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Glossary of
Computer Terms
Accelerated graphics port (AGP)
: An advanced graphics card interface enabling super-fast 3D visuals.
Authoring package : A program used to create web pages.
Backup : A second safe copy of a file, letter or data.
BIOS : The BIOS controls the basic features of a PC and tells the
operating system things like time, date, and the size of your hard drive.
Bit : A one-kilobyte (1Kb) file consists of 1,024 bytes, which each
consists of 8 bits. One kilobyte (1Kb) equals 8,192 bits. One megabyte (1Mb) is
1,024 kilobytes
Bitmap Graphic : image made up of pixels (or tiny dots).
Bookmark : Word or picture 'marked' so you can jump to it by name from
within a bookmark list.
Browser : Software program developed for navigating the net.
Cache : A special type of memory that speeds up all manner of operations.
CD-ROM Drive : Used for installing software - on CD-ROM discs - and
playing multimedia audio and video.
CD-ROM : You will be familiar with CDs from your record collection, but
CDs can store a lot more than just music. This small plastic disc can bold up to
650Mb of data. In the computer world, the same type of disc is used to store
files and is known as CD-ROM.[Compact Disc-Read Only Memory]
Cells : Spreadsheets are divided into cells and each cell has a unique
name to help you navigate around. For example, the first cell is called A1
because it occupies the first row of the first column.
Chat rooms : A bit like the premium rate chat lines you see advertised on
late night TV, although most won't cost you an arm and a leg to join.
Clipart : A library of drawings or photographs that you can use on your
web page or in your documents.
Control Panel : This is a collection of icons that allow you to configure
the basic functions of Windows and your PC. Within the Control Panel there are
icons to define fonts, background colors, printer use and a whole host of other
options.
Cut : Just like it sounds: if you want to move an item, for example text,
entirely from one document and place it in another, this function will delete
the text but save a copy of it for you to use later on.
Cyberspace : A term coined by William Gibson meaning the world 'inside'
computers.
Database : A kind of PC filing cabinet for data with powerful searching
capabilities.
Default Printer : If you have more than one printer connected to your PC,
this is the printer that your PC will automatically choose to printout documents
on.
Dialog box : A small window that is displayed in Windows. A dialog box is
normally used to display a message, which could be a warning, from the program
to the user.
Digital camera : A camera that takes images digitally and stores them in
its own memory, as opposed to the light sensitive film used in traditional
cameras.
Disk Defragmenter or defrag : Utility that reorganizes (defragments)
flies and parts of files on your hard disk- puts fragmented files back together.
DOS Disk Operating System : The standard operating system before the dawn
of Windows. DOS manages how files are stored on your PC. It is controlled
through typed commands.
Dots Per Inch (DPI) : The way resolution of scanned and printed images is
measured. Both types of picture are made up of tiny dots.
Download : To obtain a file from a website, usually by clicking a word or
icon on the web page.
Driver : Software to enable you're a hardware peripheral to function in
Windows.
DVD : Stands for Digital Versatile Disc. This new medium can store huge
amounts of data on one disc that looks just like a CD, including films, with
excellent quality sound and pictures.
E-commerce
: The word given to selling goods and services over the internet.
Email : Short for electronic mail, the system of sending notes and memos
between computers via a modem and phone line.
Events : An action in Windows, such as opening a document, emptying the
Recycle Bin, or shutting down your PC.
Expansion slots : Electrical connector fitted to the motherboard that
lets an expansion card plug into to the computer.
File Extension : The suffix - that's the letters after the dot - in a
file's name. Examples include .doc (for a word document) and .xis (Excel) and
.txt (Notepad). This is how Windows knows which application to use to open a
particular file.
Find Files : Utility for finding files anywhere on your hard disk or
network. Can be accessed within Windows Explorer or by right-clicking on the My
Computer icon on your PC desktop.
Font : A collection of characters with predefined styles and sizes - such
as Courier or Times New' Roman.
Force feedback joystick : A joystick that provides force and movement,
such as vibration and pull. Gives you the sensation of firing a machine,
divebombing a plane, and so on.
Fragmentation : When there's not enough room to save a file in one
physical location on your hard disk: the file will be spread over several
smaller locations. This is an inevitable consequence of constantly saving and
deleting files.
Gigabyte (Gb) : A thousand megabytes.
Graphics card : The part of a PC that controls the screen's image.
Hard disk : A high-capacity storage device that a PC uses for programs
and data, measured in gigabytes. Information held on a hard disk is safe when
the power is withdrawn.
Hardware : Your computer set up is split into two parts, hardware and
software. Software covers the programs that run on your machine, such as Windows
95, Word for Windows, games and suchlike. Hardware is the computer itself and
peripherals as such the printer and scanner.
Home page : The first page that visitors to a website see.
HPC : Stands for Handheld Personal Computer, coined by Microsoft for a
hand held computer that runs Windows CE.
HTML : Hypertext mark-up language - used to create pages for the world
wide web.
Hyperlink : Link which lets you jump between words, objects, or
documents.
Inkjet Printer : A light, quiet and relatively cheap printer that
produces pages by squirting a stream of tiny drops of electrically charged ink
at the surface of the paper.
Interface : 1)The look and feel of a program such as buttons and windows.
2) A physical "dongle" or add-on that allows changes of data to take place.
Interlaced : Monitors draw an image every other line, before the monitor
goes back to the top and fills in the lines missed. Can result in flickery
images.
Internet : An international network that links thousands of computers,
using telephone and cable links.
Internet Explorer : A popular Internet browser, published by Microsoft.
IP : Internet protocol: a 32bit number which identifies precisely the
position of a computer on the internet.
IRQ and I/O address : Settings which determine the memory addresses and
processor usage for PC add-in cards. You shouldn't change these unless you
really know what you are doing.
ISA : 'Industry standard' slots inside your PC for connecting modems,
soundcards and other add-ins. ISA slots have been superseded by
higher-performance PCI slots, but all PCs include at least some for the sake of
compatibility with older add-ins.
ISDN : A hyper-fast digital telephone line.
Joystick : A device that lets you control movement in games, etc.
JPEG : Is a standard for storing pictures in a compressed format, so they
take up less disk space.
Kbps : Kilobits per second - another measure of modem speed. A kilobit is
1,000 bits.
Laser printer : A printer that produces very high quality text and
graphics using a laser beam.
Launch : To start up a program, such as Microsoft Word or Excel, by
clicking on its icon or selecting it from the Windows Start menu.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) : Used by manufacturers in notebook
computers, and for making desktop monitors.
Li-ion Lithium Ion : The most sophisticated type of rechargeable battery,
light, long life with virtually no memory effect. Unfortunately expensive and
reserved for high-end phones only.
Mail Merge : A feature in a word processor that lets you prepare and then
send the same letter to lots of different people without having to keep
re-typing it.
Media : Material you print on, such as paper and envelopes.
Megabyte (Mb) : A measurement of storage space. It roughly translates to
a million characters of text, or 180,000 words, enough for a good- sized novel.
Memory (RAM) : Random Access Memory: the computer's temporary storage
area, measured in megabytes (Mb). Anything written to memory will be lost when
the power is switched off.
MHz : Stands for megahertz. A measure of the frequency of a timing signal
that's equal to 1,000,000 cycles per second. A measure of how fast the processor
in your PC works.
MIDI : Stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It is a connector
on a sound card which allows your computer to control musical instruments, such
as keyboards.
Millennium bug : The problem that arises when computers cannot recognize
the date changeover from the last two digits of 1999 to the year 2000.
Modem : A device that converts electronic signals from your PC into sound
signals that can be transmitted over a phone line.
Motherboard : The main circuit board in your computer.
My Computer
: Usually you will find an icon labeled 'My Computer' in the top left corner of
your Windows desktop. Double-click on this and a Window will appear, containing
icons for any disk drives you have connected to your PC, as well as any printers
you have installed.
Network computer : A special type of computer that relies on the Internet
for all activities and operations. If you want to launch a program on a network
computer it must first be downloaded over the internet.
Newsgroups
: One of the features of the internet. They are like free-for-all discussion
forums.
NiCad : Heavy, cheap and basic type of rechargeable battery.
NiMH Nickel Metal Hybrid : A more sophisticated rechargeable battery
capable of lasting longer.
Non-interlaced : Where monitors draw an entire image line by line,
resulting in a much steadier image.
Notebook : Small portable computer which, while it will have the features
of a desktop PC, usually has an LCD screen and is roughly the size of an A4
notepad.
Online banking : Using your PC to conduct your account direct with your
bank, via a modem.
Operating System : The software that controls the actions of the
different parts of your PC. In older PCs, the operating system is called MS-DOS.
In modern PCs it is Windows XP that manages the screen, keyboard disks and
printers.
Parallel port : Socket at the back of your PC for connecting to a
printer. It sends data to the printer over eight parallel wires.
PC Card : A credit card-sized device, such as a modem, designed for use
on notebook and handheld computers.
PCI : PC expansion connector, similar to ISA but much improved.
PDA : Stands for Personal Digital Assistant, a generic term for any
small, electronic personal organizer.
Pentium (II, III, IV) : A processor developed by Intel and used in
high-performance PCs. It replaced the older 80486 chip and is compatible with
all the older 80x86 processor range.
Pentium MMX : An enhanced version of Intel's standard Pentium processor.
The MMX part stands loosely for multimedia extensions, which means the chip is
geared up to handle all sorts of multimedia-intensive tasks such as playing
videos and music.
Pixel : The smallest point in your image. Image resolution is measured in
the number of pixels or points vertically and horizontally.
Plug and Play : Plug and Play compliant add-in cards or peripherals are
automatically detected and configured when they are connected to your PC.
Plug-Ins : Additional features in the form of small programs which can be
downloaded from the internet.
Processor/CPU (central processing unit) : Heart of the computer. It does
most of the hard work and the faster the processor, the better the system is
likely to be.
Pt or point size : Often abbreviated to 'pt' this is the measurement
typographers use to describe the size of text.
RAM or Random Access Memory:
It's the memory of your computer, which is measured in megabytes (Mb).
Removable Storage Device : Disk drives that use high-capacity disks which
can be removed and stored remotely.
Resolution : The number of picture pixels that are displayed on the
screen, or points per inch for a printer. The more pixels, the sharper the
image.
RGB image : A color picture made up where each pixel is represented by
three numbers for the red, green and blue pixel values. An RGB image is made
from three grayscale channels.
Right-click : Most actions in Windows are performed by clicking the left
mouse button. However, since the arrival of Windows 95, many programs - and
Windows itself - make use of the right mouse button click to display a pop-up
menu with special functions.
ROM : Acronym for Read Only Memory. Any memory that can be read but not
written to, such as CD-ROM.
Sample : A Sound bite stored as digital data on your PC.
Scandisk : Software utility that check for hard disk faults. Comes with
Windows 95.
Scanner : A device that can convert photos and text to an electronic
format that can be manipulated on your PC.
Screen saver : Software which, after period of inactivity, replaces the
existing image on screen and displays moving objects to protect the screen.
Scroll/scrollbar : When a list of items - file names, fonts, etc - is too
long to display in a window you can scroll up or down the list by clicking on
the Windows' 'scrollbar' - also called the vertical scrollbar.
SCSI : Stands for Small Computer Systems Interface. A standard high-speed
parallel interface used to connect PCs to peripheral devices such as disk drives
and scanners.
Search Engine : An online service which take the strain out of surfing
the web by asking you for keywords and then providing a list of websites that
contain your chosen words.
Serial port : A connector at the hack of a PC that can connect devices,
such as modems and palmtops.
Shareware : Sample software which is available free. It you keep it,
however, you then have to pay the author.
Shortcut : A 'fast-launch' link to your document or application in the
form of a desktop icon.
SIMM slots : Single In-line Memory Module slots. SIMM slots allow you to
expand your machine by adding extra memory. DIMMs are simply Dual In-line Memory
Modules.
Simulations : Games that simulate real life, the most popular are flight
simulators.
Software Application : Any program or group of programs which tells
hardware how it should perform, including operating system, word processors and
applications programs.
Spam : The term given to junk email.
Spreadsheet : A kind of super-calculator useful for analyzing any
collection of figures, from a family budget, to a car loan, a lease, or an
investment.
Strategy game : A strategy game involves multiple characters or elements,
with multiple goals, such as a war game where you must win battles using troops,
tanks and aircraft.
Surfing : Popular metaphor used for describing someone exploring the
World Wide Web.
Surround-sound : An arrangement of audio equipment which gives cinema
quality sound.
Swapfile : An area of hard disk space that your PC can use as 'virtual'
memory, or RAM.
System Tools menu : This folder can be found by clicking the Windows 95
Start button, then looking within Programs/Accessories. In it you will find all
the utilities you need for maintaining and troubleshooting your copy of Windows.
Tab
: Dialog boxes often combine settings for different associated functions. Each
'page' of settings is separated by a tab.
Taskbar : A bar that normally runs along the bottom of the screen in
Windows 95 and displays the Start button and a list of other programs or windows
that are currently active.
TCP/IP : Transmission control protocol/internet protocol: the protocol
used to transfer data and information from one internet connected computer to
another.
TFT : Thin film transistor technology used to deliver high-quality images
on laptop monitors.
TIF : Tagged Image File format A standard file format used to store
graphic images, including black and white and color.
Toner : Basically, the 'ink' used in a laser printer - it's just the same
as the toner in a photocopier.
Toolbar : A window that contains a range of icons that allows you to
access different tools.
Toolbox : The software equivalent of a mechanic's toolkit. An program's
toolbox should contain everything necessary to complete the task in hand. In an
image-editing application, the toolbox will have a selection of drawing,
coloring and editing tools.
Touchpad : A small, touch-sensitive pad, which acts as an alternative to
a mouse on some palmtop PCs.
Tower : A computer system unit which stands upright.
TWAIN : A standard way for scanners and some other devices to talk to you
computer. It stands for Technology Without An Important Name!
Typeface : Sometimes called fonts, there are thousands of different
typefaces available.
Undo : Most programs let you get out of trouble by undoing the last
action you've performed.
Upgrade : To improve the performance or specification of your computer by
adding more memory, a larger hard disk or another improvement. Software can also
upgraded.
URL : Universal Resource Locator. Usually starting http or www this is
the websites address.
USB connectors : Universal Serial Bus connectors are a standard for
connecting peripherals, such as scanners and printers to PCs quickly and simply.
Virtual memory : Part of the space on your hard disk - this reserved
space is called the swap disk - can be configured to act as if it were RAM
memory whenever more system memory is called for.
Wave File (.wav) Windows' audio file format used for saving and loading
sounds to and from disc.
Web : Part of the internet that you can explore using a web browser.
Windows Explorer : Windows Explorer is where you can browse through your
files and folders.
Wizard : A specific step-by-step help guide that will help you perform a
task, such as making a template.
Word processor : A software application for preparing documents.
Worksheet Excel itself is a spreadsheet, but the individual screens of
rows and columns that you work with are called worksheets.
Y2K : Short for year 2000.
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