CD ROM and SCSI controllers, Global Positioning System (GPS) cards, data acquisition, LAN cards, pagers, and so on. PCMCIA also provides the ability for hot plugging.

(2) Online jargon, also known as [[text message|text message]] shorthand, used in texting, online [[chat or chatting|chat]], instant messaging, email, blogs, and newsgroup postings, these types of abbreviations are also referred to as [[chat acronyms]]. 

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