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A
Access
Time
A performance benchmark that essentially identifies
the time it takes to gain access to hard drive or CD-ROM drive
information.
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. A
semiconductor manufacturer that, like its main competitor
Intel, predominantly makes microprocessors, such as its K-6
processor
B
Bandwidth
The transmission
capacity of a computer connection, usually measured in bits
per second. In general terms, the word has become synonymous
with line or system capacity.
Baud
A unit of
measure, mainly used to assess the speed of information moved
through modems.
Expansion Bay
A compartment inside
a PC that allows you to expand the functionality of the
computer. These bays usually accommodate some sort of storage
drive.
BIOS
Basic Input/Output System. The basic
standard instruction set allows a PC to be turned on.
Bookmark
A digital place-keeper, marking
frequently visited sites on the World Wide Web.
Boot
To start or restart the computer.
Bps
Bits per
second. A measurement of the speed at which information can be
transferred.
Browser
Software that allows you to
navigate the Internet, e.g.: Netscape Navigator or Microsoft's
Internet Explorer.
Bus
A bus is a common channel,
or pathway, between individual hardware components.
Byte
A sequence of eight bits. A byte is the
smallest usable memory unit.
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C
Cache
Think of it as a
standalone place for holding data. By using this holding place
instead of a portion of the computer's main memory,
performance can be substantially improved.
CD-ROM
Compact Disc-Read Only Memory. A high-capacity storage
medium. A CD-ROM disc is the same size as a music CD and holds
over 600 megabytes of text, graphics, video, and sound.
Chat Room
A virtual place for live,
online/Internet conversations.
Click
To "select"
something by pressing the left mouse button once. Pressing it
twice is a "double-click."
Colour Palette
Things
are displayed on your monitor according to a specified number
of colours in a colour palette, e.g.: 256 colours. The theory is
that more colours = more vivid picture quality. The number of
colours a display is set to effects the entire look of the
desktop, and correspondingly, the way applications look.
CPU
Central Processing Unit. Measured in
megahertz, the CPU is the primary chip that operates the
computer. The base price of a computer is often based on the
CPU type.
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D
Database
A computerized version
of the traditional filing cabinet. Databases are applications
used for storing and sorting data and graphic records of all
kinds.
Desktop
A metaphor for the on-screen
computing environment. It includes the screen background and
windows, icons and documents.
DMA (Direct Memory
Access)
Allows the I/O subsystem to access main memory for
the transfer of data.
DOS
Disk Operating System.
An early scheme for running computers that has been replaced
by Windows in the PC environment.
Dot Pitch
The
distance between a dot and the closest dot of the same color
(red, green or blue) on a color CRT display/monitor (CRT
displays have a television-like picture tube). Dot pitch is
typically ranges from 0.28 to 0.51. The smaller the dot pitch,
the crisper the image.
Download
To receive a file
from another computer via modem or network interface card (NIC).
Dpi
Dots Per Inch. A way of measuring
resolution in a printer or scanner. The higher the dpi, the
higher the text or image quality.
"Drag and drop"
This refers to the method of moving items on screen by
using a mouse. Clicking on an item allows you to select it,
continually holding down the mouse button allows you to drag
it from point "A" to point "B' and releasing the mouse button
allows you to drop or place the item.
DRAM
Dynamic
Random Access Memory. Dynamic RAM is the most common type of
electronic memory used in computers today. Memory amount and
type have a significant effect on applications performance.
Driver
A software program that controls
communication between external devices (printers, etc.) and a
computer.
DVD
Digital Versatile Disc. A step
beyond the traditional CD, DVD is media format that greatly
enhances audio and video quality. On the high end, DVD is
capable of storing 25 times more data than a CD.
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E
Email
Electronic mail. With an
Internet service provider account and an address, you can
exchange "mail" electronically with other computers/users.
Ethernet
A software protocol or language used for
networking.
Expansion cards
Cards or printed
circuit boards that are installed in available computer slots
on a computer's motherboard to, typically, add audio or video
functionality.
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F
Firewall
A hypothetical "wall"
is actually a piece of software that protects a private
network from intrusion via the public Internet.
Floppy
disk
Not truly floppy. A thin 3.5-inch hard plastic case
enclosing a magnetic disk used to store information/data.
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G
GB
Gigabyte. Approximately one
billion bytes of information/data. Internal hard drives are
measured in megabytes and gigabytes.
GUI
Graphical
User Interface. A graphics based (as opposed to a text based)
method of telling the computer what to do, using graphics to
represent commands.
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H
Hard disk
A disk inside your PC
used to store the operating system (most likely Windows),
along with other programs and data files.
Hardware
The physical components of the computer other than
software. Examples are drives, system/motherboard, modem,
keyboard, mouse and input/output ports.
Home Page
The opening page of a web or Internet site.
http
Hypertext Transfer Protocol . A basic communication
protocol for Internet or web server file input and output
(I/O).
Hyperlinks
Typically text, but also
graphics, that serve as links that let you move around on the
Internet and connect to different web sites. Hyperlinks are
usually blue and underlined.
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I
Icon
A small picture that
represents a function, file, or program.
Internet
A worldwide collection of interconnected networks that
enable users to share information electronically.
ISP
Internet Service Provider. An organization or company that
provides access to the Internet, usually via the public
telephone network.
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J
Java
A programming language,
developed by Sun Microsystems for writing computer
applications that can be run on any operating system.
Javascript
A scripting language, developed by
Netscape Communications. Javascript is the language that
allows the images on the top of this page to hi-light as you
roll your cursor over them. Javascript code can be placed
directly onto web pages.
JPEG Joint Photographic
Experts Group. A widely accepted international standard for
compression of colour image files, sometimes used on the
Internet.
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K
KB
Kilobyte. Approximately one
thousand bytes.
kbps
Kilobits per second. A
standard measure of modem speed.
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L
LAN
Local Area Network. Usually
defined as devices (computers, printers, etc.) physically
connected for interactive communication in a relatively small
geographic area.
LED
Light-Emitting Diode. A diode
that lights up when current is applied. Generally used as an
"on/off" status indicator.
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M
MB
Megabyte. Approximately one
million bytes. A designation predominantly used to gauge hard
drive or file capacity
Microprocessor
The chip or
semiconductor generally considered to be the brain or engine
of a PC. Also called a "CPU" (Central Processing Unit).
Modem
Modulator - DEModulator. An electronic
device that distinguishes between or arbitrates serial data
from a computer and audio/telephone signals. Modems are
distinguished primarily by the maximum baud rate they support.
Baud rates can range from 75 baud up to 28,800 and beyond. A
modem may either be internal, connected to the computer's bus
or external ("standalone"), connected to one of the computer's
serial ports.
Mother Board
The main printed
circuit board in an electronic device, particularly a
computer, which contains sockets that accept additional boards
("daughter-boards"). In a PC, the motherboard contains the
bus, the microprocessor and chips used for controlling any
built-in peripherals.
Mouse
A device that lets you
control your computer by clicking on icons on the screen.
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N
NIC
Network Interface Card. An
adapter/circuit board installed in a computer to provide a
physical connection between the PC and the rest of the
network.
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O
Online Service
A commercial
service that gives computer users Internet access and
connection to a variety of online offerings, such as shopping,
games and chat rooms.
OS
Operating System. A
digital language or a collection of computer programs (e.g.:
Windows 98) that control how the computer works.
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P
Pixel
A graphics term for the
smallest picture element that can be displayed on a screen.
Peripheral
(Or "peripheral device") Any part of a
computer other than the CPU or working memory, i.e. disks,
keyboards, monitors, mice, printers, scanners, tape drives,
microphones, speakers, cameras, etc.
Port
An
interface, usually on the back of the PC, where you attach
devices such as a printer or mouse.
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R
RAM
Random Access Memory. See
DRAM.
ROM
Read-Only Memory. The memory that
contains the basic instructions for the computer's
microprocessor. Users cannot change this information, and it
remains intact when the computer is shut off.
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S
Scanner
An external device used
to produce digitized images of documents and photographs,
which can then be stored as files and edited on a computer.
Screen saver
A program that runs simple animation
on the monitor when you're not using the PC and intended to
prevent damage to the display screen.
SDRAM
A new
memory technology that synchronizes the speed of the memory to
the speed of the processor for increased performance from your
software applications.
Search Engine
A
server-based application used to search large databases for
selected words or phrases. Common search engines use keywords
to search for information on the World Wide Web.
Server
A computer that controls a network of other
computers. In Internet nomenclature, it's the computer that
you dial into for an account.
Sleep Mode
Allows
reduction in the amount of power consumed by the computer
while it is not in use.
Software
Software is the
set of computer programs (instructions) that tell the hardware
which tasks to perform.
Sound card
An internal
expansion card. Connected to external speakers, it lets you
hear audio from CD-ROMs and the Internet.
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U
URL
Uniform Resource Locator. An
address that uniquely identifies a World Wide Web site,
usually preceded with http://.
USB
Universal Serial
Bus. A high-speed serial port technology that allows a variety
of input and output devices to be easily attached to the PC. A
USB device can be plugged in or unplugged without having to
turn off the PC, and is automatically recognized and
configured upon plug-in.
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V
Virus
A set of software code
instructions that damages or erases the information, work
files, or programs on your computer.
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W
Wizard
Part of a software
program that guides the user through a complex process like
signing up with an ISP or posting a Web page to the server.
WWW
World Wide Web. The generic term for the
Internet, a massive, dynamic repository for digital
information.
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Z
ZIP Drive
A disk drive which
uses removable 100 megabyte hard disks. A trademark of Iomega
Corp.
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