you will find a comprehensive glossary of Internet and Computer terms with definitions that are helpful and easy to understand.
To find a term, click the letter of which the word begins with and scroll
alphabetically to find your term. For example, to find the definition for the
word "Media", click the letter "M", then scroll the list
alphabetically until you find "Media".
There are many advantages that 32 bit has over the 16 bit applications. 32 bit
application have their own address space which creates a stable environment for
a computer system. Whereas the 16 bit version runs in a shared address space
which means if you experience a 16 bit application crash, it can crash the
entire system. In addition, 32 bit runs much faster, it can handle multitasking
and can handle much longer filenames than can the 16 bit application.
The exact memory location of data or a specific location within a device.
A formulated cell reference that will not adjust when used to calculate the sum
of specific cells. Most commonly used in spreadsheet applications.
A networking connection device that is also known as the base station. This is a
wireless hardware connection device that connects to a wired network to create
wireless operation. Its point of access is a local area network (LAN).
Stands for Artificial Intelligence. This is the area of computer science
focusing on creating machines that can engage on behaviors that humans consider
intelligent. The ability to create intelligent machines has intrigued humans
since ancient times, and today with the advent of the computer and 50 years of
research into AI programming techniques, the dream of smart machines is becoming
a reality. Researchers are creating systems which can mimic human thought,
understand speech, beat the best human chess player, and countless other feats
never before possible.
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface. This interface was first introduced
in 1996 and was developed to control computer devices power distribution. For
example, if a device was currently not in use, the ACPI would turn this device
off to create more power where necessary for smoother operation.
A type of LCD (liquid crystal display) structure that is actively controlled by
a diode or transistor. This allows for each pixel to be independently controlled
which produces excellent color resolution.
A software technology developed by Microsoft. This is based on other technology
Microsoft developed such as; COM (Component Object Model) and OLE (Object
Linking and Embedding). Active X defines how applications share information.
While Active X gives much more freedom as to how certain applications are
viewed, it has inherent security risks.
Device that performs an action or outputs a signal in response to a signal from
A method of identifying a resource (such as a program) or piece of information
(such as a file) on a network. Methods of addressing vary considerably from
A software program that is designed to run once a web page has been accessed.
This is usually in the form of banner or popup advertisements. Adware can also
be designed to be installed on your system without your consent or knowledge.
These forms of adware are usually referred to as "spyware" and are used to
monitor your surfing habits so that their software can deliver better targeted
advertisements. In other instances, the software can be designed to monitor your
keyboard keystrokes so that the author of the software can gain access to your
password protected accounts. This type of adware is referred to as "malware" due
to its malicious intent.
Aero is the name of Windows Vista's new graphical interface that gives users an
exciting new desktop look and feel. It stands for: Authentic, Energetic,
Reflective and Open. It is designed to be very aesthetically pleasing. It's
-Advanced Window Management features
-Desktop Composition which creates a more stable experience
Stands for Accelerated Graphics Port. This interface specification was developed
by Intel Corporation. It was designed to give lower costing graphics cards much
faster access to the main memory on personal computers.
(Assisted Gunning Transistor Logic) AGTL and AGTL+ use the same signaling
protocol only at different voltage levels. AGTL+ operates at 1.5V signaling
levels, while AGTL operates at 1.25V.
A formal set of instructions that can be followed to perform a specific task,
such as a mathematical formula or a set of instructions in a computer program.
A shortcut or 'friendly name' that points to a file folder or application. As an
example, when you enter in a user name for an application, this user name would
be an 'alias'.
This refers to the distortion in a sound or image generation. A sound distortion
occurs when digitally recording high frequencies with a low sample rate. An
image distortion occurs when a printer, monitor or graphic file has an
insufficient amount of resolution to display an image properly.
(Advanced Microchip Devices) A semiconductor manufacturer and is a major
competitor of Intel. They manufacture the Athlon, Duron, and K6 CPU chips.
Anything whose behavior corresponds with the behavior of something else,
especially if the correspondence varies continuously rather than in steps. For
example, the height of the liquid in a thermometer is an analog of the
temperature. The signals that go from a computer to a composite monitor are
A protocol suite developed by Apple Computer in the early 1980s, was developed
in conjunction with the Macintosh computer. AppleTalk's purpose was to allow
multiple users to share resources, such as files and printers. The devices that
supply these resources are called servers, while the devices that make use of
these resources (such as a user's Macintosh computer) are referred to as
clients. Hence, AppleTalk is one of the early implementations of a distributed
client/server networking system.
It is a kind of English-like language that is used to write specific script
files which have the ability to automate the actions of the computer systems and
applications that run on it.
This is Apple's network system. It is to the Macintosh what FTP is to the PC.
An applet is a small program generally written in the Java programming language
that was designed to provide interactivity on web pages.
An application is a program that is designed to perform specific tasks. A few
examples of some popular applications are:
This is a specialized server based in a client/server network that has the sole
responsibility of running specific applications within that network.
Or ArchiePlex which is an Archie gateway for the World Wide Web. It can locate
files on Anonymous FTP sites in the Internet.
This usually defines old files that are no longer in use and are stored for
possible future use or reference.
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU):
Arithmetic Logic Unit. This is a mathematical core circuitry that applies to all
computers central processing units (CPU). ALU mathematically and logically
calculates the results of binary data.
It stands for "American Standard Code Information Exchange" and is pronounced
(ask-ee). A standard code or protocol for displaying characters and transferring
data between computers and associated equipment. It was developed for the
purpose of information exchange among the following:
-Data communications systems
-Data processing systems
There are 128 standard ASCII codes each of which can be represented by a 7 digit
binary number: 0000000 through 1111111.
1 : not synchronous; not occurring or existing at the same time or having the
same period or phase.
2 : of, used in, or being digital communication (as between computers) in which
there is no timing requirement for transmission and in which the start of each
character is individually signaled by the transmitting device.
In computing, this stands for "Active Server Pages". Developed by Microsoft and
is designed as a web server extension which is a default scripting language for
Short for "Advanced Technology Attachment", this is a disk drive implementation
developed by the Small Form Factor (SFF) Committee that integrates the
controller on the disk drive itself. There are many versions of ATA, which
-ATA: Also known as as IDE, supports one or two hard drives, a 16-bit interface
and PIO modes 0, 1 and 2.
-ATA-2: Supports faster PIO modes (3 and 4) and multiword DMA modes (1 and 2).
Also supports logical block addressing (LBA) and block transfers. ATA-2 is
marketed as Fast ATA and Enhanced IDE (EIDE).
-ATA-3: Minor revision to ATA-2.
-Ultra-ATA: Also called Ultra-DMA, ATA-33, and DMA-33, supports multiword DMA
mode 3 running at 33 MBps.
-ATA/66: A version of ATA proposed by Quantum Corporation, and supported by
Intel, that doubles ATA's throughput to 66 MBps.
-ATA/100: An updated version of ATA/66 that increases data transfer rates to 100
"Asynchronous Transfer Mode". This is an International standard for cell relay
where multiple service types (such as data, video or voice) are communicated in
cells that are of a fixed length (53-byte).
This doesn't stand for anything that I could find. It is a very popular
specification for motherboards in computing. It was designed to take the older
AT motherboards, often referred to as "Baby AT" (an earlier standard) and
rotating it 90 degrees to allow for more available space for add-in cards.
A root directory batch file that is responsible for executing commands at system
Stands for "Audio/Video Interleaved". To date, AVI is the most common format for
audio/video data on the personal computer.