Time To Live, a mechanism in computer networking that limits the lifespan of data packets. Also refers to Through-The-Lens in photography.
Modern acronym from the 1970s computing era, combining 'Time To Live' to describe a counter that prevents data packets from circulating indefinitely in networks. The photography meaning developed separately in the same era.
TTL in networking prevents the internet from getting clogged with lost data packets by giving each packet a countdown timer - when it hits zero, the packet dies. In photography, TTL metering revolutionized flash photography by measuring light directly through the camera lens for perfect exposure.
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