ACL - Access Control List - a list that specifies what operations users can perform on files and directories.

ACLs are part

of the security subsystem of a network OS and are used to grant or deny access to various functions of the OS.
Active X - a Microsoft specification that defines how programs can share information. Active X controls may be written in
any programming language, but will only run on the Windows OS.
ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - the latest in connection technology, at least as fast as cable modems, but
uses your existing phone line.
AES - Advanced Encryption Standard - a lightweight encryption algorithm for securing VPNs
AP - Access Point - a device used to connect wireless networks to a wired network.
API - Application Programming Interface - programmers writing applications for an OS will use these to take advantage
of already existing capabilities within that OS to make their programs look familiar to the users.
APNIC - Asia Pacific Network Information Centre - the Internet registry organization for the Internet in Asia and the
Pacific RIM.
ANSI - American National Standards Institute - for a complete explanation, see the ANSI web site.
ARIN - American Registry for Internet Numbers - the Internet registry service for North and South America, as well the
Carribean and sub-Saharan Africa.
ARP - Address Resolution Protocol - the protocol used to convert an IP address to a MAC address.
ARPANET - the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (kind of a hybrid, compound acronym/shortened-word
form) - the beginnings of the Internet. In 1969, the DOD established four nodes outside the military; at UC Santa Barbara
and UCLA, SRI International, and the University of Utah. For a nice timeline history of the Internet with lots of acronyms,
see Robert H Zakon's page at the Internet Society web site.
ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange - pronounced ask-ee - ASCII is the code that represents
characters as numbers so computers can understand them. For example, the upper case letter "A" is 65, which to a
computer looks like this - 1000001 - (computers only "understand" 0's and 1's, which is the binary numbering system.)
The lower case letter "a" is 97, which is 1100001 in binary.
ASP - Active Server Pages - a Microsoft specification for dynamically created web pages with the .asp extension, which
allows programmers to use either Visual Basic or JScript to create web pages "on the fly".
ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode - technology that allows much faster data transfer rates than Ethernet - as much as
six times as fast.
authentication - the process of identifying an individual through the use of a username and password combination. This
ensures that the individual logging in is who they claim to be.
ACK Computer/Internet Terminology; "ACK" is short for acknowledgment. In other words, it's the signal your modem
sends back to a server whenever it receives a complete, correct data packet therefrom. (If the data doesn't come
through as it was supposed to, the modem sendsback a negative acknowledgment, or "NAK.")
AFAIR Chat Room Acronym; As Far As I Recall.
ATTY Chat Room Acronym; AThousand Thank Yous.
AWGTHTGTWTA Chat Room Acronym; Are We Going To Have To Go Through With This Again? It often shows up
when someone asks a question that has already been answered time and time again, or when someone attempts to
start an argument that's already been hashed and re-hashed.
Active Matrix Computer Terminology; An active matrix display is an LCD that is refreshed more frequently than a
passive matrix display. The most common type of active matrix display is a TFT (or "thin filmtransistor") display, in which
every LCD pixel is controlled by as many as four tiny transistors. The most important thing to know about an active
matrix display is that it remains sharp and viewable from
almost any angle--much like the display on a desktop computer
Agent Computer/Internet Terminology; An agent (also called an intelligent agent) is a program that, when triggered by
specified circumstances or events, runs all by itself and performs tasks for you. Your e-mail program, for example, might
have an agent (or let you create one) that automatically deletes month-old messages or alerts you when you receive a
message from a particular person. Server-side agents are agents that run on a network server and automate network
administration tasks.
Artificial intelligence (AI) Computer Terminology; Artificial intelligence is computer technology designed to imitate the
human brain--specifically, to solve problems by learning and reasoning. Originally, in the early 1950s, AI was called
"computer intelligence," which you have to admit is a much more accurate term; interestingly, it was an MIT professor,
and not a marketing weenie, who renamed it artificial intelligence in 1956. AI is still a ways from replacing human brains,
but as Deep Blue's victory of Gary Kasparov demonstrated, it can sure play a mean game of chess.
Avatar Internet Terminology; In techno-speak, an avatar is an icon that represents a real person in an online game,
forum, or other area of cyberspace. An avatar can range from a simple picture to an animated 3-D graphic that moves
and morphs to reflect what the person it represents is doing. See also Avatar.
API (application programming interface) A set of subroutines or functions that a program, or application, can call to
tell the operating system to perform some task. The Windows API consists of more than 1,000 functions that programs
written in C, C++, Pascal, and other languages can call to create windows, open files, and perform other essential tasks.
An application that wants to display an on-screen message can call Windows' MessageBox API function, for example.
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) Pronounced "ass-kee." A standard developed by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) describing how characters can be represented on a computer. The ASCII
character set consists of 128 characters numbered from 0 to 127 and includes numerals, punctuation symbols, letters,
and special control codes such as end-of-line characters. The letter A, for example, is represented by the number 65.
Most personal computers use some form of the ASCII character set. (One exception: computers running Windows NT,
which uses the newer and more expansive Unicode character set.)
ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) An integrated-circuit chip designed for a particular use rather than
general use. Many video boards and modems use ASICs.
ATA (AT attachment) The specification, formulated in the 1980s by a consortium of hardware and software
manufacturers, that defines the IDE drive interface. AT refers to the IBM PC/AT personal computer and its bus
architecture. IDE drives are sometimes referred to as ATA drives or AT bus drives. The newer ATA-2 specification
defines the EIDE interface, which improves upon the IDE standard. See also IDE and EIDE.
ABI Applications Binary Interface. This is the innermost programming code that ensures the compatibility of an
application program with a computer system at the lowest level -- the system hardware.
ABIOS Advanced Basic Input Output System. The usual BIOS in a PC is a set of program routines whose job is to
bootstrap the operating system (which means it loads part of it from disk and then the part loaded looks after the rest)
and to manage the system hardware such as the disk drives and the communication ports. ABIOS was the version used
in the IBM PS/2 type computers which used the OS/2 operating system. The OS/2 system, unlike DOS, doesn't require
the BIOS to manage the system hardware, but the BIOS is retained for compatibility when running DOS programs.
ABT Advanced Backplane technology. From a company called Graphite, ABT is a method of making computers easier
and cheaper to upgrade as technology changes. The idea is to put the main components such as the microprocessor
onto a circuit board which plugs into a "backplane bus". This consists of a set of connectors on a circuit board. Unused
connectors or "slots" are available for other boards such as modems, sound boards and so on. Updating the technology
should then simply be a matter of changing the microprocessor board, rather than exchanging the whole system.
ABT Advanced BiCMOS technology. An extension of the BCT method of making logic chips by combining two
technologies: bipolar transistors (for high speed) and CMOS transistors (for low power consumption) -- thus getting the
best of both types. These logic chips are used with the latest 16- and 32-bit microprocessors which operate at such high
speeds that traditional logic chips would not be suitable.
AC Advanced CMOS. Logic circuits made using CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology using
very little power, but originally were not very fast. AC chips can now nearly match the speed of TTL (Transistor
Transistor Logic), which was built for speed but has relatively high power consumption.
ACIA Asynchronous Communications Interface Adaptor. A chip which can provide the facilities for serial commincation
in a computer. It supplies the signals which go to the RS-232 interface, performs parallel/serial data leaving the machine.
See UART for more information.
ACE Advanced Computing Environment. A consortium of computer hardware and software companies including
Compaq, DEC and Microsoft.
ACT Advanced CMOS with TTL inputs. A version of the AC logic chips allows easy connection to TTL logic chips.
A/D Analog to Digital converter.
ADC Analog to digital converter. In the "real world", quantities such as temperature, sound pressure, light intensity and
so on have values which are continuously variable -- these are called analogue quantities. A digital computer, however,
requires its information in digital form -- as 1s and 0s. It is the job of the ADC to convert the one sort of information into
the other. For example, temperature information can be given to a computer as follows: a therocouple will produce a
small output voltage which is proportional to the temperature it senses. This voltage can then be amplified and fed to the
ADC unit. The ADC ouputs a digital code (8 bits, for example) whose value is proportional to the size of its analog input.
This code can now be used by the computer. To convert music to CD-quality digital form, it is turned into a 16-bit code
(called a sample) 44 100 times per second.
ADPCM Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation. Sound cards are circuit boards which greatly improve the PC's
sound output quality. They use sound stored in digital form. One method for producing sound in this form is PCM. The
sound amplitude is frequently sampled by a circuit called an analog to digital converter (ADC), each sample being
represented by, say, a 12-bit code. PCM works out the code for each sample "from scratch" each time. ADPCM uses a
more efficient coding method which notes the difference in sound amplitude between one sample and the next. AFTP
Anonymous File Transfer Protocol. Many remote sites (computers) on the Internet allow you to copy files from them
without giving a password -- hence anonymously. The file transfer protocol is the communication program, and the set of
rules it must follow, to allow files to be transferred to your system.
AGP Accelerated (Advanced) Graphics Port. a bus, or set of electrical paths, that gives a PC's graphics controller (the
specialist chip that updates the display) fast access to the system memory chips. This isparticularly important when
complex displays -- such as 3D scens which occupy large lumps of memory -- need to be updated without cloggin up the
existing system buses.
AI Artificial Intelligence. The name given to computers that appear to exhibit human intelligence such as "understanding"
the spoken or written word, reasoning or the ability to respond to their physical surroundings and adapt their response
accordingly.
AI Adobe Illustrator. A file extension (letters added to a filename to aid identification) indicating a file produced by this
program.
AIX Advanced Interactive Executive. IBM's implementation of the UNIX operating system -- a program that manages the
resources of a computer.
Algol Algorithmic language. A computer language for scientific computation dating from the late 1950s which influenced
the design of later languages such as C and Pascal.
ALSTTL Advanced Low-power Schottky Transistor Transistor Logic. A method of making TTL digital logice chips which
results in the minimum power consumption for this technology at present.
ALU Arithmetic and Logic Unit. The part of a microprocessor chip which is capable of performing simple arithmetic (e.g.
add, subtract, multiply) and logic operations on binary numbers.
Amstrad Alan Michael Sugar Trading
ANSI American National Standards Institute.
A/N Alpha/Numeric -- literally letters and numbers. used to describe keyboards and displays.
AOL America Online. A company which offers subscribers a connection to the Internet.
APA All Points Addressable. used to describe computer display sytems where each picture element (pixel) may be
individually controlled.
AP/DOS Advanced Pick/Dos Operating System. This is a version of the Pick operating system (originally written for
minicomputers by Dick Pick in the late 1960s) which will run on a PC using the normal DOS directory structure for
storing files, rather than having to use a specially reserved section of the hard disk. Pick has a built-in database, virtual
memory (VM) management and is easy to use.
API Apllications Programming Interface. Part of the operating system software, this type of interface sits between a
piece of system hardware (such as a graphics or sounds card) and the application software that is using it. It allows
applications to be developed which are not dependant upon the particular hardware used -- the device manufacturer
providing the final "driver" routines.
APL A Programming Language. A computer programming language devised by Kenneth Iverson, with applications such
as engineering design and business planning.
Arcnet Attached Resource Computing architecture network. A relatively low-cost method of connecting small numbers
of computers together in a network.
ARLL Advanced Run Length Limited. A method of squeezing data onto a hard disk. Also known as ERLL.
ARM Acorn RISC machine. Acorn's RISC microprocessor, as used in the Archimedes computer.
Arpanet Advanced Research Projects Agency network. This is an American computer network installed to link together
establishments that were working on government research, so that information can be easily exchanged. Arpanet is an
example of a wide area network, or WAN, and became the basis for the development of the Internet.
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standard arrangement of seven binary digits (an eighth
can be added as an error check) used to represent the characters to be entered into a computer, for example from the
keyboard.
ASIC Application-Specific Integrated Circuit. A "custom-built" integrated circuit that has been designed for a specific
purpose. The idea is that one ASIC might replace several other chips in a system and hence lower the manufacturing
costs. At one time this would only have been economical with very large production quantities, but now specialist
software is available to assist with design, and a number of cheaper, "semi-custom" methods are also available.
ASN.1 Abstract Syntax Notation 1. If different computers are to exchange information across "open" networks, then a
common system of representing this information (the syntax) must be used. ASN is one such way of describing data and
its properties.
ASPI Advanced SCSI Programming Interface. SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is an industry standard means
of connecting peripherals such as tape drives and CD-ROMs to a computer. ASPI is an "open" standard (people don't
have to pay for the privilege of adopting it) to encourage software developers to adopt a similar approach to the control
of SCSI hardware so that compatibility can exist across products from different manufacturers.
ASR Automatic Send and Receive.
ASTTL Advanced Schottky Transistor Transistor Logic. TTL logic chips are chosen for their fast operation and this
branch of the TTL family offers the fastest speed so far.
AT Advanced Technologies, as in IBM-AT. A computer, introduced in 1984, based upon the 16-bit Intel 80286
microprocessor. Included originally was a 5.25", 1.2MB floppy disk drive.
AT Attention. AT commands originally devised by the Hayes company, are used to control MODEMs.
ATA AT attachment. Another name for the IDE interface standard.
ATAPI AT Attachment Packet Interface. A communications protocol (set of rules) which allows the electronic controllers
for IDE hard disk drives to handle up to four devices, including CD-ROMs and tape drives.
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode. Today's computer networks may have to link workstations that make use of
multimedia services which include video and telephony. These "broadband" networks must be able to transmit
information from different sources -- which may use different methods of packaging their data. ATM breaks down all
information sources into fixed-sized "cells" and then interleaves or "multiplexes" the cells for transmission. This allows
very fast switching or transfer across the network. The "asynchronous" simply means that the cells have different time
intervals between them -- i.e. they are literally not synchronised.
ATM Adobe Type Manager. A program from Adobe which manages print fonts by using the vector description of each
character. Thus each character is described in terms of its properties and size, allowing it to be easily scaled.
AV Audio-Visual
AVI Audio Video Interleaved. A standard system, from Microsoft, for integrating sound and vision for Windows into a
single file for hard disk or CD-ROM.

B
backbone - a term used to describe the underlying infrastructure that connects all the nodes of a network together. In the
case of the Internet, it refers to the major telephone and circuit providers who own the cable connecting all the networks
worldwide. (AT&T, UUNET, Sprint, MCI Worldcom, BBNPlanet, CWNET, et.al.)
BBS - Bulletin Board Service - the way it used to be. Back in the "good old days", people used to hang out in the bulletin
boards and swap stories and files and such. There's still quite a few bulletin boards around, but Usenet and web-based
bulletin boards are supplanting them.
BCC - Blind Carbon Copy - when you send email using this line, the recipients' addresses do not appear in the email the
recipients receive - spammers do this a lot. Many email clients will display "undisclosed recipients" in the TO: field, if only
the BCC line is used to send the message.
BDC - Backup Domain Controller - a backup domain server in an NT domain. The BDC has a duplicate copy of all
domain accounts, groups, permissions and login scripts, but is not authoritative for the domain. Depending on network
topology, any domain controller may log a user in to the domain.
BGP - Border Gateway Protocol - a routing protocol that allows incremental updating of router tables and enables
optimal path determination between peered routers.
BIOS - Basic Input/Output System - the system that gets your computer started, before the OS takes over. It does things
like get the keyboard and mouse ready to use.
bit - an abbreviation for "binary digit" - the smallest unit of information a computer can use. It's either a 1 or a 0. (Actually
a high or low voltage state.)
BO - Back Orifice - a hacker tool that is normally sent as a trojan horse to an unsuspecting user. When installed, it allows
the attacker to take control of the victim's computer and do anything they want, up to and including formatting the hard
drive.
broadcast - the process of sending information to all machines on a network. We tend to shy away from protocols that
use extensive broadcasting, because they make the network very "busy" (or "chatty" as we geeks say) and therefore
slow down data transfers across the network and degrade performance.
byte - an abbreviation for "binary term" - a byte is equal to eight bits and is large enough to hold one character (like an A
or the number 1.)
BBS Internet Terminology; Back in the old days, before the Internet, one of the primary forms of online
communications was the BBS, or bulletin board system. A user can dial into a BBS and post messages, participate in
discussions, upload or download files, and more. If all this stuff sounds like the Web, it isn't: BBSs are text based, not
graphical, and often require you to navigate your way through a rather complex menu structure before you can do
anything at all. On the plus side, you can connect to most BBSs with the slowest of modems and rudimentary software,
such as the Terminal program included with Windows 3.x.
BCNU Chat Room Acronym; Be Seeing You.
BLOB Computer Terminology; BLOB stands for "binary large object". A BLOB is usually a large chunk of graphic,
audio, video, or multimedia data that a database can store in a single field.
BRB Chat Room Acronym; Be Right Back.
Bernoulli Box Computer Terminology; If you were around during the early days of personal computing, you may
remember the Bernoulli Box--a removable, reliable floppy disk drive that people used to archive and transport large
amounts of data. The box was so named because it worked on a kind of reverse of Bernoulli's Principle: It spun the disk
at such a high speed that it actually curved UP to the drive head, as opposed to having the drive head come DOWN to
the disk--thereby all but eliminating the possibility of a disk crash. Bernoulli Boxes are pretty much extinct today; the
manufacturer, Iomega, now makes Zip and Jaz drives.
Bit Computer Terminology; A bit is the smallest unit of binary data; it can either have the value of 0 (usually meaning
"off" or "no") or 1 (usually meaning "on" or "yes"). The word "bit" comes from the words "binary digit."
Blue Screen of Death, the Internet Slang; This term refers to the the blue screen you see when you when Windows
hangs up in a serious way. The only solution is a 'cold boot' , which in itself can cause another blue screen.
Bozo filter Internet Slang; A "bozo filter" is a feature that filters out e-mail or discussion group postings from people
whom you'd rather not hear from--in other words, "bozos."
Bug Computer Terminology; A bug is an error in a software program that causes the program to perform
inconsistently, not do what it's supposed to do, or crash entirely--sometimes taking your operating system down with it.
It's called a bug because a long time ago a problem with the very first computer, the ENIAC, was traced to a real insect
that got caught in the circuitry. Which means that had circumstances been different, we might be running around
complaining about rats or hairpins.
bus Computer Terminology; A bus is a group of wires that carries data from one part of your computer to another. If
you have a relatively new computer, you probably have three buses:
- An internal bus, which connects your CPU (the chip) and your memory to your hard disk, floppy drive, and all the other
"standard" parts of your computer;
- An expansion bus, which connects your CPU and memory to any new components (add-in boards or devices) you add
to your computer;
- A local bus, which is reserved for data that has to travel really fast, such as video data.
Byte Computer Terminology; A byte is a single data character--a letter or number. It's also the amount of disk space
or memory required to store a single data character. It takes eight bits to make a
byte.
BBS (bulletin board system) A term for dial-up on-line systems from which users can download software, leave
messages for other users, and exchange information. BBSes proliferated in the 1980s with the advent of inexpensive
PCs and modems. Today, more than 65,000 are estimated to be operating in the United States alone.
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) Pronounced "by-oss." A set of low-level routines in a computer's ROM that
application programs (and operating systems) can use to read characters from the keyboard, output characters to
printers, and interact with the hardware in other ways. Many plug-in adapters include their own BIOS modules that work
in conjunction with the BIOS on the system board.
BASIC Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. A high level programming language which is easy to learn and
which is available in many different versions. it first became available in 1965, originating from Dartmouth College in the
USA.
BBS Bulletin Board Services. These are services which you can contact by connecting your computer, via a MODEM, to
a phone line. Bulletin boards provide message exchange facilities, information and advice, as well as software for the
type of computer you are using.
BCD Binary Coded Decimal. A system for representing each of the decimal numbers 0 to 9 by a four-bit binary code.
The bits, from left to right, are "worth" 8, 4, 2 and 1 in decimal, so the number 6 in BCD is 0110, 8 is 1000 and so on.
BCPL Basic Combined Programming Language. A high level programming language for computers. BCPL evolved into
a language called B, which led to the creation of the C language.
BCT BiCMOS Technology. A method of making logic chips by combining two technologies: Bipolar (for high speed) and
CMOS (for low power consumption) -- thus getting the best of both.
BIOS Basic Input Output System. A program, usually inside a ROM memory chip called the BIOS ROM. The BIOS ROM
performs test routines when a system is switched on, it searches for and loads the operating system from disk and it
contains programs to access the system hardware.
Bit Binary Digit. The binary digits are the numbers 0 and 1. Digital computers process information in digital form. The
digits used are these binary digits. In the computer circuits, they are usually represented by the voltages: 5V for "1" and
0V for "0". A 16-bit microprocessor works on data 16 bits at a time.
Bix Byte magazine's Information eXchange service. A conferencing and informaiton exchange service, accessed by
computer, run by Byte computer magazine.
BMP Bitmap. An extension indicating a graphics file, common in Windows applications.
BNC Bayonet Nut Couplers. A connector where the plug and socket fit together with a "push and twist" action, just like
the common domestic boyonet lamp fits into the lampholder. Often used to connect computers to network cabling.
BOS Business Operating System. A computer operating system devised with the intention of letting programs written in
the Cobol language be "portable" between different computers.
BPI Bits Per Inch. In technical literature on disks, you will see figures quoted for the number of bits stored in each inch of
track length on the magnetic surface of the disk. This is the BPI figure. For example, a 3.5" DSDD floppy might have a
maximum BPI of 8720.
BPS Bits per second. A measure of communication speed on a serial interface system, often (though slightly incorrectly)
called the baud rate.
BS British Standard
BSD Unix Berkeley Systems Distribution Unix. This is the University of California's version of the UNIX operating
system.
BSI British Standards Institution. The UK organisation which publishes standards for product performance. A member of
ISO.
BT British Telekom

C
CAD Computer-Aided Design or Computer-Aided Drawing. using the computer as a tool to assist in the preparation of
drawings or the design of some object or system.
CADCAM Computer-Aided Design, Computer-Aided Manufacture.
CADMAT Computer-Aided Design, Manufacture And Testing. A system where the computer is involved in every stage of
product design, manufacture and testing.
CAE Computer-Aided Engineering. The computer is now used in many brances of engineering from design work and
preparation of drawings (CAD) through to controlling the manufacture of items.
CA - Certificate Authority - a trusted third party used to create digital certificates and private/public key pairs and to
guarantee that the party signing a document is the person they claim to be.
cache - a part of memory set aside for temporary storage, like a scratch pad your computer can jot notes on.
CC - Carbon Copy
CD - Compact Disk - a polycarbonate/metal disk for storing digital information
CDMA - Code-Division Multiple Access - a digital cellular technology that uses spread-spectrum techniques. Unlike
competing systems, such as GSM, that use TDMA, CDMA does not assign a specific frequency to each user. Instead,
every channel uses the full available spectrum. Individual conversations are encoded with a pseudo-random digital
sequence. CDMA is a military technology first used during World War II by the English allies to foil German attempts at
jamming transmissions. The allies decided to transmit over several frequencies, instead of one, making it difficult for the
Germans to pick up the complete signal. Because Qualcomm Inc. created communications chips for CDMA technology,
it was privy to the classified information. Once the information became public, Qualcomm claimed patents on the
technology and became the first to commercialize it.
CDPD - Cellular Digital Packet Data - a data transmission technology developed for use on cellular phone frequencies.
CDPD uses unused cellular channels (in the 800- to 900-MHz range) to transmit data in packets. This technology offers
data transfer rates of up to 19.2 Kbps, quicker call set up, and better error correction than using modems on an analog
cellular channel.
CD ROM - Compact Disc, Read Only Memory - a CD that, once stamped by the vendor, cannot be written over. The
normal storage capacity is 650MB which is about the same amount of storage as 455 floppy discs.
CGI - Common Gateway Interface - the specification for moving data between a web page and a program designed to
manipulate or store the data and return information to the web page. Perl is often used for CGI scripts.
CIFS - Common Internet File System - a protocol that allows file sharing across multiple OSes and platforms without any
of the computers having to install new software.
CIR - Committed Information Rate - the rate of data transfer that has been guaranteed by the provider of the connection.
CLEC - Competitive Local Exchange Carrier - local telco alternatives to Bell and GTE.
client - a computer program which is used to access a specific application on a server. Also, a name for a program which
accesses specific programs on a server (such as an email client that access the mail server.) Sometimes used to refer to
computers which depend on a server for their operating system, such as thin clients.
CO - Central Office - where the switchboards and operators used to be. Now it's a bunch of computers (and sometimes
older switches that need to be replaced.)
cookies - messages given to a web browser by a server. This creates a text file on your hard drive which allows web
sites to track how often you visit, what you look at on their site, and how often you visit. Sometimes it is used to save
information about you so you can use the site repeatedly without having to re-identify yourself over and over again.
CPU - Central Processing Unit - the brains of your computer. You know - "Intel Inside"®.
CRACK - Challenge/Response Authentication of Cryptographic Keys - a protocol for the secure exchange of keys, used
by Nokia primarily.
CSU/DSU - Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit - "the DSU is a device that performs protective and diagnostic
functions for a telecommunications line. The CSU is a device that connects a terminal to a digital line. Typically, the two
devices are packaged as a single unit." (PC Webopaedia)
CAL Computer-Aided Learning. Using the computer to assist in learning. "Multimedia" is the term which describes
machines or systems able to mix pictures, text and sound in educational or entertainment presentations which are often
"interactive".
CAM Computer-Aided Manufacture. This term was first used to describe computers in control of lathes, milling
machines, etc. It is now used to refer to the control of a whole range of production equipment including robots.
Case Computer-Aided Software Engineering. Case is called a "software tool" for programmers. It provides help in the
planning, analysis, design and documentation of computer software.
CBL Computer-Base Learning. Any system or software which uses the computer as an aid to teaching or learning.
CBT COmputer-Based Teaching.
CCD Charged Coupled Device. These electronic devices allow solid-state cameras to be made that can feed images
directly into a PC. CCD arrays are manufactured as a matrix of light-sensitive dots (e.g. 376x200) in a single
semiconductor package. When light falls on a CCD element, a build up of electrical charge occurs at that point. Each
packet of charge represents the light intensity for one element or pixel to be captured. The charge packets can be "read"
and stored in coventional RAM chip memory.
CCITT Consultative Committee for International Telephone and Telegraphy. The international committee (now know as
the ITU-T) which sets communications standards, including those for data transmission over telephone circuits. These
standards go by names such as V22 and X3. Standard V.24 is similar to the well-known serial interface standard RS-
232-C
CDA Compound Document Architecture. A system, from DEC, for describing the layout of a document which makes it
possible to pass the document from one system to another and still retain the same arrangement of text and graphics.
CDDI Copper Distributed Data Interface. A standard covering the transmission of data over the copper cables used for
networking computers.
CD+G Compact Disc and Graphics. A version of the audio CD specification where a few pictures and some text can be
stored in a separate "sub-channel" on the disc.
CD-i Compact Disc interactive. The system for storing computer data on compact disc, as used by Philips/Sony. It allows
a mixture of data, audio, still and moving video.
CD-Mo Compact Disc Magneto Optical. A compact disc that can be written to, reased and re-used. Data is recorded on
the optical disc using a laser beam to produce a tiny area of reverse magnetism on the disc surface. The datta is read by
a low-power laser beam. The spot of reverse magnetism will cause a slight change in the reflected light beam. The data
can be overwritten as necessary since the magnetic effect is reversible. The technical standards for such discs are
contained in the so-called "Orange Book".
CDOS Concurrent Disc Operating System. A multitasking, multi-user operating system from the company Digital
Research.
CDPS Compound Document Protocol Specification. Produced by a consortum including Lotus, Microsoft and
WordPerfect Corporation, CDPS allows documents that contain a mixture of, say, text and graphics to be edited in a
novel way. For example, suppose the document was being worked upon within a word processor. Selecting a graphic
prepared on a graphics package for editing would automatically call up the graphics program to allow changes to be
made. The document graphic would be updated upon leaving the graphics program and you would be returned to the
word processor to continue editing. CDPS is an extension of Microsoft's DDE.
CD-R Compact Disc Recordable. A general term which describes compact disc computer storage systems where the
user may record their own data. Examples are CD-Mo, CD-Wo and the PCD.
CD-ROM Compact Disc Read Only Memory. The familar audio CD used to store a large amount (650MB) of data for the
computer, which can include text, pictures and music. The coputer can only read data from these optical discs, but
versions are available that can be both written to and read from. Error detection codes (EDC) and error correction codes
(ECC) provide reliability for the computer data.
CD-ROM XA Compact Disc Read Only Memory eXtended Architecture. A system which enables the storage of a CD-
ROM system to include interleaved audio and data.
CDTV Commodore's Total Vision. The CD-ROM system as implemented by Commodore.
CD-Wo Compact Disc Write Once. A compact disc which can be written to but not erased for re-use. At present, the
best-known example is Kodak's PhotoCD, which can be used to store photographic images on CD for later viewing on a
TV or computer monitor. These are "single-session" or "multisession" devices, terms which describe the number of
occasions when information is written to the disc.
Cerdip Ceramic Dual inline package. A holder for chips which is capable of withstanding high temperatures. The pins
are in two parallel rows, hence dual-inline.
CFD Compact Floppy Disc. The original floppy disc was 8" in diameter, then came the mini-floppy at 5.25". There was a
time when it looked as though there would be a battle between the 3.5" micro-floppy and the 3" compact floppy, but the
latter lost out in the popularity stakes.
CGA Colour Graphics Adaptor. A display system, now virtually obsolete, which can provide different modes such as
320x200 pixels, four colours, 620x200 pixels, two colours.
CGH Computer Generated Hologram. A hologram is the sort of picture you get on most credit cards -- as you change
your viewing ange, so the picture changes, creating a three-dimensional effect. It is possible (but expensive) for
computers to calculate the pattern required for a hologram and a special process can be used to place this on film.
CGM Computer Graphics Metafile. A file extension (letters placed after a filename to aid identification) indicating a file
produced by software such as Hardvard Graphics and Lotus Freelance.
CHS Cylinders, Heads and Sectors. A term used to describe the properties of hard disk drives. The drive may contain
severl platters (discs) and a "head" is needed for each side of each disc on which data is stored. Each head writes and
reads stored data. The data is stored in circular tracks on each disc, but since the heads move together, the tracks are
called cylinders. Finally, each track is divided into sectors with a sector able to store a given number of bytes of data.
The CHS information for a drive is stored in the computer BIOS.
CIRS Cross-Interleaved Reed-Solomon. This is an error detection and correction scheme used on CD-ROMs. CD-ROMs
can store around 640MB of computer data. The data is stored in some 270 000 sectors, each sector made up of 2 352
bytes. Special care has to be taken to detect and correct erros in the binary data being read by computer. The CIRS
scheme can spot and correct up to two bit errors in a block of 24 bytes. The cross-interleaving refers to the fact that data
from different parts of a sector is mixed up as it is recorded onto the CD. Should a stream of errors occur in the data
read from the CD, then these errors become "shared out" among several sections of data, allowing them to be dealt with
rather more easily.
CISC Complex Instruction Set Computer (or Chip). At the heart of every computer system is the microprocessor, for
example the Intel 80286 in an IBM-AT. There are many different microprocessors and each has its own list of operations
it can perform. This list is the instruction set. As the traditional microprocessor evolved, so it became capable of many
more operations and hence the instruction set became more complex. The term CISC refers to these chips.
CIX Compulink Information eXchange. A conferencing system you can contact if you've got a computer and a MODEM
connected to a telephone line.
Clans Cordless Local area networks. Most computer networks use cabling for the connections between machines.
Allowing computers to communicate by radio waves allows much more flexability -- hence the name "cordless". The DTI
has allocated frequencies in the 2.445-2.475GHz region for this type of network.
Clut Colour Lookup Table. A table of the data required to produce different colours at various points on a computer
display unit.
CMIP Common Management Information Protocol or Control and Management Information Protocol/service. a standard
for establishing a common format for the messages and syntax used by network management systems.
CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. CMOS chips are extensively used in computer systems because of
their low power consumption. They can also operate over a very wide range of supply voltages. They are, however,
susceptible to damage by static electricity and care is required when handling them.
CMY, CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow; Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK. A system of specifying colours for reproduction in
print. Cyan, magenta and yellow inks are mixed to produce the required shade, with blank ink optionally used (rather
than mixing 100 percent of each colour) to create a solid black tone.
CNC Computerised Numerical Control. Many machines such as lathes, milling machines and drills may be electronically
controlled. The required machine operations are expressed as a series of numbers given to the controller -- hence the
term "numerical control", or NC. CNC machines use a computer as the controller.
COBOL COmon Business-Oriented Language. A computer programming language for business and commercial data
processing applications.
Codec Encoder/Decoder. A term, often used in connection with digital video technology, which describes devices or
systems that handle the conversion of video or film material into compressed data files for computer storage (encoding)
or the replay of the video files (decoding). Codecs can use special dedicated hardware or can be implemented in
software. Since software Codecs need your computer's CPU to do all the work, the hardware versions offer better
performance.
COMAL COMmon Algorithmic Language. A computer programming language devised by Borge Christensen because of
his dissatisfaction with BASIC as a language for teaching good programming practice.
COSE Common Open Software Environment. An attempt by a group of companies to produce and support a common
version of the UNIX operating system.
COW Character-Oriented Windows. When a computer display is split up into several rectangular sections, the sections
are called windows. Each window might be used for displaying different information. For example, the contents of a disk
drive and its directories can be shown in a window, and a mouse used to "click" on a character which represents the file
or directory, making manipulation of files much easier.
CPI Characters Per Inch. A term used in printer specifications. For example, a 24-pin printer might use a matrix of 12x24
dots at 10cpi, but only 10x24 at 12cpi.
CP/M Control Program for Micros. The original operating system for 8-bit microprocessors, written by Gary Kildall --
founder of Digital Research.
CPS Characters Per Second. This is a measure of the speed at which a printer prints characters. For a dot matrix
printer, this might be around 200-300cps for draft quality or about 60-80cps for high-quality output.
CPU Central Processing Unit. The heart of a computer. The CPU works on information in digital form, processing it
according to the steps specified in the program. A microprocessor is a CPU on a single chip. Today's best-known CPUs
are probably the Intel microprocessors such as the Pentium Pro, which has around 5.5 million transistors on one chip.
CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check. A method of testing that the data retrieved from a disk is without error. When data is
written to disk, a special check number (the CRC) is calculated, based on the data itself, and stored with it. As data
comes off the disk, the CRC is re-calculated and compared with the stored CRC. The two match if no errors are present.
CRISC Complex Reduced Instruction Set Computer. A term which has been used to describe Intel's Pentium
microprocessor. It was claimed to posses features of both CISC and RISC microprocessors to make it the fastest (then)
in the 80X86 series.
CRT Cathod Ray Tube. the device inside "TV-like" monitors which produces a picture by causing a focused beam of
electrons (the cathode ray) to hit a light-emitting phosphor coating on the internal serface of the screen. The single beam
"scans" the whole screen surface very rapidly to build up a complete picture. Colour monitors use three electron "guns"
inside the CRT, each beam adjusted to hit only red, green or blue phosphors, enabling colour displays to be produced.
CS Chip select. This is used to describe the pin found on many integrated circuits (chips) which is used to literally turn
the chip on. Even when a chip has been supplied with power, unless the CS pin is at the correct voltage level, then the
chip cannot be used. many such chips, if not selected, will act as though they are electrically disconnected from the
circuit. in this state the chip is said to be "tri-stated".
CSMA/CD Carrier Sensing Multiple Access with Collision Detection. When computers are connected toghether in a
network, problems can occur when more than one machine is trying to use the network at the same time -- so systems
such as the "token ring" allow only one message to travel on the network at any one time. CSMA is a set of rules (for
"protocol") which allows any computer to use the network but detects a data collision if it is already busy, stops the
computer that is trying to butt in and allows it to re-try, after a time, until it succeeds.
CSV Comma separated variables. A database file format which uses a comma to separate the stored data fields.
CTI Computer Telephony Integration. The European standard for enabling such products to work together.
CTS Clear To Send. A signal used on the RS-232 serial communcation interface.
CU Control Unit. Things happen quickly inside a microprocessor. It is the job of the control unit to make sure they
happen in the right order, at the right time. The system clock provides the accurate time signals required.
CUA Common User Access. If all the different applications programs you need to use on a computer are controlled by
different key combinations, menu schemes or screen layouts, then the "learning curve", or time you take to get to know
how to use them, will be long. The CUA aims to provide a common way of using different pieces of software -- for
example, menu bars, "drop-down" menues and mouse support -- thus making it easier and "instinctive" to operate a new
piece of software.
Cuts Casette users' tape specification. before disk drives became cheap enough for the average computer user, the
popular way to store data was by using inexpensive cassette tape recorders. At meeting in Kansas City, a group of
hobbyists proposed a standard for storing data which used a 2.4KHz tone for storing a binary "1" and a 1.2KHz tone for
storing a binary "0". This was widely adopted and became known as the "Kansas City Cuts".
CERN Computer Acronym; CERN stands for "Conseil European pour la Recherche Nucleaire." In English this
translates to "European Laboratory for Particle Physics," The The CERN , headquartered in Geneva, is where the World
Wide Web was born as a result of a CERN initiative to improve the way scientists exchanged data over the Internet.
CULA Chat Room Acronym; See You Later Alligator.
Cable Modem Computer Terminology; A kind of modem you use to connect to the Internet over coaxial cable. Today's
cable modems can transmit data at 500 KBPS and, more importantly, receive data at 250 KBPS--about 50 times faster
than the 56 KBPS modems used to connect over telephone lines.
Cellpadding Internet Terminology; Cellpadding is what HTML programmers use to specify the space between table
cell borders and the text or graphics within them. Cellpadding is measured in pixels; HTML code that reads
"cellpadding=10" creates a 10-pixel "pad" around the text within the table cells.
cgi-bin Internet Terminology; CGI, or Common Gateway Interface--the standard for writing programs that run
programs on a Web server from a Web page. So what's a "cgi-bin," that little phrase you so often see tacked to the end
of the URL in your browser's location box? Turns out it's pretty much what it sounds (or reads) like: a place (folder or
directory) on a Web server where all the CGI programs are kept. When you see "cgi-bin," you're either at a page you
arrived at as a result of a CGI program or on a page from which you can run a CGI program -- like most bulletin or
message boards you use on the Internet.
CGI script Internet Terminology; CGI scripts are what make something happen after you click the Submit button. CGI
scripts enable a Web page to run a program residing on the Web server. When you fill in a Web form and click a Submit
button, the button runs a CGI script that starts a program on the Web server, which processes the contents of the form.
On the plus side, CGI scripts can be written in just about any programming language, including C, Java, and Visual
Basic. On the minus side, because they make the Web server do more work, they tend to slow the surfing
experience.
Click-through Internet Terminology; A "click-through" is a Web advertiser's term for a person who clicks a Web ad,
such as a banner, and arrives at the advertiser's Web site. Because a click-through is a better prospect than someone
who simply stumbles upon a Web site, smart Web advertisers make sure that the click-through arrives at a special page
designed to capture his or her name, e-mail address, and other information.
CORBA Internet Acronym; It means Common Object Request Broker Architecture," an architecture that enables small
pieces of programs, or objects, to communicate with each other even if they're written in different programming
languages or running on different computing platforms. The most common use for CORBA these days is for dynamically
filling on-line (Web) form applications with data.
Cobweb Internet Slang; A cobweb is a Web page that has not been updated in a long, long time. While many
corporate sites are guilty of leaving outdated information posted at their site, most cobwebs are the results of individuals
creating personal home pages and then never bothering to update them.
Comdex Computer Terminology; Comdex is the computer industries biggest trade show.
Command line Computer Terminology;A command line is the screen location where you type in a command. If you
ever entered a DOS command into a computer, you did so by typing the command at the DOS command line. Windows-
-especially Windows 95--has made command lines a not so warmly remembered anachronism for most PC users. UNIX
users, however, still spend the bulk of their days typing at a command line.
Cookie Internet Terminology; A cookie is a text file that a Web server passes to your Web browser when you visit a
certain Web site and that your Web browser passes BACK to the Web server the next time you visit the same Web site.
In theory--and most often in practice--Web servers use cookies to collect information that they can later use to customize
the site, for your benefit, the next time you visit. Unfortunately, some Web servers use cookies to develop a personal
profile of you, which they later try to use to sell you stuff. The good news is that you can set newer browsers to reject
cookies or to warn you before you receive a cookie.
Cracker Computer Terminology; Because the term "hacker" is so constantly misused, hackers coined the term
"cracker" to refer to a person bent on breaking into computers and causing general mayhem. Nice try, but the universe of
crackers is necessarily a subset of the universe of hackers, because there's no way a person can break into someone
else's secure computer without having hacker-level knowledge.
crash, frozen up Computer Slang; Your computer or program has refused to work any longer.
Cybercafe Internet Slang; A kind of restaurant/cafe that just happens to include PCs you can use to surf (or chat) while
you sip.
Cyberchild, Cybergal, Cyberdude Internet Slang; Someone who spends an inordinate amount of time on-line .
cyberspace Internet Slang; The invisible space where computer generated signals are sent before being received by
another computer.
CYMK Computer Terminology; The four-color system your printer uses to create colors on paper. CMYK stands for
cyan (a light blue), magenta (a reddish pink), yellow ( plain yellow), and black (k, probably so it won't be confused with
the "B" in RGB ).
CISC (complex instruction-set computing) Pronounced "sisk." A microprocessor architecture that favors robustness
of the instruction set over the speed with which individual instructions are executed. The Intel 486 and Pentium are both
examples of CISC microprocessors. (See the Tutor column of October 24, 1995.) See also RISC.
CMOS RAM (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor random access memory) A bank of memory that stores a
PC's permanent configuration information, including type identifiers for the drives installed in the PC and the amount of
RAM present.
CPU (central processing unit) A formal term for the microprocessor chip that powers a personal computer. The Intel
Pentium chip is one example of a CPU. The term sometimes also refers to the case that houses this chip. See also FPU.
CRC (cyclical redundancy check) A mathematical method that permits errors in long runs of data to be detected with a
very high degree of accuracy. Before data is transmitted over a phone, for example, the sender can compute a 32-bit
CRC value from the data's contents. If the receiver computes a different CRC value, then the data was corrupted during
transmission. Matching CRC values confirm with near certainty that the data was transmitted intact.
CRT (cathode-ray tube) The tube of a television or monitor in which rays of electrons are beamed onto a
phosphorescent screen to produce images. Often used as a generic term for a computer monitor.

D
DARPA - Defense Advanced Research Project Agency - the progenitor of the Internet. DARPA is where it all began.
datagram - a part of a message sent over a network. Similar to a packet.
DBMS - DataBase Management System - a set of programs that allow you to control and manage a database.
DEC - Digital Equipment Corporation - now a part of Compaq Corporation.
DES - Data Encryption Standard - a symmetric key encryption method that was standardized in 1981. Triple DES is a
more recent usage of it.
DFS - Distributed File System - a file system mechanism for NT that allows a number of shares to be mapped to one
drive letter.
DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - a protocol used to dynamically assign IP addresses and WINS
configuration information.
DHTML - Dynamic HyperText Markup Language - HTML with active content added.
DIR - Department of Information Resources - the UT System department responsible for setting computing policy for all
components of the UT System.
DISA - Defense Information Systems Agency (also the Data Interchange Standards Association.)
DLL - Dynamic Link Library - a "library" of data or functions which a Windows program uses to complete instructions.
DMA - Direct Memory Access - a method of transferring data to and from peripherals while bypassing the CPU.
DMCA - Digital Millennium Copyright Act - the US enabling legislation which updates US Copyright laws to comply with
the World Intellectual Properties Organization treaties, of which the US is a signatory member. See the Crash Course in
Copyright for answers to specific questions you may have about the legal use of images, videos, text, etc.
DPMI - Dos Protected Mode Interface - according to the standard: "The DOS Protected Mode Interface (DPMI) was
defined to allow DOS programs to access the extended memory of PC architecture computers while maintaining system
protection. DPMI defines a specific subset of DOS and BIOS calls that can be made by protected mode DOS programs.
It also defines a new interface via software interrupt 31h that protected mode programs use to allocate memory, modify
descriptors, call real mode software, etc."
DNS - Domain Name Service - this is how you can find a machine on the Internet (a fuller discussion involves a large
book.) If you're really serious about learning this stuff, go to the BIND home page. Or you can visit SamSpade.Org for a
bit friendlier discussion.
domain - on an NT network, a group of computers that are administered as a single unit with controls for accounts,
groups, login scripts and access rights to network resources. On the Internet, it refers to the name an entity has chosen
to identify themselves to other nodes. Essentially, a domain name is an "address" which uniquely identifies a network to
all other networks.
DOS - Disk Operating System - there's lots of different versions of DOS. MS-DOS is the most widely used.
DoS - Denial of Service - an attack against a host to render it unusable.
download - to move or copy data, files or programs from a remote site to your computer.
DSL - Digital Subscriber Line - there are many variations of this being developed; ADSL, VHDSL, iDSL, etc.
DSLAM - Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexor - the box that combines a group of DSL lines together at the CO
and connects them to an access provider.
DUL - Dial Up List - a list of dialups known to be used by spammers. Networks can use the list to automatically block all
mail from those dialups. This is one of the services that MAPS offers.
DVD - Digital Versatile Disk (sometimes called Digital Video Disk) - a large capacity storage device that may obsolete
the CD ROM.
DVD ROM - Digital Versatile Disk, Read Only Memory - just like the CD ROM, once it's stamped by the vendor, it cannot
be overwritten. Typically, they hold almost 5GB, which is almost eight times as much data as a CD ROM!
D2T2 Dye Diffusion Thermal Transfer. The latest cameras can store your snaps on a small magnetic disc rather than the
traditional film. Pictures can be displayed on a computer screen, enabling the results to be seen without the wait for
developing. D2T2 is used to transfer the screen images into a colour print. Thermal print heads working at about 400°C
are used to transfer dyes from a CMY colour ribbon on to the print paper.
D/A Digital to Analog Converter. See DAC.
DAC Digital to Analog Converter. Digital computers process information in digital, or number, form. This information is
stored in the same form, maybe in chips or on tape or disk. Suppose the stored information represents music that we
want to hear. Music doesn't consist of the "on-off" type of information that the comüputer uses, but is a continuously
variable or "analog" quantity. It is the work of the DAC unit to convert informaiton input in digital form to an analog output.
DARPA Defence Agency Research Projects Agency. The American agency responsible for the Arpanet computer
network which was to form the basis for the Internet.
DAT Digital Audio Tape. For computers, this form of tape offers the ability of storing over a gigabyte (1 000MB) of data
on a cassette the area of a credit card. The tape is only 3,81mm wide and digital data is stored diagonally across it.
DAT's main rival as a backup storage system is QIC.
dB Decibel. A unit of measurement that can be used to compare electrical power levels or sound wave intensities. For
example, background noise in an office might be about 70dB, while safety regulations suggest an exposure limit of 90dB
unless special protection is worn. In computing terms, you may see the noise produced by a printer quoted by the
manufacturer in dB(A), a figure calculated (or adjusted) from the measured dBs to give a more accurate representation
of how the noise sounds to the human ear. For every extra 3dB of noise, the sound intensity has actually doubled, so a
printer producing 63dB(A) is making twice the noise of one producing 60dB(A).
DBMS Database Management System. The software that allows you to construct, modify and maintain a database and
which provides the link between user and data.
DCA Document Content Architecture. This is a standard, produced by IBM, for word processor files. Two type of DCA
file are used -- one for documents that can be altered (called revisable form text, or RFT) and one for those that can't
(called FFT, or Final Form Text).
DCE Data Communications Equipment. Usually means a MODEM, the piece of equipment that allows a computer to
communicate by using the phone line. The DCE connects to the computer's serial port, often called the RS-232
connector.
DCI Display Control Interface. A specification from Intel and Microsoft which allows smooth, full-screen playback of
videos on the computer display. Rather than making the system microprocessor cope with the video as an extra task
(leading to jerky pictures in small windows), the video information is directed to special chips (video accelerators) on a
graphics plug-in card. These can access the display directly, producing full-screen, full-motion video.
DCT Discrete Consine Transform. A technique for compressing pictures in digital form so that they take up less space
on a CD-ROM.
DD Double-Density. A method of encoding data for storage on hard or floppy disk. Also known as MFM.
DDBMS Distributed Database Management System. A database management system which consists of the software
which allows the user to construct, modify and maintain a database. If the database is spread over several computers
connected by a network, then a DDBMS provides the additional control which allows many users to access the same
data.
DDC Display Data Channel. Computer displays are rewritten or "refreshed" many times each second. For example, the
VGA display system refreshes at 60Hz. Many modern monitors are capable of much higher refresh rates, reducing the
tendency for the display to "flicker. The monitor refresh rate must be matched to the signals generated by the video
"card" -- a process which can sometimes be difficult. The DDC system allows the monitor to send information about itself
to the graphics card, allowing the card to adjust itself for the monitor's optimum refresh rate.
DDE Dynamic Data Exchange. A method, from Microsoft, of allowing the data created by one application to be shared
by another.
DDL Data Definition Language. Comparing a simple card index to a computer database, the whole card index is the
database file. Each card is known as a record and the information on each card is stored in sections called fields. The
DDL is that part of the database program which allows you to set up the structure of the file, records and fields in a way
which suits your data.
DDS Digital Data Storage. A Specification for the way digital data can be stored on magnetic tape, now adopted by
many manufacturers of tape backup units.
DEC Digital Equipment Corporation -- the company
DES Data Encryption Standard. It is often necessary to protect sensitive data during its transmission over
communication links such as networks. The "plaintext" is protected by turning it into "ciphertext". The series of coding
steps producing encryption is called an algorithm. DES is a well-known encryption algorithm which is reputed to be very
secure.
Dif Data Interchange Format. This is used as an extension to a filename, indicating that the file format complies with
certain standards that have been developed to allow data to be passed between different software applications.
DIL Dual-InLine. A term used to describe chips or chip-sockets that have their pins in two parallel rows.
DIMM Dual Inline Memory Module. A circuit board containing memory chips which plugs into the main curcuit board
("motherboard") via rows of connection pads on the DIMM's lower edge, thus saving space on the main board. DIMMs
are used to upgrade the available RAM memory in computers, with 8 or 16MB being typical DIMM capacities.
DIN Deutsche IndustriNorm (Deutsches Institut for Normung). The German of BSI and the American ANSI. DIN plugs
and sockets are those which conform to the appropriate DIN standard. They are widely used on equipment from tape
recorders to computers.
Dip Document Image Processing. A term that describes a computer system capable of handling complex documentation
which may need to be viewed by many people, for example that found in a law firm. This may involve the "scanning in" of
documents, their storage on large-scale media such as optical disks, their display on very high-resolution (such as
1664x1200 pixel) screens.
DIP Dual-Inline Package. A common chip package, also known as DIL, where the pins are in two parallel rows.
DLL Dynamic Link Library. A set of functions or routines that provide a programmer with a method of accessing, from
within the program being developed, data files created by other applications such as databases.
DMA Direct Memory Access. When large amounts of information need to be transferred between a disk drive and the
computer's memory, the a "dedicated" chip called a DMA controller (DMAC) takes charge. This has direct access to the
system memory and performs the transfer much faster than the system microprocessor.
DMAC Direct Memory Access Controller. See DMA
DMD Digital Micromirror Device. A display technology from Texas Instruments (TI) which uses a memory chip whose
surface is covered with tiny hinged mirrors (each 16 thousandths of a millimetre across). Data bits stored in the memory
chip can move each mirror, deflecting bright light shone on it. By projecting the deflected light, very large full colour
images - several metres across can be obtained.
DME Distributed Management Environment. There are many different systems for managing the flow of information over
computer networks. DME has been proposed, by the OSF, to allow two existing incompatible systems (CMIP and
SNMP) to work over the same network without clashing.
DMI Desktop Management Interface. A standard, developed by DMTF, covering the management of the devices (e.g.
printers and file servers) connected to a computer network.
DML Data manipulation language. A facility provided by some database programs which gives the user the ability to
design their own layouts and to search for, manipulate and present data for their own applications.
DMTF Desktop Management Task Force. A group set up to develop a specification (called DMI) that would allow
networking hardware and software, from different manufacturers, to work together.
DNS Domain Name System. A domain name is given to each person or organisation connected to the Internet. The
DNS provides a meaningful name such as bill@sales.washers.com - which might refer to someone called Bill in the
sales department of a company which makes washers. However, the DNS hides a numerical address called the IP
address -e.g. 128.252.232.334.87 - which is used by the protocols that control information exchange over the Internet.
DOS Disk Operating System. A program which lets you use the facilities of a computer, for example storing, retrieving
and copying files, organising the RAM, looking after input/output and so on. The operating system is loaded from disk
into the computer's memory by a "bootstrap" routine in the BIOS ROM when the computer is switched on. The term DOS
is often used to mean specifically the type of operating system found on IBM-type computers.
DOT Digital Optical Tape. Digital "paper" tape consists of a polyester tape with a special coating. Data is written on the
tape by a laser beam, which causes a change in the surface reflectivity. The data can then be recovered from the tape
by detecting the amount of reflection of a read laser. The tape is a new material from ICI Imagedata and will be able to
store huge amounts of data. This is an example of a write once, read many times type of storage device or Worm.
DP Data Processing
DPCS Data Personal Communications Service. Apple's name for personal data communications which use wireless
links between computers.
DPI Dots Per Inch. The form of measurement used for printer and scanner resolution. For example, 300-800dpi is
possible with laser printers while a 9-pin dot matrix printer might provide 240dpi.
DPMS Display power management system. The major part of the power consumed by a typical computer with a CRT
monitor is used by the monitor itself. If, in periods of inactivity, the monitor could have parts of its circuitry powered down,
then substantial power saving could result. DPMS is a standard produced by VESA which defines four levels of monitor
power consumption: on, standby, suspend and off. The general idea is that manufacturers of monitors will produce them
with the special circuitry enabling control to be exercised by routines added to the computer BIOS.
DPSK Differential Phase Shift Keying. A special form of phase-shift keying, see PSK.
DRAM Dynamic Random Access Memory. DRAM memory is chip memory. The bits of information are stored as an
electrical charge on a tiny capacitor. This doesn't take up much room on the chip, and as a result a lot of information can
be squeezed onto a DRAM. They are physically small, cheap and are used for most of the chip memory in a PC. They
are, however, slower than their companions, the SRAMs.
DRDOS Digital Research's Disk Operating System. Once a rival to Microsoft's MSDOS.
DRW Draw format. A file extension (letters placed after a filename to aid identification) indicating the format used by
software such as Windows Draw and Micrografx Draw.
DS Double-sided. You might see something like "DS DD96 TPI" on a box of floppy discs. DS means that both sides of
the disc can be used for storage.
DSP Dye Sublimation Printing. A technique for printing colour pages which uses chemical processing rather than
multicoloured ink ribbons.
DSP Digital Signal Processor. A DSP is a special type of microprocessor which is used to manipulate signals in digital
form. The DSP can work at very high speeds (at present up to four billion operations a second) and can thus cope with
the very high speed signals found, for example, in radar or image processing systems.
DTAM Data Transfer, Access and Manipulation.
DTE Data Terminal Equipment. Often used to mean the computer when serial inferfacing (communicating one bit at a
time) is being discussed.
DTI Department of Trade and Industry (UK).
DTP Desktop Publishing. DTP software packages allow the computer to be used to aid the design of document layout,
mix pictures and text, preview the layout before printing and so on. DTP provides us with complete control over all
stages in the production of a document.
DUART Dual Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter. A chip containing two UART devices.
DVD Digital Versatile (or Video) Disc. A new optical storage system, the same diameter (12cm) as a CD-ROM but
thicker, double-sided and able to store data on two layers. The DVD can store 25 times more data than a CD-ROM,
some 17GB per disk. MPEG video compression will enable full-length feature films to be stored and recordable versions
(DVD-R) should become available.
DVD-R Digital Versatile Disc - recordable.
DVI Digital Video Interactive. The system for storing information on CD-ROM as implemented by Intel, the chip
manufacturer. Now suspended by Intel's Indeo.
DXF Data Exchange Format. A file extension (letters added to a file name to aid identification of file type) indicating that
the file was produced by AutoCAD or Autosketch software.
DCI (display control interface) A component of Windows that works in conjunction with the GDI to speed up video
playback operations. Originally a key piece of the Windows 95 graphics architecture, DCI was recently abandoned in
favor of Microsoft's newer and more powerful Direct Draw interface. See also DDI and GDI.
DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) A mechanism used in Windows to transfer data between two applications or two
separate instances of the same application. Windows itself uses DDE for a variety of purposes, from opening documents
in running applications when a document icon is double-clicked in the shell to obtaining program icons for DOS
applications. DDE is also used to support OLE. See also OLE.
DLL (dynamic link library) A special type of Windows program containing functions that other programs can call,
resources (such as icons) that other programs can use, or both. Unlike a standard programming library, whose functions
are linked into an application when the application's code is compiled, an application that uses functions in a DLL links
with those functions at runtime--hence the term dynamic.
DMA (direct memory access) A technique that some hardware devices use to transfer data to or from memory directly
without requiring the involvement of the CPU.
DRAM (dynamic random access memory) Pronounced "dee-ram." The readable/writable memory used to store data
in personal computers. DRAM stores each bit of information in a "cell" composed of a capacitor and a transistor.
Because the capacitor in a DRAM cell can hold a charge for only a few milliseconds, DRAM must be continually
refreshed in order to retain its data. Static RAM, or SRAM, requires no refresh and delivers better performance, but it is
more expensive to manufacture. See also EDO RAM and SRAM.
DSP (digital signal processor) A microprocessor-like device designed to process electrical signals very quickly, just as
an FPU is designed to perform floating-point math at high speeds. DSPs are used for a variety of devices in personal
computers, including high-speed modems, multimedia sound boards, and real-time audio/video compression and
decompression hardware.
DMA Computer Terminology;; DMA stands for "direct memory access," the process of moving data directly from memory
to a device--such as a disk drive or monitor--by bypassing the CPU. To do this, a computer must be equipped with a
DMA channel.
dpi Computer Terminology; The standard measurement for screen or printer resolution is in dpi, which stands for dots
per inch. The more dots per inch, the sharper the screen image or printed output. Most of today's computer screens
have anywhere from 72- to 96-dpi resolution; most of today's laser and ink jet printers offer anywhere from 600- to 1440-
dpi resolution. The manufacturers of these printers often claim to have "photographic-quality resolution", but photos--
such as those you might see in a professionally printed brochure--are usually printed at 2270 dpi or higher.
Dingbat Computer Terminology; A dingbat is a font's character that displays a picture or symbol instead of a word.
Domain Name Internet Terminology; A domain name is the main address, or URL, of a Web site--the word that
typically comes after the "www." and before the first slash (/).
dongle Computer Terminology; A dongle is a hardware device that attaches to a port on your computer and controls
access to a particular software application; even if the software is installed on your computer, you can't run it without the
dongle. The dongle is physical an is one of the most effective copy-protection measure a software manufacturer can
implement. It's costly and impractical for mass-market applications, and so only vendors of custom, high-priced
applications tend to use dongles today.
Dot pitch Computer Terminology; A computer monitor's dot pitch is the diagonal distance between the colored dots on
its screen, usually measured in millimeters (as in .26mm dot pitch). The lower the dot pitch, the sharper the screen
image. Anything in the low-to-mid 20s is good, and anything in the teens is EXCELLENT.
Dribbleware Computer Terminology; Dribbleware is software that trickles to you over time, instead of arriving all at
once. You might receive the bulk (or sometimes less) of the program in the package and be advised to check the
manufacturer's Web site regularly for important updates. (Windows 95 and the Service Pack Updates for example.)
Drive bay Computer Terminology; A drive bay is a space set aside within your computer in which you can install a hard
drive, floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, or removable disk drive (such as a ZIP or JAZ drive). You can usually figure out how
many drive bays you have by counting the blank panels on the front of your computer.
dumb terminal Computer Terminology; A dumb terminal is a monitor, connected to a network, that doesn't contain a
processor chip, or "brain." It's capable of displaying application information--numbers, letters, and user interface
elements -- but not much else. Most dumb terminals can't even display bold text. Dumb terminals are installed when it's
desirable to have all the "work" done by the network server. Telemarketers and catalog order-takers often work at dumb
terminals.
Dynamic HTML Internet Terminology; Dynamic HTML is a new set of HTML extensions on the verge of being
standardized that Web page developers will be able to use to create content that responds to information typed in by the
user--without having to first send that information back to the Web server for processing. You know how you type things
into Web forms, then click Submit, and then wait to see the result? In many cases, Dynamic HTML could make the
Submit button and the wait things of the past

E
EAROM Electrically Alterable Read-Only Memory. A chip whose contents can normally only be read (and remain in the
chip when he power is off), but may be altered by electrical signals.
EB Electronic Book. A hand-held compact computer, from Sony, which takes a 3" CD-ROM. A small screen displays text
from the CD which can store the equivalent of 120 000 pages of text.
Eb Exabyte. A measure of the number of unique memory locations that a microprocessor can contact or "address". With
64-bit addresses, the Pentium microprocessor can contact 16 exabytes of memory. 1Eb = 1024 petabytes (Pb). 1Pb =
1024 terabytes (Tb). 1Tb = 1024 gigabytes (Gb). 1Gb = 1024 Megabytes (Mb). 1Mb = 1024 kilobytes (K). 1K = 1024
bytes. One byte = eight bits.
EBCDIC Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code. A code using eight binary digits, which was developed by
IBM, representing the characters which a computer might need to process.
ECC Error Correction Code. The 640MB of data stored on a typical CD-ROM is split into data areas, each 2 352 bytes
long. Of these, 288 bytes consist of codes which allow the computer to both detect and correct errors in the data read
from the disc.
ECD Enhanced Colour Display. A term used by Amstrad to describe its EGA-compatible colour monitors.
ECL Emitter Coupled Logic. This is a way of making extremely fast "chips". Circuits using ECL chips are quite difficult to
design and these chips are not common in microcomputers.
ECMA The European Computer Manufacturers Association.
ECTF Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum. An association set up to promote computer telephony products.
EDC Error detection code. A typical CD-ROM is capable of storing the equivalent of 300 000 pages of text. The stored
data areas are each 2 352 bytes long. Of these, 288 bytes consist of codes which allow the computer to detect and
correct errors in the data from the disc.
EDI Electronic Data Interchange. EDI describes trading systems where quotations, ordering and invoicing are carried out
by direct data exchange - using computers connected via the telephone system - rather than by sending bits of paper.
EDO DRAM Extended Data Out Dynamic Random Access Memory. DRAM memory chips have many advantages (see
DRAM) but they are slow. EDO versions (also called Hyperpage Mode DRAM) have been designed to keep up with
modern microprocessors by giving up their stored data very quickly - e.g. 25ns. Special memory controllers are required
to use EDO memory in a PC.
EDP Electronic Data Processing. Using the computer to gather together items of data in the form of useful information,
e.g. the data for a payroll, account details or invoicing systems.
EDP Electronic Data Processing. Using the computer to gather together items of data in the form of useful information,
e.g. the data for a payroll, account details or invoicing systems.
EDPT Enhanced Drive Parameter Table. A set of binary data, used by the E-IDE interface system, which allows
translation of the 24 bits representing the CHS (cylinder, head, sector) values for a hard disk into a larger 28-bit code,
allowing bigger capacity drives to be used.
EEPLD Electrically Erasable Programmable Logic Device. A complex logic chip that can be erased and re-programmed
electrically. This gives it the advantage, over other types such as the EPLD, that you don't have to remove it from the
circuit - thus reducing the risk of physical damage to the chip.
EEPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. A memory chip whose contents, while normally fixed
and unalterable, may be erased by electrical signals.
EFF The Electronic Frontier Foundation. An American organisation which aims to encourage popular use and
understanding of computers, while encouraging the development of a system of legislation which will not hinder this aim.
EFTPOS Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale. This is the sort of system which takes money straight out of your
bank account when you pay for something with your plastic card.
EFTS Electronic Funds Transfer System. See EFTPOS.
EGA Enhanced Graphics Adapter. This is a graphics display system which was introduced to improve upon the CGA
system, giving 16 colours with a 320x200 or 640x200 pixel display mode. It has now been largely superseded, although
many EGA systems are still in use.
EIA Electrical Industries Association. An American standards organisation which produced the (in)famous RS-232 serial
interface standard.
E-IDE Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics. The newer systems (VL-bus, PCI bus) of connecting the "circuit cards"
(e.g. video) in a computer to the main circuit board allow data to flow very quickly. The older IDE specification for hard
disk drives was not able to take advantage of this. The E-IDE specification allows storage capacities of up to 8.4Gb of
data with data movement at up to 11.11Mb per second, with further increases possible.
EISA Enhanced (extended) Industry Standard Architecture. A connection system used for the "expansion slots" on
computers (such as those using the 80386 microprocessor) which can accommodate up to 32-bit data exchange
between the main circuit board and the "daughterboards". The EISA was developed by a group of manufacturers in
response to the MCA slot system (which was subject to royalties) developed by IBM.
EL Electroluminescent. EL displays produce light by placing an alternating voltage (about 200V) across materials called
phosphors. EL displays have better contrast than LCD displays and are highly reliable. They use less power than a CRT
and are available with 640x480 pixel resolution. Most EL displays are monochrome (amber yellow), although full-colour
displays are being developed.
ELF Extremely Low Frequencies, in the range 1Hz to 1kHz. Computer monitors can produce frequencies in this range.
Some of the frequencies may have adverse effects on the computer user so most monitors are designed to conform to
the "MPR II" standard, which sets maximum limits for the radiation in this band of frequencies. Compliance with the
tougher TCO92 standard is mandatory in some countries.
E-mail Electronic Mail. The idea of electronic mail is that you can, using your computer connected to the telephone
network via a MODEM, leave messages at a central computer. These messages may be collected by others. Each
subscriber has their own "pigeon hole" and has to "dial up" the computer each time they want to check to see if a
message is waiting.
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility. This is the ability of a system, such as a computer, to operate without producing
polluting electromagnetic interference (EMI) - and without it being affected by other interference. In other words, you
should be able to use your computer or radio without causing interference to, say, a TV set. From 1st January 1996, most
electrical/electronic products sold in the EU have had to comply with new laws which limit the interference that can be
produced and carry a "CE" mark.
EMI Electro-Magnetic Interference. Every electric current that flows produces a magnetic field. If the current increases or
decreases, the magnetic field also grows or shrinks. If this moving magnetic field passes through a wire, a voltage signal
will be induced in the wire which may interfere with the correct operation of the circuit. Strong magnetic fields occur
where cables carry heavy current so special attention must be given to the design of the computer power supply. If
electric currents are changing very rapidly, then radio waves can be generated which may cause interference with other
equipment.
EMM Expanded Memory Management. The system that manages the switching of banks of memory, as explained in
EMS.
EMMS Electronic Mail and Message System.
EMS Expanded Memory Specification. If we imagine computer memory as a housing estate, with data being stored in
each house, then for the system to be able to contact a particular piece of data, we need a unique "address" for each
"house". The number of addresses that many microprocessors can generate is limited. EMS is the name given to the
technique of switching banks of memory in and out of the same set of addresses, thus expanding the memory available
to the system without having to find more addresses. Not to be confused with extended memory, which is the amount of
memory past the first megabyte on systems where the microprocessor can generate huge numbers of addresses, e.g.
from 16Mb form the Intel 80286 to 1 terabyte (Tb) of addresses for the PowerPC microprocessor.
EPLD Erasable Programmable Logic Device. These chips appeared in about 1984. They can be user-programmed to
perform complex logic functions, but may also be erased by exposing the window in the top of the chip to high-intensity
ultra-violet light, just like EPROMs.
EPP Enhanced (extended) parallel port. An improved parallel interface for the PC, giving 2Mb/s to 8Mb/s burst and
200K/s sustained data flow.
EPROM Erasable programmable read only memory. A memory chip with normally fixed contents, but which may be
erased by exposing the window in the chip to high-intensity ultra-violet light. The chip can then be re-programmed.
EPS Encapsulated PostScript. A file extension (letters placed after a filename to aid identification of the file type)
indicating a graphics file produced by DTP software. EPS files are programs written in the PostScript language and
contain informaiton that allows images to be displayed with the correct scale and at the correct position.
ERLL Enhanced Run Length Limited. RLL was a method, devised by IBM in the early 80s of squeezing more data, more
quickly, on to a hard disk than had been possible with the previous method called MFM. A 50 percent increase was
achieved without increasing the maximum frequency of pulses on the disk drive cable. Some manufacturers took this a
step further and increased the maximum frequency of the pulses to achieve a 100 percent increase in storage capacity
and the rate at which data was transferred between system and drive. This method was known as ERLL or ARLL.
ESD Electro-Static Discharge. We all know how static electricity can build up on our body and how we can "discharge" it
by touching an earthed object. Very large electric currents can flow in that short discharge time. If these currents pass
through the delicate chips in a piece of electronic equipment, then damage can be caused. This is why computer service
engineers will often wear a wrist-strap connected to earth when the change the circuit boards in a computer or carry out
other repairs.
ESDI Enhanced Small Device Interface. This is an interface system for connecting hard disk drives (and optical discs) to
computers. ESDI provided, from the mide 1980s, a reliable interface system having a greater data rate than the earlier
ST506 interface (ST506 refers to the hard disk drive interface introduced by Seagate in its ST506 5.25" hard disk drive.
The ST506 interface became widely adopted). ESDI are less widely used, with IDE drives the more popular.
ESP Enhanced Serial Port. All PCs have serial ports, or connectors, which allow the computer to interface to peripherals
(such as MODEMs) which handle data one bit at a time. The chips inside the PC (called ACIAs or UARTs) that deal with
serial data are often limited to a maximum speed of 19 200bps. The enhanced serial port is a plug-in card that provides
a much faster serial chip (called a 16550 buffered UART) that allows the computer to work with MODEMs operating at
speeds up to115Kbps.
EVGA Enhanced Video Graphics Array. Also called SVGA (Super VGA). A graphics display board which provides an
improved VGA display of 800x600 pixels with 16 colours.
EAP - Extensible Authentication Protocol - an extension to PPP. EAP is a general protocol for authentication that also
supports multiple authentication methods, such as token cards, Kerberos, one-time passwords, certificates, public key
authentication and smart cards. IEEE 802.1x specifies how EAP should be encapsulated in LAN frames. In wireless
communications using EAP, a user requests connection to a WLAN through an AP, which then requests the identity of
the user and transmits that identity to an authentication server such as RADIUS. The server asks the AP for proof of
identity, which the AP gets from the user and then sends back to the server to complete the authentication. EAP is
defined by RFC 2284.
EBCDIC - Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code - (pronounced ep-seh-dic) - used in IBM mainframes to
represent characters as numbers. Similar to the way ASCII works on PCs.
emulator - a program that imitates (emulates) another program or device. For example, the TCP3270 emulator we use to
access the mainframe imitates an IBM terminal.
ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning - a new buzz word in higher education. It refers to using software which interacts
with a relational database system to manage the various processes of an entity in a way that increase efficiency and
reduces cost.
ethernet - a LAN protocol developed by Xerox and DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) that allows data transfer rates
of 10Mb; often called 10Base-T, 10Base-2 or 10Base-5. (The differences designate the type of cable used; T = twisted
pair/RJ45, 2 and 5 are types of coaxial cable - 2 is commonly called Thinnet - 5 is commonly called Thicknet.)
exabyte - 1018 bytes. 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. 1000 petabytes. See the NIST page for details.
exbibyte - 260 bytes. 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes. 1024 pebibytes.
ERP Computer Terminology; ERP (say the letters, don't pronounce it) stands for enterprise resource planning, a type
of company wide software system that's very, very popular these days. ERP is a set of applications that automate
finances, human resource functions, production planning, order processing, and more in such a way that one area
knows everything it needs to know about the other area. Leading vendors of ERP software include SAP and PeopleSoft.
But while companies are rushing to install ERP systems, the jury's still out on whether they're worth the cost.
Easter Egg Computer Terminology; The pinball game hidden in Microsoft Word. The flight simulator concealed in
Excel. The animated list of contributors tucked into a hidden folder of Windows 95. These are just a few examples of
Easter Eggs: undocumented programs--usually games or elaborate screen shows--that programmers hide in
applications.
e-book Computer Terminology; E-books are just what you would think they are: electronic books. Specifically, an e-
book is a small, book-sized computer with a screen that allows you to read the digitized text of a book. It also has a
touch-sensitive screen and stylus that let you highlight, annotate, or bookmark the book. A single e-book can actually
contain an entire library of books, making carrying around a lot of books at once easier.
Exabyte Computer Terminology; The exabyte is equal to 2 to the 60th power bytes--or precisely
1,152,921,504,606,846,976.
EDO RAM (extended data-out random access memory) A form of DRAM that speeds accesses to consecutive
locations in memory by (1) assuming that the next memory access will target an address in the same transistor row as
the previous one and (2) latching data at the output of the chip so it can be read even as the inputs are being changed
for the next memory location. EDO RAM reduces memory access times by an average of about 10 percent compared
with standard DRAM chips and costs only a little more to manufacture. EDO RAM has already replaced DRAM in many
computers, and the trend is expected to continue.
EDRAM (enhanced dynamic random access memory) A form of DRAM that boosts performance by placing a small
complement of static RAM (SRAM) in each DRAM chip and using the SRAM as a cache. Also known as cached DRAM,
or CDRAM.
EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory) Pronounced "ee-ee-prom." A special type of read-
only memory (ROM) that can be erased and written electrically. EEPROM is frequently used for system-board BIOSes
so that a computer's BIOS can be updated just like a piece of software. See also ROM, EPROM, and BIOS.
EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Device Electronics or Enhanced Intelligent Drive Electronics) An enhanced version of
the IDE drive interface that expands the maximum disk size from 504MB to 8.4GB, more than doubles the maximum
data transfer rate, and supports up to four drives per PC (as opposed to two in IDE systems) . Now that hard disks with
capacities of 1GB or more are commonplace in PCs, EIDE is an extremely popular interface. EIDE's primary competitor
is SCSI-2, which also supports large hard disks and high transfer rates. See also IDE and SCSI.
EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) Pronounced "ee-suh." An open 32-bit bus architecture developed by
Compaq and a consortium of computer vendors to counter the proprietary Micro Channel architecture proffered by IBM.
Unlike the Micro Channel, an EISA bus is backward-compatible with 8- and 16-bit expansion cards designed for the ISA
bus. Despite its 32-bit design and other promising features (such as bus arbitration and support for burst-mode data
transfers) , EISA never gained widespread acceptance, in part because of the substantially higher cost required to
manufacture EISA buses and adapters.
EMS (Expanded Memory Specification) A bank-switched memory management scheme developed by Intel, Lotus,
and Microsoft that allows MS-DOS applications (normally limited to 640K of memory) to access vast quantities of
memory. The first widely accepted version of the EMS specification, Version 3.2, supported up to 8MB of memory, and
Version 4.0 increased the limit to 32MB. Memory that conforms to this standard is often referred to as expanded
memory. EMS memory has been all but made obsolete by protected-mode operating systems such as Windows.
EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) A parallel port that conforms to the EPP standard developed by the IEEE (Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1284 standards committee. The EPP specification transforms a parallel port into an
expansion bus that can handle up to 64 disk drives, tape drives, CD-ROM drives, and other mass-storage devices. EPPs
are rapidly gaining acceptance as inexpensive means to connect portable drives to notebook computers.
EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory) Pronounced "ee-prom." A special form of ROM that can be
erased by high-intensity ultraviolet (UV) light and then rewritten, or "reprogrammed," in a manner similar to common
DRAM. EPROM chips normally contain UV-permeable quartz windows exposing the chips' internals. See also ROM and
EEPROM.

F
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions.
FAST Federation Against Software Theft.
FAT File Allocation Table. Placed on a disk by the DOS format program, the FAT contains information about which parts
of a disk are used, which are unused and which parts cannot be used because they are faulty.
FC-AL Fibre-Channel Arbitrated Loop. An interface system, using fibre-optic or copper cables, for linking hard disk
drives to computers or for networking computers. Data transfer rates of up to 100Mb/s are possible.
FCC Federal Communications Commission. The US body which allocates frequencies for radio communications.
FDDI Fibre Distributed Data Interface. An industry standard covering the transmission of data, as pulses of light, over
fibre optic links. Fibre optics allow data to flow at very high speeds, for example 100Mbps.
FFT Final Form Text. A word processor file format from IBM.
FIDDI Fibre Distributed Data Interface. See FDDI.
FLCD Ferroelectric liquid crystal display. Normal liquid crystals remain transparent unless a voltage is placed across
them. While the voltage is applied, the portion of the display under its influences remains opaque. The speed at which
the liquid crystal can be switched on and off is relatively slow, and the need to control each tiny element (pixel) of a
display makes it difficult to manufacture computer and TV screens. In 1992 Thorn EMI announced a new type of LCD
called FLCD. This switches more quickly and has the ability for each tiny pixel switched on or off to remain so without the
need for the switching voltage to be constantly applied.
Flops Floating point operations per second. This is a measure of the computer's ability to perform calculations with
floating point numbers. These are numbers containing decimal points (e.g. 134,5, 2,345, 56,78 etc.) but where the
decimal point is allowed to "float" to one end of the number so that manipulation and storage is easier - so the three
numbers above might become 0,1345 x 103,2345 x 101,5678 x 102.
FIFO First In, First Out. This describes a storage system for information where the first piece stored is also the first piece
retrieved.
FM Frequency Modulation. In connection with computers, FM is a method of storing data on a floppy disk. The digital 1s
and 0s to be stored become tiny areas of magnetism on the disk's surface, each "bit" separated from the next by a
marker called the "clock pulse". FM, also known as single density storage, is not a particularly efficient method and has
been largely replaced by others.
FMV Full Motion Video. Used to describe the ability of a CD-ROM system to store moving pictures, rather than just
"stills".
FORTRAN Formula Translator. A computer language developed by IBM and first released in 1957. FORTRAN was the
first "high level" language. A high level language (HLL) is one which is closer to "our" way of communicating. Rather than
the computer's way. FORTRAN was designed to be capable of expressing problems involving mathematical formulae -
hence its name.
FPLA Field-programmable logic array. A complex logic chip that you can program yourself - "in the field". For more
details see PLA.
FPROM Fusible-link Programmable Read Only Memory or Field-Programmable Read Only Memory. A memory chip that
you can program yourself ("in the field"). For more details see PROM.
FPU Floating Point Unit. An FPU is a specialist circuit designed to perform calculations very quickly. The "floating point"
term refers to the way that numbers with decimal points are handled - the point is allowed to "float" to one end of the
number to make it easier to represent in the computer. FPUs are necessary because of the sophistication of today's
software, ranging from the generation and movement of three-dimensional graphics to the searching of huge databases.
The FPU may be in the form of a separate chip called the maths coprocessor (for example, the Intel 80386
microprocessor provides the general purpose computing power in many computers, while the 80387 coprocessor will be
fitted to speed up calculations) or it may be found inside the microprocessor itself - as with the Intel Pentium or
Motorola's 68040. The performance of the FPU is measured in Mflops - millions of floating point operations per second.
For example, to display a single high-resolution image might require a 1,5 Mflop performance!
FRAM Ferroelectric Random Access Memory. This is a new memory chip from the Ramtron Corporation. Every memory
chip needs a two-state device to represent the stored "1" or "0" bit. In FRAM, the storage element is a crystal cell. In the
centre of the cell is an atom that can exist in two stable positions. The atom is shifted into one position or the other by
the application of an external electric field. Once the atom has been moved, it will remain in position without the external
field and is non-volatile. Ramtron claims that the FRAM can replace DRAM, SRAM, ROM and EEPROM chips.
FSFMV Full Screen, Full Motion Video. A term used to describe the attributes of some CD-ROM systems.
FSK Freqency Shift Keying. When digital informaiton is sent down a telephone line, audible tones are used. The FSK
system uses different frequencies to represent the "1"s and the "0"s, such as 1 300Hz for "1" and 2100Hz for "0".
FTAM File Transfer Access Method.
FTP File Transfer Protocol. A set of rules (protocol) for enabling computer files to be moved from one computer to
another across the Internet. The computers don't have to be the same type and many files can be downloaded free (and
without a password other than the name "anonymous") from Internet sites aptly called Anonymous FTPs. To search for
sites and access files, you need software called the FTP "client".
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - a compendium of the most frequently asked questions, intended to lessen repetitive
questions on a particular topic. Go to FAQS.ORG to find them.
FAT - File Allocation Table - a table that contains the location of files on a disk. Used by DOS. Later versions of
Windows 95 use FAT32, which is a newer version of FAT. (So does Windows 98.)
fast ethernet - a newer version of Ethernet that allows data transfer rates of 100MB on a LAN - also called 100Base-T.
Firewire - a new technology that allows a computer to have an almost unlimited number of devices running without using
up all the hardware interrupts. Developed by Apple, MACs were the first to use Firewire in production models.
FQDN - Fully Qualified Domain Name - the complete name of a host on a network, including the network's name and the
top level domain (TLD.) For example, the host "apache" resides in the "utdallas" domain, which is part of the "edu" TLD,
so the FQDN of apache is "apache.utdallas.edu". If you cannot resolve (i.e. locate) hosts from your machine, the Domain
Suffix Search order (in our case, utdallas.edu)is incorrectly configured on your machine. That is why you have to use the
FQDN to locate a host on the same network.
Fresnel Zone - (pronounced 'fre-nel' the "s" is silent) The area around the visual line-of-sight that radio waves spread out
into after they leave the antenna. This area must be clear or else signal strength will weaken. Fresnel Zone is an area of
concern for 2.4 GHz wireless systems. Although 2.4 GHz signals pass rather well through walls, they have a tough time
passing through trees. The main difference is the water content in each. Walls are very dry: trees contain high levels of
moisture. Radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band absorb into water quite well. This is why microwaves -- which also use the
2.4GHz band -- cook food. Water absorbs the waves, and heat from the energy cooks the food.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol - the protocol used for moving and copying files on the Internet. It can be used both for
downloads and uploads.
FTP Internet Terminology; File Transfer Protocol, the most common protocol for downloading files from or uploading
files to the Internet.
FUD Computer Slang; "FUD" stands for fear, uncertainty, and disinformation. It's an acronym that nerds typically use
to describe a neophyte's--or a bureaucrat's--often panicked and unjustified reaction to new technology or matters
technological. Widespread e-mail about a rumored but entirely nonexistent virus is one example of FUD in action
FAT Computer Terminology; File Allocation Table, the table your operating system uses to keep track of where each
file is located on your hard disk or floppy. Without it, you wouldn't be able to start a program or open a single file on your
system.
firewall Computer Terminology; a system (usually a combination of hardware and software) that prevents
unauthorized Internet users from getting into any private servers you have that are connected to the Internet--most
notably, your intranet servers. It's your company's last line of defense against hackers, competitors, and others that
would do you harm.
FAT (file allocation table) Pronounced "fat." The file system used by DOS and 16-bit versions of Windows to manage
files stored on hard disks, floppy disks, and other disk media. The file system takes its name from an on-disk data
structure known as the file allocation table, which records where individual portions of each file are located on the disk.
See also VFAT.
FPU (floating-point unit) A formal term for the math coprocessors (also called numeric data processors, or NDPs)
found in many personal computers. The Intel 80387 is one example of an FPU. FPUs perform certain calculations faster
than CPUs because they specialize in floating-point math, whereas CPUs are geared for integer math. Today, most
FPUs are integrated with the CPU rather than packaged and sold separately. See also CPU.
FTP (file transfer protocol) A set of rules that allows two computers to talk to each other as a file transfer is carried out.
This is the protocol used when you download a file to your computer from another computer on the Internet.

G
GA - Genetic Algorithm; a computer program that simulates the
"survival of the fittest"
Gb Gigabyte. This is used to describe a memory size of 1 073 741 824 bytes. A byte is eight binary digits or "bits". 1Gb
equals 1024 megabytes (Mb).
GCR Grey Component Replacement. When using a colour printer, blacks and greys can be created by overprinting the
three basic ink colours: cyan, magenta and yellow. This is wasteful and can be messy. GCR is a technique which allows
these areas to be specified for replacement by plain black ink.
GCR is Group Coded Recording, the scheme used by Apple, Comodore, and others for recording information on floppy
disks. In the case of the Macintosh, GCR was used until the introduction of the Macintosh SE/30 in January of 1989.
GCR was one reason why Macs stored 800K on a 3.5 inch floppy while MS-DOS clones stored only 720K. (MS-DOS
clones have always used MFM encoding.) Since then, all Macs have had floppy drives capable of both GCR and MFM.
They can read 720K and 1.4MB DOS disks, and 400K & 800K Mac disks. In the interest of compatibility, Apple decided
to switch to MFM for Mac high-density disks. An MS-DOS clone with the proper software can read a Mac 1.4MB disk,
but not 400K and 800K mac disks. Irocnically, even though IBM used MFM on their original PC, they invented GCR back
in 1973.
GDI Graphics Device Interface. This is one of the APIs used by Microsoft's Windows software. The API ensures that any
Windows application program runs on any computer running Windows. The GDI provides the graphical icons, menus,
windows and other objects required on screen. Normally, when you print from Windows, GDI is translated into one of the
printer languages such as PCL. Now GDI printers, which accept raw GDI data, are available - speeding up the printing
process.
Gedcom Genealogical Data Communications. A data format which allows sophisticated genealogy programs to
exchange data.
Gem Graphics environment manager. Gem was a program (from Digital Research) which provided the user with the
ability to control the computer by pointing at pictures (or icons) on the screen with a mouse and "clicking" when the
service depicted by the icon is required. It is also used as a file extension (letters added to a filename to aid
identification) to indicate files produced by programs such as GEM Draw.
GHz Gigahertz. The Hertz is the unit of frequency - it means cycles per second. "Giga" in engineering means one
thousand million - rather less than the "giga" used to describe memory size in some computers! For the confused, the
reason for the difference is that in computers binary codes are used to contact, or "address" each stored byte of data.
The number of different codes or "addresses" that can be generated by binary numbers is calculated from two raised to
the power of the number of bits in the code. So a 2-bit code provides two to the power of two which equals four
addresses and so on. The closest we can get to one thousand million is to use 1 073 741 824 - the "giga" used to
describe computer memory capacity.
GIF Graphics Interchange Format. A bitmap graphics format from Compuserve which aims to maintain the correct
colours on screen images when transferred between different computers.
Gigo Garbage in, garbage out. Probably the oldest computer acronym and still true!
GM General Midi. The Midi system allows computers and digital music synthesisers to communicate effectively. GM is a
set of rules, or protocol, which makes sure that different synthesisers will respond in the same way to the same
transmitted codes.
Gosip Government open systems interconnection profile. A specification, published by HMSO, for equipment which
needs to conform to the OSI standard.
CPIB General Purpose Interface Bus. A system that allows computer-controlled instruments such as chart recorders and
data-loggers to be connected to a computer. This is also known as the Hewlett-Packard interface bus (HPIB) or the IEEE
standard.
GSM Global System for Mobile communications. The digital system for mobile phone communications. For computer
communications, GSM offers a higher rate of data transfer (9600bps) compared with analog mobile phones (4800bps).
Portable PCs can connect to a mobile phone by using a PC Card.
GUI Graphical User Interface. This describes any system that allows you to control the computer through pictures or
"icons" on the screen. Each icon indicates a facility that can be selected, usually by "clicking" on the icon with a mouse.
GW-Basic Gee whizz Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. Microsoft's early version of the Basic
programming language.
gateway - the link between two subnets or networks. We usually use 100 as the gateway address (i.e. 129.110.27.100 is
the gateway for subnet 27.)
GB - gigabytes - 109 bytes. 1,000,000,000 bytes. 1000 megabytes. See the NIST page for details.
Gbs - gigabits per second. 109 bits per second.
GiB - (also gib) gibibyte - 230 power - bytes. 1,073,741, 824 bytes. 1024 mebibytes.
gigabit ethernet - a newer version of Ethernet that allows data transfer rates of 1Gbs. Note that network data transfer
rates are measured in bits per second, not bytes.
GNU - Gnu's Not Unix - a UNIX compatible software system which distributes software free of charge.
GPL - General Public License - the GNU license, which allows people to charge for distribution of the software, but not
for the software itself.
GPRS - General Packet Radio Service - a standard for wireless communications which runs at speeds up to 115 kilobits
per second, compared with current GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) systems' 9.6 kilobits. GPRS,
which supports a wide range of bandwidths, is an efficient use of limited bandwidth and is particularly suited for sending
and receiving small bursts of data, such as e-mail and Web browsing, as well as large volumes of data.
GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications - one of the leading digital cellular systems. GSM uses narrowband
TDMA, which allows eight simultaneous calls on the same radio frequency. GSM was first introduced in 1991. As of the
end of 1997, GSM service was available in more than 100 countries and has become the de facto standard in Europe
and Asia.
GUI - Graphical User Interface - first developed by Xerox, and used in the Apple computer, this is the pictorial
presentation screen commonly used in computers today (instead of text only) that allows people to use computers
without knowing the underlying command language.
Gigabyte Computer Terminology; A trillion bytes (2 to the 30th power bytes).
Gonk Chat Room Slang; To "gonk" is to stretch the truth.
Cyberspace is full of gonkers, for the simple reason that it's easier
to lie to someone online than face to face.
Gopher Internet Terminology; Before the World Wide Web, "gopher" was the system for finding and displaying
document files stored on the Internet. While most of these files have been converted to Web sites, occasionally you may
still hit a gopher site; instead of seeing a home page, you see a list of folders and files on the site.
Gopher was named for the mascot of the college where
it was developed, the University of Minnesota.
Granular Computer/Internet Terminology; In geek-speak, the more components or options a system has, the more
"granular" it is. Suppose, for example, that you have two security systems. If one lets you password-protect every page
of a Web site and the other lets you password-protect every page AND certain data entry areas of each page, then the
latter security system is the more granular of the two. The more granular a system is, the more flexibility it offers its
users.
GDI (Graphics Device Interface) The component of Windows that permits applications to draw on screens, printers,
and other output devices. The GDI provides hundreds of convenient functions for drawing lines, circles, and polygons;
rendering fonts; querying devices for their output capabilities; and more.

H
Hal Hard Array Logic. A complex chip, containing perhaps hundreds of logic gates, which has been manufactured with
the connections between the gates in position, to a customer's specification. This is a "read-only" version of the user-
programmable Pal device. It might be used when Pal needs to be produced in quality.
HC High-speed CMOS. Logic chips made using CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) technology use very
little power but are not particularly fast. HC technology has speede up CMOS chips. Now even faster versions called AC
are available.
HCT High-speed CMOS with TTL inputs. HCT chips provide a means of connecting HC type chips to TTL logic.
HD Hard disk. The hard disk drive contains at least one aluminium or glass "platter" which stores digital information in
magnetic form on its coated surface. The disk spins at high speed, typically 3600rpm, with the read/write head floating
above its surface. The clearance between the head and the disk is so small, about one millionth of a metre, that the
whole unit must be sealed to prevent the slightest speck of contamination. Hard disk drives are sometimes called
Winchesters. An early IBM project developed a 30Mb fixed, 30Mb removeable hard drive. This "30-30" drive became
known as the "Winchester" after the Winchester 30-30 rifle. Hard disks can store hundreds of megabytes or several
gigabytes capacity are common.
HD High-density. You'll see this used in connection with floppy disks. The 5.25" mini-floppy disk has, on IBM PC
computers, a storage capacity of 360K. When the IBM AT computer was introduced, a higher capacity disk drive was
fitted. This used 5.25" HD disks which stored 1.2Mb. Similarly, the HD version of the 3.5" compact floppy disk stores
1.44Mb compared with the usual 720K.
HDCD High-density CD-ROM. A CD-ROM, developed by Philips and Sony, which stores five times more than a standard
CD-ROM, about three thousand megabytes.
HDTV High Definition Television. A television system offering a picture of better quality and different width/height ratio
(called the aspect ratio) than our present 625-line system. One proposal is for a picture having 720 lines with 1280
pixels, or picture elements, per line. The aspect ratio will be 16:9.
Hex Hexadecimal. A system where each of 16 characters: the numbers "0" to "9" and the letters "A" to "F" are used to
represent a group of four binary digits (sometimes called a nibble). Now each place of a niary number has a set value,
so 1001 binary, for example is:
1 0 0 1 binary
8 4 2 1 = 9 in decimal.
The value of the 4-bit code 1010 is ten. Here we use the letter A. The code 1011 is represented by B and so on up to
1111 binary (15 in decimal) which becomes F in hexadecimal. The idea is to make it easier (!) for us to handle binary
numbers with many digits when we are programming a computer in a "low level" language - essential when you
remember that some microprocessors can work on binary numbers 16, 32 or more bits in length. So if we needed to
store the data 1010 0101 in a memory chip whose address is 1110 001 1001 0000, then it is much easier (and less error
prone) to say we will store the data A5 in memory address E290.
HGC Hercules Graphics Card. A display system which provided a 720x348 pixel monochrome graphics mode as well as
an 80x25 text mode to emulate the IBM MDA system.
Hippi High performance parallel processor interface. An interface system allowing very fast data exchange between
computers and peripherals.
HLL High level language. The closer a computer programming language gets to "our" way of communicating, the
"higher" it is. High level languages are designed for people to use and understand. Programs in HLLs have to be
"translated" into the raw binary digits that the computer can act upon. Sometimes this translation is done as the program
runs (by an interpreter) or else by a compiler which produces the computer code first, as a stand-alone module which is
then run.
HMA High Memory Area. When Intel designed the 80286 and 80386 microprocessors, these were given a special mode
of operation, called real mode, to enable them to operate just like the earlier 8086/8088 processors. These earlier
processors could only contact or "address" up to 1Mb of memory (1 048 576 memory "boxes", each holding 8 bits), while
the later 80286 could address 16 777 216 memory locations, and the 80386, a massive 4 294 967 296 locations. When
the 286 and 386 processors are operating in real mode, to look like a 8086/8088, they can actually address 64K of
memory more than the original 1Mb of the 8086/8088. This extra memory is called the HMA.
HMSO Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
HPFS High performance filing system. The OS/2 operating system's optional method of storing files on disk. HPFS
provides added benfits such as the ability to use very long filenames (up to 255 characters).
HPGL Hewlett-Packard graphics language. A method, devised by Hewlett-Packard, of describing drawings in a form
which can be stored or output to a plotter or laser printer.
HPIB Hewlett-Packard interface bus. See GPIB.
HSB Hue, saturation, brightness. A system of colour specification.
HSL Hue, saturation, lightness. A method of classifying colours by their hue (or dominant wavelength), their saturation
(how much the colour has been diluted by white) and their lightness or brilliance. Also called HSB.
HSM Hierarchical storage management. This describes software that is used to make the most efficient use of the
memory available on large Lan systems. It should detect little-used files and move them from primary memory to tape or
optical storage, recalling them as necessary.
HTML HyperText markup language. A system which allows you to move easily around computer-based documents.
Some words in the document will be highlighted. If a highlighed word is "clicked on" with the mouse, then you are
diverted to another part of the same document - or another document completely - which provides you with greater detail
on the ghighlighted subject. HTML is extensively used in large documents, such as encyclopaedias on CD-ROM, and to
help users navigate the resources of the Internet.
HTTL High-speed transistor transistor logic. This sort of logic chip was developed to speed up the operation of the
original TTL chips. Further improvements such as ASTTL have made this obsolete.
HTTP HyperText transfer protocol. The set of rules which allows a user to move between HTML documents on the
Internet World Wide Web.
hardware - the physical devices that make up a computer. Hard drives, floppy drives, CD ROM drives, etc.
HLLAPI - High Level Language Application Programming Interface - used with IBM mainframes to allow PC's to
communicate with the mainframe using an emulator. (In our case, the emulator is TCP3270.)
host - a term for a remote computer that is accessed by a terminal program, such as telnet.
HSRP - Hot Standby Routing Protocol - provides automatic router backup when using a Cisco router. It allows a router to
assume the duties of another router when the second router fails.
HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language - the code that makes web pages work.
HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol - that's how you get to see web pages. HTTP defines how pages should be
formatted and what commands they should recognize.
hub - a device used to supply a data connection to more than one machine from a single incoming data port. These are
usually used to supply multiple machines on a subnet from a central wiring location.
Hacker Computer Terminology; The term "hacker" originally referred to a computer expert--someone who could make
any computer push the envelope by employing techniques that the rest of us might never understand. Folks who enjoy
breaking into computers are properly called something else.
hard drive Computer Terminology; A disk inside the computer that stores and processes information.
heat sink Computer Terminology; A part of an electronic device that keeps the device cool by channeling heat away
from it. A heat sink can be as simple as a series of dimples or fins added to the component's shape or as complex as a
self-contained fan that literally blows the heat away.
HHOK Chat Room Acronym; Ha Ha Only Kidding.
HOYEW Chat Room Acronym; Hanging On Your Every Word.
HTML Internet Terminology; HyperText Markup Language: The language used to write web pages (like this one!)
HTTP Internet Terminology; Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Thanks to this protocol, the Web server you connect to knows
what to send you whenever you click a link, and you see the appropriate Web page in your browser.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) An ASCII text-based, scriptlike language for creating hypertext documents like
those on the Internet's World-Wide Web.
HPFS (High Performance File System) OS/2's native file system. HPFS offers superior performance compared with
the FAT file system, supports long filenames, and can efficiently handle hard disks of virtually any size. See also FAT,
NTFS.

I
IAWC Chat Room Acronym; In A While Crocodile.
IRC Internet Terminology; IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat," the area of the Internet where you can "chat" with other
users (that is, type and send messages that the other user or users see as soon as you send them). To use IRC you
must download and install an IRC program onto your computer, or have access to a Java-based chat room that is linked
to the IRC sever.
IRQ Computer Terminology; IRQ stands (loosely) for "interrupt request line", one of several connections on your
computer's motherboard over which a device--such as a hard disk controller, built-in modem, or sound card--can "talk"
with your computer's CPU (main chip). Each IRQ can handle only one device.
IAB - Internet Architecture Board - the advisory group which oversees the functions of the IETF and the IESG, oversees
the Internet Standards process and publishes and maintains the RFCs. A part of the Internet Society.
ISP Internet Terminology; Internet Service Provider: A company who provides access to the Internet utilizing telephone
lines.
Inkjet printer Computer Terminology; An inkjet printer prints by spraying jets of ink on a sheet of paper. To make sure
that the jets wind up in the right place, the ink is first ionized so that it can be directed to the proper location by
magnetized plates within the printer. Inkjet printers make near-laser-quality color printing affordable.
Interlaced GIF Internet Terminology; An interlaced GIF is a picture file that appears in phases--first as a blurry image
with just a few pixels, then as a slightly sharper image with a few more pixels, and so on. The result is that you see the
entire picture sharpen gradually rather than see the picture appear in slow, sharp bands
InterNIC Internet Terminology; Internet Network Information Center. Among its other services, the InterNIC registers
domain names and makes sure that no two organizations get the same one. It's a big job and growing, but InterNIC
registration remains one of the best bargains among online services. If nobody has the domain name you propose, you
can reserve it yourself for two years for about $70 or less, and the price has been dropping over time.
IANA - Internet Assigned Numbers Authority - they manage IP address space, root nameservers and domain names
among other things. They're being replaced by ICANN.
ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - the successor to IANA.
ICMP - Internet Control Message Protocol - the protocol for ping and some housekeeping chores for IP.
IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics (or Intelligent Drive Electronics) - the most commonly used interface for hard drives in
personal computers. Also stands for Integrated Development Environment - a programming environment built in to an
application.
IETF - Internet Engineering Task Force - the primary standards organization for the Internet. It is made up of volunteers
who have an interest in the workings of the Internet.
IESG - Internet Engineering Steering Group - along with the IAB, they "organize and manage" the Standards process.
IIS - Internet Information Server® - Microsoft's version of a web server.
IKE - Internet Key Exchange - the standard for negotiating VPN sessions and managing encryption keys that are used in
VPN sessions.
IMAP4 - Internet Message Access Protocol, Version 4 - an email protocol that allows you to view mail in folders, keep
mail on the server to read in multiple locations and maintain a consistent appearance in every location. Each location's
client will synchronize with the server.
IMC - Internet Mail Consortium - according to their web site "an international organization focused on cooperatively
managing and promoting the rapidly-expanding world of electronic mail on the Internet".
ini - ini is a file extension, which refers to files used by Windows to determine configuration information for applications.
In many cases, ini files have been replaced by the Windows Registry, a configuration database used by Windows 95/98
and NT.
internet - a global, distributed network. Internet is short for Interconnected Networks. The Internet is a cooperative
network where individual LANs agree to connect to each other, either directly or through intermediaries for the purpose
of sharing data.
Internic - the domain registry service for .com, .net and .org.
interrupt - a signal indicating to a program that some event has occurred. On PCs, there are only 15 hardware interrupts
available. This limits the number of devices which can be added to a PC.
intranet - a new term used to describe the Internet-like services (Web pages, etc.) which are only available inside a LAN
and cannot be seen by the computers on the Internet.
IP address - Internet Protocol address - a numerical representation of a machine on a network. Each machine has a
unique IP address. At UTD, the first two octets of an IP address represent our domain (129.110.) The third octet
represents the subnet, and the fourth octet represents a particular machine. So a machine with the address
129.110.159.12 would be located at UTD (129.110) on subnet 159, machine number 12. IP addresses are to computers
what your mailing address is to you. They positively locate a machine.
IPSec - IP Security - a set of protocols that allow the secure exchange of information using IP packets.
IPX/SPX - Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange - a protocol used in Novell networks and lots of
networked computer games. In functions in a similar manner to TCP/IP.
IR - Information Resources - the department at UTD which bears responsibility for all computing on campus not directly
owned by a department. This includes mainframe, UNIX and desktop systems, as well as all backbone and infrastructure
issues, telecommunications, technical support and student computer labs. The Executive Director is Mr. William
Hargrove.
IRQ - an abbreviation of Interrupt ReQuest line - a hardware line over which devices can send interrupt signals to the
CPU. (It's how your CD ROM gets your computer's attention.)
IRTF - Internet Research Task Force - a group focused on researching Internet protocols, applications, architecture and
technology
ISC - Internet Software Consortium - "a nonprofit corporation dedicated to production-quality software engineering for
key Internet standards."
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network - faster than a modem, slower than ADSL and cable modems.
IA5 International Alphabet number 5. A code for representing characters, similar to the ASCII code.
IBM International Business Machines, otherwise known as "Big Blue".
IC Integrated Circuit. ICs are arrays of electronic components such as transistors, diodes, resistors built from a single
piece of semiconductor material. Huge numbers (millions) of components can be placed upon a single chip, the external
connections being made via the pins on the IC package.
ICE In-circuit emulator. This provides a means of testing a microprocessor-based system such as a computer. The
microprocessor chip is removed and a "header" plug, joined to the ICE equipment by an umbilical cable, replaces it. The
ICE equipment, taking the place of the microprocessor, allows the equipment under test to operate normally, but has the
advantage that the commands and signals being sent to and received from the system can be monitored and stored so
that hardware or software problems can be diagnosed.
ICR Intelligent character recognition. See OCR.
IDE Intelligent drive electronics or integrated drive electronics. IDE is a method of connecting disk drives (both hard and
floppy) to a computer. IDE drives have the drive controller circuitry included with the drive electronics. This means that
only simple interfacing circuits are required and these can be designed into the main circuit board (motherboard), or into
an I/O board, thus removing the need for a separate disk controller "card" or circuit board. IDE can support hard disk
partitions of up to 528Mb and a data transfer rate of about 3Mb/s.
IDC Insulation displacement connector. A type of connector. A type of connector which attaches to a cable by using
metal prongs to pierce the cable's outer insulation and make contact with the inner conductor.
IEE Institution of Electrical Engineers. The premier UK body for professional electrical, electronic, computer and
production engineers.
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The US equivalent of the IEE.
IEEE 488 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard number 448, which deals with the connection of
instrumentation to computers.
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force. A group that designs the protocols or standards for the operation of the Internet.
IFF Image (or interchange) file format. A file format, used by the Amiga computer, to store graphic images.
ILBM Interleaved bitmap. The graphics file format for Amiga computers.
IMB Intel media benchmark. A benchmark is a program written to compare the performance of different computer
hardware when carrying out the same task. This benchmark was designed to show the capabilities of the Intel MMX
microprocessors.
IMG Image file format. Used as a file extension to indicate a graphics file used by applications running under the Gem
system.
Indeo Intel video. A data compression system from Intel, developed from earlier systems (DVI, RTV) and built into many
popular software packages.
I/O Input/output
IPX Internet Package Exchange. The agreed set of rules (or "protocol") used by the company called Novell which
governs the connections between PCs in a network.
IR Infrared. Literally "belowered". From your school science you might remember that, for visible light, the colour red has
the lowest frequency. Infrared frequencies are below this, about 0.3-300 million MHz. Infrared radiation is invisible and
therefore useful in applications where communication between machines is required without wires or the distraction of
flashes of light. Examples are the remote control of TVs and IR mouse control of a computer.
IRC Internet Relay Chat. A text based communication system enabling Internet users to "talk" to each other in "real-
time". The computer equivalent of Citizen's Band radio (CB).
IRDA The Infra-Red Data Association. An organisation set up to establish an "open" standard for short range digital data
communication between computers and peripherals or other computers. The advantage is a wireless link capable of
high-speed data transmission. Disadvantages include the need for a clear line-of-sight and limited range. The IRDA
serial infrared (SIR) system makes use of the PC's standard UART chip to provide a data rate of 115 000bps over a
distance of about 1m.
IRQ Interrupt Request. The microprocessor in a computer is the chip that works on a set of instructions (the program) in
order to perform a desired task. It is important that some means exists for external physical devices (such as disk drive
controllers, video drivers etc.) to interrupt the microprocessor and request that it temporarily leaves its present task and
diverts to look after or "service" the physical device. The interrupt request takes the physical form of a signal from the
external device to one of the pins on the microprocessor chip (the IRQ pin). The signal is called a "request because the
microprocessor can refuse - for example if it is carrying out an important task which should not be interrupted. If the
interrupt request is accepted, the microprocessor will make a note of where it has got to in its present program, divert to
a "service routine" which looks after the device which caused the interruption and then continue with its original task.
Because some events must be able to interrupt the microprocessor (for example a signal from a sensor which is
detecting dangerous pressure build up in a boiler), many microprocessors have a second form of interrupt called non-
maskable (NMI). This type of interrupt is always acknowledged by the microprocessor.
ISA Industry Standard Architecture. This is the name given to the connection system, used on the IBM PC, XT and AT
computers and clones, that allows "daughter" circuit boards to be plugged into the main or "motherboard". These
connectors are the "expansion slots". The ESA bus (a bus is a collection of wires having a common purpose) as
originally designed to work with eight bits of data, but was extended in length to cope with the 16 data bits (lus extra
memory addressing capability) of the AT.
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network. This is the name for the digital telephone network. The ISDN system contains
channels both for digitised speech, data, image or video signals. "ISDN 2" offers data rates of 64Kbps with a control
channel at 16Kbps. The control channel can be used for information services to computers. ISDN access to the Internet
has the advantage of increased speed when compared with MODEMs. Computers require a terminal adapter (TA) for
connection to an ISDN line.
ISO International Standards Organisation. A United Nations agency which co-ordinates and publishes standards of
product performance.
ISP Internet Service Provider. A company that provides access to the Internet.
ITU Intelligent Thermal Update. Hard disk drives store huge amounts of data as tiny magnetised spots arranged in
circular tracks on the disks or platters. The tracks are very close together and, as the drive warms up through use, it is
possible for the drive "head" (which reads and writes data to the disc) to become misaligned. The ITU system
automatically recalibrates the head position without stopping the flow of data through it.
ITU-T International Telecommunications Union Technical Committee. The body, formerly known as the CCITT,
responsible for approving technical specifications - such as the V.34 standard for MODEMs, which allows data transfer
over phone lines at 28 800bps.ISOC - Internet SOCiety - from their web page: "Since 1992, the Internet Society has
served as the international organization for global coordination and cooperation on the Internet, promoting and
maintaining a broad spectrum of activities focused on the Internet's development, availability, and associated
technologies."
ISP - Internet Service Provider - a commercial enterprise that offers connections to the internet for a monthly fee or
some other type of remuneration (like advertising.)
ITLA - Incremented Three Letter Acronym - believe it or not, at one time IBM ran out of TLAs. In order to move to four
letter acronyms, they had to come up with a four letter acronym to replace TLA. But FLA wouldn't work, because that
was only three letters. So ITLA was adopted as the "standard" to describe all four letter acronyms! True story!
IDE (integrated development environment) A term for products such as Microsoft's Visual C++ and Borland's Delphi
that combine a program editor, a compiler, a debugger, and other development tools into one integrated unit. The
forerunner of all modern IDEs, Borland's Turbo Pascal changed the way programmers write code by allowing programs
to be edited and compiled within the same application.
IDE (Integrated Device Electronics or Intelligent Drive Electronics) A drive-interface specification for small to
medium-size hard disks (disks with capacities up to 504MB) in which all the drive's control electronics are part of the
drive itself, rather than on a separate adapter connecting the drive to the expansion bus. This high level of integration
shortens the signal paths between drives and controllers, permitting higher data transfer rates and simplifying adapter
cards. IDE drives have virtually replaced the Enhanced Small Device Interface (ESDI) drives that enjoyed widespread
acceptance in the late 1980s. See also EIDE and SCSI.
I/O (input/output) A general term for reading and writing data on a computer. The term "file I/O," for example, refers to
the act of reading or writing information in a disk file.
IRQ (interrupt request) A signal from a hardware device such as a keyboard or a drive controller indicating that it needs
the CPU's attention. IRQ signals are transmitted along IRQ lines, which connect peripheral devices to a programmable
interrupt controller, or PIC. The PIC prioritizes the incoming interrupt requests from different devices and delivers them to
the CPU one at a time via a dedicated IRQ line connecting the PIC to the CPU.
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) Pronounced "eye-suh." The 8- and 16-bit bus design featured in the IBM PC/AT
and still used today in one form or another in most PCs. See also EISA and MCA.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) The CCITT (Comité Consultatif Internationale de Télégraphie et
Téléphonie) standard that defines a digital communications network geared to replace the world's analog telephone
systems. Among other things, ISDN provides superior dial-up connections for transferring information between
computers and connecting to the Internet, because it supports data transfer rates of 128 kilobits per second (Kbps) ,
compared with 14.4 Kbps and 28.8 Kbps for the fastest modems. It also permits voice and data signals to share the
same phone line.

J
Janet Joint Academic network. A system which connects computers in educational and research establishments and
allows easy exchange of information.
JEDEC Joint Electronic Devices Engineering Council.
JEIDA Japanese Electronic Industry Development Association. The Japanese body which agrees standards for
electronics products.
JPEG Joint Photographic Expert Group. This group produced a standard for storing images in compressed form. Storing
pictures requires a lot of memory space and the JPEG standard achieves compression of up to 100 times, using the
DCT sytem.
Java - a programming language invented by Sun Microsystems. It is a cross platform language used extensively in
embedded systems (such as coffee makers, timers used in manufacturing, etc.) and on the Internet to create animated
effects on web sites.
JavaBean - objects that conform to a Sun Microsystems specification that defines how Java objects should interact.
Similar to ActiveX controls, except they can only be written in Java, but will run on any platform.
Javascript - a scripting language invented by Netscape Communications Corporation. Used extensively on the Internet
for numerous functions on web pages, such as clocks, browser detection, warning popups, page redirection, etc.
JFK - Just Fast Keying - a simple protocol for establishing VPN sessions Java Internet Terminology; Java is a
programming language created specifically for the Internet. With Java, developers can easily create compact,
interactive, animated mini-programs called "applets" that can be embedded in Web pages and used in Web browsers
(provided the browsers are "Java-enabled").
JAM Chat Room Acronym; Just A Minute.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) Pronounced "jay-peg." A lossy image-compression algorithm that often
reduces the size of bitmapped images by a factor of 10 or more with little or no discernible image degradation. JPEG
compression works by filtering out an image's high-frequency information to reduce the volume of data and then
compressing the resulting data with a lossless compression algorithm. Low-frequency information does more to define
the characteristics of an image, so losing some high-frequency information doesn't necessarily affect the image quality.

K
K, Kb, k Kilo means 1 000, so 3kV means three thousand volts. Upper case K is used in computing to mean slightly
more, 1 024. So 640K of chip memory means 640x1024 memory "boxes" in chip form. This is all tied up with digital
electronics where all signals are On (save 5V) or Off (0V). Let me explain - if you have two wires you can place four
different codes or combinations on them: Off Off, Off On, On Off and On On. Three wires allow eight different codes, four
wires sixteen different codes and so on. For every extra wire, you just double the number of codes. It shouldn't take you
long to work out that the closest we can get to one thousand is with ten wires, which gives 1024. So K was used to
distinguish this larger number form the smaller k, meaning 1 000.
KCMS Kodak colour management system. A system which provides the adjustments that allows photo images, stored
on CD-ROM, to be printed or displayed to best effect.
KB - kilobyte - 103 bytes. 1000 bytes. See the NIST page for details.
Kbs - kilobits per second - 103 - bits per second. 1000 bits per second. Note that network data transfer rates are
measured in bits per second, not bytes.
KiB - kibibyte - 210 bytes. 1024 bytes.
Kermit Internet Terminology; Why define a term that's so out of date, you're only likely to overhear it as part of a
meaningless conversation between reminiscing retro-nerds? Because retro-nerds are the last people you want lording it
over you. So here's one you can throw back at them: Kermit, a really old modem protocol that some BBSs used to
require but that, even in its heyday, played second fiddle to other now-outdated protocols such as Xmodem, Ymodem,
and (you guessed it) Zmodem. Essentially, Kermit was the protocol you tried when the others didn't work.
Keyword Computer Terminology; is a word you search on when you search a database or the Internet. In most cases,
for your search to be successful, you have to pick a keyword that the creators of the database or Web site have chosen
to INDEX, or mark as a keyword.
Kilobyte Computer Terminology; If you know that "kilo" means "thousand" and "byte" means "byte," then you know that
a kilobyte is one thousand bytes (actually, it's 1,024,
or 2 to the 10th power, bytes).

LA Linear Arithmetic. All natural sounds charge in volume. Imagine a single note played on a piano. As the key is hit, the
volume rises rapidly. This is called the attack. The volume then falls slightly (the decay), levels off for a while (the
sustain) and then dies away (the release). It is the attack phase which provides the ear with its impression of a sound.
LA describes a method used by (the company) Roland to synthesis convincing sounds. The attack portion is produced
by using digital samples of an original "real" sound, while the other, less important, phases are calculated.
Lab Lightness, red-green axis (A), yellow-blue axis (B). A method of specifying colour by a diagram showing variation in
brightness (lightness) in relation to the two colour axes, A and B.
Lan Local Area Network. This describes a number of computers (in fairly close proximity - such as in a large office)
connected together so that sharing of resources such as printers or the passing of information between the computers is
possible. Various patterns of connection (topologies) are used such as the "ring" and the "star". Each point of connection
on the network for computer or peripheral is called a node.
Laser Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Laser light is important because it is possible to focus it
on a very small area, delivering great energy at the cost of relatively little power. In laser printers, the laser beam is used
to scan a specially coated rotating drum, building up a pattern of electric charge which will become the image of the
page to be printed. The drum attracts toner to the charged areas, which can then be deposited on paper where it is fixed
by heat. Using the fine laser beam, extremely high resolutions can be achieved.
Lawn Local area wireless network. This is a system (from a company called O'Neill Communications) where a network
of computers communicate using radio waves or infrared links rather than being cabled together.
LBA Logical Block Address. A set of 28 bits, used by the E-IDE interface system, representing the capacity of the hard
disk drive. These 28 bits can theoretically support a drive capacity of up to nearly 137Gb, but in practice DOS limits this
to 8.4Gb.
LC Liquid Crystal. This is a transparent material, so ambient light can pass through it, hit a reflector and return. The
liquid crystal is usually sandwiched between two polarizers or "grids" at right angles to one another. Light passes through
the first polarizer and is twisted by the LC molecules so that it can pass through the far polarizer, hit the reflector and
make the return journey to give a grey display. If a voltage is place across the LC (using transparent electrodes), then its
molecular structure changes so that the incident light is not twisted enough to pass through the far polarizer and reach
the reflector. The area between the electrodes now looks dark.
LCD Liquid Crystal Display. LCD displays are useful because they are flat and small compared with CRTs, light in
weight and use very little power. They make ideal displays for portable computers. The early displays suffered from poor
resolution and contrast with a very limited viewing angle. Later displays have improved resolution (e.g. 640x480) with
good readability. Back-lighting does away with the need for reasonable ambient light, although this increases the power
consumption considerably. Greyscale colour LCDs are being produced using thin film transistor (TFT) technology and
large colour LCD monitors should eventually appear.
LED Light emitting diode. The big advantage of LED displays over liquid crystal types is that you don't need decent
ambient light to see them. On the downside, LEDs need much more power and are difficult to build into compact high-
resolution displays. They are still widely used for indicators instrument readouts and signs.
Lics Lotus international character set. When you enter information into a computer, each character must be represented
by a binary code for manipulation and storage. Standard sets of coded characters are used, the best known is probably
the ASCII set, Lics is from the company called Lotus.
LIF Low insertion force. Many computer chips are inserted into sockets rather than soldered directly to the circuit board.
This allows faulty chips to be changed more easily. Empty sockets may also be provided on the main or "motherboard"
so that a maths coprocessor or an OverDrive processor can be fitted. If a standard chip socket is fitted, then chips need
quite a lot of force to insert them (risking bent pins and damage to the PCB) and can be even more difficult to remove,
often requiring a special tool. LIF sockets are designed to reduce the force required to insert and remove chips, while
ZIF sockets require no force at all.
Lifo Last in, first out. Describes a system for storing information where the last piece stored is the first piece retrieved.
LIM Lotus, Intel, Microsoft. A collaboration of these three companies to produce a specification for an expanded memory
system.
Lisp List processing. A computer programming language developed by John McCarthy at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) in the early 1960s. Lisp allows lists of any kind of items to be manipulated. Lisp has found favour with
researchers in artificial intelligence.
Lix Legal Information eXchange. A system which allows law firms to exchange documents using computers connected
to the phone system, rather than by paper.
LLL Low Level Language. This describes languages which are easy for the computer to understand, but much harder
for people to follow. The lowest level language is machine code. It consists of strings of binary digits to which the
computer can respond directly.
LMBCS Lotus Multi-Byte Character Set. An extended form of the Lics character set.
LPF League for Programming Freedom. An American organisation which campaigns for the abolition of patent
protection for computer software.
LQ Letter Quality. Printers that produce output of the sourt of quality that you wouldn't hesitate to use for business
correspondence are called LQ printers. Examples are inkjet and laser printers.
LSB Least significant bit. Binary numbers consist of the binary digits (bits) "1" and "0". The LSB in a binary number is
simply the digit worth the least - the one on the far right. For example, the binary number 101101 is worth 45 in decimal
because each bit has a fixed "worth" or weighting:
101101 binary
32 16 8 4 2 decimal
so the LSB is worth a total of 1 in decimal.
LSByte Least significant byte. Large binary numbers are often handled in groups of eight bits, where eight bits = one
byte. The LSByte is that group of eight bits having the least value.
LSD Least significant digit. See least significant bit (LSB).
LSI Large scale integration. This is a guide to the complexity of the circuit on a chip. LSI is used to describe chips whose
electronic circuitry is equivalent to 100 or more logic "gates" - the building blocks of digital circuits.
LSTLL Low power Schottky transistor transistor logic. A family of logic chips whose development represented an
improvement in both speed and power consumption compared with the original TTL logic. Probably the most widely-
used logic chip family.
LTTL Low power transistor transistor logic. An early development of TTL logic chips which meant that less power per
chip was used. Since then, the low power of LTTL has been matched and its speed of operation improved upon, by the
ALSTTL chips.
LAN Computer Acronym; meaning two or more computers located within the same building that are linked to one
another.
Linux Computer Terminology; Actually, the term is pronounced "lee-nux," and it's a FREE implementation of the UNIX
operating system that you can run on PCs, Macs, and several other computing platforms. We say "you" idiomatically, not
literally, because although Linux is enjoying a growing popularity among the technological elite, its UNIX-like
characteristics--specifically, its tendency to make you type lots of complex syntax at a command-line prompt--makes it a
less-than-usable system for most users. To put it another way, Linus might have used it, but Lucy would have stuck with
Windows.
livewire Computer Slang; People who work around computer systems and know how to operate them.
LOL Chat Room Acronym; Laughing Out Loud.
LZW Computer Terminology; LZW is an algorithm (a fancy word for "method") for compressing data files. If we may
attempt an analogy, using LZW compression is like replacing a book with an index: It finds repeated words or pieces of
information, lists each once, and then includes pointers (such as page numbers) indicating where each is repeated. The
pointers take up less room than the actual pieces of information, which makes the file smaller. By the way, LZW stands
for "Lempel-Ziv-Welch," the names of the three folks responsible for this miracle of data compacting.
LAN - Local Area Network - what UTD's network is.
LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - a set of protocols for accessing directories of information such as email
addresses and public keys.
LEC - Local Exchange Carrier - Southwestern Bell and GTE in the DFW area.
Linux - a UNIX OS created by Linus Torvald - runs on the same kind of computers as Windows (as well as many other
kinds of computers.) Linux a unique UNIX OS which has been developed entirely by volunteers and is available for free.
Some others are FreeBSD and NetBSD.
LMDS - Local Multipoint Distribution Services - a fixed (non-mobile) wireless technology that operates in the 28 GHz
band and offers line-of-sight coverage over distances up to 3-5 kilometers. It can deliver data and telephony services to
80,000 customers from a single node. LMDS is one solution for bringing high-bandwidth services to homes and offices
within the "last mile" of connectivity, an area where cable or optical fiber may not be convenient or economical. Data
transfer rates for LMDS can reach 1.5 Gbps to 2 Gbps, but a more realistic value may average around 38 Mbps
(downstream).
LCD (liquid crystal display) A display technology that relies on polarizing filters and liquid-crystal cells rather than
phosphors illuminated by electron beams to produce an on-screen image. To control the intensity of the red, green, and
blue dots that comprise pixels, an LCD's control circuitry applies varying charges to the liquid-crystal cells through which
polarized light passes on its way to the screen. The amount of light that makes it through to the screen depends on the
amount of charge applied to the corresponding cell and thus the degree to which the light is "twisted" before it passes
through a second polarizing filter and a red, green, or blue color mask. Laptops, notebooks, PDAs, and other types of
portable computers commonly use LCDs. See also CRT.

M
M Mega. In engineering terminology, 1MV means one million volts. M in computing terms (1Mb, for example) means
slightly more - 1 048 576 bytes. The reason for this is explained under K.
MAU Multi-station access unit a MAU is piece of equipment which allows several computers to be connected to it,
resulting in a "star" network connection (with the MAU at the centre). This lets the computers communicate with each
other. Several MAUs may also be connected together in a "ring" since each MAU has two connecting "arms".
Mb Megabyte. Used in connection with the capacity of memory systems. 1Mb of memory is 1 048 576 bytes. A byte is
eight binary digits (for bits).
MCA Micro Channel Architecture. The MCA connection system, or MCA "bus", was introduced by IBM on the PS/2
range of computers. It is the connector that allows "daughter" circuit boards, such as network cards, to be plugged into
the main computer "motherboard". Other computer manufacturers have to pay IBM if they wish to copy the MCA system
and this led to the development of EISA, a rival system.
MCGA Multi-colour graphics array. A display system, used on some IBM PS/2 computers, to provide CGA graphics. It
was necessary because "analogue" monitors were used with the PS/2 computers, while the old CGA system was
originally designed for "RGB" monitors.
MCM Multi-chip module. As integrated circuits (chips) have become more complex, the need has grown for packages
with more pins, such as the PGA. The MCM system simplifies matters by leaving all the chips unpacked until a design is
complete and then packages the lot, just once.
MDA Monochrome Display Adapter. This form of display, now rarely used, displayed high-quality 80x25 text using a
character matrix of 9x14 dots.
MDRAM Multibank Dynamic Random Access Memory. Traditionally, there have been two types of "chip" memory in a
computer - SRAM and DRAM. SRAM is fast and expensive, while DRAM is cheaper, smaller, but slower. DRAM has
been used for the bulk of PC memory because of its lower cost, and various "tricks" - such as caching - have been used
to make it look faster. MDRAM, from the company Mosys, is four or five times faster than "normal" DRAM. This has been
achieved by dividing up the "storage boxes" on the chip into multiple banks (typically 256Kbit sections), each with its own
controller. The result is that these banks can carry out processes in parallel, speeding up the rate at which data can be
accessed.
MDS Microprocessor development system. Equipment that allows the hardware and software of a microprocessor-based
system to be developed and tested.
MFM Modified frequency modulation. MFM is a method of encoding data on floppy or hard disks. It allows roughly twice
the number of bits to be stored in the same disk space as the FM (single-density) method and is thus called double-
density recording. MFM was used on the original Shugart ST506 hard drives, but other methods such as RLL - capable
of squeezing even more data in the same space - are now common.
Mflops Mega-Flops or millions of floating operations per second.
MFT Master File Table. See NTFS.
MHS Message Handling Service. The CCITT's name for electronic mail.
MHz Megahertz. Not an acronym but a measure of frequency. Mega means one million in engineering and hertz
replaced the easier "cycles per second" as the unit of frequency. So a computer with a clock frequency of 133MHz
means that the clock circuit is producing 133 million pulses each second.
MIB The management information base. A database (part of the SNMP computer network management system) which
contains information on the devices connected to the network.
Midi Musical Instruments Digital Interface. The term Midi describes the physical connectors and the rules by which
computers and digital music synthesisers may work together. Five-pin DIN plugs and sockets are used to provide
connections for digital data In, data Out and data Thru, which is a copy of the incoming data. This is in serial (on bit at a
time) form at 31.25Kbps.
MIF Management Information Format. A database (part of the DMI standard), used in the management of computer
networks, which stores information on the devices and software connected to the network - e.g. the network interface
card, printer and MODEM.
Mips Millions of Instructions per Second. This is one way of expressing the speed of operations of a computer system.
Many other "benchmarks" are available.
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
MMU Memory Management unit. A unit that looks after matching the addresses, generated by a microprocessor, to the
physical memory system of a computer. It might be a chip or part of the microprocessor itself.
MMX MultiMdia eXtensions. All microprocessors have an instruction set - a list of things that they can do. Intel has
added special instructions to the capability of its Pentium microprocessor,. These instructions allow streamlining of many
repetitive program operations, particularly those involving manipulation of pixels. The result is an increase in speed.
MNP Microsoft Network Protocol. A system for correcting the errors that occur when a computer uses a MODEM to
communicate over cellular telephone or radio networks.
Mo Magneto-optical. This is a term used to describe erasable optical storage devices. Erasable optical disk systems can
store much more data per disk than "ordinary" magnetic systems such as hard disks - for example, a double sided 5.25"
optical disk might hold 600Mb. Data is recorded on the optical disk using a laser beam to produce a tiny area of reverse
magnetism on the disk surface. The data is read by a low-power laser beam. The spot of reverse magnetism will cause a
slight change in the reflected light beam. The data can be overwritten as necessary since the magnetic effect is
reversible.
MODEM Modulator Demodulator. The device which changes the serial digital dat from a computer into frequencies
suitable for sending along telephone lines, and is also capable of performing the reverse process.
Moo Multi-user object oriented (environment). "Virtual" meeting places which can be accessed via computer networks
such as the Internet. Moos can be used by many people at the same time - all able to communicate with each other.
MPC Multimedia PC. (The PC bit refers to IBM's personal computers, its upgrades and clones). MPC is a definition of
the hardware required to handle multimedia applications - meaning those that can use a mixture of text, sound and high-
quality video display including animation. MPC comes from the Multimedia PC marketing Council, which is a group of
manufacturers including Microsoft. Version 3 of the MPC specification (MPC3, July 1995) has a minimum requirement of
a 75MHz Pentium CPU, 8Mb of Ram, a 540Mb HD, a CD-ROM XA drive, a sound card with Midi facilities, a video
display with 352x240 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second. Mpeg1 compliance and the Windows 3.11 GUI or DOS
6.0.
Mpeg Moving Picture Expert Group. A group set up to decide the technical standards to be adopted for full screen, full-
motion video (FSFMV) on CD-ROM. There are several Mpeg standards. Mpeg 1 defines pictures at frames per second,
each picture having a resolution of 352x288 pixels, with data being transferred at 150Kb/s (the single-speed CD-ROM
rate). Mpeg II deals with higher data rates such as those used by digital TV transmissions.
MPR Maximum Permitted Radiation. A term used in the technical standards relating to the design of computer monitors
and other equipment which might emit potentially harmful radiation.
MR Megneto-resistive. This describes materials whose electrical resistance changes when they are exposed to
magnetic fields. Since hard disks store data as tiny spots of magnetism, it is possible to use magneto-resistive heads to
read the stored data. MR heads can be made smaller than the normal sensing heads, allowing the circular disk tracks to
be squeezed closer together - thus increasing the storage capacity of the disk.
MSB Most Significant Bit. Binary numbers consist of the digits "1" and "0" - we call them bits. In a binary number, each
bit position has a set decimal value. The MSB of a binary number is that bit having the greatest worth; e.g.
1 1 0 1 binary
8 4 2 1 decimal
the MSB is worth decimal 8 in this example.
MSByte Most significant byte. Large binary numbers are often divided into groups of 8 bits, or bytes. The MS byte is that
byte having the highest worth.
MSD Most significant digit. Another name for the most significant bit - see MSB.
MSDOS (MS-DOS) Microsoft's Disk Operating System. The most widely used operating system for IBM-type PCs. IBM
adopted MSDOS for its computers, calling it PCDOS.
MSI Media Scale Integration describes chips whose circuit complexity is equivalent t between 12 and 100 logic "gates" -
the building block of digital circuits.
MSN Microsoft Network. Microsoft's online service, accessible through the Windows 95 operating system, giving
subscribers access to the Internet and other services.
MSP Microsoft Paint. A identifier indicating files produced by this art package.
MSX Microsoft extended Basic. In early 1984, an attempt was made by a group of Japanese manufacturers such as
Yamaha to introduce a standard for computers which would make them able to use each other's software. This was in
the days of 8-bit microprocessors, when Sinclairs and BBCs ruled the world! The MSX machines were equipped with a
Z-80 microprocessor and an extended version of Microsoft's Basic language, hence the name.
MTBF Mean-time between failures. All systems have breakdowns and it is useful to have some idea of how often this
will happen. MTBF, usually measured in hours, applies to repairable items. If a device fails five times over 1000 hours,
then its average (or mean) time between failures would be 1000/5 = 200 hours. MTBFs can be found on some
specification sheets - for example, a 3,5" floppy disk drive might have a typical MTBF of 10000 hours.
MTU Maximum transfer unit. The largest unit of data that can be sent on a given system connected to the Internet - e.g.
567 bits.
Mud Multi-user dungeon. Originally the term applied to the multi-user game Dungeons and Dragons, but now used as a
general term to cover similar role playing games. Muds are games that many people can access at the same time, over
the Internet or BBS systems.
Mug Multi-user game. A game which many people can access and play - perhaps by contacting a bulletin board or via
their own machine and a MODEM.
Multics Multiplexed information and computing service. In the 1960s, when computers were large and expensive,
systems were developed to allow several users to access the computer at once - with the computer sharing its time
between them. One such "time-sharing" system was Multics. A slimmed-down version of Multics became the UNIX
operating system.
MAE Internet Terminology; MAE stands for "Metropolitan Area Exchange," which is a point on the Internet where
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can connect with each other. The first MAE was built in Washington, D.C.; the second,
built in the Silicon Valley, is called "MAE-West."
Magneto-optical drive (or MO drive) Computer Terminology; An MO drive is just what it sounds like: a disk drive that
uses both magnetic storage technology (as does a hard or floppy drive) and optical storage technology (as does a CD-
ROM drive). The combination yields what is, in effect, a better floppy disk: a removable, writable disk that holds more
data and is faster than a typical floppy.
MANIAC Computer Terminology; Mathematical Analyzer Numerator Integrator and Computer--a low-tech name for what
was in its time a very high-tech piece of equipment. MANIAC was a computer built at the Los Alamos Scientific
Laboratory in the late 1940's and early 1950's. It's mostly remembered today for its use in the development of the
hydrogen bomb.
Megabyte Computer Terminology; A megabyte
is one million (actually, 1,048,576, or 2 to the 20th power) bytes.
Mirror Site Internet Terminology; A mirror site is a replica of an existing Web site. Set up on another server, it
effectively divvies up the traffic so that more people can have faster access to the site
mosaic Internet Terminology; Mosaic was the first Web browser that actually let you see pictures on the same screen
with text (at the time, other browsers required you to display graphics in a separate program or window).
Mozilla Computer/Internet Terminology; Mozilla is Netscape Navigator's original name. Industry legend has it that the
name is a combination of "Mosaic" and "Godzilla," the idea being that Mozilla would be the "Mosaic Godzilla" or "The
Beast that Ate Mosaic."
MUD Internet Acronym; MUD stands for "multiuser dungeon" (or "multiuser dimension"). Originally--as the "dungeon"
part might suggest--a MUD referred to a cyberspace in which users, represented by avatars would engage in medieval
games. Today, the definition has expanded to include any cyberspace in which representations of people interact.
MAPI (messaging application programminginterface) Pronounced "map-e." An API developed by Microsoft and other
computer vendors that provides Windows applications with an implementation-independent interface to various
messaging systems such as Microsoft Mail, Novell's MHS, and IBM's PROFS. A subset of MAPI known as Simple MAPI
lets developers easily create "mail-aware" applications capable of exchanging messages and data files with other
network clients.
MCI (Media Control Interface) The Windows component that allows multimedia devices such as CD-ROM drives and
videodisk players to be programmed using high-level function calls that insulate the software from the nuances of the
hardware. You can use the MCI play command, for example, to play a song on an audio CD or a video clip on a
videodisc player. MCI drivers provided with Windows translate the play command into low-level commands specific to
the intended output device.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Pronounced "middy." A specification that standardizes the interface
between computers and digital devices that simulate musical instruments. Rather than transmit bulky digitized sound
samples, a computer generates music on a MIDI synthesizer by sending commands just a few bytes in length
characterizing the pitch and duration of sounds (and the instruments that produce them) through a unidirectional serial
cable. Each channel of a MIDI synthesizer corresponds to a different instrument, or "voice," and you can program
several channels simultaneously to produce symphonic sound.
MAC - Media Access Control - (also short for Macintosh) - a hardware address that uniquely identifies each node on a
network. We ask you for this when you want to get an IP address.
MAE - Metropolitan Area Ethernet - a NAP where ISPs can interconnect. They are all owned by MCI Worldcom. The first
was in Washinton, D.C., called MAE EAST, followed by one in San Jose, California, called MAE WEST. Now there are
seven, including MAE DALLAS, MAE CHICAGO, MAE HOUSTON, MAE NEW YORK and MAE LOS ANGELES. Two
new MAEs are being added, MAE PARIS in Paris, France and MAE FRANKFURT in Frankfurt, Germany.
MAPS - Mail Abuse Protection System - an organization that provides information to networks about other networks that
are tolerating email abuse. They provide several lists which networks can use to block mail coming from abusive sites.
MB - (also Meg) Megabyte - 106 bytes. 1,000,000 bytes. 1000 kilobytes. See the NIST page for details.
Mbs - megabits per second - 106 bits per second. 1,000,000 bits per second. 1000 kilobits per second. Note that network
data transfer rates are measured in bits per second, not bytes.
MiB - mebibyte - 220 bytes. 1,048,576 bytes. 1024 kibibytes.
MIB - Management Information Base - a database of objects managed by a network management system, such as
SNMP.
MILNET - Military Network - see the MILNET web site for details.
MIME - Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - a specification that allows files such as movies, audio and pictures to be
sent over the Internet in an email message.
MIPS - Million Instructions Per Second - the MIPS rating of a CPU tells you how fast it is.
MITM - Man In The Middle - a type of network attack where the intruder intercepts traffic between two hosts and answers
each one, fooling the hosts into thinking they are talking directly to each other.
MODEM - Modulator/Demodulator - a device that allows computers to transfer data over ordinary telephone lines.
motherboard - the main circuit board of a computer. It contains the CPU, memory, ports and controllers for the
peripherals.
MTA - Mail Transfer Agent. The server that handles email.
MUA - Mail User Agent - the client that you read your email with. Common ones are Netscape, Eudora, Outlook
Express, Pine, Mulberry and Simeon.
MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) Pronounced "em-peg." A multimedia video playback standard that allows digital
video to be compressed using a combination of JPEG image compression and a sophisticated form of differencing--
encoding a video sequence by recording differences between frames rather than entire images of each frame. There are
two MPEG standards: MPEG-1, which supports a playback quality roughly equal to that of a VCR, and MPEG-2, which
supports high-quality digital video. MPEG-1 is the form normally used with personal computers. See also JPEG.

N
NAPLPS North American Presentation Level Protocol Syntax. A system, used by a company called General
Parametrics, for storing the data for an image in a reasonably small file.
NC Numerical control - see CNC.
NC Network Computer
NDS Novell Directory Services -- the most popular network directory according to the Radicati Group's published survey
(Feb 97).
NFS Network filing system. The Internet method of making files on remote sites (computers) retrievable - just as if they
were on your own system.
NI Non-interlaced. A term used in connection with computer monitors. The display you see is made up of dots of light,
created by the passage scan of a beam of electrons across the inside of the screen. Each time the beam travels across
the screen, it is said to scan a line. The beam then moves down slightly and traces out the next horizontal line until it has
traversed the whole screen. The higher the resolution of a display, the more lines are required. A non-interlaced display
can show all the lines of an image in one passage of the beam. Some monitors, however, show half the lines of the
display in one pass and the other half of the lines in a second pass. The lines scanned in the second pass are
interleaved or interlaced between those of the first pass.
NIC Network Interface Card. The circuit board ("card") which plugs into the computer's main PCB, providing special
connectors that allow the computer to be wired into a network.
NiMH Nickel Metal Hydride. A rechargeable battery technology which offers increased energy storage over the better-
known nickel cadmium (NiCd) cells used in portable computers. The NiMH battery can be safely recycled and is
"greener" than its NiCd rival.
NLQ Near letter quality. A description of printer output (hard copy) which as a quality near to that of the traditional
typewriter, but which you might hesitate to send out as a business letter. Dot matrix printers, for example, have to form
characters from a series of dots printed using a vertical column of nine or more pins to strike an ink ribbon onto the
paper. The output can be quite reasonable, but might not match the output of, say, a daisy wheel or laser printer.
NMI Non-maskable interupt. A signal, from external hardware, that makes the microprocessor in a computer leave its
present task and divert to a special program (called an "interrupt service routine") that has been written to "look after" the
external device. The microprocessor will then return to its original task. The non-maskable description refers to the fact
that the microprocessor cannot refuse to obey the interrupt signal, unlike an IRQ interrupt.
NOS Network operating system. When computers are connected together in networks, one is usually identified as the
"file server". It is the job of this machine to send files to the other computers on the network. Because it may have to deal
with several jobs at once (multitasking) and look after the communication signals, special software is required called the
NOS, Probably the best-known NOS is Novell's NetWare.
NRZ Non-return to zero. Information in digital computers is represented by the binary digits "1" and "0". When a
computer wishes to communicate with, say, a MODEM, it will send or receive the data in serial (one bit at a time) form.
NRZ describes the method of communication where the data line starts at logic "1", changes state as the information is
carried, and finishes at logic "1".
ns Nano-second. A unit of time equal to one thousandth of one millionth of a second.
NTFS New technology filing system. The system used by the NT operating system for recording the usage of disk space
by stored files. NTFS can handle very large capacity disks (up to 68 billion terabytes), recording filenames, size, location,
attributes, time and date stamping and the location of bad areas on the disk surface in its Master File Table (MFT).
NTSC National Television Standard Committee. The television system used in the United States. Sometimes unkindly
known as "Never Twice the Same Colour".
NVRAM Non-volatile random access memory. RAM memory is integrated circuit (IC) memory whose contents can both
be read and overwritten, when required. Normally, RAM memory is volatile - it loses its contents when the power to the
computer is switched off. NVRAM will keep its contents because of a battery that automatically takes over when power is
lost.
NANOG - The North American Network Operators Group - NANOG "provides a forum for the exchange of technical
information, and promotes discussion of implementation issues that require community cooperation. Coordination among
network service providers helps ensure the stability of overall service to network users."
NAP - Network Access Point - a major access point on the Internet. There are several - BIG EAST operated by ICS
Systems, the Chicago NAP operated by Ameritech, the New York NAP operated by Sprint, the San Francisco NAP
operated by PacBell and the Washington NAP (also known as MAE EAST) operated by MCI Worldcom.
NAT - Network Address Translation - a protocol that allows the use of "private" IP addresses (10.0.0.0, 172.16.0.0 and
192.168.0.0) that are not routed across the Internet, to access the Internet. On the "inside" of the network, private IP
addresses are used, and NAT allows those machines to access the Internet by "translating" their private IP to a public,
routeable IP address. NAT users cannot accept connections from public machines, so this prevents the use of "Internet-
facing" servers, some forms of FTP, certain types of file sharing, and similar type activities.
NetBEUI - NetBIOS Enhanced User Interface - an enhanced version of NetBIOS used only on Windows networks.
NetBEUI will not cross subnets, so it's useless on a LAN like UTD has. It's also very "chatty", which is a geek's way of
saying it uses broadcast traffic rather than talking to only the machine it wants to talk to. Chatty protocols tend to fill up
the network making it run slower, which is a real concern for a large network such as ours.
NetBIOS - Network Basic Input/Output System - the network API which is used for all Windows networks. This is what
allows you to "see" other Windows PCs in Network Neighborhood.
NIC - Network Interface Card - the peripheral that connects your computer to the LAN. It has a unique MAC address,
which ARP converts to an IP address so that your machine can communicate with other hosts using TCP/IP.
NNTP - Network News Transport Protocol - hopefully you'll be using this one soon. :-)
node - in networks, a computer or other processing device. On the Internet, a network connected to the Internet.
NSF - National Science Foundation - the coordinating entity behind the beginnings of the present day Internet. They built
NSFnet, which replaced ARPANET. NSFnet was dismantled and replaced by a commercial Internet in 1995. Now the
NSF is working on the new vBNS Internet.
NSFnet - the network the NSF built in 1987 to replace in ARPANET.
NSLookup - Name Server Lookup - a utility for converting IP addresses to the associated hostname and vice versa.
NSP - Network Service Provider - these are the large companies that supply ISPs with their connection to the Internet.
Folks like Sprint, AT&T, WorldCom, UUNET, BBNPlanet, etc.
NTFS - NT File System - the file system used by NT. NT also supports FAT for "backwards compatibility".
NTP - News Time Protocol - allows you to synchronize your computer's clock with a time standard like the US Naval
Observatory. NOS (network operating system) An operating system such as Novell NetWare that provides basic file
system services and supervisory functions to computers connected by a network.
NTFS (NT File System) The file system that is native to Microsoft Windows NT. NTFS is probably the most advanced
file system available for personal computers, featuring superior performance, excellent security and crash protection,
and the ability to handle large volumes of data. See also FAT and HPFS.
Newbie Someone who is not knowledgeable in the use of the Internet.
nibble Computer Terminology; Equal
to half a byte, or four bits. Nibbles, also spelled "nybbles" are important in hexadecimal coding, where each byte can be
represented as two hexadecimal nibbles.
noise Computer Terminology; additional electrical energy on the phone line that slows down your data. Noise can
come from so many sources--nearby electrical appliances, transformers, thunderstorms, even solar phenomena--that
you're always bound to have some.

O
OCR - Optical Character Recognition - this is a technology that allows computers to "read" text and convert it to an
image that can be viewed.
ODBC - Open DataBase Connectivity - a standard database accessing method developed by Microsoft .
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
OGC - Office of General Counsel - the legal division of UT System.
ORBS - Open Relay Behaviour-modification System - a list of open relays that are used by spammers - networks can
use this list to block mail from those sites - see the ORBS web site for details.
OS - Operating System - the program that performs the basic tasks of a computer, such as keyboard input, mouse
movement, file management, control of peripherals and displaying information on the screen. It underlies the
applications you use to do work (like word processors, spreadsheets, databases, etc.)
OCR Optical Character Recognition (or optical character reader). This describes devices or software that can recognise
typed or carefully written text. Light is reflected of the document to be read and the patterns produced are compared with
ones already stored. If a match is made, then the character appears. Now that scanners are commonplace, it is easy to
scan a page of text from a book and store the results on disk. However, the stored information is stored as a complex
"picture" and takes up much more room than a text file containing the same information. Intelligent character recognition
(ICR) software can recognise the characters scanned and produce a text file that can then, for example, be loaded into a
word processor program.
ODA Open documents architecture. A standard, defined by both ISO and the CCITT, which allows documents
containing graphics, text, spreadsheet data and so on to be passed between computers of different manufacture.
ODI Open datalink interface. A set of rules or protocol, defined by the company Novell, which allows communication
between the different types of hardware circuits (LAN cards) that connect computers together into networks and the
different versions of the Novell software called NetWare.
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer. The manufacturer, rather than the distributor or retailer, of systems.
OLE Object linking and embedding. This is a technique used in Microsoft's Windows GUI. An object is any piece of
information you might want to copy from one program to another - for example, a drawing from a graphics package to a
word processor document. Embedding is the act of copying the object from the one application to the other, while linking
provides an invisible link between the copied object and its original. Linking allows any changes made to the drawing
within either application automatically appear in the other.
OLR Offline reader. Using your computer connected to a phone line via a MODEM, you can join one of the many
conferencing systems that allow you to "discuss" topics of interest by reading other people's contributions and then
typing your own message. The disadvantage is, of course, is the effect on your telephone bill! An OLR is a program that
transfers (very quickly) the conference messages to your computer so that you can then end your phone call and read
the messages "offline". Your message can be prepared and transmitted the next time you dial up the conference. Each
online session thus only takes a few minutes - a system called "blinking".
OODBMS Object-oriented database management system. A relational DBMS has the ability to handle several database
files at the same time and allow the user to "trawl" for related data. In an object-oriented DBMS, this ability is extended to
deal with lumps of related data called "objects". So, if you were searching different motor manufacturer's databases for
all those who manufactured electric cars, then each car identified and "pulled in" might also carry with it details of its
shape, range and price - all this forming the original "object".
OOP Object-oriented programming. A method of computer programming where items of related data (for example, a
picture of a racing car onscreen, its colour and instrument panel layout) together with routines that are also connected to
it (such as moving the steering wheel) are treated as a single object or item in the program. The advantage of OOP is
that manipulation of the defined object can be made easier. Languages such as C++ provide special features to assist
OOP.
OPC Optical photo-conductor. This describes the light-sensitive coating on the surface of the drum in a laser printer. The
laser beam is used to scan the specially coated rotating drum, building up a pattern of electric charge which will become
the page to be printed. The drum attracts toner to the charged areas which can then be deposited on paper where it is
fixed by heat. Using the fine laser beam, extremely high resolutions can be achieved.
OS Operating system. This is a program that manages the resources of a computer such as the input/output devices,
the available memory and the storing/retrieval of files and so on. The OS might be ROM-based or have to be loaded in
from a disk, when it is known as a disk operating system.
OS/2 Operating System/2. The operating system introduced with the IBM PS/2 series of computers.
OSF Open Software Foundation. Supported by computer companies such as DEC and IBM, OSF produces software to
run under the UNIX operating system.
OSI Open systems interconnection. This is an internationally agreed standard which defines a system of interconnection
whereby different computers or devices may communicate. OSI covers seven areas (or "layers") from the hardware
specification (the physical layer) to the information itself (the application layer).
OTP EPROM One-time programmable Erasable programmable read only memory. This is something of a contradiction
in terms. The EPROM memory chip is made to be programmed, erased and re-used. Erasure is achieved by shining
high-intensity ultra-violet light through a window, so it cannot be erased and reused. The advantage is the tried and
tested EPROM technology in a cheaper plastic package.OSPF - Open Shortest Path First - a routing protocol that allows
routers to interact to determine the shortest path between two points.
OCR Computer Terminology; OCR stands for "Optical Character Recognition," the technology that scanners use to
"read" text from a piece of paper and put it into your word processor or other software application. While the technology
has improved over the years, even the best OCR tools still miss a few letters and can really goof up pages divided into
newspaper-style columns. Which means we're still a long way from never having to type again.
on the fly Internet Terminology; On the fly describes a technology for creating customized Web pages by building a
new, unique version of a Web page for each user who clicks a link to that page. This type of page is different from a
static Web page, which is created one time before it's uploaded to the Web site and looks the same to everyone who
views it.
on-line Internet Terminology; To be connected to the Internet via a modem.

P
packet - a part of a message on a network. Along with the data being sent, it contains both the originating and
destination addresses.
PB - petabyte - 1015 bytes. 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. 1000 terabytes. See the NIST page for details.
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect - the newest technology for data transfer on the motherboard.
PCM - Pulse Code Modulation - the method of achieving the connection speed of 56K modems.
PCMCIA - Personal Computer Memory Card International Association - this is the standard for those little plug-in cards
used in laptop computers - like PCMCIA Modems and PCMCIA NICs.
PDA - Personal Digital Assistant - a class of electronic devices that are small enough to be handheld and fit in a shirt
pocket or purse. E.g. Palm devices, IPAQs, Handspring Visors, etc.
PDC - Primary Domain Controller - in an NT domain, the PDC is authoritative for all accounts, groups, permissions and
login scripts. All the BDCs synchronize their databases with the PDC.
PDF - Portable Document Format - you need Adobe Acrobat to view these. It allows you to view documents regardless
of the OS you are using.
peripherals - external devices which can be attached to computers, like printers, scanners, mice, keyboards and storage
devices.
PERL - an interpreted programming language. Created by Larry Wall, PERL is used for CGI scripting on web pages,
which allows us (among other things) to accept information you put in the Problem Reporting Form and send mail to
assist with all that information properly formatted while showing you a web page that says "Thank you for your input".
PiB - pebibyte - 250 bytes. 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes. 1024 tebibytes.
PING - Packet INternetwork Groper - a utility used to determine if a host is "alive". It sends an ICMP echo message and
reports whether the message was returned and the time it took to return.
PKI - Public Key Infrastructure - a system of keys, digital certificates and certifying authorities that ensure an individual
involved in an Internet transaction is who they claim to be. UT System will be adopted such a system in the near future,
and all System email will have to be digitally signed.
plug-in - a programmed module designed to work as part of a larger system and provide additional functionality, such as
Shockwave®, which allows a web browser to display animated movies and other special effects.
POP3 - Post Office Protocol, Version 3 - a method of retrieving email from a mail server which is used extensively on the
Internet.
POST - Power On Self Test - the first thing an Intel-based machine does when you turn it on. If the system has a
problem, a series of beeps will indicate what the problem is (sometimes.)
POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service - seriously!
PPP - Point to Point Protocol - a method of connecting to the Internet that allows you to see web pages, read
newsgroups & send mail (among other things.)
PPTP - Point To Point Tunneling Protocol - a protocol that allows you to exchange data over the Internet in a secure
manner.
PROM - Programmable Read Only Memory - a special kind of ROM which can be programmed once.
protocol - specific format for transmitting data between two devices. It defines how the sending device will indicate it has
transmitted the data, how the receiving device will indicate it has received it and what error checking will be done to
ensure accuracy.
PABX Private automatic branch exchange. A telephone system, such as might be installed in a company, which
connects together the users at the site and allows interaction with the public telephone system.
Pal Phase alternating line. The television standard used in most of Europe.
Pal Programmable Array Logic. A type of integrated circuit which contains an array of logic elements or "gates" which
can be programmed by the purchaser (using a machine called a Pal programmer). The idea is, that by programming one
of these chips, you can replace up to about six "ordinary" logic chips, thus saving circuit board space and power
consumption - as well as improving reliability. Because of its internal construction, the Pal offers less flexibility than a
PLA, but is slightly faster.
Pb Petabyte. A measure of the number of memory locations that can be uniquely contacted or "addressed" by a
microprocessor. 1Pb = 1024 terabytes (Tb). 1Tb = 1024 gigabytes (Gb).
PC Personal Computer. Originally the term "PC" referred to the IBM PC, launched in 1981. The original PC had single or
dual floppy disks, 256K of memory and five ISA expansion slots. Nowadays "PC" tends to be a general term for any
computer, as well as still denoting members of the IBM family, such as the XT and AT machines.
PC-AT Personal Computer, advanced technologies. See AT.
PCB Printed circuit board. A method of allowing electronic components to be interconnected by a network of copper
conductors (tracks) which are in a pattern that has been printed on to copper-clad insulating board. The track layout can
be designed using a computer-aided PCB design package. The results are printed out and transferred to the copper-clad
(coated) board. The design is "fixed" and the parts of the copper coating not required are chemically etched away. The
PCB is then drilled to allow components to be inserted in the board and soldered to the tracks.
PC Card Personal Computer card. The preferred name for products conforming to the PCMCIA system.
PCD Photo compact disc. The Kodak CD-ROM system used to store photographs. Negatives or transparencies from
exposed camera film are converted to high-quality digital images (up to 3 072x2048 pixels) by scanning. The digital
images are then placed on the PCD by a special writer. The PCDs are multisessional, that is they can have additional
images placed on the disc at a later date, together with an updated index.
PCDOS Personal Computer Disk Operating System. IBM's version of Microsoft's MSDOS
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect. Intel's version of the local bus system. Peripherals such as hard disk drives,
network connectors and video monitors are usually controlled by circuit "cards" that plug into the main computer circuit
board via connectors or "expansion slots". The connectors are attached to the set of wires or "bus" that carries signals to
and from the CPU. Different varieties of expansion slot are available with names like ISA, EISA and MCA. These method
of connection provde data at a rate which is lower than the latest CPUs are capable of handling, meaning that that the
whole system is working more slowly than necessary - a bus "bottleneck". The local bus system (see VL-BUS) aimed to
improve this position by allowing a much more direct connection between the CPU and the peripheral controller cards.
The PCI system goes further still, in rpodviding a system where the controller cards themselves contain the "intelligence"
to take over the conenction system (becoming the bus "master") from the CPU and send data to a chosen "target" also
connected to the bus. PCI seems to have won the popularity battle with VL-BUS.
PCIUG Personal computer independent user group.
PCL Printer control language. A system devised by Hewlett-Packard and currently in version 5, to control the output of
laser printers.
PCM Pulse code modulation. You will probably see this term mentioned in connection with sound cards, the circuit
boards used to improve a PC's sound output. Sound is an analogue quantity and PCM refers to the method of frequently
sampling the amplitude of the sound by using an analogue-to-digital converter (ADC). Each sample becomes a digital
code of, say, 12 bits. Each 12-bit code can then be converted to serial (one bit at a time) form for storage on disk. To
"play back" the original sound, the bits are retrieved and once again grouped to be passed to a digital-to-analogue
converter (DAC) which should produce the original sound. The "fidelity" of the output depends how often the original
sound was sampled and how many bits were used to represent its amplitude - the more bits the better. How often should
the original sound be sampled for good quality? This depends upon the highest frequency present. The sampling rate
should be at least twice the highest frequency. For example, if you have a piece of music with a frequency range of
between 20Hz and 20kHz, then it should be sampled at 40kHz minimum.
PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. A committee which as produced the standard
format for the credit card-sized, pug-in memories, MODEMs, sound cards and other devices that are used with portable
computers. The preferred name for PCMCIA cards is now "PC Cards".
PCX Picture Exchange Format. A file extension (letters added to a filename describing its type) indicating a format used
by several drawing packages thus making the file transferable between them.
PC-XT Personal Computer extended. See XT.
PD Public domain. Used to describe programs that can be freely copied and distributed. Not to be confused with
"shareware", which is a system that allows you to try a program to see if it meets your needs. If you decide to keep using
it, you pay the author.
PDA Personal digital assistant. A term used by Apple to describe the (then) new generation of handheld
computer/organiser/communicator capable of "understanding" commands written on its screen and of gathering
information about its user's habits. The accumulated information could then be used to tailor the PDA's response to
requests from its user.
PDL Page definition language. A system of controlling a printer where the details of the whole page are sent to the
printer before printing starts.
Perm Pre-embossed rigid magnetic technology. A new hard disk technology from Sony which uses embossed rigid
plastic disks rather than the more usual aluminium platters. The aim is to produce higher capacity, cheaper units.
Pert Program evaluation and review technique. You may see Pert mentioned in connection with software for project
management. A Pert chart is a diagram showing the logical steps, linked by arrows, to complete a project.
PGA Pin grid array. A type of chip packaging used for complex chips which may have, for example, 88 pins. The pins
are arranged in a grid pattern underneath the square chip package.
PGP Pretty Good Privacy. A method of encrypting or disguising computer information so that it can be securely
transmitted over a network. Written by Phil Zimmerman, it uses an algorithm (a series of coding steps) to chang the
"plaintext" to cyphertext. A digital "key" is used to vary the algorithm to prevent the encrpted message being "cracked".
PGP uses "keys" of up to 1096 bits long, producing a very secure system.
PIA Peripheral interface adapter. An interface chip that can be used to allow a computer to be connected to peripherals
such as printers or displays. The PIA provides two ports or "windows" to the "outside world", through which eight bits of
data can pass.
PIC Picture format. A file extension (letters added to a filename to describe its type) which indicates a picture stored in a
standard format produced by programs such as Windows Draw.
PIC Problem isolation code. A code displayed on a computer screen, indicating the origin of a fault condition detected by
the power-on diagnostics (Pod).
PIL Page interchange language. A system, supported by many companies, that uses ASCII text files to describe the
layout of a document containing pictures and perhaps different styles of lettering (fonts). The idea is to operate a
standard format that would allow documents to be exchanged between different systems - say between two desktop
publishing packages.
PIM Personal Information Manager. A program that provides, on your computer, the feautres of an address book and
diary. Some PIMs will not only store names and addresses but may be set up to remind you of appointments and
anniversaries, as well as assisting you in planning your busy day.
Ping Packet Internet Groper. A program which allows Internet users to test if remote sites (computers) are working.
PIX Picture exchange format. A method of storing graphic images in a file. The letters may be used as afile extension to
indicate this type of file format.
Pixel Picture Element. (The "c" has turned to an "x"!) This represents the smallest element of a computer display that
can be controlled by the computer. The smaller the pixel size, the better will be the resolution of the display. The
construction of a cathode ray tube (CRT) display will determine the "dot" size and monitors are available with up to
300dpi, though standard computer monitors display around 90dpi.
PLA Programmable Logic Array. An integrated circuit containing arrays of logic gates which can be programmed, using
a special PLA programmer, to perform complex logic functions. This reduces the "chip count" of a system because the
PLA has probably saved you using half a dozen "ordinary" logic chips. The PLA is a bit more flexible than its close
relative the PAL, but is also a bit slower.
PLCC Plastic leadless chip carrier. A popular method of packaging complex chips that does away with the protruding
pins. Terminals on the four edges of the square chip make contact with the sides of the chip "carrier" that is mounted on
the circuit board.
PLD Programmable Logic Device. This term covers a whole range of chips that can be programmed by the user to
perform specific logic functions, including PALs, PLAs and PROMs. The idea behind all of them is that a chip
programmed to perform a specific function can probably replace several "off-the-shelf" standard devices that would have
to be connected together to perform the same job.
PLS Programmable logic sequencer. A version of the complex logic chips called PLAs which can be programmed to
provide sequences of logic operations.
PnP Plug 'n' play. A system which allows add-ons (sound cards, scanners and suchlike) connected to a PC to be
automatically detected and set up (configured) so that they (hopefully) work correctly - including any special software
drivers. Used by notebook computers and PDAs to configure PC cards (PCMCIA cards) and by PCs using the Windows
95 operating system. A special version of the BIOS chip is required.
Pod Power-on diagnostics. Tests performed automatically by a computer when it is switched on. The tests are stored in
ROM chip memory and are designed to test the major system components.
Pop Point of presence. The telephone number you dial to connect your computer, via its MODEM, to the Internet.
Post Power-on self test (or power-on startup test, power-on system test). This is a series of test routines held in the
BIOS, which are performed automatically by the computer when it is switched on, or when the Ctrl-Alt-Del re-boot
keystrokes are used. The Post was introduced by IBM with its original PC. Major items are tested (such as the
microprocessor, memory chips, disk drives) and a warning message (the problem isolation code, or PIC) displayed if a
fault is found. Beep codes (audible signals) may be used if a fault condition is detected before the display device is
initialised.
PPM Pages per minute. A measure of the production rate of a printer. For laser printers, a typical output might be of the
order of 4-8ppm, while a dot matrix printer output is more likely to be around 0,1-1,5ppm.
PPP Point-to-point protocol. A protocol (set of rules) for connecting a computer to the Internet via a serial data link.
PRML Partial-response maximum likelihood. Data is stored on hard disks as a tiny area of magnetism fo reach bit. As
more and more data is squeezed on a disk, the magnetic areas become closer and closer and may affect one another.
PRML is a set of steps, or algorithm, applied to data read from the disk. It removes probable errors and produces valid
data from the tightly packed bits. PRML allows an increase of up to 30 percent in the density of data on the disk.
Prolog Programming in logic. A computer language developed in France at the University of Aix-Marseilles. It has been
used in artificial intelligence (AI) research and for other applications.
PROM Programmable read only memory. A memory chip that is blank when bought and can be programmed by means
of a special programming machine (as opposed to a "mask-programmed" ROM, which is manufactured with its program
in place). Programming is called "blowing" the PROM because, internally, the chip consists of an array of fuses - some of
which are blown to leave the desired logic pattern on the chip. The contents of the chip are known as "firmware" -
software in hardware form.
PS PostScript. A programming language designed to provide a means of describing the elements making up a page - for
example, in a DTP document. The PS file contains a description of the page which can then be passed to a laser printer
in order for it to re-construct (and print) the image.
PS/2 Personal System/2. A range of personal computers, introduced by IBM in 1987. Higher specification models (PS/2
Model 50 onwards) use the MCA slot system for plug-in boards.
PSK Phase shift keying. This describes the method of sending digital data down a telephone line as a tone where the
same frequency is used to represent "1" and "0", but its phase or time-position is shifted to distinguish between the
digits.
PSRAM Pseudo static RAM. A DRAM chip dressed up as an SRAM. PSRAMs are memory chips that use the same
simple storage principle which gives dynamic RAM chips (DRAMs) their ability to store a lot of information in a small
place, while retaining the simple connections of the static RAM (SRAM) memory chips. This makes them rather easier to
use than "ordinary" DRAMs, but retains the advantage of the DRAM excellent storage density.
PSS Packet switching stream. This describes a technique for sending data over the BT network. Data plus destination
information are assembled as a string of bits called a packet. The packet enters the network and at each major junction
(or node) the destination address is read and used to send the packet to the next appropriate node.
PSTN Public switched telephone network.
PSU Power supply unit. The unit in a computer which changes the 240V mains input into the lower DC voltages that the
computer requires. The size of the PSU is usually quoted in watts (W) - 200W being a typical value.
PDA Computer Terminology; Means "Personal Digital Assistant," one of those little handheld half-computers, like the
PalmPilot or the Apple Newton, that folks can use to send faxes, make phone calls, and store phone numbers and
appointments.
PGP Internet Terminology; PGP stands for "Pretty Good Privacy," one of the current standards for encrypting Internet
e-mail. Turns out that "pretty good" is actually about as good as encryption software gets--extremely secure, easy to
implement, transparent to users, and FREE. In fact, PGP encryption is so hard to crack that the U.S. government
actually sued its inventor, Philip Zimmerman, for making it freely available to America's enemies on whom we might like
to eavesdrop someday. (The government dropped its suit in 1996.)
Passive Matrix Computer Terminology; A passive matrix display is essentially a grid of LCD pixels (otherwise known
as "dots"), each of which either blocks light or lets it through to create images on-screen. The main advantage of a
passive matrix screen is that it's relatively inexpensive to create. The main drawback is that it has very poor contrast
(that is, light and dark elements)--especially if you're not looking at it straight on.
Peripheral Computer Terminology; A peripheral is ANY device attached to a computer. This includes a printer,
monitor, disk drive, keyboard, mouse, joystick, modem, scanner, and more.
Petabyte Computer Terminology; 2 to the 50th power bytes,
or roughly 1,000 (actually, 1,024) terabytes--or precisely
1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes.

Q
QBE Query by example. A method of extracting information from the database by giving it an example of what you want.
QFA Quick file access.
QIC Quarter Inch committee, quarter inch cartridge. An organisation which determines the format of degital data storage
on this type of magnetic tape. As a popular tape backup system, QIC stores data in parallel tracks along the tape and
storage capacities up to 2Gb are available. QIC's main competitor is the newer, smaller, Dat system.
queue - a part of the hard drive or memory the computer sets aside for temporary storage while it waits for some other
device to indicate it is ready to accept the data, like a print queue where print jobs are "stored" until the printer is ready to
accept them.
QA Computer Terminology; Quality Assurance, and it refers to the testing process a hardware or software
manufacturer puts its products through to make sure they do what they're supposed to without problems.
Queue Computer Terminology; refers to a "line-up" of DATA waiting to be processed, such as a printing queue -- data
waiting to be printed.

R
R&D Research and development. Usually of a company.
Raid Redundant Array of Inexpensive disks. Originally, a method of replacing the very large and very expensive) 14"
disk drives used on mainframe computers with arrays of the smaller (5,25") hard disk drives used by PCs. Now the Raid
system is being used with networked PCs. Multiple hard disk drives share the data controlled by the file server (the
computer that sends the other PCs on the network the files they require., with one or more drives storing parity data. If
one of the hard drives storing data develops a fault, then it can be replaced and its contents calculated (using the parity
drives) and written to the new drive. The fileserver PC does not need to be disconnected from the network. Some Raid
schemes spread parity information over all drives, rather than use specific ones for parity. Raid systems provide
networks with greater reliability and security of data than those using a server with a single large capacity hard disk
drive.
RAM Random Access Memory. This is the chip memory whose contents may be read by the system CPU and over-
written when necessary. All chip memory is best thought of as consisting of "boxes", each of which stores digital
information. The random access term is used to describe the fact that the CPU can contact any individual "box" directly,
without going through the others first. RAM chips are of two main types: DRAM and SRAM.
RDBMS Relational database management system. A database management system that can handle several different
database files at the same time, allowing the user to "trawl" the files for related data.
RET Resolution Enhancement Technology. Scaleable fonts can produce characters of any size, all based on the same
basic set of shapes. When printing very large characters, the "stepped" outline of the character can sometimes be seen,
even on a laser printer. Hewlett-Packard developed RET for laser printers, to smooth character edges.
RFC Request for comments. Publications which detail the Internet's standards.
RFI Radio frequency interference. Computers must be constructed so that they do not allow emission of frequencies that
might cause interference with radio or television reception. Good design can minise the problem, but you will often see
additional metal shielding inside a computer or the use of a metal case. RFI generated from nearby sources such as
radio or TV transmitters, CB radios and so on can sometimes cause problems with a computer.
RFT Revisable Form Text. A word processor file format from IBM.
RGB Red, green, blue. Often used to describe a computer monitor which has three electron guns, one for each colour.
Since each gun can be on or off, a maximum of eight colours (counting black as a colour) can be obtained. A variation
on this is the RGBI system, where "I" stands for intensity and means that the brightness of each gun can be switched to
half, thus nearly doubling the colour range. RGB monitors may be contrasted with "analogue" types where the brightness
of the electron beam produced by each gun is proportional to the size of voltage applied to it, giving an infinite colour
range.
RGBI Red, green, blue, intensity.
RISC Reduced instruction set computer (or chip). Traditional microprocessors have long lists of operations that they can
perform (called instruction sets). However, for most of the time only a small proportion of the available instructions are
used. RISC chips were designed to take advantage of this. Not only was the size of the instruction set reduced, but the
remaining instructions could be executed more efficiently, increasing the processing speed of the chip. RISC chips
execute at least one instruction for each "tick" of the system clock. When complex operations are required, they are
performed by building them up from simpler steps. The first notable RISC chip was Acorn's Arm, used in the Archimedes
computer.
RLL Run Length Limited. An encoding scheme for placing data on hard disks - see ERLL.
ROM Read only Memory. Any memory device from which the contents may be read but not re-written, but often used to
mean a ROM chip. The contents of a ROM chip are not volatile, i.e. they remain intact even when the power to the chip
is off.
Rosa Recognition of open systems achievement. Rosa awards are made in recognition of achievements in the field of
open systems.
RS-232C Version C of the standard issued by the Electrical Industries Association (EIA) dealing with the transmission of
serial (one bit at a time) data between a computer (the DTE) and a modem (the DCE). The RS-232 interface is a 25-pin
"D" plug and socket system, although a working system might use as few as three of the pins. Simply because two
pieces of equipment are fitted with an RS-232 interface doesn't mean that they'll work when connected together. Often
special leads have to be made up or purchased. Devices called "break-out boxes" are used to monitor the signals on the
pins and allow you to try different cross-connections until your system works .. and even that assumes both pieces of
equipment are: (i) communicating at the same baud rate (bits/second); (ii) using the same error checking (parity) system;
(iii) using the same number of bits to represent data; and (iv) using the same number of "stop" bits to mark the end of
each character transmitted.
RSA Rivest-Shamir-Adleman. The three people after which this data encryption algorithm is named. The data to be
protected (called the plaintext) is put through a series of steps defined by the RSA algorithm to produce the "ciphertext"
or encrypted version.
RSI Repetitive strain injury. The reasons computers can be a pain in the neck, or back, or wrist.
RTC Real-time clock. A chip which can be set up to provide a computer with the correct time, date and year.
RTFM Read the flippen' manual (or worse).
RTS Request to send. A signal found on the RS-232 serial interface system.
RTV Real-time video.
RWM Read-write memory. This describes computer memory (usually chips) that can be both read from and written to.
RADIUS - Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service - by far the most common method on the Internet for
authenticating remote users.
RAM - Random Access Memory - memory which can be "written to" over and over again. Computers use this to store
data for use during normal operations. Sometimes called "main memory", which is a reference to its extensive use in
computing. It is erased whenever the power is turned off.
RAT - Remote Administration Tool - refers to products such as PC Anywhere and Carbon Copy but is more often used
to refer to trojan RATs such as Back Orifice and NetBus.
RBL - Realtime Blackhole List - a part of the MAPS project - used to block mail from networks that seem unable to
prevent spam from emanating from their network.
RBOC - Regional Bell Operating Company - the regional Bell systems which were created by the court ordered breakup
of AT&T.
registry - a special database used by Windows 95, 98 and NT to store configuration information, personal preferences,
user information, hardware settings and file associations for use by programs and the OS.
RDBMS - Relational DataBase Management System - a type of database that stores data in related tables. A powerful
form of database due to its flexibility.
RDRAM - Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory - newer and faster memory
RFC - Request For Comments - the standards for Internet operation - you can find them at the RFC Editor site. You can
also find them at FAQS.ORG. Some of them are standards, others are informational. Some are proposals for new
standards.
RFD - Request For Discussion - this is how new newsgroups are proposed. You can find a good explanation of the
process with links to the proper locations here.
RIP - Routing Information Protocol - a routing protocol that uses hop counts to determine paths within a single
autonomous network.
RIPE - Réseaux IP Européens - the Internet registry organization for Europe.
RNA - Remote Network Access - the new dialup system UTD has implemented. For details, you may visit the RNA page.
ROM - Read Only Memory - memory that is written to only once. It is usually used to store data that is needed for routine
operations, such as the ROM that boots your computer. ROM is used extensively in calculators and other hand-held
devices. It retains its data when the power is turned off.
router - a device that connects two or more subnets or networks together. Routers have tables with MAC addresses in
them that point to the location of a particular node on the network. They are like the information center where computers
can go to find out where another computer is located.
RAID Computer Terminology; Redundant Array of Independent Disks. A RAID is a machine containing several hard
drives, each of which can "take over" for any of the others in the event of a failure. A RAID enables a server to continue
working, usually without interruption, even if one or more of the server's disks crashes.
RGB Computer Terminology; RGB stands for red, green, and blue, the three colors that your computer's monitor uses
to generate all the other colors you see on screen. (Actually, there is a fourth color--black--but in this case, it truly
represents the absence of color because your screen creates black by turning off pixels.) Depending on the graphics
card you have, your monitor can combine and dither (arrange colors you have to create the illusion of colors you don't)
these three shades to create anywhere from 256 to more than 16 million colors.
Random access Computer Terminology; What does the "random access" in random access memory (RAM) mean?
Well, it means the opposite of sequential access. To demonstrate, imagine you're a frog, and there are five lily pads in
front of you, and you want to get to the fourth lily pad. If you hopped in sequential access, you'd hop from the first to the
second, second to the third, and third to the fourth. If you hopped in random access, you'd hop directly to the fourth.

So random access memory is memory that lets you access a piece of data directly instead of forcing you to access a
sequence of other data first.
Real time Computer Terminology; Real time describes any experience in which the computer responds INSTANTLY to
your input or to something happening in the real world. For example, a live chat session, in which someone reads what
you type as you type it and responds instantly afterward, is a real-time experience; e-mail is not.
Remote control Computer Terminology; Remote control software lets you dial into another computer from yours, see
that computer on your screen, and actually run it--start programs, open files, whatever--as if you were sitting right in front
of it. For this to work, both computers must have modems, be attached to phone lines, and be running the remote control
software. Usually, folks like to require a password or some other security clearance before their computer can be run by
remote control.

S
safe mode - a special boot process used for troubleshooting Windows 95/98 that only loads essential drivers to bring up
the GUI.
SCSI - Small Computer System Interface - the most commonly used hard drive interface in servers and UNIX and MAC
(until recently) computers - faster and more reliable than IDE.
SDRAM - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
server - a special computer used to provide access to files, databases, or printers or to control network traffic or access
rights.
shares - a term that refers to sections of a hard drive on an NT server that are accessed by one or more users. (Your
home directory, for example, is a "hidden" share. You can't see it by looking in Network Neighborhood. You have to
know what its name is to find it.)
SMTP - Simple Mail Transport Protocol - the protocol that is used to send email between servers. You then use a client
with POP3 or IMAP4 to read/retrieve your email. This is why you have to specify two different servers in your email
client; smtp.utdallas.edu and inbox-?.utdallas.edu (where the ? is replaced by the first initial of your username.)
SNA - Systems Network Architecture - a set of protocols used by IBM to interconnect hosts.
SNMP - Sorry, Not My Problem - just kidding! Simple Network Management Protocol - a set of protocols used to manage
complex networks.)
software - the programs that enable a computer to perform tasks.
social engineering - The use of techniques that will fool a user into divulging important information or the theft of useful
information by going through the trash. Some examples are: calling a user posing as a network engineer and asking for
their password so they can "check the account"; digging through the trash and finding a password written on a piece of
paper; using email to pose as a service provider and asking for username and password before you can view a web site
or get logged on (this is a VERY common method of stealing AOL accounts); calling a user posing as an authority figure
and convincing them that their account has been compromised. Then stating that they "just need to verify your account
information" and asking for the username and password.
spam - unsolicited email, the use of the term comes from a Monty Python skit where a group began chanting "spam,
spam, spam, spam", drowning out all conversation.
subnet - a small part of a network where all the machines share a common address. At UTD, the subnets are the third
part of the IP address.
subnetmask - a special numerical formula that defines to a computer or router what constitutes a subnet. We use
255.255.255.0, which tells the computer or router that the third octet represents a subnet address. The math that
accomplishes this is fascinating. If you're interested, CISCO has technical documentation that explains the process.
SKTDH Chat Room Acronym; Stop Kicking That Dead Horse.
SLK Computer Slang; The SLK file suffix stands for symbolic link, or SYLK, a format used with spreadsheets. A
spreadsheet file saved in SLK format retains the links between cells--even when that file is transferred from one
spreadsheet application to another.
SWAK Chat Room, E-mail Acronym; Sealed With A Kiss.
SWIM Chat Room Acronym; See What I Mean.
SAA Systems application architecture. A method, devised by IBM, of allowing different types of computer to
communicate.
SACU Single application computer user. Somebody who uses the computer to do only one job - perhaps just a word
processor.
Sad Systems analysis and design. The name given to the techniques for examining a system (perhaps an invoicing
system) that is to be computerised and designing the necessary software.
Sasi Shugart Associates system interface. See scsi.
Scada System control and data acquisition. Computers are used to control complex industrial systems (for example, a
water treatment plant) and also to monitor and record the hour-by-hour operation of them. Scada systems will have data
logging facilities and may include mimic displays to indicate the present state of the plant under control.
SCO UNIX Santa Cruz Operation's version of the UNIX operating system.
SCODL Scan conversion object description language. A file format used by the spreadsheet program SuperCalc.
SCSA Signal computing system architecture. An "open" standard which allows computer telephony hardware and
software, from different companies, to be integrated.
Scsi Small Computer systems interface. "Scuzzy", as it's pronounced, is a means of connecting devices such as hard
disks, tape drives, CD-ROMs, Worms and erasable optical disks to a computer. Scsi was originally developed in the late
1970s by Shugart Associates as a hard disk controller called Sasi (Shugart Associates system interface) and has
evolved to become Scsi-2 which can transfer data at a theoretical 40Mb/s. Some other Scsi types and details are
displayed in the table below.
SD Single density. See FM.
SDRAM Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory chips have many advantages (see DRAM) but are slow.
SDRAM chips allow a piece of stored data to be retrieved at the same time that the previous piece of data is being
passed to the system microprocessor. This "pipelining" has the effect of speeding up access to the stored data.
Secam Sequential couleur a memoire. The French television standard.
SFF Small form factor. A committee consisting of suppliers of IDE hard disk drives, formed to agree technical
specifications such as E-IDE.
SGML Standard generalised markup language. A method of coding text for storage on CD-ROM.
SGRAM Synchronous Graphics Random Access Memory. The chip memory used to stroe the information shown on the
computer display is called video RAM (VRAM). It is important that this memory is very fast, i.e. it can produce its stored
data very quickly when asked to do so by the display controller. SGRAM is a fast video memory chip developed by
Fujitsu, Hitachi and NEC.
SIDF System independent data format. An industry standard way of storing information on magnetic tape, allowing easy
interchange of data between different tapes and tape drives.
SIL Single-inline. A chip package with a single row of pins inline.
SIMM Single inline memory module. A circuit board containing memory chips (usually for PCs) which plugs into the main
circuit board ("motherboard") via a row of connection pads on the SIMM's lower edge, thus saving space on the main
board. SIMMs are used to upgrade the available RAM memory in computers, with one to 32Mb being typical SIMM
capacities.
Sip Single inline package. A small circuit board containing a set of memory chips (typically nine) which is used to
increase or "expand" the amount of RAM memory in a computer by plugging into the main circuit board. A Sip might
typically contain 1Mb of memory.
Sir Serial infrared. See IRDA.
Slip Serial line Internet Protocol. A method of communicating between your computer and the Internet. Data is
transmitted one bit at a time (serially) over the telephone line using the agreed set of rules called the Internet protocol
(IP). A dial-in Slip connection allows you to contact a "service provider" and use their direct connection to the Internet.
SLSI Super large scale integration. This is a measure of the complexity of the circuit on a chip or integrated circuit. Not
everyone agrees on the precise definition, but SLSI has been used to mean chips which contain more than 50 000
transistors.
SMD Surface mount device. Electronic components are nowadays often soldered to the surface of the circuit board
rather than inserted in holes drilled in the boards. The components are smaller and the automated production methods
used save cost and reduce the physical size of the finished product.
SMPS Switched mode power supply. All computers need a power supply. Most plug into the 240V mains and it is the job
of the computer power supply to change the incoming AC (alternating current) mains voltage into the DC (direct current)
voltage needed by the chips and other devices. Many designs of power supply are available, but the SMPS is noted for
its compact size and high efficiency.
SMT Surface mount technology. The technology of soldering electronic components to the surface of printed circuit
boards.
SNMP Simple network management protocol. A set of rules ("protocol") for handling the flow of information over a
computer network, originally developed by the IETF for the US Department Internet.
SoHo Small office, home office.
SOIC Small outline integrated circuit. A type of chip "package" which is smaller than the normal Dip. The pins are closer
together and are bent flat so that the chip may be soldered to the surface of a circuit board, rather than inserted in holes
drilled in it. This surface mounted device (SMD) saves space.
SPECfp95 See SPECmark
SPECint95 See SPECmark
SPECmark Systems Performance Evaluation Co-operative's benchmark. A benchmark is a program used to evaluate
the performance of a computer and provide some basis for comparing one system with another. The SPECmark is the
average performance of a computer carrying out a set of 10 benchmarks as agreed by the participants of SPEC. Recent
improvements include the 1995 integer benchmark SPECint95 and one for floating point performance called SPECfp95.
According to Intel, a 200MHz Pentium Pro benchmarks at a SPECint95 of 8,71.
Spool Simultaneous peripheral operation online. Printing out he results of a computer program is obviously a slow
process compared with the speed at which the computer works. Spooling describes the operation of dumping the
information to be printed on to disk or tape, allowing the computer to get on with its next task. The dumped information
waits its turn to be printed at a time when the computer is less busy.
Squids Superconducting quantum interference devices. At room temperature, even a good conductor such as copper
has electrical resistance - i.e. it offers some opposition to the flow of electrical current. If the copper it cooled to around -
273°C then it loses all resistance and becomes a superconductor. In recent years, the race has been on to find other
substances that exhibit superconductivity at ever higher temperatures. Squids are superconducting devices that are
extremely sensitive to the tiniest magnetic fields. Since thinking causes electrical signals in the brain, which in turn
produces magnetic fields, researches at Fujitsu have found that it is possible to detect thoughts - even at a distance -
using Squids. They hope that this will lead to the first "thought-controlled" computer interface.
SQL Structured Query Language. SQL is a way of asking questions about data, from a database. It is defined by ANSI
and the resulting file of data should, theoretically, be transferable to other databases.
SR Set-reset. A device called an SRC flip-flop forms the basic storage unit of SRAM memory chips. A flip-flop is a two-
state circuit. The two states are used to represent the digital "1" or "0" information to be stored. The storage state is
controlled by the two circuit inputs called Set and Reset. When Set is activated, the circuit represents a stored "1", while
activating the Reset input will cause the circuit to change to represent a stored "0".
SRAM Static random Access memory. A type of RAM memory chip which stores binary digits as one state of the other of
a two-state circuit called a flip-flop. The circuit is more complex than that used in a DRAM so less information can be
stored in the same chip area. However, SRAMs are still used because of their high speed.
SS Single-sided. Referring to a disk having only one usable side for data storage.
SSA Serial storage architecture. A method of connecting computers to hard disk drives, or other devices, using copper
or fibre optic connections. Data travels serially (one bit at a time), typically at 20Mb/second, but much higher rates are
planned.
Ssadam Structured systems analysis and design methodology. A technique for documenting the complex process of
analysing a system and designing a computerised version of it.
SSI Small scale integration. Chip that contain circuits whose complexity is less than the equivalent of about 12 logic
"gates" are called SSI chips. A logic "gate" is the building block of all digital circuits and might be built from several
electronic components such as transistors and resistors.
STTL Schottky transistor transistor logic. This is one of the many developments in progression of the TTL family of digital
logic chips. STTL logic improved upon the speed of operation of the high-speed HTTL logic, thus making it obsolete.
STTL has itself been improved upon by ASTTL logic.
Sylk Symbolic link. A file format from Microsoft which allows data to be exchange between different database programs.
SVGA Super video graphics array. Also called EVGA (enhanced VGA). An upgrade of the VGA display system, giving
800x600 pixels with up to 16 colours.
Spamdex Internet Trminology; A "spamdex" is a block of text, usually hidden on a home page (typed in the same color
as the home page background), that includes either
1) multiple instances of the same keyword so that the home page
appears at the top of the list generated by a search on that keyword or 2) hundreds of related and not-so-related words
so that the page
appears in the results of more keyword lists.
Splash screen Computer Terminology; A splash screen is a programmer's term for the introductory screen that appears
when you first load a program, before the program window itself appears. Usually, it includes the product name, the
manufacturer's logo, the program serial number, and other information.
spider Internet Terminology; A spider -- also called a Web spider--is a software program that regularly searches (or
"crawls") through the Internet, indexing all the text in all the pages on the Web. Spiders allow search services to keep up
with the new content being added to the Web, without having to depend on the creators of that content to index it
themselves.
Spindle Computer Terminology; Technocrats use spindle interchangeably with "disk drive," primarily to confuse others
less familiar with the former term than with the latter. For example, when a nerd refers to a "three-spindle" laptop, he or
she means a laptop with three disk drives (typically a hard, floppy, and CD-ROM drive).
Streaming Internet Termilology; Streaming refers to transferring data--specifically, multimedia content--in a continuous
stream over the Web so that a surfer can "play" the content bit by bit as it arrives, rather than be forced to download all
of it first. Many Web sites today stream video and audio. To receive the stream, you need to have a browser plug-in such
as RealPlayer, QuickTime Viewer, or NetShow Player .

T
24 x 7 Computer slang Nerds use the term "24 x 7" (pronounced without the "x"--as in "twenty-four-seven") to refer to
computers or support staff that are available every hour of every single day--computers so technically advanced that
they never have downtime and support staffs that work in shifts so that someone is always there to answer the phone.
But this is one term that's leapt from geek-land to the real life, where it's now slang for "total commitment."
TTFN Chat Acronym; Ta Ta For Now
TWAIN Computer Acronym; TWAIN means "Technology Without An Interesting Name," and is the standard interface
for transmitting data from a scanner to a software program. If your desktop publishing program supports TWAIN, you can
use a command from the program's menu (usually the Acquire command) to scan a photo directly into a document.
TTYL Chat Acronym; Talk To You Later
TW Chat Room Acronym; Typo Wizard, or Spelling Mistake. Usually used in front of a spelling correction.
Terabyte Computer Terminology; a quadrillion bytes, or 1,000
gigabytes (measured precisely, it's 2 to the 40th power bytes). The
biggest hard disk you can buy for your computer today is about 20
gigabytes; it would have to get 50 times bigger to hold a terabyte.
token Computer Terminology; A "token" is part of a network security scheme in which a small electronic card--the
token--must be slipped into a slot added to a computer before that computer can access the network. Some tokens
contain static password and access information; others generate a new password every time they're inserted in the
computer.
Touchpad Computer Terminology; Some portables have something called a "touchpad," a device that lets you move
the mouse pointer around the screen by moving your finger around on a touch-sensitive pad and "click" by simply
tapping the pad (or clicking one of the buttons just below or beside the pad).
Thin Client Computer Terminology; Thin client can mean two things. It can mean a small software application, designed
to run on a networked desktop, that contains little more than a user interface; the user enters data and sees results on
the desktop computer, but all the actual processing gets done on the network server. Or, the term can refer to a client
computer (a network computer, NetPC) that doesn't have a hard drive--coincidentally, the perfect kind of computer for
running thin client software.
Thumbnail Computer/Internet Terminology; "Thumbnail" is one of those terms that has evolved over history. It referred
originally, of course, to the fingernail on your thumb. Later--say, sometime in the mid-1900s--it began to be used as an
adjective, meaning "brief" (as in "thumbnail biography"). Then advertising types began using the term to refer to small
pictures used in storyboards. Later, in the early '90s, software manufacturers added "thumbnail views" to presentation
software and desktop publishing programs; these views enabled one to see multiple, miniaturized pages on one screen.
And now, with the advent of the Web, thumbnail also means a miniaturized image that you can click to see the full-size
image.
Trojan horse Internet Slang; refers to software that looks like a program but is actually a virus. When a user runs it, it
does something devastating, such as formatting the computer's hard drive, uninstalling software, or causing insoluble
problems all over the system. A good tip-off to a Trojan Horse is a free program offer that:
1) seems too go to be true and
2) comes from someone you don't know.
Examples include a program that promised free access to AOL (forever) and a program that promised to rid one's
system of viruses.
T Tera. Used in engineering to mean a million million. This is somewhat smaller than the meaning of tera in computing
terms., where it is used to represent the number, closest to a million million, that can be made from raising two to the
power of 40. See Tb for a full explanation.
TA Terminal Adapter. A device for connecting a computer to the ISDN digital telephone network - the equivalent of a
MODEM for ordinary phone lines. Tas may be internal "cards" for a PC or external "standalone" units.
TAPI Telephony application programming interface. Microsoft's system for allowing control of the telephone and audio
functions from the computer.
Tb Terabyte. If we imagine computer data stored in "boxes", each holding eight bits (= one byte), then each "box" will
need a unique address or code to enable the microprocessor to contact it. A terabyte is the number of different
addresses that can be provided by a 40-bit binary address (1 099 511 600 000). The Intel 80386 microprocessor can
provide 64 terabytes of virtual memory addressing.
TCP/IP Transmission control protocol over Internet protocol. An industry-standard set of rules which allow different types
of computer to communicate with each other over the Internet.
TFT LCD Thin film transistor liquid crystal display. The technology which is used to manufacture LCD displays capable
of greyscale or colour images.
TI Texas Instruments. The American semiconductor ("chip") manufacturer.
TIF Tagged image format. A file extension (letters added to a filename) indicating a certain type of graphics format that
will allow the file to be transferred between programs recognising it.
TIFF Tagged image file format. See TIF.
TLA Three letter acronym. An abbreviated title consisting of three letters, as in TLA.
TPC Transaction Processing Council. An association which produces benchmarks (programs which test the
performance of a computer) for minicomputers and mainframes. With microcomputers (i.e. a computer which uses a
microprocessor as its CPU) continually becoming more powerful, it is getting harder to define what is meant by minis and
mainframes. The main difference is still the price! Minicomputers can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds and
might support many users performing varied specialist tasks within a company. The mini might look like a small steel
cabinet and be plugged directly into the mains. A mainframe is much larger and can cost millions of pounds. They often
need special cooling, can supply hundreds of users simultaneously and are in demand for their "number crunching"
ability. This is essential for the rapid production of weather forecasts and the modelling of complex systems such as
ocean currents.
TPI Tracks per inch. In specifications for disk drives, this figure will tell you how many tracks the drive will place in one
inch of disk space measured radially.
TQ Text quality. See LQ.
Tron The real-time operating system nucleus. A Japanese project which attempted to establish a set of standards that
would allow all computers to communicate with each other in real time (i.e. as things happen).
TSAPI Telephony services application programming interface. Novell's system for allowing control of the telephone and
audio functions from the computer.
TSR Terminate but stay resident. TSR describes those programs that you can load into the computer and then forget
until you need them, even though you're working with another program at the time. Pressing a special key combination
will cause the TSR program to pop up so that you can use it - for example, you might need a calculator or calendar - and
then allow you to return your original program at the point you left it.
TTL Transistor transistor logic. This is a method of making digital logic "chips"; often referred to as "74" series logic
because of the numbering system used to identify the different circuits available. TTL logic was selected for its superior
speed of operation, while rival CMOS chips were slower but used much less power. Since the original TTL, many
developments have taken place, aimed at increasing speed of operation or reducing power consumption.
TTY Teletypewriter. In the day before cheap personal computers, only the head office of a company would have had a
computer. Many branch offices would have had a teletypewriter as a terminal. This could use a telephone line to
communicate with the main computer. The TTY enabled you to type, "offline", the information you wished to send to the
main computer and could produce a punched paper tape of it, as well as printing the output. When you went "online" to
the computer, the TTY tape-reader would relay your information efficiently. The TTY printer would then print out the
return information from the central computer.
TACS - Technology and Communications Services - the division of UTD IR responsible for all campus UNIX server
systems, including mail, news, web services, backup services, dialup services, UNIX programming services, campus
backbone and wiring infrastructure, audio, video, and data feeds and all telecommunications services for the university.
The director position is vacant at this time. Mr. Steven Hodo is the acting co-director with Mr. Steven Patton.
TASSCC - Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications - a Texas association dedicated to
"advancing cooperation, innovation, education, excellence and sound public policy in the application of information and
communication technology to the provision of public service.
TB - terabyte - 1012 bytes. 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. 1000 gigabytes. See the NIST page for details.
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol - the reason the Internet works. TCP/IP is a protocol that
allows data to be transmitted in packets without regard to whether or not they are received correctly. If the receiving
machine doesn't get the packet intact, it simply requests that it be resent.
TCS - Technology Customer Services - the division of UTD IR responsible for technical support of all desktop systems
and software, the Help Desk, PC LAN servers and infrastructure, PC systems programming, student computer labs and
campus computer training. The director is Mr. Douglas Jackson.
telnet - a terminal emulation program used to access UNIX systems from a remote location. It allows you to run
programs as if you were sitting at the server keyboard.
TDMA - Time Division Multiple Access - a technology for delivering digital wireless service using time-division
multiplexing (TDM). TDMA works by dividing a radio frequency into time slots and then allocating slots to multiple calls.
In this way, a single frequency can support multiple, simultaneous data channels. TDMA is used by the GSM digital
cellular system.
TiB - tebibyte - 240 bytes. 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. 1024 gibibytes.
THENet - Texas Higher Education Network - how UTD connects to the Internet. Data leaving UTD for the Internet travels
across THENet circuits to Austin. From there it transfers to Sprintlink, which connects directly to the "backbone".
TLA - Three Letter Acronym - really!
TLD - Top Level Domain - in our case .edu - in the case of a country .se or .uk or .au etc. If you're interested in such
things, you can find a list of all the country domains at IANA.
traceroute - a utility used to trace the route from one host to another. It reports the time it takes for each host in the path
to respond to a UDP message to an invalid port address as well as the hostname of the devices the signal travels
through. The Windows version is tracert. (Still adhering to that old 8 character limitation from DOS for some reason.)
Trojan Horse - not Homer's....this refers to programs sent to unsuspecting users disguised as something they are not.
Generally, they are used to install software that allows the attacker to control the machine without the user's knowledge
or to gather information about the victim's machine and network.
TWAIN - Toolkit Without An Interesting Name - seriously! TWAIN makes it easier for programs to work with OCR
software.

U
UART Universal asynchronous receiver transmitter. A chip that provides a computer with the ability to have a serial
interface system. The chip not only changes the parallel data of the computer into serial or one bit at a time data (and
vice versa), but is also programmable. This enables the communication rate to be chosen, as well as the error checking
system (parity), the number of (data) bits to represent a character and the number of "stop" bits which will mark the end
of each character. With modern MODEMs requiring very fast serial communication (115 200 bps), UARTs such as the
16550A are used. These have a buffer holding 16 characters which can be transmitted or received without the CPU
getting involved.
UCR Under-colour removal. When using a colour printer, black can be created by over-printing the three basic ink
colours: cyan magenta and yellow. This is wasteful and can be messy. UCR is a technique which allows these areas to
be specified for replacement by plain black ink.
ULA Uncommitted logic array. A chip containing a large number of electronic gates which is manufactured up to the last
couple of layers - the ones that join the gates into a working circuit. Customers use specialist software to assist them to
translate what they would like the chip to do into the required connection patterns. The final layers are then added to the
chip at the manufacturers. The ULA is called a semi-custom Asic.
UMB Upper memory block. Think of computer memory as "boxes", each holding eight bits of information. Each "box"
needs a unique address, just as each house in a road needs a unique address, so that the microprocessor knows
exactly where to find it. The newer microprocessors such as the 80386 and 80486 can generate a huge range of
different addresses, but of course this doesn't mean that all addresses lead to a physical memory chip, just as knowing
all the house numbers on a building site doesn't mean that the houses are built! A memory map is a diagram listing all
the addresses that a microprocessor can generate and showing which ones lead to physical devices. "Holes" often
appear in the diagram between 640K and 1Mb (i.e. between address number 65 535 and number 1 048 575) and these
are called UMBs. They are useful because memory chips with addresses higher than 1Mb can be made to appear to
occupy these holes (rather like re-directing a letter). This allows the microprocessor to operate with more memory in a
fast mode called "virtual mode" where the address range is limited to 1Mb.
Unics Uniplexed information and computing service. (Better known as UNIX). An operating system written by Ken
Thompson of Bell Labs which is a slimmed down version of the earlier Multics system. Although used for mainframes
and minicomputers, it is now available for micros but has the reputation of being rather more difficult to use than DOS.
Unix See Unics.
UPS Uninterruptable power supply. A power supply that will ensure that a computer continues to operate without fault
should an interruption of the main power supply voltage occur.
URL Uniform (or Universal) resource locator. A method of addressing resources, available on the Internet, in a standard
way. For example, on the World Wide Web, http://www.microsoft.com is the address for Microsoft Corporation.
USB Universal serial bus. A system of connecting up to 127 different peripherals (printers, modems, joysticks, etc.) to a
computer using a single type of connector. Developed by a consortium including Intel and Microsoft, the USB will allow
"hot" insertion of peripherals - i.e. without powering down the system. It should also make things easier for the user by
doing away with technicalities such as IRQ and DMA settings.
UTP Unshielded Twisted Pairs. A type of cable used to network computers.
UV Ultra-violet. The type of light used to erase memory chips called EPROMs.
USB Computer Terminology; USB is short for "Universal Serial Bus." If your computer has a USB port, you're lucky,
because you can use the port to connect all kinds of devices--mice, modems, scanners, you name it--to your computer
without having to ooen the computer and insert some kind of card in one of your computer's slots.
UUNET Internet Terminology; What is UUNET? Nothing less than the very first ISP! UUNET was created by Rick
Adams, who was one of the original developers of ARPAnet, the nuclear-war-proof network that is now recognized as
the precursor to the Internet. After a chain of mergers and acquisitions, UUNET is now an MCI company. If signing up
with the first ISP sounds like something interesting or nostalgic to you, you can check out UUNET's services at:
http://www.us.uu.net
UNIX Internet Terminology; is the most popular network operating system in the world, not to mention the operating
system used to develop the Internet and World Wide Web.
user name Computer/Internet Terminology; Your user name is the name by which a network server knows you and,
consequently, the name that you must provide to gain access to a particular computer or network. Your Internet e-mail
user name, for example, is the part of your e-mail address that comes before the @ sign--for example, the "myname" in
myname@wherever.com.
UI - User Interface - a term that describes the interface you use to interact with a computer.
UDP - User Datagram Protocol - a connectionless protocol used on the Internet. Used primarily for broadcast traffic
where a response is not necessarily required.
UltraDMA - Ultra Direct Memory Access - better than just DMA, of course.
UMS - University Management Systems - the division of UTD IR responsible for all mainframe computing including
financial, student and human resources records, Touch Tone® Registration Services, numerous specialized applications
that access the mainframe databases and programming services related to the mainframe. The Director is Mrs. Barbara
Toney.
UNC - Universal Naming Convention - the PC format for specifying the location of servers, directories and files. For
example \\servername\directoryname\filename.
UNIX - a popular OS developed by AT&T at the Bell Labs in the early '70s. There are many different types of UNIX now,
including NetBSD, FreeBSD, SunOS, Solaris, SysV, SVR4, XENIX, ULTRIX, HP-UX, Dec UNIX, AIX, SCO UNIX,
LINUX, etc. UNIX is the OS of the Internet.
upload - to move or copy data, files or programs from your computer to a remote location, such as your web page
directory on UNIX.
URL - Uniform Resource Locator - the "address" system of the Internet.
USB - Universal Serial Bus - a fairly new technology that allows more than one peripheral to share the same interrupt.
This increases the number of peripherals that can be added to a personal computer.

V
VAFC Vesa advanced feature connector. An interface standard for connecting the special components that handle full-
screen, full-motion video to the graphics display card in a computer.
VAR Value-added reseller (retailer). Someone who buys computer systems and then resells them at a profit. The value-
added factor might be simply that the retailer has built up the system from bought-in boards or that he/she is offering you
some additional service with the goods.
VDF Voice data fax. Used to describe modems that can handle voice as well as the more usual data and fax functions.
When speech arrives over the phone line, the modem converts it into digital form using the ADPCM system before
passing it to the computer. A voice file can also be sent from the computer. The digital data is sent to the modem which
converts it to analogue and sends it out on the phone line.
VESA Video Equipment Standards Association. A consortium of over 100 companies which agrees standards such as
the VL-BUS.
VFAT Virtual File Allocation table. A table of information stored on a computer disk, which is used by the Windows 95
operating system. The VFAT indicates which parts of the disk surface have been used to store files, where each file is
stored, its name, attributes and the date and time it was created or updated. VFAT replaces the earlier DOS FAT system
and has the advantage that it can store filenames up to 255 characters, rather than the FAT's limited "8 plus 3" character
names: e.g. Myletter.txt.
VGA Video graphics array. Probably the most widely used display system on IBM-type PCs at present. Many display
modes are available with up to256 colours onscreen and with typical resolutions of 640x480 picture elements or "pixels".
VHDF Very high density floppy. Techniques have been developed to boost the storage capacity of floppy disks to over
20Mb. The idea is to squeeze more tracks onto the 3.5" floppy disk. The packed tracks mean that very accurate
positioning of the read/write head is required. One method records a low frequency signal on the disk to provide the
position information for the head - this doesn't interfere with the high frequency of the data recording - while another
method uses an embossed positioning track that can be detected by optical means. Disks using the method are known
as "flopticals".
VIA Versatile interface adapter. A popular interface chip which allows the computer to communicate with the "outside
world" through two 8-bit "windows" or ports. The chip also contains extra features such as hardware timers - circuits that
can generate time delays, count pulses and produce waveforms whose frequency can be programmed.
VL-BUS VESA's local bus. Peripherals such as hard disk drives and video monitors are usually controlled by circuit
cards that plug into the main computer circuit via connectors or "expansion slots". Different varieties of expansion slot
are available, with names like ISA, EISA and MCA. These methods of connection provide data at a rate which is lower
than the latest CPUs are capable of handling, meaning that the whole system is working more slowly than necessary (a
bus "bottleneck"). The local bus system provides extra connectors at each expansion slot, allowing direct connection
between the (specal) peripheral card and the CPU, greatly speeding up the transfer of data between them. VL-Bus
seems to have lost the battle with PCI as the preferred system.
VLF Very low frequency. Frequencies in the range 1Kz to 400KHz. Computer monitors can produce frequencies in this
range. Such frequencies may have adverse effects on the user and so most monitors are designed to conform to the
"MPR II" standard, which sets maximum limits for the radiation in this band of frequencies.
VLSI Very large scale integration. Chips may contain extremely complex circuitry. A VLSI chip is one where the circuit is
equivalent to at least 1000 logic "gates" - the building blocks of digital circuits. In terms of electronic components, this
probably means in excess of 10 000 transistors, resistors and so on.
VM Virtual Memory. Each memory location or "box" in a computer system is identified by a unique address. With early
microprocessors, the number of addresses that could be generated were rather limited - about 65 000 - thus limiting the
size of the chip memory that could be installed. With later microprocessors, the problem changed. Microprocessors can
now generate millions (or more) of addresses and the physical memory present is small by comparison. What happens
when the microprocessor generates an address that doesn't lead to a physical memory "box"? The answer can be
provided by the virtual memory technique. The "non-existent" address is detected and causes a block o fdata from disk
memory to be loaded into the physical memory chips. The microprocessor now believes it has contacted a "new" part of
memory. This swapping will be performed by a memory management unit (MMU).
VMC VESA media channel. A special set of connectors or "bus" designed to carry high-quality video information around
a PC.
VME Versa module Europe. Motorola makes the 68000 range of microprocessors, used in computers such as the Atari
and Amiga. Motoral also developed a connection system called the VERSAbus, enabling large 68000-based systems to
be constructed from joining circuit boards together. A variation of the VERSAbus system was developed to enable a
popular size of circuit card, called the Eurocard, to be used and is known as the VMEbus. It has become an industry
standard.
VPN Virtual Private Network is a network on a server, either a intrenet or intranet connecton, where you have access to
files or data through the network in a private ring on that network. It could contain a workgroup, friends or family
members as its user. This technology is slowly geting into basic web and net users' hands.
Vpop Virtual point of presence. A telephone number you dial to gain access to the Internet, but which relays your call to
a second number (Pop) hidden to you.
VR Virtual Reality. A computer-generated world that you see in three dimenstions by wearing a helmet with two tiny
screens, one for each eye, whose displays combine to form the 3D image. Interaction with this virtula world is possible
by donning a glove-like device which has sensors to detect your hand movements. Moving your hand inside the glove
causes identical movements by hand you can see in your virtual world. Whole suites, prividing you with a virtual body in
your virtual world, will give literally a new dimension to computer applications.
VRAM Video Random Access Memory. VRAM is chip memory used for storing the information to be displaye on a
computer screen. Another chip, called the video controller, reads the information from the VRAM and sends it to the
display. VRAM has two sets of connections so that the system microprocessor can update its contents of the VRAM
without interfering with the video controller - hence the alternative name of dual-port RAM.
W
Wan Wide Area Network. A system of connecting together computers where the distances between machines may be
very great.
WAV Waveform. A file extension which indicates sound information stored in digital form for use by Microsoft's Windows.
By using a "sound card" such files can be "played" to produce good quality output.
Wimp Windows, icons, mice and pointers. Wimp computers are those which can be controlled with a mouse. Moving the
mouse causes the pointer to move. The screen may be split up into separate areas or "windows". Pictures or "icons"
indicate the services available and pointing at an icon while "clicking" the mouse selects the service desired.
WMF Windows metafile format. A file format produced by the Windows program.
Worm Write once, read many times. This usually refers to optical storage devices which use a laser beam to write data
by etching the specially coated surface of a disk or tape, causing a change in its reflectivity. A lower power laser is then
used to read the data. Once written, data cannot be changed, hence the name Worm.
WPG WordPerfect graphic. These letters are used to identify a graphics file that can be read into a WordPerfect
document.
WRAM Windows Random Access Memory. A special type of VRAM (the chip memory used for storing information to be
shown on a computer display) which has been designed by Samsung to improve the performance of Windows-type
screens.
WWW World Wide Web. A system for linking the resources available on the Internet. The WWW allows users to "browse
the Net" by the use of hypertext links - see HTML.
Wysiwyg What you see is what you get (pronounced "wizzywig"). This refers to word processor programs that show you
onscreen what you can expect when the document is printed on paper ("hard copy"). "True" wysiwygs should be able to
display the different fonts and graphics effects now available with many word processors.
VON Internet Acronym; VON means Voice on the Net. It's a society of Internet telephony software manufacturers and
users who want to make sure that the telephone companies do NOT pass legislation that outlaws Internet telephony, a
program that allows users who have the program installed on their computers to communicate over the telephone, either
locally or long distance, using a local telephone number.
VRML Internet Acronym; VRML is pronounced "VERMAL," and stands for "Virtual Reality Modeling Language," It
allows programmers to create 3D environments (called "hyperspaces") that folks with VRML-plug-in-equipped Web
browsers can move around in. You won't find a lot of VRML on the Web right now, but it's coming.
Veronica Internet Terminology; Veronica is a search engine for finding information in all gopher sites, everywhere.
Veronica uses a spider to create a continually updated index of all the text in these gopher sites.
VAX Virtual Address eXtension - a type of Digital Equipment Corporation minicomputer. It ran the VMS operation
system.
vBNS very high-speed Backbone Network Service. The next generation Internet. Sponsored by the NSF and
implemented by MCI, vBNS presently supports data transfer rates of 622Mbs and is expected to eventually support
2.5Gbs speeds.
VGA - Video Graphics Array - the de facto standard for graphics display in PCs.
virus - A virus is a program that can replicate itself by infecting certain types of files (.com, .exe, .doc, .xls, etc.) The
program code is actually inserted into an existing file which changes the size of the file by the size of the viral code. (In
some cases, the virus actually takes advantage of "empty space" in a file so that it does not appear to have changed the
file at all.) Once the code has been inserted into a file, if that file is run, the code will then insert itself into many other
files of the same type. Infected files must be deliberately shared (intentionally or unintentionally) with other people in
order to spread to other machines.
VLAN - Virtual LAN - the latest thing in LANs. It's a complex subject to the layman, but if you're interested and you've got
a lot of time on your hands, you can learn more from 3COM's "White Paper" on Layer 3 Switching.
VMS - an operating system that ran on the VAX minicomputer made by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC.) It was a
multi-user, multi-tasking Virtual Memory operating System, thus the acronym, VMS.
VPN - Virtual Private Network - a term for a number of technologies that allow you to exchange data securely over the
Internet. PPTP is a subset of VPN.
VRAM - Video Random Access Memory - a special type of RAM that can be accessed by two devices at once. This
allows for much faster "painting" of graphics on the display device.
VRML - Virtual Reality Modeling Language - a new language used on web pages to create all sorts of special effects.
VSAM - Virtual Storage Access Method - an IBM mainframe file management system.
VTAM - Virtual Telecommunications Access Method - IBM software which allows for communication in SNA networks,
the IBM network structure.

W
W3 Internet Acronym ; World Wide Web.
WAN Computer/Internet Acronym; meaning A WAN is a wide area network, a network made up of LANs in different
buildings, cities, or even countries. If you're reading this, you've used the world's largest WAN: The Internet.
Web portal Internet Terminology; Web portal is one of those terms whose meaning has changed in just the past few
years. As recently as four or five years ago--when setting up your own Web access was a process fraught with peril and
not-so-friendly software--a Web portal was an online service provider such as Prodigy or AOL that provided ready-to-use
Web access as one of its services. With the advent of simplified Web access, the definition of Web portal has expanded
to include Web sites, such as Yahoo! and Excite, that provide search engines, site indexes, e-mail, and online chat
communities.
WebTV Internet Terminology; WebTV lets you surf the Web and retrieve your e-mail on a television set over cable lines
rather than on a computer over phone lines. WebTV is faster than a phone-line Web connection, and it lets you
experience the Internet without forcing you to buy a computer.
WORM Computer Terminology; One of the fastest and most spacious data storage systems around. WORM stands for
"Write Once Read Many" and means exactly that: A WORM drive lets you save data once onto a high-capacity laser disk
where you can access it whenever you need it--but never rewrite or erase it. Large graphic design firms use WORM
drives to archive their graphics-intensive files. If you hear someone referring to "burning a CD" then you know they have
a WORM Drive!
WYSIWYG Computer Slang; What You See Is What You Get. This refers to what appears on the monitor (screen) is
what will be viewable.
Warm boot, cold boot Computer Terminology; As most of you know, to "boot" (also to "boot up") means to start your
computer. A "warm boot" is a way of restarting your computer without actually shutting off the computer. For example,
you can warm boot a DOS-based PC by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete or warm boot a Windows 95 PC by clicking Start,
choosing Shut Down, selecting Restart, and then clicking OK.
You perform a "cold boot" by turning the computer off and then back on again--and losing all unsaved work in the
process. As a result, you usually perform a cold boot only in dire circumstances.
WAN - Wide Area Network - two or more LANS in different geographical locations connected together over phone lines.
WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy - a security protocol for wireless local area networks (WLANs) defined in the 802.11b
standard. WEP is designed to provide the same level of security as that of a wired LAN. LANs are inherently more
secure than WLANs because LANs are somewhat protected by the physicalities of their structure, having some or all
part of the network inside a building that can be protected from unauthorized access. WLANs, which are over radio
waves, do not have the same physical structure and therefore are more vulnerable to tampering. WEP aims to provide
security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one end point to another.
However, it has been found that WEP is not as secure as once believed. WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the
OSI model - the data link and physical layers; it therefore does not offer end-to-end security.
WECA - Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance - an organization made up of leading wireless equipment and software
providers with the mission of guaranteeing interoperability of Wi-Fi products and to promote Wi-Fi as the global wireless
LAN standard across all markets.
WiFi - Wi reless Fi delity - another name for IEEE 802.11b. It is a trade term promulgated by the Wireless Ethernet
Compatibility Alliance (WECA). "Wi-Fi" is used in place of 802.11b in the same way that "Ethernet" is used in place of
IEEE 802.3. Products certified as Wi-Fi by WECA are interoperable with each other even if they are from different
manufacturers. A user with a Wi-Fi product can use any brand of access point with any other brand of client hardware
that is built to the Wi-Fi standard.
WiFi5 - Refers to wireless LAN products based on the IEEE 802.11a specification that operate in the 5 GHz radio
frequency band. Only products that have passed WECA's interoperability testing are allowed to display the Wi-Fi5
certification logo.
WINS - Windows Internet Naming Service - a Windows service which relates Windows NetBIOS names to IP addresses.
WIPO - World Intellectual Properties Organization - an UN organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland, formed for the
purpose of promoting the protection of intellectual property copyrights worldwide through treaty agreements between all
participating countries.
worm - A worm is a program that can replicate itself by using the capabilities of an operating system or one or more of its
components to recreate itself on other systems. Worms do not infect files like viruses do, but they can replace files with
"infected" copies. Worms can spread through a network without users sharing files.
WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get - pronounced wiz-ee-wig - refers to software that is supposed to display
the actual web page in the same window you edit the web page from - like Microsoft's FrontPage® web page editor.

X
XML - eXtensible Markup Language - an Internet standard that allows content authors to design their own markup tags.
This allows a much broader use of material in "legacy" format to be displayed on the web without extensive modifications
XMS - Extended Memory Specification - a procedure used to access "high" memory in DOS.
XG Midi Extended general musical instrument digital interface. Yamaha's enhancement of the Midi standard, offering
more control (e.g. amplitude, pitch, filtering) over the audio signals to be processed together with some programmability.
XGA Extended graphics array. A computer display system which offers a resolution of 1024x678 picture elements or
"pixels" with 256 colours. With special software, XGA can provide more than 65 000 colours at once. The display is
compatible with the popular VGA system.
XMS Extended memory specification. All computer memory locations have a unique address, so that they can be
individually contacted. Early microprocessors such as the 8086/8088 could address up to 1Mb (1048576 locations) of
memory. Extended memory is the name given to addresses beyond the 1Mb and can be used with later processors such
as the 286, 386, 486. XMS is a specification for managing this extended memory.
XPG X/Open's portability guide. The open systems interconnection (OSI) standard is designed to allow different
computers or devices to communicate with each other by following an agreed set of rules. A group funded by suppliers
called X/Open produces XPG as a guide to the most widely agreed interpretation of the standards.
XT Exteneded Technology. An IBM computer, launched in 1983 as an update of the original IBM PC computer. The XT
had up to 640K of memory, a built-in 10Mb hard disk and eight ISA expansion slots.
XSLT - eXtensible Style Language Transformation - the language used in XSL style sheets to "interpret" XML coding
and display it in a language the viewer will understand.

Y
YACC Yet another compiler compiler.
Y2K - Year 2000 - you know what that means by now, don't you?
yottabyte - 2 to the 80th power - bytes. 1,208,925,819,614,629,174,706,176 bytes. 1024 zettabytes.
Y2K Computer Terminology; Year 2000.
Yottabyte Computer Terminology; 1,024 zettabytes, or 2 to the 80th power bytes, or
1,208,925,819,614,629,174,706,176 bytes.

Z
ZIF Zero Insertion Force. A chip socket with a locking lever or screw mechanism. The holes in the socket are large
enough to allow the chip (perhaps an EPROM or a coprocessor) to drop in easily - hence avoiding possible damage to
the chip's pins. The lever is then operated, or the screw turned, to clamp the chip firmly.
ZIL Zigzag inline. An arrangement of pins on a chip where alternate pins from a single row are bent in opposite
directions to produce the zigzag.
Zip Zigzag inline Package. See ZIL
Zettabyte Computer Terminology;The zettabyte is 1,024 exabytes, or 2 to the 70th power bytes, or roughly
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (more
precisely, 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424).
Zine Internet Terminology; "Zine" is short for magazine. Before the advent of the Web, a zine was a small-circulation,
self-published magazine--produced, say, in the publisher's basement. Today, zine is also short for e-zine, or electronic
magazine, meaning a magazine you read on the Web; The ANA Webzine and T-zero Expandizine for example.
ZIP drive - a large capacity floppy disc drive developed by IOMEGA Corporation. Used for backing up important data.
zettabyte - 2 to the 70th power - bytes. 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424 bytes. 1024 exabytes.