Glossary

Computer glossary

102 definitions · page 1 of 2.

Absolute Address: The exact memory location of data or a specific location within a device.
Absolute Reference: A formulated cell reference that will not adjust when used to calculate the sum of specific cells. Most commonly used in spreadsheet applications.
Access Point: A hardware device or a computer's software that acts as a communication hub for users of a wireless device to connect to a wired LAN.
ACPI: Short for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface, a power management specification developed by Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba. ACPI, which will be part of the next version of Windows, enables the operating system to control the amount of power given to…
Actuator: Device that performs an action or outputs a signal in response to a signal from a computer.
Addressing: A method of identifying a resource (such as a program) or piece of information (such as a file) on a network. Methods of addressing vary considerably from network-to-network.
AGTL Signaling: (Assisted Gunning Transistor Logic) AGTL and AGTL+ use the same signaling protocol only at different voltage levels. AGTL+ operates at 1.5V signaling levels, while AGTL operates at 1.25V.
AI: Stands for Artificial Intelligence. This is the area of computer science focusing on creating machines that can engage on behaviors that humans consider intelligent. The ability to create intelligent machines has intrigued humans since ancient times, and…
AMD: (Advanced Microchip Devices) A semiconductor manufacturer and is a major competitor of Intel. They manufacture the Athlon, Duron, and K6 CPU chips.
AppleScript: It is an English-like language used to write script files which can automate the actions of the computer and the applications which run on it.
AppleShare: This is Apple's network system. It is to the Macintosh what FTP is to the PC.
AppleTalk: A protocol suite developed by Apple Computer in the early 1980s, was developed in conjunction with the Macintosh computer. AppleTalk's purpose was to allow multiple users to share resources, such as files and printers. The devices that supply these resources…
Arithetic Logic Unit (ALU): The core component of a computers Central Processing Unit (CPU). ALU is the mathematical circuitry that performs necessary arithmetical and logical operations on binary data.
Arithmetic Logic Unit: ALU is a generic term for a functional unit in a computer. It is the part of the CPU that performs arithmetical and logical operations on data.
Asynchronous: 1 : not synchronous; not occurring or existing at the same time or having the same period or phase. 2 : of, used in, or being digital communication (as between computers) in which there is no timing requirement for transmission and in which the start of each…
ATX: The modern-day shape and layout of PC motherboards. It improves on the previous standard, the Baby AT form factor, by rotating the orientation of the board 90 degrees. This allows for a more efficient design, with disk drive cable connectors nearer to the…
autoexec.bat: A root directory batch file that is responsible for executing commands at system startup.
AVI: Audio/Video Interleave. Audio file format used by Microsoft Widows.
AVI: Stands for Audio/Video Interleaved. AVI is the most common format for audio/video data on the PC.
Backup: To copy files to a second medium (a disk or tape) as a precaution in case the first medium fails. One of the cardinal rules in using computers is. Back up your files regularly. Even the most reliable computer is apt to break down eventually. Many…
Baseband: A method of transmission that sends a digital or analog signal in its original form, not changed by modulation. While this form of transmission can be much more reliable than its Broadband counterpart, it is much slower.
Batch File: A file that has the .BAT extension. This file usually contains a sequence (or batch) of commands. A batch files set of commands can be executed all at once by the batch file name rather than by each individual command name.
Baud: The rate at which bits are transmitted over a communication link. Baud is the number of transitions (that are used to encode bits) that take place in one second.
Baud: Pronounced bawd. The term is named after J.M.E. Baudot, the inventor of the Baudot telegraph code. In common usage the baud rate of a modem is how many bits it can send or receive per second. Technically, baud is the number of times per second that the…
BBS: Stands for Bulletin Board Service. A computerized meeting and announcement system that allows people to carry on discussions, upload and download files, and make announcements without the people being connected to the computer at the same time.
Beta: Preliminary or testing stage of a software or hardware product; "a beta version"; "beta software"
Binary: Data represented in binary format uses only two digits - 0 and 1.
Binary: This is a basic system of numbering using ones and zeros.
BIOS: Stands for Basic Input/Output System. The BIOS gives the computer a little built-in starter kit to run the rest of softwares from floppy disks (FDD) and hard disks (HDD). The BIOS is responsible for booting the computer by providing a basic set of…
Bit Depth: Also referred to as Pixel Depth or Color Depth. Bit (Binary-Digit) Depth describes the number of bits used to define each pixel in an image to determine its color range. The greater the Bit Depth, the greater number of tones (grey scale or color) are…
Bluetooth: Radio technology that connects electronic devices without using a cable. Data and voice can be exchanged at ranges of up to 10 meters without the need for devices to be lined up together.
BMP: (pronounced "bimp"): It's a bitmap, an image made up of little dots.
BNC: Different sources expand BNC as Bayonet Navy Connector, British Naval Connector, Bayonet Neill Concelman or Bayonet Nut Connection. A connector widely used in the CCTV industry, usually for coaxial cable. Easy to install and reliable with little video signal…
Boolean Logic: A type of mathematical logic named after its designer George Boole. This binary algebraic system is used primarily in switching circuits and database searches. Search engines use logical operators called, Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT). AND: Narrows a…
Boot Disk: A diskette from which you can boot your computer. Normally, your computer boots from a hard disk, but if the hard disk is damaged (for example, by a virus), you can boot the computer from a bootable diskette. For this reason, it's a good idea to make sure…
Buffer: A place, especially in RAM, for the temporary storage of data for the purpose of speeding up an operation such as printing or disk access. Data from a buffer is available more quickly than data from where the buffer got it. Typically buffers get data before…
Buffered Memory: Using a buffer to isolate the memory from the controller reduces the load on the chipset. This allows for more memory chips to be used.
BUS: A collection of wires through which data is Transmitted from one part of a computer to another. You can think of a bus as a highway on which data Travels within a computer. When used reference to Personal computers, the term bus usually refers to Internal…
Bus Mastering: A technique that allows certain advanced bus architectures to delegate control data transfers between the CPU and associated peripheral devices to an add-in board. This gives greater system bus access and higher data transfer rates than conventional systems.
Byte: Unit of memory or data needed to represent one character in binary (1s and 0s) form. One byte is usually 8 bits.
Cable modem (CM): Client device for providing data over a cable TV network.
Cache RAM: Cache (usually SRAM) stores frequently requested data and instructions. It is a small block of high-speed memory located between the CPU and the main memory. When your computer processor needs data, it will check the Cache first to see if it is there. If the…
CATV: Community Antenna Television or Cable TV system. Can be all coaxial or HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax) based.
CD-ROM: (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) An optical storage medium that can hold about 600 MB of data and is accessed with lasers.
CGA: Stands for Color Graphics Adapter. IBM's first microcomputer color standard. CGA allowed a maximum of four colors at a resolution of 320 x 200 or two colors at 640 x 200.
Channel: A specific frequency and bandwidth combination. Used in this context about TV channels for television services and downstream data for cable modems.
Chassis: The physical framework of the computer system that houses modules, wiring, and power supplies.
CICS: Customer Information Control System. A general purpose IBM mainframe-based transaction management system. CICS is one of IBM's most widely used database / data communications subsystems.
Client: A computer program that requests a service from the server program, usually over the network.
Client: Between slave and peer. A system that is able to operate independently, but has some degree of dependence on another system. Frequently refers to computers on a local area network. Compare peer, slave.
Clipboard: A temporary data (text and graphics) storage facility used when transferring data to a new location.
Clock Speed: The clock speed is the frequency which determines how fast devices that are connected to the system bus operate. The speed is measured in millions of cycles per second (MHz or megahertz) and is generated by a quartz crystal on the motherboard which acts as a…
clustering: Connecting many computers and making them appear as one machine. This is done to increase reliability and performance.
Clustering: A technique in which two or more servers are interconnected and can access a common storage pool. Clustering prevents the failure of a single file server from denying access to data and adds computing power to the network for large numbers of users.
CMOS: Abbreviation of complementary metal oxide semiconductor. Pronounced see-moss, CMOS is a widely used type of semiconductor. CMOS semiconductors use both NMOS (negative polarity) and PMOS (positive polarity) circuits. Since only one of the circuit types is on…
CMTS: Cable Modem Termination System. Central device for connecting the cable TV network to a data network like the internet. Normally placed in the headend of the cable TV system.
COBOL: Stands for Common Business Oriented Language. A computer programming language invented during the second generation of computers and designed to meet the needs of business. Although less often used today, it was well-suited for writing programs that process…
Codec: 1. Short for compressor/decompressor, a codec is any technology for compressing and decompressing data. Codecs can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. Some popular codecs for computer video include MPEG, Indeo and Cinepak.
Cold Boot: A cold reboot (also known as a hard reboot) is when power to a computer is cycled (turned on and off) or a special reset signal to the processor is triggered (from a front panel switch of some sort). This restarts the computer without first performing the…
Collision: The situation that occurs when two or more devices attempt to send a signal along the same channel at the same time. The result of a collision is generally a garbled message. All computer networks require some sort of mechanism to either prevent collisions…