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A Glossary of Computer Terminology: Application (Sometimes Shortened To App')
A Glossary of Computer Terminology: Application (Sometimes Shortened To App')
Bandwidth
Binary code
All of these terms refer to the size of a file or the capacity of a storage
device.
Why 1024? It seems like a random number! But there is logic behind
this. Computers work on the binary system – I.E. they count in ‘base 2’
unlike humans, who count in ‘base 10’. 1024 is 2 raised to the power 10
– I.E 2X2X2X2X2X2X2X2X2X2 = 1024!
When we see ‘10’ we humans know it means ‘Ten’! the ‘1’ represents
one bundle of ten and the ‘0’ means ‘none left over – no ‘units’.
But in binary notation, ‘10’ means one bundle of 2 and no units – or ‘two’
as we humans think of it.
There’s a famous ‘techy’ joke about this: There are only 10 types of
people in the world – those who understand binary and those who don’t!
Boot
Bug
Byte
See ‘Bits’
Cache
CD-ROM
Chat
Chip
A tiny wafer of silicon containing miniature electric circuits that can store
millions of bits of information.
Click (see also right click and double click)
Cookie
A text file sent by a Web server that is stored on the hard drive of a
computer and relays back to the Web server information about the user,
his or her computer, and/or his or her computer activities and
preferences. Cookies are a normal part of using the Internet and,
generally, are not a cause for concern!
CPU
Central Processing Unit. The brain of the computer. Also called the
‘processor’.
Cracker
Crash
Cursor
Cyberspace
Debug
Default
Desktop
A hard disc stores vast amounts of data. It is usually inside the computer
but can be a separate peripheral on the outside. Hard disks are made up
of several rigid coated metal discs. Hard disks in modern laptops vary in
size from 80 Gigabytes (Gb) and upwards.
‘Floppy discs’, popular to store information until a few years ago, are no
longer used.
Flash Drives, more commonly known as ‘memory sticks’ are really
portable SSDs!
Disk drive
Domain
Download
DOS
Double click
Drop-down menu
DSL
DVD
Digital Video Disc. Similar to a CD-ROM, it stores and plays both audio
and video.
E-book reader (For example, a ‘Kindle’)
Smiling :)
Frowning :(
Emoji
Encryption
Ethernet
File
Firewall
Fonts
Sets of typefaces (or characters) that come in different styles and sizes.
Similar to a ‘typeface’.
Freeware
Software programs created by people who are willing to give it away for
the satisfaction of sharing or knowing they helped to simplify other
people's lives. It may be free-standing software, or it may add
functionality to existing software.
Full screen
See ‘Maximise’
Gigabyte
See ‘Bits’
GUI
Hacker
Hard drive
Another name for the hard disc that stores information in a computer.
Hardware
Home page
The main or ‘front’ page of a Web site used to greet visitors, provide
information about the site, or to direct the viewer to other pages on the
site.
HTML
HTTP
HTTPS
Hypertext
Virtually all web pages include hypertext (text with special properties)
that links the user to other pages at that site, or to other sites on the
World Wide Web.
Icons
Input
Input device
Internet
The company that provides you with a connection to the Internet either
via your telephone line (broadband), a fibre optic cable (fibre broadband)
or via a cable service (Sky or Virgin Media)
Kilobyte
See ‘Bits’
Linux
Mac OS
Megabyte
See ‘Bits’
Memory (RAM)
Menu
Menu bar
The horizontal strip across the top of an application's window. Each word
on the strip has a context sensitive drop-down menu containing features
and actions that are available for the application in use.
Merge
Minimize
See ‘Maximise’
Monitor
Mouse
Compact audio and video file format. The small size of the files makes
them easy to download and e-mail. F
Multimedia
Software programs that combine text and graphics with sound, video,
and animation. A multimedia PC contains the hardware to support these
capabilities.
MS-DOS
Network
Operating system
Optimise
See ‘Maximise’
Output
PC
Peripheral
Platform
Pop-up menu
Program
Programming language
RAM
See ‘Memory’
Restore
See ‘Maximise’
Right-click
Scanner
Search engine
A website that helps the user find the information they require. The best
known is ‘Google’ but there are others such as ‘Bing’ or ‘Yahoo’.
Server
Shareware
Software
Spider
Spreadsheet
Storage
Streaming
Popular streaming services include the BBC Iplayer (to catch up with
BBC programs you may have missed and ‘Spotify’, a music streaming
service which works like a massive jukebox!
Stylus
Surfing
Taskbar
The taskbar is the strip at the bottom of a Windows computer screen that
shows what programs are running on the PC. It also has the ‘Start
button and the ‘notification area’ in the bottom right hand corner of the
screen.
Terabytes (TB)
See ‘Bits’
Trojan horse
See ‘virus’.
Upload
URL
USB
User friendly
Virus
Webcam
A video camera that takes live images and sends them to a Web
browser.
Window
A computer program that you can use that turns your computer into a
sophisticated typewriter and filing system.
Worm
See virus.
WYSIWYG
‘What You See Is What You Get’. When using most word processors,
page layout programs (See desktop publishing), and web page design
programs, words and images will be displayed on the monitor as they
will look on the printed page or web page.