activate – To make a window active by bringing it to the front.

active window – The current window that is being used.  

alias – A nickname that refers to a network resource.

anonymous FTP – This is a method of bypassing security checks when you logon to an FTP site. This is done by typing "anonymous" as your user ID and your e-mail address as the password.

applet – A small application that can only run with the assistance of another program, usually a browser.

Artificial intelligence (AI) – The concept of making computers do tasks once considered to require thinking. AI makes computers play chess and recognize handwriting and speech.

application – A computer program; a program that performs for a certain purpose.

ASCII – The most popular character set in common use. People will often refer to a bare text file without complicated embedded format instructions as an ASCII file, and such files can usually be transferred from one computer system to another with relative ease. The ASCII character set is seven bit while pure binary is usually eight bit, so transferring a binary file through ASCII channels will result in corruption and loss of data. Note that the ASCII character set is a subset of the Unicode character set.

assembly language – Machine language that has had some of the numbers replaced by somewhat easier to remember mnemonics in an attempt to make it more human-readable. The program that converts assembly language to machine language is called an assembler. While assembly language predates FORTRAN, it is not typically what people think of when they discuss computer languages.

associate – To link a file with a certain program. This way, when you double-click on an associated file, it will open the correct program.

ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) – A transfer mode that designates bandwidth using a fixed-size packet or cell. Also called a "fast packet."

attribute – A characteristic or property.

authentication – A method of identifying the user to make sure the user is who he says he is.

authoring system – Any GUIs method of designing new software can be called an authoring system. Any computer language name with the word "visual" in front of it is probably a version of that language built with some authoring system capabilities.

background operation – This is an action performed by an application when another application is already active.

backup – A program that allows the user to back up files from a hard disk onto a floppy disk, another computer, or tape drive.

bandwidth – A measurement in Hz that reads the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies of a transmission.

batch program – A text file that tells Windows 95 to perform one or more actions in order.

baud – A measure of communications speed, used typically for modems indicating how many bits per second can be transmitted.

beta – A beta version of something is not yet ready for prime time but still possibly useful to related developers and other interested parties. Expect beta software to crash more than properly released software does. Traditionally beta versions (of commercial software) are distributed only to selected testers who are often then given a discount on the proper version after its release in exchange for their testing work. Beta versions of non-commercial software are more often freely available to anyone who has an interest.

binary – There are two meanings for binary in common computer usage. The first is the name of the number system in which there are only zeros and ones. This is important to computers because all computer data is ultimately a series of zeros and ones, and thus can be represented by binary numbers. The second is an offshoot of the first: data that is not meant to be intepreted through a common character set (like ASCII) is typically referred to as binary data. 

binary file – Any file that has characters other than text.

BIOS – Basic Input/Output System. A set of built-in instructions which, when the computer is turned on, tell it who it is, where all its pieces are, and how to communicate with them.

bit – A bit can either be on or off; one or zero. All computer data can ultimately be reduced to a series of bits. The term is also used as a (very rough) measure of sound quality, color quality, and even processor capability by considering the fact that series of bits can represent binary numbers. For example, an eight bit image can contain at most 256 distinct colors while a sixteen bit image can contain at most 65,536 distinct colors.

bitmap – A bitmap is a simplistic representation of an image on a computer, simply indicating whether or not pixels are on or off, and sometimes indicating their color. Often fonts are represented as bitmaps. The term "pixmap" is sometimes used similarly; typically when a distinction is made, pixmap refers to color images and bitmap refers to monochrome images.

boolean – Boolean algebra is the mathematics of base two numbers. Since base two numbers have only two values, zero and one, there is a good analogy between base two numbers and the logical values "true" & "false." In common usage, booleans are therefore considered to be simple logical values like true & false and the operations that relate them, most typically "and", "or" and "not". Since everyone has a basic understanding of the concepts of true & false and basic conjunctions, everyone also has a basic understanding of boolean concepts— they just may not realize it.

bits per second (BPS) – A data transmission speed measurement over a serial link.

boot – Starting up an OS is booting it. If the computer is already running, it is more often called rebooting.

bounce – This term refers to when you send an e-mail to a non-existent recipient and the e-mail is "bounced" back to you.

bulletin board service (BBS) – A computer program that operates in combination with a computer system, a modem, and a communication service such as a telephone or data network. The function of an electronic bulletin board is to facilitate computer–to–computer communications, and a particular system may offer a range of features: e-mail, chatting, newsgroups.

Many bulletin boards today also serve as Internet Service Providers. They are operated as a publicly available commercial service (e.g., Compuserve or America Online), or as a public service. Examples of the latter are those operated by professional associations for their members; those established by computer user clubs for the exchange of technical information; and those created by special interest groups to share information about a common field of interest.

byte – A grouping of bits. It is typically eight bits, but there are those who use non-standard byte sizes. Bytes are usually measured in large groups, and the term kilobyte (often abbreviated as K or KB) means one-thousand twenty-four (1024) bytes; the term megabyte (often abbreviated as M or MB) means one-thousand twenty-four (1024) K; and the term gigabyte (often abbreviated as G or GB) means one-thousand twenty-four (1024) M. Memory is typically measured in kilobytes or megabytes, and disk space is typically measured in megabytes or gigabytes. Note that the multipliers here are 1024 instead of the more common 1000 as would be used in the metric system. This is to make it easier to work with the binary number system. Note also that some hardware manufacturers will use the smaller 1000 multiplier on M & G quantities to make their disk drives seem larger than they really are; buyer beware.

BTW – By the way.

cascade – An arrangement of Windows so each window is neatly stacked with only the title bar of each window is showing.

CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory) –  These discs store and read massive amounts of information on a removable disk platter or solid state storage chip. Unlike the data on hard drives and diskettes, data on CD-ROMs can only be read—not altered—by the user. Also called firmware.

CD-ROM drive – A disk drive which uses thin round discs. 

CHAP (Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol) – A method of authentication when connecting to an Internet service provider.

character set – The assignment of sequences of bytes to represent all letters, numbers, and symbols, which enables the computer to read text. Each unique sequence is "mapped" to a particular character. The full mapping is called a character set. The most popular character set is commonly referred to as ASCII.

CHAT (Conversational Hypertext Access Technology) – Chatting is like e-mail, only it is done instantaneously and can directly involve multiple people at once. While e-mail now relies on one more or less standard protocol, chatting still has a couple competing ones. Of particular note are IRC and Instant Messenger. One step beyond chatting is called MUDding.

check box – A dialog box, usually square, that records an on or off value.

CIX – Commercial Internet Exchange.

clear – Normally refers to removing the check from a checkbox.

click – To press a mouse button. When done twice in rapid succession, it is referred to as a double-click.

client – Any workstation that connects to another computer’s resources; an application that performs for a certain purpose.

clipart – Any image that you can use to add into a document. Clipart comes in many varieties of file types including .CGM, .BMP, .GIF, and .WMF formats.

clipboard – A temporary storage location in Windows. The clipart will store one piece of information at a time when it is manually added to the clipart or is copied there.

close button – The X in the upper right corner of a window. When clicked, it will close the current window.

COM – A serial port on which a peripheral is connected to. A COM port is a communications port. Peripherals plugged into COM ports usually include modems and mice.

command –An option form an application’s menu, or a command typed in by the user, such as at a DOS prompt or at the Run dialog box in Windows.

command button – A button, that when clicked, will cause an action to occur.

compiled – If a program is compiled, its original human-readable source has been converted into a form more easily used by a computer prior to it being run. Such programs will generally run more quickly than interpreted programs, because time was pre-spent in the compilation phase. A program that compiles other programs is called a compiler.

compression – It is often possible to remove redundant information or capitalize on patterns in data to make a file smaller. Usually when a file has been compressed, it cannot be used until it is uncompressed. Image files are common exceptions, though, as many popular image file formats have compression built-in.

connection – An established communication session between a server and a workstation.

control menu – Any menu that exists in every window and allows the user to change its settings such as its size and position.

cookie – A small file that a web page on another machine writes to your personal machine's disk to store various bits of information. Many people strongly detest cookies and the whole idea of them, and most browsers allow the reception of cookies to be disabled or at least selectively disabled, but it should be noted that both Netscape and MSIE have silent cookie reception enabled by default. Sites that maintain shopping carts or remember a reader's last position have legitimate uses for cookies. Sites without such functionality that still spew cookies with distant (or worse, non-existent) expiration dates should perhaps be treated with a little caution.

CPU (Central Processing Unit) – This is what you may call the "brain" of your computer.

cracker – Persons who attempt to gain illegal access to computers. Not to be confused with hackers.

crash – If a bug in a program is severe enough, it can cause that program to crash, or to become inoperable without being restarted. On machines that are not multitasking, the entire machine will crash and have to be rebooted. On machines that are only partially multitasking the entire machine will sometimes crash and have to be rebooted. On machines that are fully multitasking, the machine should never crash and require a reboot.

Cray – A high-end computer used for research and frequently heavy-duty graphics applications. Modern Crays typically have Solaris for their OS and sport sixty-four RISC processors; older ones had various other configurations. Current top-of-the-line Crays can have over 2000 processors.

crippleware – A variant of shareware that will either self-destruct after its trial period or has built-in limitations to its functionality that get removed after its purchase.

current window – The window that you are using right now.

cursor – A point of attention on the computer screen, often marked with a flashing line or block. Text typed into the computer will usually appear at the cursor. The representation of the mouse on-screen. Depending on your settings, the cursor can be many different things.

cyberspace – According to William Gibson, "the world of computers and the society that gathers around them."

data – A representation of facts or concepts suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing by people or automated means. The term is often used to refer to the information stored in the computer.

data bits – The number of bits needed to transmit a single piece of information. This number is usually around 7 or 8.

Data Encryption Key (DEK) – Used for encryption and decryption of message text.

Data Encryption Standard (DES) – Standardized encryption method used most on the Internet.

database – A group of files or a single file that is designed to hold recurring data types, just as if the files are lists.

datagram – A block of data that can travel from one Internet site to another without relying on an earlier exchange between the source and destination computers.

DDN (Defense Data Network) – The United States Department of Defense global communications network.

DECnet – A proprietary network protocol designed by Digital Equipment Corporation.

dedicated line – A communications line used solely for computer connections, such as T1 and T3 lines. An additional phone line solely for your modem is a dedicated line as well.

default button – A command button that will activate once the user presses Enter. The default button is recognizable by a dark outline around it.

default printer – The printer that will print documents automatically if a different printer is not specified beforehand.

denial of service – A type of network attack in which the objective is not to breach a host’s security and obtain or alter data, but instead to disable the victim host or to block its communications with the rest of the network. A ping "storm" is a simple type of denial-of-service attack; others include the colorfully named "SYN flood," "smurf attack," and "Ping of Death."

desktop – The area of the screen where windows are displayed. A desktop system is a computer designed to sit in one position on a desk somewhere and not move around. Most general purpose computers are desktop systems. Calling a system a desktop implies nothing about its platform. Industrial strength desktops are typically called workstations.

desktop publisher – A program for creating newspapers, magazines, books, etc.

dialog box – A message box that appears on-screen that asks the user for input or relays information to the user.

dial-up – Most widely used way of accessing the Internet. This involves one computer connecting to another by way of a modem.

dial-up networking – Using a modem to dial into a remote site network.

digital camera – A digital camera looks and behaves like a regular camera, except instead of using film, it stores the image it sees in memory as a file for later transfer to a computer. Many digital cameras offer additional storage besides their own internal memory; a few sport some sort of disk but the majority utilize some sort of flash card. Digital cameras currently lack the resolution and color palette of real cameras, but are usually much more convenient for computer applications. Another related device is called a scanner.

directory – Also called "folder", a directory is a collection of files typically created for organizational purposes. Note that a directory is itself a file, so a directory can generally contain other directories. It differs in this way from a partition.

disk – A disk is a physical object used for storing data. It will not forget its data when it loses power. It is always used in conjunction with a disk drive. Some disks can be removed from their drives, some cannot. Generally it is possible to write new information to a disk in addition to reading data from it, but this is not always the case.

DNS – See domain name service

document – A file created by an application.

documentation – Documents that describe technical specifications for computer-related products and how to use hardware components and/or software applications.

domain – An area on host or an IP address.

domain name – The computer name, or text (human-readable) equivalent of an IP address (see below). People do not remember strings of digits very well, so the IP (digit) address has a "name" translation. maricopa.gov is a domain name for Maricopa County government computers. asu.edu is a domain name for Arizona State University computers. Some domain name components are an indication of the type of institution, such as gov, edu, com (commercial), and org (nonprofit organizations); others indicate the country location such as uk (United Kingdom), au (Australia), etc. Typing a username, followed by an "@" symbol (at), and a domain name such as aol.com (America Online), one can send e-mail or documents to anyone in the world accessible through the Internet. The computer system translates the domain name into the computer-usable IP address and routes the communication to the correct computer at the other end.

Domain Name Service – The means by which a name (like www.saugus.net or ftp.saugus.net) gets converted into a real Internet address that points to a particular machine.

DOS (Disk Operating System) – A disk operating system manages disks and other system resources. Sort of a subset of OSes, sort of an archaic term for the same. MS-DOS is the most popular program currently calling itself a DOS. CP/M was the most popular prior to MS-DOS.

download – To download a file is to copy it from a remote computer to your own. The opposite is upload.

dot address – IP addresses in the form of 1.1.1.1 in a 4-byte IP address where each number is equal to 1 byte.

double-click – Swiftly pressing the same mouse button twice, while keeping the mouse pointer stationary.

download – Retrieving a file from a BBS, an FTP site, or a remote computer.

drag and drop – To click your mouse once on an object and hold it, while simultaneously moving or dragging the item to a different location. By releasing the mouse button, the item is "dropped" in the new location.

drag – Holding the mouse button down while moving it to a different position on screen.

drive – A device for storing and/or retrieving data. Some drives (such as disk drives, zip drives, and tape drives) are typically capable of having new data written to them, but some others (like CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs) are not. Some drives have random access (like disk drives, zip drives, CD-ROMs, and DVD-ROMs), while others only have sequential access (like tape drives).

driver – A driver is a piece of software that works with the OS to control a particular piece of hardware, like a printer or a scanner or a mouse or whatever.

drop-down list – A dialog box such as a File menu that contains one command until it is clicked when a number of different commands "drop down."

dual-boot – A dual-boot system is one that when booted, will give the user a choice to boot into either of two operating systems.

ellipsis – An ellipsis consists of three dots (…) like this… An ellipsis on the end of a command button or a menu option means that there is more to come when you click on it.

e-mail (Electronic Mail) – Electronic mail, or e-mail, is a way users with a computer can send messages between each other easily and more quickly than regular mail. This may include a stored library of programs or text files available for "downloading" (copying from the system to the user's own computer). It also also includes "chat," a real–time interactive communication between two or more users, which is, in effect, a conference call between computers and may involve the exchange of graphics, games, lists of other bulletin boards, and other information of interest to computer users.

e-mail address – A person’s email address is usually like this:

Userid@domain.com

Userid represents the identification of the person
@ is what separates the userid from the domain name. Read as "at"
Domain name refers to the host that the person is using

embedded – An embedded system is a computer that lives inside another device and acts as a component of that device. For example, current cars have an embedded computer under the hood that helps regulate much of their day to day operation. An embedded file is a file that lives inside another and acts as a portion of that file. This is frequently seen with HTML files having embedded audio files; audio files often embedded in HTML include AU files, MIDI files, SID files, WAV files, AIFF files, and MOD files. Most browsers will ignore these files unless an appropriate plug-in is present.

emulator – An emulator is a program that allows one computer platform to mimic another for the purposes of running its software. Typically (but not always) running a program through an emulator will not be quite as pleasent an experience as running it on the real system.

encryption – This is what Internet security is built upon. Encryption will scramble information so it is readable only by the intended recipient.

ethernet – An Ethernet connection is a LAN (Local Area Network) that consists of computers connected by twisted-pair or coaxial cable. Transfers can be made on an Ethernet connection at up to 10 Mb/s.

extension – They allow a very rough grouping of different file types by putting a tag at the end of the name. The tag is sometimes separated by the name proper by a period "." and sometimes by a tab. While extensions are semi-enforced on CP/M, MS-DOS, and MS-Windows, they have no real meaning aside from convention on other platforms and are only optional.

external command – A command that requires a separate file to run.

FAQ – Stands for Frequently Asked Questions. FAQ’s attempts to provide answers for all commonly asked questions related to a given topic.

fax –An abbreviation of "facsimile."

file – A file is a unit of (usually named) information stored on a computer.

fiber optic – A kind of cable that transmits information through light signals.

file server – A computer on a network that stores the programs and data files shared by the users of the network. A file server is the nerve center of the network, and also acts as a remote disk drive, enabling users to store information. It can be physically located in another judicial district from the suspect's machine.

filename – The name that an operating system gives to a file when it is stored to a disk.

finger – A finger is a UNIX command that displays information about a group or user on the Internet.

firewall – A network host installed at the entry point to a network, where its sole function is to perform security screening on traffic passing through it.

fixed width – As applied to a font, fixed width means that every character takes up the same amount of space. That is, an "i" will be just as wide as an "m" with empty space being used for padding. The opposite is variable width. The most common fixed width font is Courier.

flame – This is a negative response to a newsgroup posting or e-mail message. The most popular method of flaming is a mail bomb. This is where the sender or poster receives an overwhelming amount of messages in his or her mailbox and their system can crash.

flash – Flash memory is similar to RAM. It has one significant advantage: it does not lose its contents when power is lost; it has two main disadvantages: it is slower, and it eventually wears out.

floppy – An extremely common type of removable disk. Floppies do not hold too much data, but most computers are capable of reading them. Note though that there are different competing format used for floppies, so that a floppy written by one type of computer might not directly work on another.

folder – A folder represents a directory on disk drives. They can contain files, other folders, and programs.

follow-up – A response to a newsgroup posting or e-mail message.

font – The physical description of a character set. While the character set will define what sets of bits map to what letters, numbers, and other symbols, the font will define what each letter, number, and other symbol looks like. Fonts can be either fixed width or variable width and independently, either bitmapped or vectored. The size of the large characters in a font is typically measured in points.

format – The manner in which data is stored; its organization. For example, VHS, SVHS, and Beta are three different formats of video tape. They are not 100% compatible with each other, but information can be transferred from one to the other with the proper equipment (not always without loss). SVHS contains more information than either of the other two. Computer information can be stored in literally hundreds of different formats, and can represent text, sounds, graphics, animations, etc. Computer information can be exchanged via different computer types provided both computers can interpret the format used.

freeware – Freeware is software that is available for free with no strings attached. The quality is often superb as the authors are also generally users.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) – FTP’s are the most widely used format to uploading and downloading files on an Internet connection. FTP’s are used so computers can share files between other.

gateway – Connects otherwise separate computer networks.

GNU – Stands for GNU's not UNIX and is thus a recursive acronym (and unlike the animal name, the "G" here is pronounced). The GNU project is an effort by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) to make all of the traditional UNIX utilities free for whoever wants them. The Free Software Foundation programmers know their stuff, and the quality of the GNU software is on a par with the best produced commercially, and is often better. All of the GNU software can be downloaded for free or obtained on CD-ROM for a small service fee. Documentation for all GNU software can be downloaded for free or obtained in book form for a small service fee. The Free Software Foundation pays its bills from the collection of service fees and the sale of T-shirts, and exists mostly through volunteer effort. It is based in Cambridge, MA.

gopher – Though not as popular as FTP or http, the gopher protocol is implemented by many browsers and numerous other programs and allows the transfer of files across networks. In some respects it can be thought of as a hybrid between FTP and http, although it tends not to be as good at raw file transfer as FTP and is not as flexible as http. The collection of documents available through gopher is often called gopherspace, and it should be noted that gopherspace is older than the web. It should also be noted that gopher is not getting as much attention as it once did, and surfing through gopherspace is a little like exploring a ghost town; but there is an interesting VR interface available for it, and some things in gopherspace still have not been copied onto the web.

graphics – Anything visually displayed on a computer that is not text.

GUI (Graphical user interface) – is a graphics-based means of communicating with a program, especially an OS or window manager. It is sometimes referred to as "gooey."

hacker – A user of a computer who attempts to understand the particulars of a computer. A hacker will look for ways around things while using a computer.

hard disk drive – A storage device based on a fixed, permanently mounted disk drive. It may be either internal (part of the computer itself) or external (a separate but connected component). Both applications and data may be stored on the disk.

hardware – "The physical components or equipment that make up a computer system..."

hypertext – A hypertext document is like a text document with the ability to contain pointers to other regions of (possibly other) hypertext documents. Examples include keyboards, monitors, and printers.

help – A program that gives you information on how to use Windows and will assist you with any problems you may have as well.

host – Any computer that is connected to the Internet or a network.

host address – The address of the host computer which is on the Internet.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) – The standard method of publishing web documents onto the World Wide Web (WWW). Every browser has the built-in ability to understand HTML. Some browsers can additionally understand Java and browse FTP areas.

http – The hypertext transfer protocol is the native protocol of browsers and is most typically used to transfer HTML formatted files. The secure version is called "https".

hypermedia – A combination of hypertext and multimedia in a document online.

hypertext – A kind of text that permits embedded links to other documents.

I-beam –  A symbol (I) that appears over places where text can be entered.

icon – A graphic representation of a file, folder, shortcut, program, etc.

import – To bring in an object.

inactive window – A window that is open but is not active.

infrared communications – A device with an infrared port can communicate with other devices at a distance by beaming infrared light signals. Two incompatible protocols are used for infrared communications: IrDA and ASK. Many devices support both.

input/output device – A piece of equipment which sends data to, or receives data from, a computer. Keyboards, monitors, and printers are all common I/O devices.

insertion point – A vertical flashing line that shows the user where text will be inserted.

Instant Messenger – AOL's Instant Messenger is a means of chatting over the Internet in real-time. It allows both open group discussions and private conversations. Instant Messenger uses a different, proprietary protocol from the more standard IRC, and is not supported on as many platforms.

interface – The visible layer which allows a user to communicate with a computer.

Internet – A "network of networks" (commercial, government, military, informal hobby, and many other kinds of network) that allows computer systems and computer users to communicate with other systems and users around the world. These are primarily data networks. There is only one Internet, and thus it is typically capitalized (although it is sometimes referred to as "the net"). It is different from an intranet.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) – A service that provides various types of Internet access to subscribers or users. Usually, the subscribers use home or office computers to call the service over ordinary telephone lines, and the service then connects the users over high-speed data lines to the World Wide Web and other Internet services or locations around the world.

interpreted – If a program is interpreted, its actual human-readable source is read as it is run by the computer. This is generally a slower process than if the program being run has already been compiled.

interoperability – The ability for equipment to work together.

intranet – An intranet is a private network. There are many intranets scattered all over the world. Some are connected to the Internet via gateways.

IP (Internet Protocol) – The universal protocol all Internet hosts use to communicate with each other. IP packets have a standard format, including the IP address of the hosts which are the source and destination of the transmission..

IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) – A numerical identifier, similar to a phone number, assigned to each computer. It is a series of four-digit groups that are separated by periods and that can be read directly by computer systems to locate a particular system address on the Internet. Normally, each time a user logs on to an ISP, a random IP address is assigned to the user by the system for that session. Each time a user logs on, he will usually be assigned a different IP address. When you attempt to connect to an IP address, you will connect to the computer with that IP address.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) – Internet relay chat is a means of chatting over the Internet in real time. It allows both open group discussions and private conversations. IRC programs are provided by many different companies and will work on many different platforms. AOL's Instant Messenger utilizes a separate incompatible protocol but is otherwise very similar.

IrDA – The Infrared Data Association (IrDA) is a voluntary organization of various manufacturers working together to ensure that the infrared communications between different computers, PDAs, printers, digital cameras, remote controls, etc. are all compatible with each other regardless of brand. The term is also often used to designate an IrDA compliant infrared communications port on a device. Informally, a device able to communicate via IrDA compliant infrared is sometimes simply said to "have IrDA". There is also an earlier, incompatible, and usually slower type of infrared communications still in use called ASK.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) – Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) combines digital network services and voice into one. Users can access digital services at 115,200 bps. An integrated service digital network line can be simply looked at as a digital phone line. ISDN connections to the Internet can be four times faster than the fastest regular phone connection, and because it is a digital connection a modem is not needed. Any computer hooked up to ISDN will typically require other special equipment in lieu of the modem, however. Also, both phone companies and ISPs charge more for ISDN connections than regular modem connections.

ISP – See Internet Service Provider.

Java – A computer language designed to be both lightweight and portable. It is tightly bound to the web as it is the primary language for web applets. There has also been an OS based on Java for use on small hand-held and embedded computers. It is called JavaOS. Java can be either interpreted or compiled. For web applet use it is almost always interpreted. While its interpreted form tends not to be very fast, its compiled form can often rival languages like C++ for speed. It is important to note however that speed is not Java's primary purpose -- raw speed is considered secondary to portabilty and ease of use.

JavaScript – JavaScript (in spite of its name) has nothing whatsoever to do with Java. JavaScript is an interpreted language built into a browser to provide a relatively simple means of adding interactivity to web pages. It is only supported on a few different browsers, and tends not to work exactly the same on different versions. Thus its use on the Internet is somewhat restricted to fairly simple programs. On intranets where there are usually fewer browser versions in use, JavaScript has been used to implement much more complex and impressive programs.

jiffy – One 60th of a second. Jiffies are to seconds as seconds are to minutes.

joystick – A physical device typically used to control objects on a computer screen. It is frequently used for games and sometimes used in place of a mouse.

keyboard buffer – Memory where keystrokes are stored.

keyboard shortcut – A combination of keystrokes that, when pressed, will perform a certain action.

LAN (Local Area Network) – Allows users to share files between computers, send e-mail and access the Internet. Most companies use Local Area Networks so that users can access information within or outside the LAN.

language – Computer programs can be written in a variety of different languages. Different languages are optimized for different tasks. Common languages include Java, C, C++, ForTran, Pascal, Lisp, and BASIC. Some people classify languages into two categories, higher-level and lower-level. These people would consider assembly language and machine language lower-level languages and all other languages higher-level. In general, higher-level languages can be either interpreted or compiled; many languages allow both, but some are restricted to one or the other. Many people do not consider machine language and assembly language at all when talking about programming languages.

laptop – A laptop is any computer designed to do pretty much anything a desktop system can do but run for a short time (usually two to five hours) on batteries.

laser disk – Similar to a CD-ROM drive but uses lasers to read and sometimes write information.

leased line – A dedicated line that connects a user or network to another network or an ISP.

license – An agreement that you either agreed to or were assumed to have agreed to with most software titles.

link – An Internet IP address embedded in a document, that "jumps" the user to that new system address without the user having to know the address or having to type it in. The link enables the user to jump back and forth across the World Wide Web, to locations all over the world, simply and instantly.

linked object – Data which is stored in a document that was originally from another application.

Linux – One of the fastest, most robust, and powerful multitasking OSes, and it is available for free. Linux can be downloaded for free or be purchased on CD-ROM for a small service charge. Linux is also available for more hardware combinations than any other OS.

list box – A dialog box that shows all available options.

Listserv – A proprietary automated mailing list distribution system.

load – There are two popular meanings for load. The first means to fetch some data or a program from a disk and store it in memory. The second indicates the amount of work a component (especially a processor) is being made to do.

local printer – The printer which is directly connected to the computer.

logical drive – A logical drive is an extension of an existing drive. For example, you may have a hard drive that takes up more than one drive letter due to its size. A logical drive is the part of that hard drive which is not the main letter, but still part of it. Data from all logical drives is read from the same drive.

long file name – Filenames longer than the eight-character limit imposed by early software. Long file names may range up to 256 characters. 

LPT – A parallel port in which the printer is connected to.

lurking – Lurking involves simply listening or watching and not participating on an IRC channel, a mailing list, or some other type of Internet connection.

machine language – Machine language consists of the raw numbers that can be directly understood by a particular processor. Each processor's machine language will be different from other processors' machine language. Although called "machine language", it is not usually what people think of when talking about computer languages. Machine language dressed up with mnemonics to make it a bit more human-readable is called assembly language.

mainframe – Any computer larger than a small piece of furniture. A modern mainframe is more powerful than a modern workstation, but more expensive and more difficult to maintain.

macro – A series of keystrokes and mouse clicks that can be abbreviated into a single keystroke or mouse click.

mailing list – A  list of e-mail addresses used to have messages forwarded to groups of people.

maximize (button) – To make a window appear at its largest possible size.

megahertz – A million cycles per second, abbreviated MHz. This is often used misleadingly to indicate processor speed, because while one might expect that a higher number would indicate a faster processor, that logic only holds true within a given type of processors as different types of processors are capable of doing different amounts of work within a cycle. For a current example, either a 200 MHz PowerPC or a 270 MHz SPARC will outperform a 300 MHz Pentium.

memory – Computer memory is used to temporarily store data. In reality, computer memory is only capable of remembering sequences of zeros and ones, but by utilizing the binary number system it is possible to produce arbitrary rational numbers and through clever formatting all manner of representations of pictures, sounds, and animations. The most common types of memory are RAM, ROM, and flash.

menu – A list of command options that are available.

menu bar –Displays the names of all the menus available. Located under the title bar.

menu command – A command from a menu that will perform an action when clicked.

microprocessor – A miniature-sized processor.

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) – A connection of electronic instruments. Basically, it’s a digital sound file that can read electronic notes to play music.

middleware – Software designed to sit in between an OS and applications.

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) – This specification describes a means of sending non-ASCII data (such as images, sounds, foreign symbols, etc.) through e-mail.

MMX (Multimedia Extensions) – These were built into some x86 CPUs to provide better performance for certain operations, most notably graphics and sound. It is similar to AltiVec on the PowerPC CPUs.

minimize (button) – To make a window disappear from the screen and move down to the taskbar. The minimize button in Windows 95 applications is an underscore (_) in the top right corner of the window.

mirror site – A mirror site is usually set up due to overwhelming traffic on an existing web site. A mirror site is a site that is kept separate from the original site but contains the same information as that site. This is an alternative to users who attempt to go to a web site but cannot due to traffic problems.

modem – A device, usually connected to a serial port of a computer, that transmits data over regular phone lines. Modem stands for modulator\demodulator ; it converts a digital stream of data into sound for transmission (modulator) and converts incoming sound signals into data (demodulator). Modems may be either part of (internal) or external to the computer.

moderator – A person who manages online discussion groups or mailing lists for services such as CompuServe, America Online, Prodigy or the Microsoft Network.

monitor – The screen for viewing computer information is called a monitor.

Mosaic – A graphical browser that supports hypermedia on the World Wide Web (WWW).

mouse – A pointing device that controls input by moving a cursor or other figure on the screen. In computer parlance a mouse can be both the physical object moved around to control athe cursor or pointer on the screen, and the pointer itself. Unlike the animal, the proper plural of computer mouse is "mouses".

mouse pointer – A symbol that represents mouse movement. When you move your mouse, the mouse pointer moves on the screen accordingly.

MS-DOS based application –An application that does not require Windows and would normally run on a DOS based machine. Most DOS based applications have no problem running under Windows 95’s DOS box.

MS-DOS – Microsoft Disk Operating System.

multimedia – This literally means more than one type of media. This originally indicated a capability to work with and integrate various types of things including audio, animations, still graphics, sounds, and especially video. Now it is more of a marketing term and has little real meaning.

multitasking – The possibility of an OS to efficiently manage more than one task at a time. Since this ability is built into the software, the overall system will be slower running two things at once than it will be running just one thing. A system may have more than one processor built into it though, and such a system will be capable of running multiple things at once with less of a performance hit.

nagware – A variant of shareware that will frequently remind its users to register.

netiquette – Internet etiquette. This refers to proper behavior while using the Internet.

network – As applied to computers, this typically means a group of computers working together. It can also refer to the physical wire etc. connecting the computers.

news – Usenet news can generally be thought of as public e-mail, for that is generally the way it behaves. In reality, it is implemented by different software and is often accessed by different programs. Different newsgroups adhere to different topics, and some are moderated, meaning that humans will try to manually remove off-topic posts, especially spam. Most established newsgroups have a FAQ, and people are strongly encouraged to read the FAQ prior to posting.

NFS (Network File System) – Allows a computer to access and use files over a network, just as if it were a local network.

NIC (Network interface Card) – A card that is connected to the bus of a computer that is used to interface to a LAN.

NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) – A standard industry protocol for the inquiry, distribution, retrieval, and posting of news articles.

notebook – A notebook is a small laptop with similar price, performance, and battery life.

nybble – A nybble is half a byte, or four bits. It is a case of computer whimsy; it only stands to reason that a small byte should be called a nybble. Some authors spell it with an "i" instead of the "y", but the "y" is the original form.

null modem – A null modem link is a serial link to another computer directly through the use of a cable.

object – An item that can be linked to another Windows application that supports OLE.

Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) – A program for data sharing that allows two non-compatible applications to work together when creating the document that is to be shared.

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) – This refers to equipment or software that was provided, and not purchased by the user.

object-oriented – While the specifics are well beyond the scope of this document, the term applies to a philosophy of software creation. Often this philosophy is referred to as object-oriented design (sometimes abbreviated as OOD), and programs written with it in mind are referred to as object-oriented programs (often abbreviated OOP). Programming languages designed to help facilitate it are called object-oriented languages (sometimes abbreviated as OOL) and databases built with it in mind are called object-oriented databases (sometimes abbreviated as OODB or less fortunately OOD). The general notion is that an object-oriented approach to creating software starts with modeling the real-world problems trying to be solved in familiar real-world ways, and carries the analogy all the way down to structure of the program. This is of course a great over-simplification. Numerous object-oriented programming languages exist including: Java, C++, Modula-2, Newton Script, and ADA.

office suite – An office suite is a collection of programs including at minimum a word processor, spreadsheet, drawing program, and minimal database program. Some common office suites include MS-Office, ClarisWorks, GeoWorks, Applixware, Corel Office, and StarOffice.

offline – A device is said to be "offline" when it is not ready to accept input.

OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) – A program for data sharing that allows two non-compatible applications to work together when creating the document that is to be shared.

OLE Automation – The ability of a server application to make its own objects available for use in a macro language with another application.

online – A device is said to be "online" when it is ready to accept input.

open source – Open source software goes one step beyond freeware. Not only does it provide the software for free, it provides the original source code used to create the software. Thus, curious users can poke around with it to see how it works, and advanced users can modify it to make it work better for them. By its nature, open source software is pretty well immune to all types of computer virus.

option button – An item in a dialog box that allows the user to select only one option from a group of options.

organizer – An organizer is a tiny computer used primarily to store names, addresses, phone numbers, and date book information. They usually have some ability to exchange information with desktop systems. They boast even better battery life than PDAs but are far less capable. They are extremely inexpensive but are typically incapable of running any special purpose applications and are thus of limited use.

orientation – The setting in which a page will be printed. For example, portrait orientation will print normally, and landscape orientation will print the page sideways.

OS – The operating system is the program that manages a computer's resources. Common OSes include Windows '95, MacOS, Linux, Solaris, AmigaOS, AIX, Windows NT, etc.

packet – A standard unit of data sent across a network.

palette – A collection or group of tools.

pane – A distinct area of a window.

PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) – A widely used method to log on to an ISP without using a terminal window.

parallel – Loosely speaking, parallel implies a situation where multiple things can be done simultaneously, like having multiple check-out lines each serving people all at once. Parallel connections are by their nature more expensive than serial ones, but usually faster. Also, in a related use of the word, often multitasking computers are said to be capable of running multiple programs in parallel.

parallel port – A port that has a parallel transmission rate of 8 bits at one time.

parity – A fragment of data added to each byte of transmitted or stored data.

path –The location of a file in the directory tree.

partition – Sometimes due to hardware limitations, disks have to be divided into smaller pieces. These pieces are called partitions.

PC – The term personal computer properly refers to any desktop, laptop, or notebook computer system. Its use is inconsistent, though, and some use it to specifically refer to x86 based systems running MS-DOS, MS-Windows, GEOS, or OS/2. This latter use is similar to what is meant by a WinTel system.

PC cards (formerly PCMCIA cards) – Small, credit card sized cards that plug into slots of a laptop computer. These cards can be modems, memory, sound, networking, hard drives and so on.

PDA – A personal digital assistant is a small battery-powered computer intended to be carried around by the user rather than left on a desk. This means that the processor used ought to be power-efficient as well as fast, and the OS ought to be optimized for hand-held use. PDAs typically have an instant-on feature (they would be useless without it) and most are grayscale rather than color because of battery life issues. Most have a pen interface and come with a detachable stylus. None use mouses. All have some ability to exchange data with desktop systems. In terms of raw capabilities, a PDA is more capable than an organizer and less capable than a laptop (although some high-end PDAs beat out some low-end laptops).

Perl – An interpreted language extremely popular for Web applications.

phreaking – Breaking into communications networks.

phone phreak – A hacker who specializes in telephone company operating systems, voice mail hacking, telephone service theft/card fraud, etc.

PING (Packet INternet Groper) – A protocol designed to check across a network to see if a particular computer is "alive" or not. Computers that recognize the ping will report back their status with a pong. Computers that are down will not report back anything at all.

pixel – The smallest distinct point on a computer display is called a pixel.

platform – Roughly speaking, a platform represents a computer's family. It is defined by both the processor type on the hardware side and the OS type on the software side. Computers belonging to different platforms cannot typically run each other's programs (unless the programs are written in a language like Java).

plug and play – A capability of software that automatically detects new hardware and peripherals.

plug-in – A piece of software designed not to run on its own but rather work in cooperation with a separate application to increase that application's abilities.

point – There are two common meanings for this word. The first is in the geometric sense: a position in space without size. As applied to computers it must take up some space in practice (even if not in theory) and it is thus sometimes synonomous with pixel. The other meaning is related most typically to fonts and regards size: 1/72 of an inch.

pointer – The on-screen symbol that represents mouse movement.

POP – Installation of telecommunications equipment (Point of Presence). A protocol that allows single users to read mail from a server (Post Office Protocol).

port – A socket or connection that connects devices to a computer.

port replicator – A device for portable computers that will allow all bus lines to be available externally.

portable – If something is portable it can be easily moved from one type of computer to another. The verb "to port" indicates the moving itself.

Post Office Protocol – See POP 

posting – Sending an article to a BBS or a Usenet newsgroup.

postoffice – The machine where all mail messages will be stored for a workgroup.

PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) – A protocol that provides a method for sending and receiving packets over serial point-to-point links.

printer – A piece of hardware that will print computer information onto paper. A number of technologies exist, using various techniques. The most common types of computer printers are:

• Band – a rotating metal band is impacted as it spins;
• Daisy wheel – a small print wheel containing the form of each character rotates and hits the paper, character by character;
• Dot matrix – characters and graphics are created by pins hitting the ribbon and paper; Ink jet - injects (sprays) ink onto the paper;
• Laser – electrostatically charges the printed page and applies toner;
• Plotter – moves ink pens over the paper surface, typically used for large engineering and architectural drawings;
• Thermal – a hot printer head contacts special paper that reacts to heat.

printer driver – A program in Windows that tells different programs how to specifically format data for a certain type of printer.

printer window – A window that displays the status of the current print job for the current printer. From here you can cancel, pause, or restart a print job.

processor – The processor (also called central processing unit, or CPU) is the part of the computer that actually works with the data and runs the programs. There are two main processor types in common usage today: CISC and RISC. Some computers have more than one processor and are thus called "multiprocessors". This is distinct from multitasking. Advertisers often use megahertz numbers as a means of showing a processor's speed. This is often extremely misleading; megahertz numbers are more or less meaningless when compared across different types of processors.

program – A program is a series of instructions for a computer, telling it what to do or how to behave. The terms "application" and "app" mean pretty much the same thing. It is however different from an applet. Program is also the verb that means to create a program, and a programmer is one who programs.

program file – A program that does not use an association and runs an application directly.

program window – A window that displays a program, and that program’s documents.

proprietary – This simply means to be supplied by only one vendor. It is commonly misused. Currently, most processors are non-proprietary, some systems are non-proprietary, and every OS (except for arguably Linux) is proprietary.

protocol – A means of communication used between computers. As long as both computers recognize the same protocol, they can communicate without too much difficulty over the same network or even via a simple direct modem connection regardless whether or not they are themselves of the same type. This means that WinTel boxes, Macs, Amigas, UNIX machines, etc., can all talk with one another provided they agree on a common protocol first.

queue – A waiting list of things to be processed. Many computers provide printing queues, for example. If something is being printed and the user requests that another item be printed, the second item will sit in the printer queue until the first item finishes printing at which point it will be removed from the queue and get printed itself.

QIC – The standard formatting method for most tape backup machines.

queue – A list of documents that are waiting to be printed that can be viewed from the printer window.

RAM (Random Access Memory) – The short-term memory of a computer. Any information stored in RAM will be lost if power goes out, but the computer can read from RAM far more quickly than from a drive.

random access – Also called "dynamic access," this indicates that data can be selected without having to skip over earlier data first. This is the way that a CD, record, laser disc, or DVD will behave – it is easy to selectively play a particular track without having to fast forward through earlier tracks. The other common behavior is called sequential access.

raster font – A font whose characters are stored and read as pixels.

read-only – A characteristic of a file which allows it to be only opened and viewed, and cannot be edited.

real-time – Something that happens in real-time will keep up with the events around it and never give any sort of "please wait" message.

recycle bin – An icon on your desktop in Windows 95. The RecycleBin is similar to the trash can of Apple systems. To delete an item, simply drag it to the Recycle Bin. Here, the Recycle Bin will hide the item from view, but won’t erase it. This allows you to restore that item if you’d like.

repeater – A bus network device that amplifies or repeats bits of data received from one port, and sends each bit to another port.

robot –  With respect to computers, a robot (or 'bot for short) is a program designed to automate some task, often just sending messages or collecting information. A spider is a type of robot designed to traverse the web performing some task (usually collecting data).

robust – The adjective is used to describe programs that are better designed, have fewer bugs, and are less likely to crash.

ROM (Read-Only Memory) – Similar to RAM only it cannot be altered and does not lose its contents when power is removed.

router – A device that forwards traffic between networks.

run – Running a program is how it is made to do something. The term "execute" means the same thing.

scanner – Any optical device which can recognize characters on paper and, using specialized software, convert them into digital form.

script – A series of OS commands. The term "batch file" means much the same thing, but is a bit dated. Typically the same sort of situations in which one would say DOS instead of OS, it would also be appropriate to say batch file instead of script. Scripts can be run like programs, but tend to perform simpler tasks. When a script is run, it is always interpreted.

SCSI – Loosely speaking, a disk format sometimes used by MS-Windows, Mac OS, AmigaOS, and (almost always) UNIX. Generally SCSI is superior to (but more expensive than) IDE, but it varies somewhat with system load and the individual SCSI and IDE components themselves. Aalthough loosely speaking it is just a format difference, it is deep down a hardware difference. Usually pronounced "scuzzi."

sequential access – This indicates that data cannot be selected without having to skip over earlier data first. This is the way that a cassette or video tape will behave. The other common behavior is called random access.