Computer Dictionary

Computer Dictionary

It says... It means...

80211a, 80211b, Different standards for operating wireless networks (Wi-Fi). Loosely the
80211g, 80211i higher the letter, the faster the speed. So far they are mostly incompatible
with each other.

80286, 80386, Three generations of PC processor, now pretty much obsolete, the
80486 (or 286, 386, ancestors of the Pentium. The 286 was the earliest processor able to run
486) (just about) a version of Windows, although the 386 was really the
minimum to run it properly. The 486 was the earliest processor able to run
Windows 95 - just about. Machines of this vintage cannot run modern
versions of Windows at all, but many are still in use as basic word-
processors or where a dedicated machine is required which doesn't need to
be powerful.

ActiveX A powerful Windows technology which allows programmers to do all

kinds of good things with your computer. Unfortunately it also allows
hackers do all kinds of bad things to your computer, particularly via
webpages in Internet Explorer, and is safest switched off. (In Internet
Explorer go to Tools/Internet Options/Security and set the Security Zone
slider for Internet to High). A few websites won't display properly, but
most bad ones won't be able to hijack you.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) A method of connecting a computer

to the internet over an ordinary phone line using ethernet office
networking technology instead of an ordinary modem, which produces a
much faster (broadband) connection. Asymmetric because it is faster
from internet to PC than the other way (also true of a 56K modem).

Adware Software which displays advertisements on your computer. Sometimes

installed as part of a "free" application, sometimes by stealth. See also
Malware, Spyware.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (1 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

AFAICS, AFAIK, (As Far As I Can See/Know/Recall) Internet slang.

AFAIR

AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) A special slot on the PC motherboard for the
latest graphics cards, and the format of the cards themselves. Standard on
new PCs from 1998. "AGP x 2" runs at twice the speed of the original
AGP.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) A program designed to respond "intelligently" to

various situations, for example the computer opponent(s) in a game.

AIUI (As I Understand It) Internet slang.

always-on An internet connection which remains on 24/7 such as ADSL or cable,

rather than only connecting on demand like a dialup.

AMD AMD is a leading manufacturer of processor chips for PCs, including the
Athlon and Duron chips.

Antivirus Software which protects computers from viruses and suchlike. Has to be
updated frequently to keep up with the latest threats, so is usually sold
with a subscription which enables you to download updates from the
internet.

AOL (America On Line) An Internet Service Provider, or ISP. AOL were in

business as a large commercial bulletin board before the internet really
took off. Now they are an ISP specialising in family-friendly internet
access.

Applet A small program used to carry out a particular task, often on a web page.
See Java.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (2 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Application Software used to carry out a particular task, such as word processing or
desktop publishing. Essentially another word for program.

Architecture The basic design of a computer's hardware. Computers with different

architecture, such as the PC and the Mac, cannot run each others' programs.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) An early and very
basic format for text files, standard across pretty much all computers and
mail systems. It only includes upper and lower case letters, numbers, and
standard punctuation marks, but more sophisticated text formats still tend
to be based on it. An ASCII file is a basic text-only file generated by a
program like Notepad.

ATAPI (ATtachment PAcket Interface) An upgrade to EIDE which allows the

hard disk controller to control CD drives as well. Almost all CD drives are
controlled this way.

Athlon A PC processor - AMD, the other leading chip manufacturer's equivalent

to Intel's Pentium. Like the Pentium, constantly being upgraded. You will
often see a number such as 2700 following the word Athlon, which is a
rough measure of the processor's speed - the higher the number, the faster
the chip.

ATM (At The Moment) Internet slang.

Attachment A file sent by email is "attached" to the email. An attachment can be a

picture, a word processor document, a program or any other type of file.
You should never open an attachment if you are not sure what it is,
because some viruses propagate as email attachments; but they can't infect
your machine if you don't open the attachment.

AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) A document setting out what an Internet Service
Provider deems an acceptable use of their services, usually published on
their website. Typically it will forbid the publication of obscene or
defamatory material, and sending email or newsgroup spam. If you violate
your ISP's AUP, they will usually close your account down immediately.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (3 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Autocorrect A feature in MS Word and other programs which automatically corrects

your spelling, and even your grammar, as you type. Better switched off if
you use obscure technical terms, or prefer your own interpretation of the
rules of grammar, or you are likely to find that it's "corrected" your text to
something you didn't intend.

Backup, back up An extra copy of your work, eg documents, pictures etc, saved onto floppy
disk/CD/tape, so that if your computer is stolen or breaks down you don't
lose everything.

Backwards- A program (or system) designed to work with data generated by earlier
compatible versions of itself, even though the format may since have changed
completely.

Bandwidth A measure of total amount of data transferred over a period of time, often
used to measure how busy a website is. A webhost will usually base its
charges on the bandwidth a website uses, ie how much data per month is
requested from it.

beat-'em-up A computer game in which you control one or more characters fighting
onscreen using karate, kung-fu and so forth. Derives from shoot-'em-up.

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System; pr. "by-oss") A program built into every PC
for setting up very basic things, like how many hard and floppy disks you
have and what type they are; the first thing that loads when you start your
PC. You usually only need to access the BIOS if you are upgrading your
hardware, eg adding more RAM or an extra disk drive, or setting a power-
on password. BIOS settings are stored in a special type of memory called
CMOS.

Bit The smallest unit of information in a computer, can either equal 0 or 1.

Eight bits equal one byte.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (4 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Bitmap See bmp.

blog (weBLOG) A website documenting someone's life and/or thoughts.

Bluetooth A wireless communication system for PCs and other computing devices.
However Bluetooth devices from different manufacturers won't always
communicate with each other reliably, so it hasn't really taken off as the
industry had hoped, and is now under threat from faster wireless
technologies (see Wi-Fi).

bmp (BitMaP) A standard type of graphics file. An uncompressed format, so

the files tend to be fairly big.

Boot, boot up Usually used to mean "start up the computer". Literally, the process of
loading up the operating system and getting the computer ready for use.
See Reboot. A "boot password" is a password you have to give to start up
the computer.

Boot disk A floppy disk (usually) which holds a copy of the operating system, or
enough of it to start the computer, useful if the computer won't start up
properly from the hard disk.

Bot (roBOT) A semi-automated program, usually performing a function on the

internet such as indexing webpages or sorting email.

bps (Bits Per Second) A measure of how quickly information is being

transferred, usually via a modem or network. Divide by ten to get an
approximation of the number of characters per second (cps). See also
Kbps, Mbps.

BRB (Be Right Back) Internet slang.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (5 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Broadband Internet access over a connection much faster than an ordinary modem,
such as ADSL or cable.

Browser A program used for viewing World Wide Web pages on the Internet. The
most widely used is Microsoft's Internet Explorer because it is built-in to
Windows.

BTW (By The Way) Internet slang.

Buffer A temporary storage area for data, often used to "smooth out" incoming
audio or video streams. Several seconds worth of material is stored in the
buffer and it is then played back from there, so that if there is a brief
interruption in the stream your music or video doesn't stop.

Bug Error, especially in a program, that has been missed in testing. The story
goes that the original bug was an insect that got itself cremated inside an
electrical circuit in an early computer, causing it to fail (and I don't
suppose the insect enjoyed it much, either). It took them ages to figure out
what was causing the problem, and when they eventually found the bug
the story passed into legend.

Bulletin Board A semi-public area which computer users can connect to using a modem,
to read and post messages and/or exchange files. Bulletin boards are
rapidly going out of fashion as more and more people connect to the
Internet, and are being replaced by websites.

Burn Create a CD or DVD.

Byte A basic unit of measurement for pieces of information; the space required
to store one character. See also Bit,Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte,
Terabyte.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (6 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Cable An always-on high speed internet connection similar to ADSL but capable
of higher speeds, which uses cable TV technology instead of a phoneline.

Cache A temporary storage area for frequently or recently used data, either in
memory, on your hard disk or the internet. For example, if you go back to
a webpage you have recently visited, your PC will usually be able to
display it from the internet cache on your hard disk, so it won't need to
download it from the internet again.

CAD (Computer Aided Design) Software used to produce complex technical

drawings by designers and engineers.

CCD (Charge Coupled Device) The component of a scanner or digital camera

which actually takes the pictures. The quality of image it is capable of is
usually measured in Megapixels - the higher the number, the better the
image.

CD Burner A CD drive that can create ("burn") CDs.

CD-ROM, CD-R (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory) A misnomer, as strictly speaking it is

not memory but storage. Identical to standard music CDs. Currently the
most popular medium for releasing programs on, as it can hold literally
hundreds of times as much information as a standard floppy disk, about
650 Megabytes in total. Once a CD-ROM has been created its contents
cannot be changed. Now starting to be replaced by DVD.

CD-RW (Compact Disk-ReWriter) A CD drive which can create CDs, either audio
or data, using special rewriteable CDs which are also often called CD-
RWs. A CD-RW drive can also create ordinary CDs, though not rewrite
them.

Celeron A PC processor - Intel's budget chip, cheaper than the Pentium, but also
less powerful.

Character A letter of the alphabet, number, space or punctuation mark is a character.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (7 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Clipboard A temporary storage area in Windows. When you cut (Ctrl-X) or copy
(Ctrl-C) highlighted text, documents or whatever in Windows they are sent
to the clipboard; when you paste (Ctrl-V) they are copied from the
clipboard to the cursor position. Sending something to the clipboard
automatically overwrites its previous contents.

Cluster Data stored on a disk is spread across a number of clusters, small physical
areas on the disk. How big they are depends on the way the disk is
formatted - generally a few kilobytes each.

CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor; pr. "see-moss") A special

type of memory which retains its data when the PC is switched off, used to
store settings for things like what type of hard disk you have, and how
much memory. The settings are accessed via the BIOS.

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Keystone black ) The standard four colours used
by most printers - almost any colour can be created out of these. See also
RGB.

CODEC (COmpressor/DECompressor) A small piece of computer code that tells

the computer how to decode particular types of information, usually video
files. If your video player won't play a particular format, you can usually
download and install a codec which will tell it how from the internet.

Compatible Compatible pieces of equipment can work together; incompatible ones

can't.

Compression A way of making files smaller, either to fit into restricted storage space or
to speed up transmission over the Internet. Popular compression standards
include JPEG and GIF for pictures, MP3 for music files, and zip for just
about everything else.

Console Nowadays usually refers to a dedicated gaming computer such as the

Playstation or X-Box. Originally meant a terminal connected to a
mainframe computer.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (8 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Cookie A small data file stored on your computer by a website, in theory to allow
it to "remember" your preferences, but in practise mostly used to track
which adverts you have seen. You can set most browsers to reject all
cookies, or to ask your permission before storing them, but this can
generate multiple error messages on some websites and is generally more
hassle than it's worth - they are pretty harmless.

cps (Characters Per Second) A measure of how quickly information,

particularly text, is being transferred over a modem link or network. See
also bps.

CPU (Central Processing Unit) The nerve centre of the computer : everything
flows through it. Often just called "the processor". The best known, thanks
to a barrage of advertising, is Intel's Pentium, now in its fourth
incarnation, imaginatively called the Pentium 4.

Crack, cracked A crack is a small program intended to defeat software's copy protection,
thus allowing unlicensed copies to be made - stealing it, in effect. Software
that is distributed with its copy protection disabled or bypassed has been
"cracked".

Crash When a computer program or operating system stops working completely

or almost completely it (or the computer) is said to have "crashed". When
a computer crashes it usually needs to be rebooted before it can be used
again. See also lockup.

Crawler A program that indexes pages on the World Wide Web for search engines.

CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) The imaging technology used in most desktop
monitors. Provides an excellent colour display, but is extremely bulky and
is now being gradually supplanted by TFT.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) A set of HTML commands used to control the
style of web pages, more complex than the <FONT> tag-set it is intended
to replace, but also more powerful and particularly useful for retaining a
uniform style across a large website. Generally only used by professional
web designers.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (9 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Data Any information created by a user, such as documents, pictures or sound

recordings.

Database A program used for organising any kind of information on a computer

into a searchable form, anything from a list of contacts to a complex stock
control system.

DDR (Double Data Rate) A very fast type of RAM for a PC, originally only
used on high performance graphics cards but now being used for general
memory in most high-end PCs.

Default A default setting is one you haven't changed - what a program will do (or
use) if you don’t tell it any different. "Accept the defaults" means leave
any settings as they are.

Desktop A computer designed to sit on a desk (as opposed to a laptop). In

Windows, it also means the screen you see when you aren't running any
programs, with "My Computer", the Recycle Bin and so on.

Digital Literally "to do with numbers". Often used to describe a device using
computer technology to replace older, traditional technologies. For
example, a digital camera is one that stores images electronically rather
than on chemical film.

DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module; pr. "dim") A module of RAM (memory)
for a PC, replacing the older SIMM specification.

Directory An area on a disk for storing files, particularly in DOS. Usually called a
folder in Windows.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (10 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Disk Generic term for a type of storage device, such as a hard disk or a floppy
disk (diskette). So called because the important part, where the
information is actually stored, is circular, although you can't see it because
it is hidden away inside a protective shell.

Diskette Also known as a floppy disk. Called a diskette because it was smaller than
the original huge floppy disks, now long obsolete.

Domain An internet address owned by a company, organisation or individual, such

as jonstorm.com, nasa.gov or bbc.co.uk. See also TLD

Dongle A small hardware device used for copy protection with some software.
The dongle must be plugged in to a port on the computer, often the printer
port, or the software won't function.

DOS (Disk Operating System; pr. "doss") DOS was the standard operating
system for PCs until Windows 95 came out, now pretty much obsolete.
Will run on even the most basic PC. Controlled by typing in text
commands and has several serious limitations, but requires a much less
powerful computer than Windows 95.

DoS (Denial of Service) A form of attack on (usually) an internet service,

which aims to prevent the service from operating properly, often by
bombarding it with more information than it can process. See also
Mailbomb.

Download To transfer information (files) from a network (such as the Internet) onto a
user PC. See also upload.

dpi (Dots Per Inch) A measure of picture quality, often used to measure
printer capabilities. The higher the number, the better the quality.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (11 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Driver A small program used by the operating system to control hardware such as
a sound or video card. Often downloading the latest driver for a device
from the manufacturer's website will improve its functionality.

Duron A PC processor - AMD's budget chip, cheaper than the Athlon but also
less powerful.

DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) A more advanced version of the standard CD

which can hold far more information, now standard on most new PCs.
Widely used for high-quality digital movies. DVD drives can usually also
read ordinary CDs.

DVD RW, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk ReWriter) A DVD drive that can create ("write")
Writer rewriteable DVDs. There are several competing formats at the moment,
largely incompatible with each other, though some drives support more
than one format. It is likely that one of these formats will become standard
in time, but at the moment it is not clear which. To add to the confusion,
they tend to have very similar names : for example DVD+RW and DVD-
RW are completely different formats, and incompatible with each other,
though many recent drives can read and write both.

DVI (Direct Video Interface) A special type of connector for computer

monitors, particularly flat panels.

E-commerce Conducting business over the internet, and particularly the World Wide
Web.

EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics) An extremely popular hard disk

format. As its name implies, an upgraded version of IDE.

EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture; pr. "ee-icer") An upgraded

version of ISA, now obsolete; usually used with reference to expansion
cards.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (12 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Email (or e-mail) (Electronic mail ; pr. "ee-mail") A way to send messages between
computers, or more to the point their users, either over a network or the
Internet. E-mail is usually just text. Although it is possible to send
pictures, sounds or even programs as e-mail, you should check with the
person you are sending to first, as some e-mail systems don't accept
messages over a certain size (even the longest text message is tiny
compared to a picture).

Emoticon (EMOTion ICON) A group of symbols used to indicate emotions in email

or newsgroups. The most popular is the smiley :-) or :) (look at it
sideways), but there are lots of variations including the sad face :-( , the
wink ;-) , and the astonished face :-0 .

Encrypt, encryption Coding data so that it can't be read by hackers etc when transmitted over
the internet. For example, any reputable website selling goods by credit
card will encrypt your credit card number and personal details.

Ethernet The most popular system used to connect a computer to a network,

including most broadband internet connections. The computer needs to
be fitted with a suitable expansion card, usually called an Ethernet card.

Excel The most popular spreadsheet program for PCs, part of the Microsoft
Office suite.

exe (or .exe) (EXEcutable; pr. "exie", "dot exie" ) A file which is usually the main part
of a program. A program may consist of just an exe file and nothing else,
or there may be dozens of files, including more exes.

Expansion card (or A circuitboard which can be inserted into an expansion slot on the PC's
board) motherboard, to give the PC extra capabilities. Common examples are
sound cards, graphics cards and network cards.

Expansion slot A socket on a PC motherboard into which you can insert expansion cards
to increase the PC's capabilities. Most PCs have several PCI slots, plus an
AGP slot for a graphics card.

Extension The part of a PC filename after the dot (.), often used to tell Windows
what type of file it is. For example, files ending in .exe are programs, and
files ending .jpg or .gif are pictures. Note that Windows is sometimes set
up not to display the extension in Windows Explorer or My Computer,
another helpful idea to confuse beginners from our friends at Microsoft.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (13 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). A document on a website or in a newsgroup

which gives answers to common problems and questions. Look for an
FAQ if you have a problem with something, before you email or phone
support.

FAT (File Allocation Table; pr. "fat") A sort of index of where data is stored on
a hard disk, used by the operating system.

FDD (Fixed Disk Drive, Floppy Disk Drive). The slot on the PC which accepts
floppy disks, almost always referred to as "Drive A:" by the computer.

File All information on a computer is stored in files, whether it is part of a

program, a document created by a user, a picture, or anything else. Most
software is made up of dozens, sometimes hundreds, of different files.

File server A type of computer used on networks to provide files and other services
to other computers. Often just called a server.

Filter A device which allows you to use an ordinary phone over a telephone line
set up for an ADSL internet connection. Also called a micro-filter.

Firefox An alternative browser, available free from Mozilla, which you can use
instead of Internet Explorer. Works pretty well. It has a number of useful
extra features, but perhaps the best is that it doesn't support Windows
ActiveX, thus preventing rogue websites from using it to hijack your
computer.

Firewall Originally a dedicated computer between you and the internet, preventing
hackers, spammers and similar undesirables from taking over your PC.
Now often just a program running on your PC. Absolutely essential if you
have an always-on internet connection such as ADSL or cable.

Firewire A standard for very fast data transfer, popular for applications that use
very large files, particularly video editing. Requires special hardware,
generally added to a computer as an expansion card.

Flame Internet slang for an email or newsgroup post insulting or telling someone
off. They range from elegant rapier wit to obscene profanity.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (14 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Flamewar A public trading of insults in a newsgroup or forum. Sometimes

flamewars get so out of hand that there are hundreds of flames in the
newsgroup and almost nothing else.

Floppy disk Also known as a diskette. Originally called floppy disks because they
were round and non-rigid, but modern floppies might as well be called
rigid squares, as the actual floppy disk is enclosed inside a rigid, almost
square protective casing. Most programs used to be released on floppy
disks, but modern programs are so large that they are now released on CD
ROM instead. Standard floppy disks have a capacity of only 1.44
Megabytes, but a floppy drive is still standard on almost all PCs.

Folder An area on a disk for storing files in. Folders can also contain other
folders, which in turn can contain more folders, and so on almost to
infinity. Also called a directory, especially by people used to DOS.

Forum A public or semi-public area on a website or bulletin board where you can
read and post messages on a particular topic, allowing public debate. See
also Usenet, newsgroups.

FPS (First Person Shooter) A computer game where you shoot things, played
from a first person perspective, ie with you standing behind the gun(s).
Also known as a shoot-'em-up.

frag Shoot someone in a computer game.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol). A way of transferring files to or from an internet

server. Often how you upload webpages to the internet.

GB See Gigabyte.

GHz Gigahertz - billions of cycles per second. Often used as a measurement of

a PC processor chip's speed and power, with bigger numbers meaning a bit
more speed, and a higher price. 1000 MHz = 1.0 GigaHertz. See also MHz.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) A popular type of compressed graphics

(picture) file, widely used on the WWW. Best for artwork with 256
colours or less. See also jpg, compression.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (15 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Gigabyte (or Gig) Unit of measurement for pieces of information : approximately 1 billion
bytes, 1 million kilobytes, or 1000 megabytes. Hard disk sizes are usually
measured in gigabytes. Often shortened to "GB", "Gig" or just G.

GPF (General Protection Fault) An common error message in early versions of

Windows, seen when a program tried to do something Windows thought it
shouldn't, often locking up the PC.

Graphics A catch-all term for anything involving drawing images on a PC screen. A

game with great graphics is one that is visually spectacular.

Graphics card (or An expansion card which the PC uses to control the monitor's graphics.
controller) Modern PCs have a dedicated slot for graphics cards called AGP, but you
can also still get PCI format cards.

GUI (Graphical User Interface; pr. "gooey") means that a program's controls
are represented pictorially, with symbols, buttons and so forth, and mostly
controlled by pointing and clicking with a mouse rather than having to
type in text commands. Almost all modern software is GUI controlled.
(see also Windows, WYSIWYG).

Hacker Person who uses computers to access ("hack") systems they are not
supposed to have access to, eg other people's financial details, personnel
files, military secrets etc. Hacking can get you arrested.

HAND (Have A Nice Day) Internet slang, often used ironically.

Hard disk A computer's main (and fastest and most convenient) storage for programs
and data. Originally named to distinguish it from floppy disks. All PCs are
fitted with hard disks, sometimes more than one. The first (or only) hard
disk is usually called C: by the computer. The most popular hard disk
format is called EIDE.

Hardware The physical parts of a computer.

HD, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) The main data storage unit in a computer. See hard
disk.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (16 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Homepage A page on the World Wide Web. Confusingly "homepage" is used

indiscriminately to describe several slightly different things : an amateur's
hobby site; the front or main page of any website; or the page which your
browser first goes to when you start it up.

Hotspot A location where a computer can connect to a wireless network (see Wi-
Fi).

HTH (Hope This Helps) Internet slang, often added at the end of an email or
newsgroup post answering a question.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) The system used for creating World Wide
Web pages, ordinary text with commands for special effects like pictures,
colour and links enclosed between < > symbols. You can add the various
HTML commands to ordinary text by hand or have it generated for you by
software, either one of the many specialist editors or even a word
processing program like Microsoft Word (although Word isn't very good
at it).

http (HyperText Transfer Protocol) The protocol or "language" computers use

to send web pages over the internet. Almost every WWW address starts
"http://", though many browsers understand if you omit it.

Hub A basic device for connecting computers together to form a network.

Hung If a computer (or sometimes just a program) gets completely stuck and
refuses to do anything, it has hung. See also lockup.

Hyperlink Any kind of link on a webpage. Unless you typed this page's URL in by
hand, you got here by clicking on a hyperlink.

Hypertext A way of presenting text so that you can click on a link within it, say a
cross-reference, and instantly be transported to the relevant text, whether it
is elsewhere in the current document or in another document entirely. The
most obvious examples are World Wide Web pages and Windows
helpfiles.

IANAL (I Am Not A Lawyer) Internet slang. Amazing how often this one comes up.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (17 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

IBM (International Business Machines) The company that designed and built
the first PCs, and still a giant of the industry. Standard PCs were originally
referred to as "IBM compatible", although IBM no longer controls the PC
standard.

Icon Small pictogram either representing a file, or providing shortcuts for

carrying out common tasks such as saving and printing inside an
application.

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics ) A type of PC hard disk, now obsolete, the
foreunner of EIDE.

IIRC (If I Recall Correctly) Internet slang.

IMO, IMHO (In My (Honest) Opinion) Internet slang.

Inkjet A very popular colour printer technology, which works by squirting tiny
jets of ink onto paper with great precision.

Install To transfer a program or programs from floppy disk or CD ROM onto a

PC's hard disk. Most programs need to be installed before they can be
used, though a few can be run directly from the floppy or CD.

Intel The Intel Corporation is the leading manufacturer of processor chips for
PCs, including the Pentium and Celeron chips.

Internet A vast worldwide network of computers, accessible to anyone with a

computer, a modem, and a phone line. Provides access to e-mail and the
World Wide Web. The Internet grew out of the need of academics to swap
information with colleagues all over the world, and of the US military's
need for a computer and communications network that couldn't easily be
knocked out. As a result it is virtually impossible to censor, since anything
placed on the World Wide Web from anywhere is instantly available
everywhere in the world.

Intranet A private miniature internet which allows no or only limited access to the
internet proper, for example to allow easy sharing of confidential files
within a company or corporation.

IP (Internet Protocol ) A protocol (computer language) which computers use

to communicate with and over the internet.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (18 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

IP address (Internet Protocol address) A unique number assigned to any computer

connected to the internet, including yours, in the format 255.255.255.255.
Each of the four blocks of numbers can be any value from 0 to 255. They
can either be assigned permanently ("static IP") or per session ("dynamic
IP"). Most ISPs assign them dynamically, ie when you connect to the
internet.

ISA (Industry Standard Architecture; pr."icer") A once-common type of PC

expansion card, now obsolete; see also EISA, PCI.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network ) An early high speed internet

connection system mainly aimed at business, now largely obsolete.
Requires a special type of modem called a Terminal Adaptor.

ISP (Internet Service Provider) A company which provides a connection to the

internet, or internet services.

ISTM (It Seems To Me) Internet slang.

ISTR (I Seem To Recall) Internet slang.

IT (Information Technology) What computers are all about - using

technology to manage information. The computer industry is often called
the IT industry, and computer departments often refer to themselves as the
IT department.

Java A programming language used to create small programs called applets,

often to produce special effects on web pages.

Javascript A set of program instructions, vaguely similar to Java but not actually
related, written straight into the HTML of a webpage instead of as an
applet.

JPEG, jpg (Joint Picture [Experts] Group; pr. "jay-peg") A standard type of
compressed graphics file, widely used on the WWW. Particularly good for
photographs. See also compression.

Killer app (Killer application) A program that is so obviously massively useful to

someone that they will rush out and buy it immediately, and a computer to
run it on.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (19 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Kbps (KiloBits Per Second) A measure of speed of information flow, usually

over a modem. A Kilobit is a thousand bits. See also bps, Mbps.

Kilobyte Unit of measurement for pieces of information : actually 1024 Bytes

(characters), but in practice almost always rounded down to 1000. Often
written as just K, eg 250 K is 250 Kilobytes (250,000 bytes/characters -
well not exactly, but close enough). See also Megabyte, Gigabyte.

LAN (Local Area Network; pr."lan") A network of computers connected

together, usually in a single department or building. See also WAN.

Laptop A portable PC, with system unit, screen and keyboard crammed into one
small package. They can do pretty much everything a desktop PC can do,
but are substantially more expensive because of the extra miniaturisation
required. Also called a notebook.

Linux A rival PC operating system to Microsoft Windows, but unlike Windows

it is "open source", which means that anyone can create their own version
of it without having to pay royalties. Initially required a lot of technical
savvy, but is rapidly being made much more user-friendly and may soon
start to challenge Windows' dominance.

Lockup, locked up An event which causes a computer to get stuck and refuse to do anything
is a lockup. The computer is then said to be hung or locked up.

LOL (Laughing Out Loud) Internet slang.

Mac The Apple Corporation's alternative to the PC, much loved by its devotees
but completely incompatible with PCs, though some popular software is
also released in Mac format.

Mac address The unique serial number of an Ethernet card, required for connecting a
PC to a network. (Nothing to do with Apple Macs, despite the name).

Macro A small program used to automate repetitive or complex tasks. The

Windows equivalent is a wizard.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (20 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Mailbomb One or more very large emails, sent to someone maliciously to stop them
being able to use their mailbox and/or internet connection, because all the
available bandwidth is being used up downloading the mailbomb(s). Most
ISPs will close down any account responsible for mailbombing. See also
DoS (Denial of Service).

Malware A catch-all term for software installed by stealth onto a PC for malevolent
purposes (hence the name). These may include displaying unwanted ads
(adware), installing software you didn't ask for, or spying on your
activities (spyware) and reporting them back to the culprit so that he can
steal your bank account, address book etc.

Mbps (MegaBits Per Second) A measure of speed of information flow over a

network (and if it's measured in Mbps, it's reasonably quick.) A Megabit is
one million bits. See also bps, Kbps.

Megabyte Unit of measurement for pieces of information : approximately 1 million

bytes or a thousand kilobytes. Often shortened to Meg or just M. See also
Gigabyte, Kilobyte, Byte.

MegaHertz See MHz.

Megapixel A million pixels. Often used to measure the quality of digital cameras : the
higher the number the better the camera.

Memory Also known as RAM. Where the computer holds whatever you are
currently working on. The contents of memory are lost when the computer
is switched off.

MFD (Multi Function Device). A combined printer, scanner, photocopier and

(sometimes) fax machine.

MHz (Megahertz). Millions of cycles per second. Most often used as a

measurement of a PC processor chip's speed and power, with bigger
numbers meaning more speed and a higher price. See also GHz.

Micro (Microcomputer) When desktop computers first appeared in the 1970's,

they were often called microcomputers, later shortened to micro, to
distinguish them from the so-called minicomputers of the day, which far
from sitting on a desk were a good deal bigger than it! There was also a
popular home computer called the BBC Micro, now obsolete.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (21 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Micro-filter A device which allows you to use an ordinary phone over a telephone line
set up for an ADSL internet connection. Sometimes just called a filter.

Microsoft By far the largest software provider for PCs, they created Windows,
Microsoft Office (which includes Word, Excel, Access and Powerpoint),
Internet Explorer and many other widely used programs.

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface; pr. "middy") A very popular

standard for controlling musical instruments connected to computers.
Many soundcards have a built-in synthesizer which can play back MIDI
files, though if it's a cheap one they probably won't sound very good. A
MIDI file is a set of instructions to play particular notes at particular
intervals in particular styles, not a recording.

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension; pr. "mime") An encoding system

used in email, mainly for sending attachments. Email was originally
designed to just use plain text, so programs, graphics etc have to be sort of
disguised as text for email systems to be able to handle them. MIME is
more powerful than its predecessor, UUENCODE (pr. you-you-encode),
but not all systems accept it.

MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) A scam similar to pyramid selling, much in

evidence on the internet, particularly in spam.

Modem (MOdulator/DEModulator) A device for allowing computers to

communicate over a phone line. May be either an expansion card, or an
external device plugged into one of the serial ports.

Monitor The screen of a PC.

Motherboard The main circuitboard in the computer - all the other bits and pieces are
plugged into it.

Mouse A device used to move a pointer around on the computer screen. Essential
to get the most out of Windows, though it is not quite impossible to use
Windows without one.

MP3 (MPeg-1 audio layer 3). A very popular standard for compressing audio
and particularly music files down to a reasonable size with little or no
perceptible loss of quality, and the files created using it - "an MP3" is an
audio file. See MPEG, Compression.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (22 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group; pr. "em-peg") A set of standards for
compressing video and audio files, and the committee that came up with
them. Also, often used to mean movie files created to the MPEG standard.

Network A way of linking several computers together so that their users can share
resources such as printers and documents, often via a central computer
called a server. See also LAN, WAN, Ethernet.

Network card, An Expansion card which lets a PC communicate with a network,

Network Interface required for broadband Internet access. See also Ethernet.
Card

Newbie (New beginner) Internet slang for someone who hasn't been using
computers or the internet long.

Newsgroup (or just A public area where you can read and post messages on a particular topic
News) or theme, allowing public discussion, either on the Internet or a Bulletin
Board. Similar to a forum. Most newsgroups cover a specific topic, and
newsgroup users get very annoyed if people post messages which are off-
topic, ie not relevant to the topic under discussion. See also Usenet.

NIC (Network Interface Card) An Expansion card which lets a PC

communicate with a network or use a broadband internet connection.
See also Ethernet.

Notebook A portable PC, with system unit, screen and keyboard crammed into one
small package. They can do absolutely anything a desktop PC can do, but
are substantially more expensive because of the extra miniaturisation
required. Also called a laptop.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) A program which attempts to convert a

scanned image (ie a picture) of text into text that can be edited in a word
processor. The result is rarely 100% accurate and must be carefully
proofread, but it can save a lot of retyping.

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) A company that actually builds

computers, as opposed to just retailing them. "OEM software" is ordinary
software bought in bulk at a discount by the OEM and pre-installed on a
new machines, usually without printed manuals. "OEM software" offered
for sale at huge discounts in spam is almost certain to be pirated.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (23 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Off-topic A message which is not relevant to a particular newsgroup or forum on

the Internet is said to be "off-topic". Posting off-topic messages in
newsgroups annoys people intensely, as they make it harder to follow the
discussion properly.

Online Connected to the internet.

Operating System Every computer has an operating system, which is a sort of master
program that runs automatically when you switch the computer on, and
continues running till you switch off. It is responsible for the many routine
tasks required to keep a computer running : moving the pointer when you
move the mouse, providing icons and menus, running other programs such
as a word processor or a game which you may request, controlling the
various disk drives, the screen and so on. The most widely used operating
system is Microsoft Windows.

OS/2 (Operating System 2) A rival PC operating system to Microsoft

Windows, produced by IBM in the '90s. It has a small, dedicated core of
supporters, but didn't catch on and for most purposes is obsolete.

Overwrite Replace a computer file such as a document or picture with a newer

version, destroying the earlier version. If you make changes to a document
and save it with the same filename, the previous version is overwritten and
usually cannot be restored.

Palmtop A small computer which fits into the palm of your hand. They run similar
software to conventional PCs, but (unlike notebook PCs) are more limited
in what they can do than desktop PCs, because of the constraints of
miniaturisation. See PDA.

Parallel Port A socket for plugging a printer into the computer. The computer usually
refers to the parallel port as LPT1.

Patch A program which makes updates to computer software, usually to fix bugs
which had not been detected when the software went on sale. The best
place to look for a patch is on the software manufacturer's website.

PC (Personal Computer) Originally just short for "personal computer", PC is

now an industry standard, partly evolved in the marketplace, partly agreed
by a committee of the major players in the computer industry.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (24 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

PC 2004 (2003, An agreed standard for new PCs, set each year by a committee of the
2002 etc) major players in the computer industry.

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) A standard for PC expansion cards,

currently the most popular.

PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) A type of

PC expansion card, the size of an ordinary credit card, mainly intended
for use with notebooks.

PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) A small handheld computer used for taking
notes on the move, keeping contact information and so on. See also
palmtop.

PDF (Portable Document Format) A popular document format, used mainly for
online computer manuals, which retains the look of a printed book
onscreen. PDFs are created using Adobe Acrobat, but can be read and
displayed by many different programs including Internet Explorer.

Peer-to-peer A type of network where computers are connected together directly,

rather than via a server, allowing them to access each other's hard disk etc.

Pentium The best known PC processor (or CPU), manufactured by Intel. The latest
generation is the Pentium 4, but many new PCs still use the Pentium 3, or
AMD's Athlon equivalent.

Peripheral Anything that plugs into the computer, such as keyboard, printer etc.

Phishing An internet scam in which a forged message from a bank provides a link
for you to go to their website and "confirm your details" - but the website
is a fake, and if you do enter your details they will be used to steal all your
money. Note that a legitimate email from your bank should be addressed
to you personally rather than "Dear customer" etc, and will never ask you
to enter your PIN.

Pixel (picture cell) All computer screen or printed images are made up of pixels,
small square dots - the smaller the pixels, the higher the image quality.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (25 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Plasma A type of very large screen, either TV or computer monitor. At present

plasma screens aren't very suitable for computing because the images,
although bright and colourful, aren't very sharp, especially when depicting
motion.

Platform- If something is platform-independent, you don't need a particular type of

independent computer or particular software to use it. Perhaps the best example is the
internet, which you can access from a PC, Mac or just about any other type
of computer, and using a huge range of different software.

Plug'n'play (Plug and Play) A system where Windows automatically detects any new
hardware that is plugged into the PC and adjusts to it without human
intervention. Sometimes it even works.

POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3; pr. "pop 3") A protocol for transmitting
and receiving email, but mostly used just for receiving. (Transmitting is
still mostly handled by it's less powerful predecessor, SMTP).

Port A socket on the back (usually) of a computer which allows you to plug in
extra hardware such as a printer or modem.

Portal A virtual gateway between computer systems, or a website that provides

links to lots of useful sites on a particular theme, eg shopping or news.

POST (Power On Self Test; pr. "post") A routine PCs go through when first
switched on, before loading the operating system, to make sure the
hardware is working properly.

Power-on password A password which the computer will prompt you for whenever the
computer is switched on, a good security measure provided you don't
forget the password. Power-on passwords can usually only be bypassed by
taking the computer to bits.

Processor The nerve centre of the computer : everything flows through it. Also called
the CPU. The best known are Intel's Pentium and AMD's Athlon. The
most important single specification on any PC is the speed of its processor,
usually measured in megahertz (MHz), or gigahertz (GHz).

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (26 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Program A program is essentially a list of instructions that tell a computer how to

do something. Any word processor, spreadsheet, database, game or any
other tool you may use on a computer is a program (often a group of
programs). Also referred to as software.

Protocol Any "language" used by computers to communicate with each other for
particular tasks.

Proxy server A computer used to store copies of popular webpages at an ISP and
provide them on request, to save having to fetch them from the website
each time.

PS/2 The type of connector used to plug in mouse and keyboard on most
modern PCs, now gradually being superseded by USB. PS/2 was
originally the name of a PC from IBM with a number of innovative but
non-standard features, including special connectors for mouse and
keyboard. The PC didn't catch on particularly well, mainly because its
unusual architecture meant that it could not accept standard expansion
cards, but its mouse and keyboard connectors proved popular and were
widely adopted. PS2 (without the /) is often used to refer to Sony's
PlayStation 2, a popular games console.

Quicktime A video compression standard created by Apple for use on both Macs and
PCs, and the program which displays such movies.

RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks; pr. "raid") A way of connecting

multiple hard disks together so that a computer sees them as one very
large, very fast disk instead of many smaller ones. Often called a "RAID
array", even though the acronym already contains the word array. Mostly
used on network servers.

RAM (Random Access Memory; pr. "ram") The computer's main memory,
which it uses to hold whatever you are currently working on. The contents
of RAM are lost when the computer is switched off. Adding more RAM is
often the most cost-effective upgrade for an ageing computer.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (27 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Read-only A read-only file has been set so that it cannot be altered or deleted. Also
called write-protected. You can make a file read-only in Windows by
right-clicking on it and checking the "read-only" box under attributes.
Floppy disks can be write-protected by moving a small plastic square in
the top left corner. Files on CD ROM are always read-only because you
can't change the contents of a CD ROM.

Real Audio, Real An audio and video compression system from RealMedia Inc which
Media, Real Video produces files small enough to play back in real time over an ordinary
modem, at the cost of a lot of sound/vision quality.

Reboot Restart the computer, either by shutting it down properly and restarting it
(a soft reboot), or just switching it off and on again (a hard reboot - should
only be used as a last resort).

Registrar An organisation which retains a register of internet domain names, who

owns them, and where they can be found. Domains under the most popular
TLDs such as .com, .net and .org can be registered with a number of
different competing registrars, but you only need to register with one of
them. National domains such as .uk usually have only one registrar.

Registry A file on Windows PCs which contains all the settings for the PC and its
software. Can be edited by the user, but this should only be done as
absolutely a last resort, as it is possible to trash the operating system
completely if you don't know what you are doing.

Resolution Loosely speaking, the quality of an image. When printing or working with
images, the resolution is usually measured in Dots Per Inch (dpi) - the
more dots per inch, the higher the quality of the image but the larger the
file needed to store it. In Windows, the screen resolution is how many
pixels fit on the desktop, the most popular being 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768
- the former makes images, icons etc look bigger, but the latter means you
can fit more of them on the screen.

Rewriteable A special type of reuseable CD or DVD which you can write to, delete the
contents, and write to again, theoretically forever. (A conventional CD or
DVD's contents can't be changed once they have been written). However,
rewriteable CDs are less reliable and more expensive than write-once CDs,
and there are presently several different incompatible formats for
rewriteable DVDs.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (28 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

RGB (Red, Green, Blue) The three colours used by a computer screen - all the
other colours can be made up by mixing red, blue and green. A few
printers use this system as well, though most use the alternative CMYK
system instead.

Ripper Program which copies ("rips") tracks from music CDs onto a computer,
often as an MP3.

ROFL (or ROTFL) (Rolling On the Floor Laughing) Internet slang indicating laughter.

ROM (Read Only Memory; pr. "rom") Memory whose contents are preset and
cannot (usually) be changed by the user. See also CD-ROM.

Router A device used to connect networks together, for example so that several
PCs can share one internet connection. A relative of the hub, but more
powerful.

RPG (Role Playing Game) A computer game in which you control a character
and interact with other characters, explore virtual worlds, undertake quests
etc, often involving swords and sorcery.

RTFM (Read The Flipping Manual) Internet slang, usually fired at people asking
basic questions to which they would know the answers if they had looked
at the manual. There are several different translations of the letter F... :-)

RTS (Real Time Strategy) A computer game where you command armies
(usually) of animated figures, direct their development, fight their battles
and so on. "Real Time" because the game runs continuously rather than
waiting for your orders, though in practise you can usually pause the game
as much as you like unless you are playing against a human opponent.

Safe Mode A cut-down version of Windows which you can launch instead of the full
version for troubleshooting purposes.

Save Copy whatever you are working on from memory, which is lost when you
switch off the computer, to permanent storage, usually the hard disk. It is
a good idea to save frequently when you are working on something
important, in case there is a sudden power cut or you make some awful
mistake that trashes your document.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (29 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

S/B Compatible (SoundBlaster compatible) A common Soundcard format. In practice

anything which is described as "S/B compatible" should work with almost
all sound cards.

Scanner A device which makes high-resolution copies of printed images and text to
use on a computer.

Screensaver A program that blanks the computer screen or displays images if you don't
do anything for a few minutes, in Windows for example. Early screens
could have images literally burned permanently onto the tube if left
displaying the same thing all day. Much less of a problem with modern
screens, and these days screensavers are mostly used for security (with a
password to return to normal mode), or just for fun.

Scroll, scroll-bar To scroll something is to move it up or down the screen, so you can see
what is above or below the current position, for example at a website. A
scroll-bar is a bar on the right-hand side (usually) of a window which
allows you to move the text etc up and down the screen with a mouse. If
the window is too wide to fit the screen there will be a scroll-bar at the
bottom, so you can scroll the text left and right too.

SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface; pr. "scuzzy") A fast system for
controlling hard disks, tape drives, and various other add-ons. Sometimes
used for a PC's main hard disk, but more often the main hard disk is
controlled by an IDE or EIDE controller built into the motherboard. A
SCSI controller would usually be installed as an expansion board. SCSI is
a bit faster than EIDE, but more expensive.

Search engine A website directory which indexes as many websites as it can and allows
you to search its database for sites on particular subjects. Because of the
immense size and rate of growth of the world wide web, no-one has a
complete directory of all sites which exist.

Serial Port A socket for plugging devices into the computer. Most PCs have two,
called COM1 and COM2. Most often used to plug in a modem or mouse;
however, on many modern computers a modem is built into the computer
as an expansion card, and the mouse has its own separate port.

Server A computer at the centre of most networks which provides files and other
services to other computers. Also known as a file server.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (30 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Shockwave A very impressive technology from Macromedia Inc for making

animations, games, sound and all kinds of special effects on a webpage.

shoot-'em-up A computer game in which you control a character, vehicle etc and shoot
lots of onscreen enemies. Also called an FPS (First Person Shooter).

Shortcut In Windows (from 95 on), a type of icon which lets you launch a program
quickly, without having to search for it. Often placed on the Windows
desktop for convenience. Usually has a small arrow in the bottom lefthand
corner, to show it is a shortcut rather than the program itself.

SIMM (Single In-line Memory Module; pr."sim") A module of RAM for a 486 or
Pentium I PC. Replaced by DIMMs on newer computers.

SIR (Serial InfraRed). A wireless communication system for PCs and

peripherals, especially laptops. Only works when the devices are in line-of-
sight of each other.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). The original method of transmitting and
receiving email on the internet. Still often used for transmitting, but has
been widely replaced by POP3 for receiving.

Smiley :-) or :) A group of symbols used to indicate a smile or laughter in an

email or newsgroup message (look at it sideways). There are all sorts of
variants including :-( for sadness, ;-) for a smile with a wink, and :-o for
astonishment. Collectively they are often called emoticons.

Software The programs that run on a computer. Without software, a computer can't
do anything.

SoundBlaster The best known type of Soundcard, made by Creative Labs. Most modern
soundcards are described as "SoundBlaster compatible" (or S/B
compatible), meaning that they understand the same commands as the
popular SoundBlaster range, and should therefore work with almost all
programs.

Soundcard An expansion card which enables the PC to make sounds more

sophisticated than a simple "beep!". Almost all modern PCs are fitted with
soundcards; nowadays they are often built into the motherboard instead of
being added as an expansion card.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (31 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

SP2 (Service Pack 2). A major enhancement to Windows XP, particularly its
security vulnerabilites, downloadable as a free patch from Microsoft's
website.

Spam Originally a name for mass postings to Usenet newsgroups advertising

products or services, regardless of their relevance to the newsgroup. (The
name comes from a famous Monty Python sketch in which every
conversation is interrupted every few seconds by people shouting "spam
spam spam" at the top of their voices). Now generally used to describe
bulk commercial advertising emails (UCE). Sending spam is a violation of
most ISPs' AUP.

Spreadsheet A program used for doing calculations and setting up financial balance
sheets, indispensable for accountants and managers. The best known are
Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3.

Spyware Programs, typically installed by stealth, which record what you do on your
PC and send reports to criminals, allowing them to steal your bank details,
passwords and so on. See also Malware.

Standalone A computer not connected to any kind of network.

Start Button A button on the lefthand end (usually) of the Taskbar in most versions of
Windows, which you click on to display the Start Menu.

Start Menu A set of menus which appear when you click on the Start Button in
Windows, which you can customise to suit your own preferences. Most
programs will automatically add themselves to the Start Menu when you
install them.

StartUp Folder An area under Programs in the Windows Start Menu. Any programs
placed in this folder will launch themselves automatically whenever you
start up Windows.

Storage The generic term for any method of storing information which is not lost
when the computer is switched off; the most common types are hard
disks, CD ROMs, and floppy disks.

Suite A group of programs which carry out different tasks but are intended to
work together, such as Microsoft Office.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (32 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Surfing In a computer context, wandering around the World Wide Web (which
really annoys the guys with the boards and the big waves). Also called
websurfing.

System Tray An area on the righthand end of the Windows Taskbar which displays
icons representing TSRs presently running, usually at least a loudspeaker
which represents the volume control for the soundcard, and a clock.
Programs in the Sytem Tray are often but not always launched from the
StartUp folder.

System unit (or box) The unit with the disk drives which the keyboard, monitor etc are plugged
into. In other words, the actual computer.

Taskbar In Windows, a bar across the bottom of the screen (usually - you can move
it to the top or side if you want to) which contains the Start Button, the
System Tray, and icons which represent all the applications currently
running. You can switch between applications by calling up the taskbar
and clicking on the relevant icon. The taskbar can be set to remain visible
all the time (the default), or only to appear when you press the Windows
key.

TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) A common protocol

(language) which a computer can use to communicate with other
computers, particularly on the internet.

Terabyte Unit of measurement for pieces of information : approximately 1 trillion

bytes, 1 billion kilobytes, 1 million megabytes or 1000 gigabytes. That's a
lot of data.

Terminal Adaptor A piece of hardware similar to a modem, required to operate an ISDN

internet connection.

TIFF, Tif (Tagged Image File Format) A type of graphics (picture) file, often used
for photographs. The files are usually huge, as the data is not significantly
compressed. Files in this format usually have names ending .tif .

TFT (Thin Film Transistor) A technology used mainly in laptop screens for
giving a sharp and vibrant colour display. Much less bulky than the CRT
system used in most desktop monitors, which it is now slowly beginning
to replace, but also more expensive.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (33 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

TLD (Top Level Domain). The part of an internet address between the last . and
the end of the address, excluding the path/address of a specific page if
present. TLDs include .com, .org, .net, and all the national domains such
as .uk for the UK and .fr for France. See also domain, registrar, How
web addresses work.

Toolbar An extra set of controls that can be added to many programs to provide
extra functionality not present in the standard version, such as the Google
toolbar, which lets you do Google searches from your browser without
having to go to the website.

Touchpad A pressure-sensitive pad which replaces the mouse on most laptop

computers.

Trojan A program similar to a virus which is disguised as something harmless

like a game, but when launched actually sabotages the computer on which
it is running.

TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) A program, usually loaded automatically on

startup, which remains in memory to provide particular functions such as
connection to a network or protection against viruses. In Windows 95/98
TSRs presently running are usually represented by icons in the System
tray, such as the small loudspeaker which represents the volume control
for the soundcard. A few TSRs are essential, but many are installed
automatically by a particular application just to improve its own
performance, with no thought for anything else you may be doing, and
may actually have a negative impact on everything else. Usually (but not
always) launched from the StartUp folder in the Windows Start Menu.

TWAIN (Technology Without An Interesting Name, according to legend) A

standard "language" or protocol which computers use to communicate
with scanners.

UBE, UCE (Unsolicited Bulk Email, Unsolicited Commercial Email) Email sent out in
bulk to addresses harvested from web pages, newsgroups etc, advertising
products or services - mostly scams or pornography. Also known as spam.
Sending UCE is a violation of most ISP's Acceptable Use Policies, and
will often get your account terminated immediately.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (34 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Ultra DMA, UDMA (Direct Memory Access) A standard for EIDE disk controllers relating to
how fast they can transfer data. Often followed by a number representing
the transfer rate in Mbps, eg UDMA100 operates at up to 100 Mbps.

Uninstall Remove a program from your system. You can't just delete its folder,
because almost all programs make changes to various parts of Windows.
Many programs come with a special uninstaller, which you should use if it
exists. Otherwise, you can uninstall programs (in Windows) from the
Control Panel.

Upload To transfer information (files) from a user PC to a network or the Internet.

See also download.

URL (Universal Resource Locator) An address used to locate something on the

internet, most often a web page. All web addresses are URLs.

USB (Universal Serial Bus) A type of serial port (or connector), used to attach
extra devices such as a scanner to a PC. Standard on new PCs from around
1998. USB 2.0 is a faster version of the same thing. Many PCs now use
USB to connect the mouse and keyboard.

Usenet An enormous collection of public newsgroups on the Internet, well over

25,000 at last count, which allow users to post messages discussing
particular issues.

User interface A program's controls, with which the user "interfaces" with the program.

Vaporware Derogatory term for software which is announced but fails to materialise.

VGA (Video Graphics Array) An early colour graphics standard for PCs, now
used as a sort of lowest common denominator which all monitors and
graphics cards understand.

Virus A program that has been deliberately created to cause computer problems,
usually minor ones as a prank, but occasionally very nasty ones indeed,
such as erasing your entire hard disk. Viruses were originally designed to
attach themselves to programs on a disk, and then "hide" in the computer's
memory once the host program is executed, and "infect" every disk they
come across. Some types of virus (such as the famous "I love you")
propagate by email, disguised as an attachment, which is why you should
never open an attachment you are unsure of.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (35 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Virus protector A program which guards against computer viruses, either by lurking in
memory as a TSR and checking everything you run for viruses as you go
along, or by scanning some or all of the files on either hard or floppy disk
at a time you specify. Virus protectors need to be updated frequently to
guard against new types of virus.

Voicemail A voice message recorded on a computer and sent to a specific person by

the computer or telephone system. In effect a more sophisticated telephone
answering machine.

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) A system for making cheap phonecalls
over the internet instead of via the telephone system.

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) An influential group of interested parties

who agree what is and isn't official HTML. Originally WWWC, but W3C
is a lot easier to say.

Wallpaper A picture or motif on your Windows desktop. To change the Windows

wallpaper right-click anywhere on the desktop, select Properties from the
pop-up menu, choose the Desktop tab and select a new entry from the list
under Background. To add pictures of your own to the list, save them as .
bmp (bitmap) files and put them in your Windows folder.

WAN (Wide Area Network) A sort of group of networks, or more properly

LANs, connected together.

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol; pr. "wapp" or "wopp") A system to enable

mobile phones to browse the World Wide Web. In practise the site has to
be specially designed and text only, and only a very few sites have
bothered to set up a WAP version.

WAV file, Wave A basic computer sound recording. WAV files tend to be very large, so
sound recordings are often compressed into MP3s on the internet, giving a
slightly lower quality but much smaller files.

Webhost A company which makes webpages available on the World Wide Web,
usually as a commercial venture.

Weblog A website documenting someone's life and/or thoughts, also known as a

blog.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (36 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Webmail Email controlled from a website such as Hotmail or Yahoo instead of with
a dedicated mail program like Outlook Express or Eudora. Many ISPs
allow you to access your email both with a mail program and via the Web,
so that you can access your email while travelling.

Webserver A computer which fetches or stores World Wide Web pages and provides
them over the internet on request.

Website A page or group of pages on the World Wide Web.

Webspace The storage on an internet server where websites are kept. Webspace can
be hired from a commercial provider, or is sometimes provided free with
an internet dialup account, though usually with constraints on what you
can use it for.

Websurfing Looking at pages on the World Wide Web. Often just called surfing.

Wi-Fi (WIreless FIdelity) A method of connecting computers together in a

network without cables, using small transmitter/receivers connected to
ordinary PCs, printers, broadband modems etc. See 80211 etc.

Win95 Windows 95. See Windows.

Win98 Windows 98. See Windows.

Win9x Compatible with or pertaining to both Windows 95 and Windows 98.

Windows A family of operating systems from the Microsoft Corporation, standard

on most PCs. Windows 95, 98 and ME (Millenium Edition) are three
generations of the version intended mainly for home use; Windows NT
and 2000, developed and released in parallel with the 9x family, were
intended more for use in office and network environments, supposedly
more robust but usually requiring a more powerful computer. The latest
version is Windows XP, intended to bring the two different "flavours"
together in a unified whole.

Windows 2000 A version of Windows intended for business users, the successor to
Windows NT. Now theoretically superseded by Windows XP, but many
businesses are still using it.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (37 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Windows 3.1 / 3.11 Microsoft's standard PC operating environment before the release of
Windows 95. Not strictly speaking an operating system in its own right,
more an add-on which provides DOS with a GUI. Windows 3.11 was
officially called "Windows for Workgroups" because it was purportedly
designed for use with networks, but in practice is no different to 3.1.

Windows 98SE (Second Edition) An upgrade to Microsoft's Windows 98. Generally

agreed to be the best of the Win9x bunch.

Windows Key An extra key on keyboards made after 1995, located between Ctrl and Alt
and bearing the Microsoft Windows logo. Pressing this key in any
Win95/98 application should immediately call up the Taskbar with the
Start Menu open. (If your keyboard doesn't have a Windows key you can
perform the same task by pressing Ctrl-Esc).

Windows ME (Millenium Edition) The successor to Windows 98, but not widely taken
up and now replaced by Windows XP. See Windows.

Windows NT A version of Windows intended for business use, more stable for
networking but less game-friendly than its Win9x cousins. Superseded
first by Windows 2000 and now by Windows XP.

Windows XP The latest version of Windows and generally agreed to be the most stable.
Intended to bring together and replace the different 9x and NT versions of
Windows (see Windows) - but Microsoft have released two versions,
"Home" and "Professional".

Winsock A program required by Windows to communicate with the internet,

usually installed automatically along with internet connection software.

Winzip The most popular program for compressing files, either for storage or
transmission via the internet, widely available as a free download. The
compressed files it creates have the extension .zip. See also zip.

Wireless network A computer network which uses radio transmitters (usually) to move
information between computers without the need for physical cables. See
Wi-Fi.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (38 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

Wizard A Windows feature which presents a user with simple menus or options
for what would otherwise be a complex task, and carries them out
automatically. Almost all Windows programs are installed via Wizards,
and they are also widely used inside Windows programs.

Word Processor A program used for creating documents, letters etc. By far the best known
is Microsoft Word.

World Wide Web The easiest part of the Internet to understand and use, the World Wide
(WWW or just "the Web consists of many millions of pages of text and images published by
Web") anyone and everyone, from governments and large corporations down to
the humblest home user, in a standardised hypertext format. A particular
person or company's area is called a website. Viewed with a program
called a browser. Wandering around the World Wide Web is often called
Websurfing or just surfing.

Worm A malicious program introduced into computers by stealth, similar to a

virus.

Write-protected A write-protected file has been set so that it cannot be altered or deleted
without first removing the write protection. Also called read-only. You
can write-protect a file in windows by right-clicking on it and checking the
"read-only" box under attributes. Floppy disks can be write-protected by
moving the small plastic square in the top right corner.

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get; pr. "whizzy-wig") Mainly refers to word-
processors, desktop publishers and the like. Means that all typeface
changes, pictures and so on are drawn on the computer screen exactly as
they will appear on the printed page, often not the case with older software.

YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) Internet slang, meaning "your experience may
be different". Derives from a disclaimer in US car ads.

Zip A popular standard for file compression developed by the PKWare

corporation. Files thus compressed usually have the extension .zip. See
Winzip.

Zip drive A special drive for removable data cartridges, often used for making
backups as the cartridges can hold a lot more data than a floppy disk.
Now pretty much obsolete, as almost all PCs have CD or DVD writers
fitted as standard.

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (39 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM

Computer Dictionary

file:///L|/computerclass/dictionary.htm (40 of 40)9/15/2005 10:14:51 AM