100 Computer Terms With Meaning ! 1. digital divide A term used to describe the gap that exists between people who have the capability, access, and knowledge to use modern technology and those who do not. 2. privilege level An authorized access level that each network user is assigned, either as a user, an administrator, or as a guest. This determines what information he or she can and cannot have access to. 3. Satellite Speakers Speakers used in a surround-sound configuration. The satellite speakers are used as the front speakers, usually placed to the left and right of the sound system, facing out. 4. groupware A type of software designed to let users on a network use the same software and work on the same projects at the same time. A popular groupware product is Lotus Notes, which is software that, among other applications, lets users work on the same documents and exchange email. 5. end user The person who uses hardware or software programmed or designed by another person. 6. merge To put two sets of data together while keeping the integrity of each intact. 7. canned software Off-the-shelf software available in stores, as opposed to custom software created for a specific company or individual. 8. toner cartridge A removable container that holds toner for a laser printer and which can be thrown away when empty. Some toner cartridges contain only the toner, while others include the photosensitive drum, making it less likely that someone will touch the drum and damage or mark up its surface. 9. back-hack Back-hack refers to the art of tracking a hacker who has broken into your system. 10. pong The result of a successful ping, or test of a network connections performance. If the site or device you ping is operating properly it sends a return transmission called a pong. 11. traffic How much activity is taking place on a communications system. Too many users on a network will lead to more traffic than the system was designed to carry, or a kind of traffic jam. Overloaded networks will sometimes malfunction, so network administrators work to control traffic. 12. point size A measurement used to describe the height of a printed character. A single point is 1/72 of an inch. 13. tab stop A place on a text line where the cursor goes when the TAB key is pressed. In word processing documents, tab stops usually are placed at regular intervals across the line but can be set wherever the user wants them. 14. machine learning The ability of a machine to recognize patterns and improve future performance based on this experience. 15. native file format The way an application fundamentally arranges and presents data. One example of a native file format is the way Microsoft Word inherently arranges and presents text in a file with a .DOC extension. The native file format may be associated with one program, or it may be universally accepted. 16.key generation Refers to the actual act of creating a key, which is a string of bits used to encrypt or decrypt data or information for security purposes. 17. microprocessor The integrated circuit, known as the CPU (central processing unit), that controls the computer. Microprocessors cram more than 1 million transistors into 1 square inch of space. Microprocessors are responsible for interpreting instructions gathered from input devices and transmitting the results to output devices. Though there are many types of microprocessors, the two main families used in PCs are made by Intel and AMD. 18. bot An abbreviation for robot. Bot usually refers to software that executes some function automatically. Search engines typically use bots to seek out Web sites and record information about the sites for future search purposes. 19. output Information that comes out of a computer after processing. Output can be displayed on a screen, sent to another computer, or stored on a variety of storage media. 20. line driver A device that boosts the strength of a signal before sending it down a line. A line driver increases the transmission distance, which helps to ensure the signal reaches its destination. 21. recover To stabilize a PC after an error has occurred. If used in conjunction with a program, to recover means the program stabilizes itself and returns to use without user intervention. Often recover is used to describe getting files back after a hard drive error. In this case, a recovery program searches for whatever information remains in storage. Whatever is found is recovered. 22. photosensor A highly sensitive device that converts light into an electrical signal. Solar-powered devices use photosensors. 23. personal computer A computer designed for use by a single user, with everything a user could need for basic computing, including the ability to process and store information. IBM introduced its first single-user computer as the IBM PC in 1981, and in the last 15 years, the term has come to represent any computer based on the IBM standard. The other standard in the personal computer market is the Apple Macintosh. Software and peripherals specify whether they work on IBM-compatible PCs or Apple Macintosh platforms. In addition to standard abilities such as word processing, PCs have brought a wide variety of new possibilities to home users. Today a PC can be used to play high-tech video games, access huge amounts of information, and contact people around the world. The growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web has opened up a vast new world of opportunities for PC users. 24. mail merge The ability of some word processing applications to automatically insert a list of addresses and other information into form letters. The user sets up a document laced with special codes indicating where addresses and names will be inserted. This document is then combined with a list of names and addresses. The results can be printed or stored as separate files. Mail merge saves the user the hassle of repeatedly typing the same text. Also called print merge. 25. peripheral Any device connected to the computer that performs a specific function. Printers, keyboards, diskette and tape drives, and monitors are among the most common types of peripheral devices.v b 26. bit bucket A term used in jest by users to describe the fictional place where information or data lost in transmission on the Internet winds up. 27. peer A computer that exists on the same level as another with similar access privileges on a network. 28. media The plural term for computer storage material such as diskettes, hard disks, and tapes. 29. neologism A word, term, or expression recently invented or given a new meaning. One example is wallpaper, which, before computers became widespread, meant the material you cover a rooms walls with. The rate of neologisms has increased with the introduction of new technology, most notably, the Internet, which has spawned such terms as intranet, extranet, emoticon, and netiquette. 30. fisheye lens A camera lens that can be attached to some cameras to produce a very specific effect. A fisheye lens is a very wide angle lens that takes straight lines of an image and displays them as curves. Typically, a fisheye lens focuses more intensely on the center of an image, while at the same time focusing less on the outer edges of the image. 31. chaffing A method of keeping email messages safe from encryptions while they transmit. Chaffing adds false packages to a message when it is sent and removes those packages when it is received, making it impossible for anyone but the intended recipient to understand the message. 32. photo retouching To improve a scanned photo image using the tools available in a photo manipulation program. Improvements can include everything from more refined colors to improved clarity. 33. granularity A measurement or degree of an images on-screen clarity. The smaller the dots that make up an image and the more dots used, the clearer the image. Bigger dots make the image appear grainy. Granularity also refers to the degree of difficulty in searching a database and manipulating data. If a searchs features are not specific enough, a database might be considered quite granular. 34. perspective correction A type of texture mapping that accounts for depth while rendering images. By doing this, objects that are supposed to be closer are larger, and those that are farther away appear smaller. 35. wave The pattern of a signal, such as that generated by sound and light, that changes at regular intervals. 36. time out A communication or program error that results when a response is not given in a specified length of time. For example, you can be disconnected (sometimes called kicked off) from an online service if you do nothing for a certain period of time. Some programs let you choose the length of time after which the program times out, so if you walk away and accidentally leave the program open, it wont keep running indefinitely. 37. resource An item, either hardware or software, that is available for a computer to access during an operation. A resource can be accessed by a single computer or through a network and includes items such as a systems hard drive or a shared printer. 38. hardwired A function built into a systems hardware, rather than software, to perform a task. The capability to perform a task can be built in through an extra microchip, instead of programming the task into software. For example, some computers might include MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) video as hardware instead of relying on software to do the job. However, the term occasionally is used when referring to software. It might also be said that a feature is hardwired into software if that feature cannot be manipulated or changed by the user. 39. insert To place in between. In computing, it means to place something between data, information, or any other pieces of a document. For example, you can insert words anywhere in a word processing document. 40. microchip art A signature, such as a nonfunctioning symbol or picture, that microchip designers often add to their chips to add a personal touch to their handiwork. 41. transfer Transmitting data from point A to point B, whether the points are on a communications link or between components on a computer system. 42. pessimistic locking This database feature locks an object before the object is updated. That way, the user will be sure no one else accesses the object during the update and ensures that the update will be made. 43. video black A blank section of videotape. Video black is often used to separate different portions of a program on the tape and at the very beginning and end of a tape. 44. mouse droppings Pixels that are improperly displayed after the mouse pointer moves across a PC screen. This happens frequently if a mouse driver doesnt work with the current graphics mode. 45. Roll Back A Device Driver In WinXP One of WinXPs nifty system-security features is the Roll Back Driver utility, which lets you uninstall problematic drivers for hardware and revert to the previous driver with a few mouse clicks. If you update the driver for a device and it begins causing problems, use this utility (you must be logged in at the Administrator level). Right-click the My Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties. Select the Hardware tab and under the General tab, click the Device Manager button. Select the device with the problematic driver. Click the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver. 46. hotkey A key or combination of keys, such as CTRL and an alphanumeric character, that activate a pop-up program or cause some other predetermined action to occur. For instance, SHIFT and F7 are hotkeys used to print in DOS versions of WordPerfect. 47. radio frequency (RF) The range of frequencies from 3KHz to 300GHz on the electromagnetic spectrum between light and sound. These frequencies are used by devices such as AM and FM radios and baby monitors, or for communications between satellites. 48. ALT key The ALT (Alternate) key on a computer is used in conjunction with other keys to give a key an additional function other than the one indicated by its label. The ALT key is similar to the CTRL (Control) key. For instance, employing the ALT-F key combination in most Windows applications will open the File menu. When using the ALT key, it is best to press the ALT key and, before releasing it, press the other key desired. 49. polymorphic virus These kinds of viruses try to avoid detection by antivirus programs by changing their code. The structure or code of the virus will appear to be different on different systems, which may confuse the antivirus software. 50. mouse ahead An action that happens when you begin clicking the mouse before the software is prepared to accept new input. This happens most often with programs youre so familiar with that you know when and where you need to click before the program is done loading. 51. host A computer that shares information with other computers, or the act of sharing information with or providing services for other computers. Examples of host computers include a file server, which shares files and programs with other computers on the network; a Web server, which shares content with the rest of the Internet; and a mail server, which accepts email messages and sends them to the intended recipients. 52. bit rot A hypothetical disease describing the breakdown or decay over time of the underlining binary instructions that make up a program or a data file. Bit rot can be brought about by physical processes. Computers contain error correction codes to compensate for bit rot, but large amounts of bit rot may result in a program thats so rotted it will no longer run. 53. grabber A video device that captures images from video and then changes them into a digital form the computer can understand. A grabber can refer to the hardware card that captures the video frame or the software that grabs the image and stores it as a file. 54. rackmounted Hardware devices, such as servers or monitors, designed to be installed on a metal frame. Also describes devices already installed on a metal frame. 55. tiger team In software development, a group of people who volunteer or are paid to test new applications with the goal of determining the codes security weaknesses. 56. Network WinXP Computers If all of your WinXP computers can access the Internet via a shared router, but they cant see each other, dont panic. You can easily solve this problem by configuring your PCs to recognize each other (and share files, folders, and printers) over the network. Although your computers are physically networked, they may not yet belong to a specific network group and may lack other settings (such as file sharing settings). Some networking devices include file-sharing programs that let you configure your network, but dont worry if your equipment doesnt include such software. Windows has a built-in Network Setup Wizard that can configure your computers and put them into a network group. Once you complete the wizard on each networked PC, youll be able to see all of your network computers shared folders in the My Network Places window and access any shared printers. To start the wizard, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Network Setup Wizard, and then follow the Wizards instructions. 57. middle-school dance An annoying impasse where two pieces of equipment, such as modems, PCs, networks, and fax machines, that are attempting to communicate with each other are both sitting idle, waiting for the other to begin the transmission. While the name is amusing, and bears some nostalgia for those awkward junior high days, the equipment deadlock is anything but funny, especially when youre waiting for a data transfer. 58. Enable Or Disable Sidebar In Vista To enable or disable the Sidebar in Vista, open Control Panel and double-click Windows Sidebar Properties. Deselect the Start Sidebar When Windows Starts checkbox to turn it off or select the checkbox to turn it on and then click Apply. 59. persistence The momentary lingering of previous images on a changing computer display. 60. kibibyte From kilo binary byte, a unit of measurement that is equal to precisely 1024 bytes. Similar to the more common kilobyte. Kibibyte came about because the prefix kilo may refer to 1000 units or 1024 units, whereas Kibibyte strictly refers to 1024 units. 61. micron Short for micrometer, the unit of measurement used to measure the core of a fiber-optic cable, or more commonly, the elements that create the transistors on a CPU (central processing unit). A micron is one-millionth of a meter, 1/25,000 of an inch, or 1/50 of the width of a human hair. The first 486 processor measured 1 micron and the first Pentium measured 0.8 microns. The smaller the chip, the cooler and faster it can run. 62. Use WinXP-style Folder In Vista If you prefer to use WinXPs folder style in Vista, open Control Panel, double-click Folder Options, select the Use Windows Classic Folders radio button, and click Apply. 63. pixel The smallest part of an image that a computer printer or display can control. An image on a computer monitor consists of hundreds of thousands of pixels, arranged in such a manner that they appear to each be connected. Each pixel on a color monitor comprises three colored (blue, red, and green) dots. The term comes from the words picture element, and also is abbreviated PEL (pronounced pell). 64. highlight Any indication that a text block or an object has been selected with a mouse-click or the arrow keys on the keyboard. The highlight may appear as a change in the color of text or as a border around an object. A highlighted object is usually ready for some type of operation, such as deletion. 65. manual A book or a computer program that contains a set of instructions about how to use a piece of software or hardware. Most computer products are sold with some sort of users manual included in the package; manuals written by third parties can be obtained from retailers of books and computer products. In many cases, the third-party manual can contain more tutorial and troubleshooting information than the manual that was provided by the manufacturer. 66. data Distinct pieces of information, which can exist in various forms such as numbers, text, bit, bytes, or memory. This information can be processed and translated by a computer, and as a result, text, pictures, or sound appear on-screen. 67. Ad Hoc Networks In Vista Vista has the built-in ability to set up an ad hoc or temporary network between two computers. (NOTE: ad hoc networks can only be set up wirelessly in Vista, so both PCs must have wireless capabilities and be within 30 feet of each other.) These direct networks are usually created for a short period of time in order to share files or an Internet connection. In order to set up an ad hoc network, click the Connect To A Network link under Tasks in the Network And Sharing Center. Click Set Up A Connection Or Network in the window that opens. Then click Set Up An Ad Hoc (Computer-To-Computer) Network, and a wizard will walk you through the steps. 68. keyboard shortcut One or more keys that, when pressed together, equal a menu function or other function in an application usually reached through a mouse-click. Keyboard shortcuts usually are not as intuitive as point-and-click mouse commands, but the frequent user of a program can save time by learning them. One shortcut in many programs is CTRL-X, which equals the Cut option found in many Edit menus. 69. site map An organized directory of pages on a Web site. 70. picture in picture (PIP) A technology that lets a user view a smaller window within a larger display. For example, with a PIP display, a person can channel surf in a corner of a television screen while watching another channel. In addition to television, PIP is often used in video conferencing. 71. locking A process that allows one person at a time full access to files contained in a network database. Locking prevents two people from trying to make changes on the same file at the same time. In most situations, a second user may view the file, but only the first one can make content changes. 72. Buddy List A personalized list of contacts with whom to communicate online. Coined by AOL, a buddy list informs the user when a contact is logged into the network so the two acquaintances can converse online. 73. remote printer: A printer far from the user. It could be a shared printer in a secluded area of a building or, with the advent of printing over a network or the Internet using IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), a printer thousands of miles away. 74. object A term used in programming to denote a reusable section of code. Object-oriented programming methods use objects as the basic building blocks of programs. Objects are generally standardized so they can be used in many different types of programs without having to be rewritten each time. In graphics, the term is used to describe a distinct element, such as a block. 75. cookie Information from a Web site sent to a browser and stored on a users hard drive so the Web site can retrieve it later. A Web server using the technology looks for a cookie when a user visits. Cookies generally are used to identify visitors. A cookie can contain information about the users login name, password, and preferences. For subscription sites, the cookie can make it unnecessary to log in each time. Users have the option to configure their browsers to either accept or reject cookies. 76. RAID redundant array of independent disks 77. bottleneck Any component, bus, or interface that slows down an otherwise faster system or network. For example, an external hard drive and its host computer will likely be constrained by a slow parallel port connection between them. Likewise, a 56Kbps (kilobits per second) dial-up modem connection can be considered a bottleneck between a fast Web or cache server and your PC. 78. dinosaur pen Storage space that houses huge, outdated mainframe computers. 79. single drive A term used when a system only contains one hard drive inside the computers case. 80. tron A term used to describe someone who seems to have become only accessible through electronic means, such as email or video talk, and is no longer accessible by phone or in person. 81. rollers Parts located in a printer that stretch across the width of a page and pull the paper through during the printing process. 82. wearable computer Any computing device worn on the body. Some wearable computers are portable multifunctional devices such as a PDA (portable digital assistant), mobile phone, and MP3 player designed to be worn for easy access. Some wearable computers even include a head-mounted LCD (liquid-crystal display) screen. Prototypes for future wearable computers include specially-designed power-generating clothing such as a shirt with solar cells. 83. talker Refers to an Internet site that hosts text-chatting functionality. The term is most popular among users from the United Kingdom. 84. halo effect Areas of light around bright objects that appear on a computer monitor when they shouldnt. The halo effect is a sign of an inferior monitor. 85. voice synthesis Technology that lets a computer speak in a human-sounding voice. A current application for voice synthesis is called text-to-speech. UC (unified communications) applications let a user retrieve her email messages over the phone, among other things. Using text-to-speech, the message server will read the users email to her. 86. toeprint A particularly small footprint. Manufacturers use the term footprint to indicate how much desktop space a product consumes. 87. toggle To switch between settings, such as on and off. Also can mean the actual switch that controls these settings. For example, in Microsoft Word, the buttons controlling the switches for bold, italic, and underlined text are toggle switches, because each of those text characteristics is either on or off when the buttons are clicked. 88. giga (G) Used to represent 1 billion, or 10 to the ninth power. In computer terminology, however, the prefix giga means 2 to the 20th power, or 1,073,741,824. 89. scalable A measure of how easy it is to upgrade a particular hardware or software product. For example, on a small network hub, how easy is it to add more ports to the network? Or, if a company bought a powerful computer for a Web server, can they significantly upgrade the hard drive and RAM (random-access memory)? Software scalability indicates that a product can handle heavier usage if its given more computing power or memory. Programs that arent scalable will crash under heavier usage conditions even if there is plenty of memory or computing power available. Scalability is a very important feature for hardware and software to have. If youre making a significant investment in a product, you should be confident that you can add to it and use it for years to come. 90. digital sort A separation process that divides and arranges digital information. 91. Hard bounce An email that is returned undelivered before being accepted by the recipients server. A common cause is a misspelling of the domain name or the second part of the e-mail address. For example, if the sender enters yourname@sartcomputing instead of yourname@smartcomputing , a hard bounce will occur. 92. leaf A file at the bottom of a hierarchical file system that can have nothing below it. Using a tree structure analogy, the leaves connect to the branches, which connect to the roots. 93. keyboard buffer A specific location in a computers memory where keystrokes from the keyboard are stored until the computer acts upon them. This allows fast typists to continue typing even if the computer is unable to immediately display the letters. 94. wire jam Slang term for Internet congestion. Large amounts of data are clogging a network, slowing down network performance, not unlike traffic during rush hour. 95. stack Memory buffers your computer uses like sticky notes to decide which piece of hardware is next in line to work. 96. key pals Similar to pen pals, key pals are two users who communicate frequently by email instead of written correspondence. 97. data manipulation The processing of information. The retrieval, sorting, modifying, filtering, and querying of data are a few of the primary methods of data manipulation. Essentially, data already must be present within a file or database for data manipulation to occur; it does not involve entering new data. The creation or deletion of files, however, is considered part of data manipulation. 98. e-paper A generic term used to refer to electronic paper. E-paper exhibits some of the same properties as paper. Its thin, flexible, and inexpensive. Using special devices, however, you can create an electric image on the paper. Unlike paper, e-paper is completely reusable. 99. video card A circuit board in a computer that controls display factors such as resolution, colors displayed, and speed of images displayed. A video card cannot bring an older monitor up to its standard. Both the monitor and the video card must support a resolution, such as 800 x 600, for that resolution to be possible on the system. Todays video cards typically contain some memory so that the PCs RAM (random-access memory) isnt bogged down with handling displays. Some cards, often called video accelerators or graphics accelerators, contain a graphics coprocessor that handles graphical computations. Also called a video adapter, video board, or video controller. 100. wait state A pause in a microprocessors clock cycles that allows for differences in speed between one component and others in a computer (such as input/output devices or RAM). Wait states are common in systems where the microprocessor has a much higher clock speed than other components, requiring the latter to play catch up. During a wait state, the microprocessor idles for one or more cycles while data comes in from RAM or other components. Although unnoticeable to users, this idling can affect a systems performance because it involves the microprocessors clock speed; if clock speed is reduced, system performance will slow. Wait states also are not uncommon between buses and expansion cards, where the expansion cards run slower than their buses.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 11:59:01 +0000
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