Computer Terminology

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0-9

.NET
A Microsoft operating system that is designed to enhance a user's experience on the Internet.
286
Short for 80286, a processor designed and developed by Intel that surpassed the 8088.
386
Short for 80386, a processor designed and developed by Intel that surpassed the 286.
486
Short for 80486, a processor designed and developed by Intel that surpassed the 386.
802.11
The IEEE standard for 1 or 2mbps wireless networking.
8086
The original x86 processor.
100Base-T
A networking standard used to transmit data at 100Mbps using CAT5 cable.
10Base2
Also called Thinnet, 10Base2 uses coaxial cable which is smaller and more flexible than the 10Base5 cable.
10BaseT
A networking standard used to transmit data at 10Mbps using twisted-pair CAT5 cable.
386SX
A type of processor developed by Intel.

A

AAA
A networking security protocol called Authentication, Authorization and Accounting for use on IP networks.
Abandonware
Software that is no longer being produced or supported by the publisher.
AC-3
Synonymous with Dolby Digital.
ACAP
Application Configuration Access Protocol, used for e-mail.
ACL
Access Control List, a list of users and their access privileges used by an operating system.
Active Matrix Display
A flat screen with a higher refresh rate than normal.
ActiveX
A group of technologies from Microsoft derived from the technology OLE (Object Linking and Embedding).
ADB
Apple Desktop Bus.
Address bus
A pathway between the processor and the computer's memory.
Ad-hoc mode
Also known as Peer to Peer networking.
ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. An Internet connection that goes over the telephone line at speeds of 1.5Mpbs to 9Mbps.
AGP
Accelerated Graphics Port. A special port designed for video cards.
AIFF
Audio Interchange File Format. A common sound file format. Generally, AIFF files use the .aif extension.
AMD
A large manufacture of processors and the famous Athlon processor line.
AppleTalk
A set of protocols developed by Apple for local area network communication. AppleTalk supports up to 32 devices and each device can operate at a speed of 230Kbps.
areal density
The amount of data that can fit in one square inch.
ATA
Advanced Technology Attachment. A type of hard drive controller.
ATAPI
AT Attached Packet Interface. An extension to the ATA controller that allows CD-ROMs.
ATX
A form factor standard for cases. AT is a smaller standard.
AU
Audio. A typical sound file format on UNIX computers. The AU files have a .au extension.
Authentication
The process of verifying a username and/or password.
AVI
Audio Video Interleave. A common file format for videos in Windows. All AVI files use the .avi extension.
A+

A process developed by CompTIA that certifies individuals for knowledge and ability at installing, configuring, maintaining and customizing personal computer systems.

ACPI
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface. An industry standard for efficient power handling and consumption in desktop and laptop computers. ACPI must be supported by the computer’s BIOS, motherboard and operating system.
Acrobat
Developed by Adobe, Acrobat is a program that allows users to "capture" a document and then view it in its original form, ideal for making brochures or documents designed for print available electronically. Acrobat files are saved as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file.
Active Directory
A system designed by Microsoft to centrally automate the network management of users, user rights, security and distributed resources. Active Directory requires a domain and all computers must be a part of that domain before they can interact with Active Directory.
AES
The Advanced Encryption Standard. An encryption algorithm used by the United States government to secure sensitive information that is not classified.
AIM
America Online Instant Messenger. Software designed by AOL to allow users to communicate using instant messages.
AMD-K6
A line of processors from AMD, predecessor to the Athlon line. K6 processors were direct competition for the Intel Pentium processor line.
Aliasing
Most commonly used when referring to images, aliasing is a rough and jagged edge caused by pixels. To get rid of aliasing, anti-aliasing is used.
Anti-aliasing
The smoothing of images or sounds (most commonly used with images) when roughness occurs due to aliasing. Anti-aliasing creates a more gradual transition between the image and the background color.
AltaVista
A popular search engine. AltaVista used to be one of the premier search engines back in the mid 1990s when it was owned and operated by Digital.
AMIBIOS
One of the original BIOS chips and the most common BIOS chip used today. The AMIBIOS is manufactured by American Megatrends.
AMR
Audio/Modem Riser. Developed by Intel, the AMR slot is similar to a PCI slot but is designed specially for Audio and Modems.
Applet
Applet is short for "little application." Typically applets are small programs that can be sent along with a web page. Java applets are most commonly used on the Internet.
ARIN
The American Registry of Internet Numbers. This organization is responsible for managing IP addresses in the United States and selected territories.
AS/400
Known as the IBM iSeries today, the AS/400 is a server which uses the PowerPC processor. The AS/400 is, perhaps, one of IBM's most successful servers, allowing clients maximum versatility and room for growth. Best of all, the AS/400 touts an impressive 99.9% uptime.
ASP
Active Server Pages. ASP files are used on the Internet and are commonly programmed using Visual Basic Script (VBScript). ASP scripts are executed on the web server before the result is sent to the end-user.

B

backbone
A main connection that links smaller nodes.
Backdoor
An unknown (usually except by the programmer) way to remotely access software and take control. Backdoors are serious security problems.
Backplane
A circuit board with slots for expansion cards (PCI, etc). Usually synonymous with motherboard.
backside bus
A bus that connects the Level Two cache with the CPU in a processor.
Backup
The act of copying files to another storage medium for safe keeping. It is always a good idea to backup critical data regularly.
bad sector
A bad portion of a disk (like a hard drive). Formatting the desk helps get rid of bad sectors since it will flag and bad sectors and will not use them. Any data residing on a bad sector could be lost.
BAK file
A file with the .bak extension means that it is a backup file.
Banding
Unwanted lines that occasionally appear when printing.
Banner
Also known as a banner ad. Advertising that is placed on a web site.
Baud
The number of bits per second transmitted. 1,200 baud = 1,200 bits per second.
Bay
A location in the case that any type of drive can be installed. There are two different sizes of bays, 3.5" and 5.25".
BCC
Blind Carbon Copy, used in e-mail so the recipients can not see the list of addresses the e-mail was sent to.
BCD
Binary Coded Decimal.
BDC
Backup Domain Controller.
BEDO DRAM
Burst EDO DRAM. The type of RAM that was commonly used before 66MHz SDRAM.
Bell 103
The United States standard for transmitting data at 300bps over the telephone.
Bell 212A
The United States standard for transmitting data at 1,200bps over the telephone.
Benchmark
A test used to compare the performance of hardware or software to other computers.
BeOS
Be, Inc. created this operating system to run on both the PowerPC and x86 platforms. It is also much smaller in size than most operating systems like Windows or MacOS.
BER
Bit Error Rate, the percentage of bits with errors in a certain time. In analog transmissions, the same type of measurement is called the signal to noise ratio.
BERT
Bit Error Rate Tester, a device that measures the BER.
bilevel printer
A printer that can only print one level of darkness.
Binary
A numbering system used in computers or anything digital which consists of 0s and 1s.
Binary File Transfer (BFT)
A standard for transmitting data files using fax modems.
Binary file
A file stored in binary. Since it is in binary, it is not able to be read by humans, only computers.
BIOS
Basic Input/Output System, built in software that contains the information to control things like the keyboard, video card, mouse, drives and more. It is also responsible for starting the computer's boot up process.
Bit
Binary Digit. The smallest unit of data size measurement on a computer (either a 1 or 0). Eight bits makes up a byte.
bit rate
The number of bits that are transferred in a specified amount of time, usually a second.
Block
A block of data stored on a storage medium, usually 512 byte groups.
Bottleneck
A slowdown in the speed at which data is transmitted.
Bridge
A device that connects two different Local Area Networks.
Broadband
A transmission that is capable of carrying multiple transmissions at once.
Brouter
A broadband router. Typically referred to just as a router.
Burn
Slang for writing a CD.
B2B
Business to Business. The exchange of products or services between businesses over the Internet.
B2C
Business to Consumer. The exchange of products or services between a business and a consumer over the Internet.
Back Orifice
A program designed to exploit security bugs in the Windows operating system, created by the group "Cult of the Dead Cow." Back Orifice can exploit security problems in most any version of Windows (from Windows 95 on up).
Backward Compatible
Refers to hardware or software that can successfully interface with older versions of the same software or a totally different software package.
Bandwidth
In the computer environment, bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be sent in a certain amount of time. In general more data can be sent with higher bandwidth.
BASIC
An early programming language developed in the 60s, which is still popular today due to its simplicity and wide-spread support on many different platforms.
Batch file
A batch file is a plain-text file containing commands for the operating system to execute. Usually batch files have the extension *.bat. Unix operating systems call batch files a shell script.
BBS
A Bulletin Board System. A technology commonly used before the World Wide Web, BBS systems were used to pass messages from user to user (just like an actual bulletin board).
Beep code
A series of beeps that can occur during the Power-On Self Test (POST) sequence. When all else fails, a beep code can emit a series of beeps with varying length and pitch. These codes can then be referenced to tell the user what is wrong with the computer.
Beta
Generally refers to a test phase in software development. When software enters the beta phase, the majority of the program is complete. Users simply look for hidden bugs and problems that need to be fixed before the software is finished.
BitTorrent
A distribution protocol that allows efficient file sharing of large files (usually software and movies).
Blackhole List
Also called a Blacklist, Blackhole Lists are simply large lists of IP addresses and ISPs that commonly send Spam. Many reputable e-mail providers choose to block IP addresses and ISPs on Blackhole Lists to cut down on Spam.
Bluetooth
A telecommunications standard that easily connects computers, phones, PDAs and other devices wirelessly.
Burst
A term used referring to an amount of information sent/received in one operation.

C

cable modem
A modem used to transmit data over a cable instead of a telephone line.
Cache
A group of data that is saved in a special location to be accessed quickly.
Caddy
A plastic case that holds a CD-ROM.
Cat-5
The 8 wire cable used in Ethernet connections.
CDFS
CD File System.
CD-R
A read/writable CD.
CD-ROM
A read only CD.
CD-RW disk
A read/writable and rewritable CD.
Celeron
A discount processor developed by Intel.
Clock speed
A speed, measured in MHz, that the processor runs.
CMOS
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor.
Collision
When two packets of data collide, a collision has occurred and the packets of information will need to be re-sent.
Color depth
The number of colors displayed on a screen. Usually 16 million or more. Older computers typically displayed 16 or 265 colors.
Connect time
The amount of time it takes to connect to a server or computer on a network.
CPU
The main processor in a computer. A Pentium 4 is a CPU for example.
CPU time
Crack
A program or file that modifies another program so that it can be used without paying for it. Cracks are illegal.
CRT
A normal cathode ray tube monitor.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets. A specification first developed in 1996 by the W3C. CSS allows web designers to customize the look of their web site.
CompTIA
Computer Technology Industry Association. An organization offering numerous certificates and classes like A+.
COBOL
Common Business Oriented Language. An old high-level programming language developed in the 1960s.
Clean install
Installing software on a computer that does not have any software or older versions of software installed.
Citrix
A company that produces software used to remotely and securely access a computer over the Internet.
Checksum
When sending data from one computer to another, a checksum number is also included with the data. That checksum number is compared to the data received and, if the checksums match, the data is error free.
Chassis
Commonly known as a case, the chassis is designed to house components for the computer and to protect those components from environmental dangers like water, static electricity and heat.
CPGA
Ceramic Pin Grid Array.
Centrino
A chipset developed by Intel which allows laptops to connect to wireless networks.
CD-Key
A unique set of numbers, letters and sometimes symbols which help to prevent software piracy. Without a CD-Key, it is not possible to install or sometimes activate the software.
CC
Carbon Copy. Allows a user to send an e-mail to additional recipients that may be interested but the e-mail does not directly affect them.
CAT6
Short for Category 6. A type of network cable consisting of four twisted pairs of wire and an RJ-45 connector. Capable of speeds up to 1000Mbps.
CAT5
Short for Category 5. A type of network cable consisting of four twisted pairs of wire and an RJ-45 connector. Capable of speeds up to 100Mbps.
CAS
Column Address Select or Column Access Strobe. A signal containing information about where data is located in the computer RAM.
Captcha
Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. Commonly seen as a distorted image containing text which is easy for humans to read but not computers.
Cable select
A drive setting that lets the position that each drive is plugged into the IDE/EIDE cable determine which drive is the primary and slave.
Core 2
The Intel Core 2 is a processor family first released in July, 2006.
C++
A high-level programming language developed by Bell Labs. C++ is one of the most popular programming languages used today for most applications.
C
Commonly used to describe the first hard drive on IBM compatible computers. Also refers to a high-level programming language developed in 1972 by Bell Labs.

D

DAM
Digital Asset Management.
dark fiber
Refers to unused fiber optic cable.
DASD
Direct Access Storage Device. A type of hard drive used in mainframes.
data center
A storage facility for database information.
data compression
A method of storing data that requires less space than usual. Data compression is frequently used for transmitting data over network connections to increase speed. A ZIP file is a common compressed file format for compressing files for storage or transmission.
data integrity
Refers to how reliable a set of data is.
data mirroring
The act of copying data from one storage medium to another in real time so that there are always two copies of the same data.
data recovery
The act of recovering data that has been damaged due to a physical problem with the storage device or from a virus. There are many different programs and services that offer data recovery.
data transfer rate
The rate at which data is being transmitted. Usually measured in Mbps.
DBCS
Double byte character set. This character set uses two byte (16 bit) characters instead of the standard 1 byte (8 bit) character for languages like Chinese.
DCE
Distributed Computing Environment.
DCT
Discrete Cosine Transformation. A compression technique most commonly used in JPEG files.
DDC
Display Data Channel. A standard for the video card to communicate with the monitor and vise versa.
DDO
Dynamic Drive Overlay. In older computers, many BIOS had a 528MB drive size limit. This allows drivers larger than 528MB to be used in older computers.
DDR-SDRAM
Double Data Rate-SDRAM. A common type of SDRAM.
DEC
Digital Equipment Corporation, a large company that created the popular search engine AltaVista among other things. In 1998 DEC was acquired by Compaq.
dedicated server
A server that is dedicated to a specific function.
Defrag
Slang for the process of defragmenting files.
Defragment
The act of defragmenting files on a disk.
Degauss
A process that removes magnetism from a display, usually a color monitor or TV. By degaussing a monitor, the image quality may improve.
Density
An older term referring to the amount of storage on a disk (tape or floppy). The higher the density, the more data it can hold.
digitizing tablet
An input device that allows drawings/text to be entered into a computer by using a pen. Digitizing tablets are frequently used to sign when making a credit card purchase at a store.
DIMM
Dual In-line Memory Module.
DIP switch
A switch commonly found on motherboards that changes specific settings.
Direct3D
A way to display 3D images using hardware acceleration for better image quality and performance. Direct3D was developed by Microsoft.
DirectX
A set of instructions developed by Microsoft to help developers write programs that can interact with hardware without knowing the exact type of hardware. DirectX also helps take advantage of hardware acceleration for better performance.
disk cache
A portion of RAM that behaves like another small hard drive for increased performance.
disk controller
A chip that controls the hard drives on a computer. There are many different types of disk controllers, but the most common is IDE or SCSI.
DivX
A compression technology for video that allows video to be compressed into small files without much loss of quality. Using DivX compression, it is often possible to put a typical move on a CD.
DLC
Data Link Control. On Ethernet connections, the DLC is called the MAC address.
DLP
Digital Light Processing.
DMA
Direct Memory Access. A method of transferring memory from the RAM to a device without passing through the CPU.
DOCSIS
A type of standard for cable modems.
DOM
Document Object Model. The standards for how objects in web pages should be represented. Because many browsers use their own DOM, there are many different compatibility issues with web pages and browsers.
domain name
A unique name that represents one or more IP addresses. On the internet, it is much easier to remember a name like pltimes.com to visit their web site than it is their IP address which is 65.182.100.123.
DOS
Disk Operating System. An older computer operating system used on PCs.
DoS attack
Denial of Service Attack. An attack that brings a network down by flooding it with traffic.
DRAM
Dynamic Random Access Memory. A type of memory.
DSL
Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is a high-speed internet connection available through the telephone lines.
DSP
Digital Signal Processing. The act of converting analog data into digital data or vice versa.
DVD
Digital Video Disk.
Database
A (usually large) collection of data that can be accessed and organized in many different ways. Usually a certain type of database software is required to create or edit the database file.
Data packet
A data packet is a block of data containing roughly 64 characters and is used to transmit data over the internet and networks.
DDE
Dynamic Data Exchange. A technology developed by Microsoft in the early 1990s to help integrate content from one application to another. For example, when a picture is inserted in Word but then edited in Paint, the modifications are reflected in Word.
DES
Data Encryption Standard. A form of data security developed by IBM which is used by the U.S. Federal Government for transmitting information which is not classified.
Device driver
Software that lets the computer communicate with third-party peripherals.
DHCP
Dynamic Host Control Protocol. A protocol used to dynamically assign devices on a network a unique IP address permanently or for a set period of time.
DHTML
Dynamic Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. A combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
DLL
Dynamic Link Library. A file which shares resources and functions with applications on the computer.
DNS
Domain Name System. When you type in a website address like cs-co.org, a DNS server translates the address into an IP address.
Dot Matrix Printer
An old type of printer which used pins to hit an ink ribbon and leave a character or image on a sheet of paper. It is basically a really fast typewriter!
Dot pitch
The distance in millimeters between each hole in a monitor's shadow mask. A smaller distance between each hole creates a sharper image.
DPI
Dots per Inch. A way to measure resolution for printers. A printer with 400dpi, for example, could fit 400 pixels inside a square inch. The higher the DPI, the better the quality.

E

ECC memory
Error Correcting Code memory. A special type of memory that checks for errors as data is passed through the RAM.
EEPROM
Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. A type of Read-Only memory that can be erased when exposed to a certain electrical charge. EEPROM is very similar to flash memory.
EIDE
Enhanced IDE, a newer version of the IDE interface developed by Western Digital.
EISA
Extended Industry Standard Architecture.
ELF emission
Extremely Low Frequency emissions.
e-mail
Electronic Mail.
e-mail client
A program that connects to an e-mail server and allows a user to easily read/write e-mail, make address books and more.
Emoticon
A face displaying an emotion by using text characters. :-) is a smiley face.
Emulation
A program or device that imitates a different program or device. For example, a Playstation 2 emulator will run a Playstation 2 game on a PC by imitating a Playstation 2.
Ethernet
A common type of network that runs at 10Mbps, 100Mbps or 1000Mbps.
Eudora
A popular e-mail client.
Extranet
An Intranet that is partly accessible from the Internet.
EOF Marker
An End of Field Marker. A symbol which alerts the operating system that it has reached the end of the file.

F

FAT32
File Allocation Table 32. A file format used in Windows that supports large drives and better efficiency.
FC-PGA
Flip Chip-Pin Grid Array.
Fdisk
A DOS utility used to format a hard drive, create partitions and more.
fetch
A well-known FTP program.
File
Collections of data or information organized by used a unique name.
Finger
A UNIX command that gives information about a specific user.
Firewall
A device or program designed to prevent unauthorized access to a private network.
flash memory
A type of EEPROM that performs much quicker than standard EEPROM.
FLOPS
Floating Point Operations Per Second. A typical benchmark used to measure the speed of microprocessors. Many experts don't agree that FLOPS is not a valid benchmarking method because the tests fail to take into account work loads, etc.
form factor
The physical size of a device like a motherboard.
FPM RAM
Fast Page Mode RAM
fps
Frames per Second. The more frames per second, the smoother motion appears.
FPU
Floating Point Unit. A special type of CPU that performs floating point calculations.
Fragmentation
Occurs when files are broken into pieces and stored in different areas of the drive. This can have a negative impact on performance.
frontside bus
See System Bus.
Frozen
A term used to describe a computer when it has stopped accepting input due to an error.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol. The protocol used on the Internet to transfer files.

G

Gbps
Gigabits per second.
GDI
Graphical Device Interface.
ghose imaging
A method of copying the entire contents of a drive and saving it on a server or CD-ROM for use in the future in case the drive needs to be reverted to an earlier state.
GIF
Graphics Interchange Format. A type of image file commonly used on the Internet. All GIF files end with the .gif extension.
Gigabit
1,000 megabits.
Gigabit Ethernet
An Ethernet connection that operates at 1 Gbps.
Gigabyte
1,000 megabytes
graphics accelerator
A device with its own memory and processor to work on computations for graphics. A graphics accelerator increases performance and image quality.

H

hack
Code that is written to modify a program so that it does not operate like it was originally designed.
hacker
A person who hacks.
Hexadecimal
A base-16 number system which consists of numbers 0-9 and then letters A-F.
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language. A language used to format all web pages on the Internet.
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. A standard protocol that the World Wide Web uses.
Hub
A connection point in a network for computers to connect with one another.
Hypertext
A database system developed by Ted Nelson in which different areas of a database can be linked together.

I

IDE interface
Integrated Drive Electronics. An interface for mass storage devices like hard drives, tape drives and CD-ROM drives. Also refers to the ATA technology.
IDSL
ISDN Digital Subscriber Line. A technology that provides DSL connections over an ISDN line.
IEEE
The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Develops standards for the computer and electronics industry.
IEEE 1394
Also known as Firewire.
Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus
The type of expansion slots used before PCI.
instant messaging
A type of communication over the internet in which two people have a private conversation using text.
Intel
The world's largest CPU manufacturer. Best known for the Pentium line of processors.
internal modem
A modem that is connected to a computer using ISA, PCI or AMR expansion slots. An external modem (usually) connects through a serial or USB port.
Internet
A world-wide network connecting millions and millions of computers.
InterNIC
Internet Network Information Center.
IoS
Internet over Satellite.
IP Address
A unique group of four numbers given to a computer on a network. For example, 192.168.0.1 is an IP address.
IPng
Internet Protocol Next Generation. A new standard that is still in development.
IPX
Internetwork Packet Exchange. A type of networking protocol used by Novell Netware.
IrDA
Infrared Data Association. A group of companies that created a standard for transmitting data using infrared light.
IRQ
Interrupt Request Line. A certain line that a device can use to send data to the CPU.
ISDN
Integrated Services Digital Network. A connection type that can transmit data at 64Kbps.
ISP
Internet Service Provider. A company that provides access to the Internet like America Online or CompuServe.
Itanium
A 64bit RISC processor from Intel.
ICANN
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. A nonprofit organization responsible for assigning IP addresses, and other administrative tasks previously performed by the U.S. Government.

J

JavaScript
A simple programming language usually used on web pages.
JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group. A common graphics file format that is able to save very high quality images with a low size. All JPEG files use the .jpg extension.
Jumper
A metal bridge that closes a circuit.

K

K
Short for kilobyte.
K56flex
A modem standard for sending data at 56Kbps over a normal telephone line.
K6
A processor developed by AMD.
KB
Kilobyte.
Kbps
Kilobits per second.
Kerberos
An authentication application that lets two users exchange information privately across an open (public) network.
Kilobit
1,000 bits.
Kilobyte
1,000 bytes.
KVM switch
Keyboard, Video, Mouse switch. A device that selects a Keyboard, Video and Mouse input to let one monitor, keyboard and mouse control many different computers.

L

latency
The time that one device in a computer spends waiting for another device.
LBA
Logical Block Addressing. A technique that translates a drives' cylinder, head and sections into specific addresses. LBA is required for drives over 528MB.
LCD
Liquid Crystal Display. The type of display commonly used in laptop computers or flat panel desktop displays.
line editor
A type of text editor that allows only one line of a text file to be edited at a time.
Linux
A free, open-source operating system that runs on many different platforms, including the x86. Since it is free and open-source, Linux is the operating system of choice for many people.
LISTSERV
A server that forwards any mail sent to a specific address to everyone on a list.
load balancing
A system that prevents one server from becoming overwhelmed. For example, if there are three servers that all have the same information, the load balancing computer would keep all the servers' loads balanced.
loopback address
A special IP address (127.0.0.1) that is used for testing.
LPT
Line Printer Terminal. A term used by many operating systems to identify a printer. Most newer, USB printers do not use the LPT designation.

M

M
Short for Megabyte.
MAC address
Media Access Control Address. A hardware address that identifies each device on a network.
MacOS
The operating system used on Macintosh computers.
Macintosh
A type of computer developed by Apple that is a direct competitor with the PC. In the past, hardware inside a Macintosh was different than that of a PC but recently Apple started to use standard PC hardware in Macintosh computers to cut costs and increase compatibility.
macro virus
A type of computer virus that is a macro inside a document.
mailing list
A list of e-mail addresses.
MB
Megabyte.
Mbps
Megabits per second.
MFLOP
Mega Floating-point Operations per Second. See FLOPS.
MHz
Megahertz. One megahertz is equal to one million cycles per second.
MIDI
Musical Instruments Data Interface.
MIPS
Millions of instructions per second.
MMX
Multimedia Extensions. A set of instructions built into the Pentium II and above line of processors to help increase performance with multimedia.
Mobo
Slang for motherboard.
Modem
Modulator-Demodulator. A device used for sending data over a telephone line to another computer.
Motherboard
The main part of any computer, the motherboard serves as a location for all the hardware to connect and interface.
Mount
The act of making a mass storage device available, usually through a network.
MP3
An audio file format that can deliver high quality sound with very small file sizes. An MP3 file is roughly 1MB per minute of audio.
MPEG
Moving Picture Experts Group. A digital video file format that offers high quality and some compression.
MSCDEX
Microsoft CD-ROM Extension. A driver developed by Microsoft to let DOS computers recognize and use CD-ROM drives.

N

Napster
A service that started the fad of sharing music online. Napster was shutdown, however, because sharing music online was decided to be illegal. Many other services like KaZaA have taken Napster's place.
NAT
Network Address Translation.
NDIS
Network Driver Interface Specification.
Netscape
A popular browser that competes with Microsoft Internet Explorer.
network interface card (NIC)
A card that lets a computer interface with a network, usually Ethernet using a cat5 cable.
network-attached storage
A hard drive that connects to a network so that all the files on the hard drive can be shared with everyone on the network.

O

ODI
Open Data link Interface.
ODS
Operational Data Store.
OpenGL
A 3D graphics programming language. Another standard for rendering 3D images is Direct3D.
optical disk
A storage medium, usually a CD-ROM.
overclock
The act of making a device (usually a processor) operate faster than it was designed.
OverDrive
An upgrade that allowed 386 processors to operate at speeds of a 486 and 486 processors to operate at speeds of a Pentium 66.
Overwrite
To write new data over old data.

P

packet collision
When two different packets of information are transmitted at the same time on a network, the two packets can collide and, as a result, the packets are lost.
parallel port
A port with 25 pins used for connecting devices, usually a printer.
Parity
Being either odd or even.
parity checking
The action of checking the parity of the information. If the parities do not match, the data is assumed to be bad and is resent.
Partition
The division of a mass storage device. By partitioning one hard drive, it will then act like two (or more) separate hard drives.
patch
A program or file that is designed to fix programs and applications.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. The most common type of expansion slot.
PCMCIA
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. Small expansion cards that are used on laptops.
PDF
Portable Document Format. Use Macromedia Acrobat Reader to view PDF files.
Pentium 4
The newest processor developed by Intel.
Pentium II
The second Pentium processor developed by Intel.
Pentium III
The third Pentium processor developed by Intel.
Pentium
The first Pentium processor developed by Intel after the 486.
Pentium Pro
A version of the Pentium processor designed for servers.
PGA
Pin Grid Array. Many modern CPU chips use PGA type connections.
PIC
Lotus Picture File.
PICT
A file format used on Macintosh computers. Similar to the .bmp file format on PCs.
PING
The act of sending packets of data to a certain computer to verify that the connection is functioning properly. PING does not stand for anything.
PIO
Programmed Input/Output. A slow method of transferring data between two devices.
Pipelining
A technique used in processor in which the processor begins to work on an instruction while the previous instruction is being completed.
Pixel
Picture Element. A single point in an image. The combination of hundreds or even thousands of pixels can create a picture.
PKZIP
A program that can "zip" (compress) and "unzip" (decompress) files. Zip files have a .zip extension.
PLED
Power LED.
Plug and Play
The ability for a computer to automatically configure a device.
PNG
Portable Network Graphics. A graphics file format similar to GIF. PNG files can also be used on the world wide web, but they are not as common.
PnP
Plug and Play.
pointing device
A device used to move a cursor on the screen, like a mouse.
POP
Post Office Protocol. A common protocol used to retrieve e-mail from a mail server.
PowerPC
A RISC based Motorola/IBM processor used in Macintosh computers. Power stands for Performance Optimization with Enhanced RISC. Windows NT also supports PowerPC.
PPGA
Plastic Pin Grid Array. An improved version of the PGA connection.
Ppi
Pixels per inch.
Ppm
Pages per Minute. Used to measure printer speed.
PPP
Point to Point Protocol. A protocol used to connect a computer to the Internet through another computer/server.
PRAM
Parameter RAM. On a Macintosh, PRAM is the same as the BIOS on a PC.
PROM
Programmable Read Only Memory.
PS/2 port
A port used to connect both the mouse and keyboard to a computer.
Processor
A processor, also referred to as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), is an essential component in every computer. The processor is responsible for processing data and interpreting instructions sent by programs.

Q

Quarantine
The act of separating a file or files that are infected with a virus.
QuickTime
A video system developed by Apple used to play video and audio files.

R

RAID
Redundant Array of Independent Disks.
RAM
Random Access Memory.
RAM Disk
A part of the RAM that behaves like a hard drive.
RAM latency
The delay between transmitting data from the RAM to the CPU.
RAMDAC
Random Access Memory Digital to Analog Converter. A chip that converts digital video into analog video so it can be displayed.
RDRAM
Rambus DRAM.
Resoultion
The number of pixels displayed on a screen.
rich text format
Plain ASCII files with special instructions for formatting (bold, indent, etc)
RIMM
The memory module for RDRAM chips.
Ripper
A program that takes audio from a CD and converts it to a MP3.
RISC
Reduced Instruction Set Computer. A type of CPU.
RJ-11
The type of jack used on telephone cables.
RJ-45
The type of jack used on network cables.
ROM
Read Only Memory.
Router
A device that takes a network connection (usually one to the Internet) and allows computers on a network to all share the single network connection.
routing switch
A switch that also acts as a router. Also known as a layer-3 switch.

S

SAN
Storage Area Network. Very similar to a NAS.
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface. A fast standard used instead of IDE for hard drives.
SDRAM
Synchronous DRAM. A very common type of memory.
SDSL
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A type of connection that allows for speeds of 3Mbps over a normal telephone line.
Sector
A small portion of a hard drive in which data can be stored. The sectors is one track.
Seek time
The amount of time it takes a hard drive to find the data needed.
Serial port
A port that can be used to add many devices on a computer. The serial port is very slow and is quickly being replaced by USB ports.
Server farm
A large group of servers that are kept in one location.
S-HTTP
Secure Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
SIMM
Single In-Line Memory Module.
Slotket
An adapter that lets Socket 370 CPUs connect to Slot 1 connections.
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. The protocol used to send e-mail.
socket 370
A type of PGA connection that Intel uses for Pentium and Celeron processors.
Socket 7
The form factor for most processor chips made by AMD and Cyrix.
Software modem
A modem that does not have its own processor.
Software piracy
The act of illegally using or copying software.
Spam
Unwanted junk e-mail.
Streaming
A way of transmitting data so that it can be a steady stream. Streaming media can start to play before the entire file has loaded. While part of the file is playing, the rest is loading.
Switch
A device that does the same as a hub except it can reduce the number of packet collisions.
System Bus
The main bus that connects the CPU to the computer's memory. Also known as the Front Side Bus or FSB.

T

T-1 carrier
A fast internet connection commonly used by companies that is capable of sending and receiving data at 1.5Mbps.
T-3 carrier
The same type of connection as the T1, except a T3 is capable of 43Mbps.
Telnet
A popular program used to interact with servers.
Terabyte
1 trillion bytes.
Terminal
A keyboard and monitor that interacts with a main computer (usually through a network connection).
TIGA
Texas Instruments Graphics Architecture.
text file
A plain document that uses ASCII. Text files do not have any formatting.
TFT
Thin Film Transistor. A type of flat panel display. Also known as active-matrix displays.
TIFF
Tagged Image File Format. A graphics file format that can be used on both PCs and Macs.
Toner
A special type of ink used in laser printers and copiers.
Touchpad
A type of pointing device commonly used on laptop computers.
Traceroute
A command that traces the path data takes as it moves from one computer to another.
Track
A track is a part of a hard drive where data can be stored. A track consists of 10 sectors.
Trojan horse
A damaging program that behaves like and appears to be a simple, non-threatening program.
True color
A term meaning that 16 million different color shades can be used.
TWAIN
The non-official acronym for TWAIN is: Technology Without an Interesting Name. TWAIN is the standard used by scanners and digital cameras (in some cases) to communicate with software. All scanners that support TWAIN can work seamlessly with software that supports TWAIN.

U

Ultra ATA
A type of the AT Attachment standard used to connect mass storage drives like hard drives. Ultra ATA is capable of 33MBps to 133MBps.
UMA
Unified Memory Architecture. The video card shares the computer's main RAM. UMA does lower the cost of a PC, but it also lowers the computer's performance.
UNIX
A popular and very powerful operating system developed in the 1970s. UNIX is still in use today.
Unpack
The act of decompressing a compressed file.
Upload
To load files from a computer to a server.
Upstream
The transmission from the user's computer to the server. Downstream is transmission from the server to the user's computer.
USB
Universal Serial Bus. A standard used to connect many different types of devices to a PC like mice, keyboards, cameras and printers.

V

VDSL
Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line. A type of DSL connection that is capable of speeds of 13Mbps to 55Mbps.
VESA
Video Electronics Standards Association. An association that creates video standards.
video adapter
A video card.
Virus
A program that is loaded onto a computer against the user's wishes. Viruses can cause damage and/or data loss.
VRAM
Video Random Access Memory.

W

W3C
The World Wide Web Consortium.
Wait state
A period in which the CPU is idle.
WAP
Wireless Application Protocol.
WAV
A common file used to store sounds. WAV files have the .wav extension.
Wi-Fi
Wireless Fidelity, referring to an 802.11a or 802.11b wireless network.
Windows
A popular operating system developed by Microsoft.
WMF
Windows Metafile Format. A graphics file format used in Windows.
Worm
See virus.
WRAM
Windows RAM. Similar to VRAM, but performs much faster.
Write protect
When write protecting a file, it is no longer possible to make changes to that file.
WYSIWYP/WYSIWYG
What you see is what you print or what you see is what you get.

X

xDSL
Referring to all types of DSL.
Xeon
A type of processor developed by Intel for use in servers.
XGA
Extended Graphics Array. A high resolution standard released in 1990.
XMS
Extended Memory Specification.

Y

Yottabyte
1,000 zettabytes.

Z

Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket
A type of socket used to easily install newer models of processors.
Zettabyte
1,000 exabytes.
ZIP
A compressed file or the act of compressing a file.