COMPUTER TERMINOLOGY:-
Terms
Beginning with "J"
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While most of the world uses
"Java" as another term for coffee, the computer science world uses
it to refer to a...
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Like Java, this is a
programming lanuguage designed by Sun Microsystems, in conjuction with
Netscape, that can be...
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A joystick is an input device
commonly used to control video games. Joysticks consist of a base and a stick
that can...
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The term actually stands for
"Joint Photographic Experts Group," because that is the name of the
committee that...
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Stands for "Java Runtime
Environment" and may also be written "Java RTE." Java is a
programming language, similar to...
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Stands for "Java Server
Page." This standard was developed by Sun Microsystems as an alternative
to Microsoft's active...
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This is a small metal connector
that acts as an on/off switch and is used to alter hardware configurations. A
jumper...
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Terms
Beginning with "K"
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Stands for "Kilobits Per
Second." Don't confuse this with Kilobytes per second (which is 8 times
more data per...
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Stands for "K Desktop
Environment." KDE is a contemporary desktop environment for Unix
systems. It is a Free Software...
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This is a term for the
computing elite, so proceed at your own risk. To understand what a kernel is,
you first need to...
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Kerning refers to the spacing
between the characters of a font. Without kerning, each character takes up a
block of...
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As the name implies, a keyboard
is basically a board of keys. Along with the mouse, the keyboard is one of
the primary...
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A keyboard shortcut is a key
combination that performs a certain command, such as closing a window or
saving a file...
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A keylogger is a program that
records the keystrokes on a computer. It does this by monitoring a user's
input and...
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A keystroke is typing one
character on a keyboard (not stroking your keyboard like a cat). Every time
you hit a key...
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Keywords are words or phrases
that describe content. They can be used as metadata to describe images, text
documents...
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A kibibyte is a unit of data
storage that equals 2 to the 10th power, or 1,024 bytes. While a kilobyte can
be...
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A kilobyte is 2 to the 10th
power, or 1,024 bytes. "But doesn't 'kilo' means one thousand?" you
ask. Well yes, but...
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KOffice (pronounced
"K-office") is an integrated office suite for the K Desktop
Environment (KDE), a desktop interface...
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Stands for "Keyboard,
Video, and Mouse switch." As the name implies, a KVM switch allows you
to used multiple...
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Terms
Beginning with "L"
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Stands for "Local Area
Network," and is pronounced like "land" without the
"d". (Computer people will think you're...
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Laptop computers, also known as
notebooks, are portable computers that you can take with you and use in
different...
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A laser printer is a printer
that uses a focused beam or light to transfer text and images onto paper.
Though contrary...
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This is the amount of time it
takes a packet of data to move across a network connection. When a packet is
being sent...
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Stands for "Liquid Crystal
Display." LCDs are super-thin displays that are used in laptop computer
screens and flat...
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Stands for "Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol." If you want to make directory information
available over the...
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As the average computer screen
size has grown larger, the size of online advertisements as grown as well.
The...
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What does a computer's hard
disk have in common with a tall oak? While it may not look like a tree on the
outside, the...
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LED is short for
"Light-Emitting Diode." It is a type of electronic light source
that is activated by an electrical...
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Stands for "Last In, First
Out." LIFO is a method of processing data in which the last items
entered are the first to...
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When you are browsing the Web
and you see a highlighted and underlined word or phrase on a page, there is a
good chance...
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LinkedIn is a business-oriented
social networking website. It allows you to create a custom profile and add
other...
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Linux is a free, open source,
Unix-like (operating system|operating_system). It is available in several
different...
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This term looks like it's
missing an "e", but that's how it's spelled. A listserv, or list
server, is a small program...
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Computer networks are complex
systems, often routing hundreds, thousands, or even millions of data packets
every...
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"Localhost" refers to
the local computer that a program is running on. For example, if you are
running a Web browser...
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A log file contains a record of
events generated by a software program or output by a hardware device. Most
log files...
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Logic gates perform basic
logical functions and are the are the fundamental building blocks of digital
integrated...
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If you are ever asked to enter
your username and password, you are being asked to enter your login
information. A...
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Lossless compression reduces a
file's size with no loss of quality. This seemingly magical method of
reducing file...
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Lossy file compression results
in lost data and quality from the original version. Lossy compression is
typically...
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Stands for "Lines Per
Inch." LPI is used to measure the resolution of images printed in
halftones. Because halftone...
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Stands for "Logical Unit
Number." LUNs are used to identify SCSI devices, such as external hard
drives, connected to a...
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Terms
Beginning with "M"
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Stands for "Media Access
Control Address," and no, it is not related Apple Macintosh computers. A
MAC address is a...
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This is the operating system
that runs on Macintosh computers. It is pronounced, "mack-oh-es."
The Mac OS has been...
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Mac OS X, pronounced "Mac
Oh-Es Ten," is the current version of the operating system used on Apple
Macintosh computers...
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This is the name of the computers
that are made by Apple Computer. The first Macintosh was introduced in 1984
and was...
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Macro has two computer-related
definitions, both of which involve making your computer experience more
efficient. ...
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A mainframe is an ultra
high-performance computer made for high-volume, processor-intensive
computing. They are...
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Short for "malicious
software," malware refers to software programs designed to damage or do
other unwanted actions on...
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Stands for "Mobile Ad Hoc
Network." A MANET is a type of ad hoc network that can change locations
and configure itself...
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A markup language is a type of
syntax used for defining elements within a document, such as a webpage or
data file. It...
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The term "mashup" has
several meanings. It was originally used to describe songs that meshed two
different styles of...
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Maximizing a window makes it
larger. In Windows, a maximized window fills the entire screen, while on a
Mac, it takes...
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Stands for "Megabits Per
Second." One megabit is equal to one million bits or 1,000 kilobits.
While "megabit" sounds...
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Stands for "Micro Channel
Architecture." It is an expansion bus created by IBM that was used in
the company's PS...
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A mebibyte is a unit of data
storage that equals 2 to the 20th power, or 1,048,576 bytes. While a megabyte
can be...
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In general, "media"
refers to various means of communication. For example, television, radio, and
the newspaper are...
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A megabyte is 2 to the 20th
power, or 1,048,576 bytes. It can be estimated as 10 to the 6th power, or one
million...
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One megahertz is equal to one
million cycles per second. It is used to measure transmission speeds of
electronic...
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A megapixel is one million
pixels. It is commonly used to describe the resolution of digital cameras.
For example, a...
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Just like humans, computers
rely a lot on memory. They need to process and store data, just like we do.
However...
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A memory bank is an individual
section of data stored in a computer's memory. It typically contains data
that only...
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A memory leak is like a virtual
oil leak in your computer. It slowly drains the available memory, reducing
the amount...
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A memory module is another name
for a RAM chip. It is often used as a general term used to describe SIMM,
DIMM, and...
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Memory Stick is a type of flash
memory developed by Sony. It is used to store data for digital cameras,
camcorders...
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A menu bar is a horizontal
strip that contains lists of available menus for a certain program. In
Windows programs...
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Meta search engines are search
engines that search other search engines. Confused? To put it simply, a meta
search...
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This is a special HTML tag that
is used to store information about a Web page but is not displayed in a Web
browser...
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Metadata describes other data.
It provides information about a certain item's content. For example, an image
may...
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A metafile can refer to two
different types of computer files. The first is a file that describes the
contents of...
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Stands for "Musical
Instrument Digital Interface." It is a connectivity standard that
musicians use to hook together...
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Most digital camcorders record
video and audio on a Mini DV tape. The cassettes measure 2.6 x 1.9 x 0.5
inches (L x W...
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Minimizing a window temporarily
hides it from view without closing it. In Windows, a button for the minimized
window...
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Stands for "Million
Instructions Per Second." It is a method of measuring the raw speed of a
computer's processor...
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A mirror is something that you
can see your reflection in. Most mirrors consist of a sheet of glass with a
sheet of...
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A mirrored volume is a hard
drive or other form of storage media that stores an exact copy of the data
from another...
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A mnemonic (pronounced
"nemonic") is a pattern that can be used as an aid for memorizing
information. Most often, this...
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The word modem is actually
short for Modulator/Demodulator. (There's something you can really impress
your friends...
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A modifier key is a key that
modifies the action of another key when the two are pressed together. Common
modifier...
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The term "monitor" is
often used synonymously with "computer screen" or
"display." The monitor displays the computer's...
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Stands for "Modular
Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment." Moodle is an open source
course management system...
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The motherboard is the main
circuit board of your computer and is also known as the mainboard or logic
board. If you...
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In order for a hard disk or
disk partition to be accessible by a computer, it must first be mounted. This
is a...
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A mouse, along with the
keyboard, is one of the two main input devices used by computers. It is a
small handheld...
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Stands for "MPEG-1 Audio
Layer-3." MP3 is popular compressed audio file format that helped
popularize digital music...
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Stands for "Moving Picture
Experts Group." The MPEG organization, which works with the
International Organization for...
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Stands for "Maximum
Transmission Unit." MTU is a networking term that defines the largest
packet size that can be sent...
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As the name implies, multimedia
is the integration of multiple forms of media. This includes text, graphics,
audio...
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If a software program is
developed for mulitple operating systems, it is considered to be
"multiplatform." Since...
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For many years, the speed of
computer processors increased through improvements in the architecture and
clock speed of...
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Multitasking is processing
multiple tasks at one time. For example, when you see someone in the car next
to you eating...
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Multithreading is similar to
multitasking, but enables the processing of multiple threads at one time,
rather than...
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MySpace is an online community
that allows friends to keep in touch and meet new people as well. It started
out as a...
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MySQL, pronounced either
"My S-Q-L" or "My Sequel," is an open source relational
database management system. It is...
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