COMPUTER TERMINOLOGY:_
Terms
Beginning with "S"
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Safe Mode is a way for the
Windows operating system to run with the minimum system files necessary. It
uses a generic...
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Most people know of samba as a
type of rhythmic dance music from Brazil that uses a 2/4 time signature. In
the...
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A sample is a digital
representation of an analog signal. Both digital video and digital audio
files are created using...
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Before digital recording took
over the audio and video industries, everything was recorded in analog. Audio
was...
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Stands for "Storage Area
Network." A SAN is a network of storage devices that can be accessed by
multiple computers...
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Stands for "Serial
Advanced Technology Attachment," or "Serial ATA." It is an
interface used to connect ATA hard...
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A scanner is an input device
that scans documents and images, which can be imported into a computer. They
are...
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A screenshot, or screen
capture, is a picture taken of your computer's desktop. This may include the
desktop...
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A computer script is a list of
commands that are executed by a certain program or scripting engine. Scripts
may be...
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When the contents of a window
are too large to be displayed entirely within the window, a scroll bar will
appear. For...
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Computer windows are often not
large enough to display the entire contents of the window at one time.
Therefore, you...
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Most computer programs display
their content within a window. However, windows are often not large enough to
display...
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Stands for "Small Computer
System Interface," and is pronounced "scuzzy." SCSI is a
computer interface used primarily...
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Stands for "Secure
Digital." It is a type of memory card used for storing data in devices
such as digital cameras...
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SDK is short for "Software
Development Kit." An SDK is a collection of software used for developing
applications for a...
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Stands for "Synchronous
Dynamic Random Access Memory." Yeah, it's a mouthful, but if you
memorize it, you can really...
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Stands for "Symmetric
Digital Subscriber Line." SDSL is a type of of DSL, which is used for
transferring data over...
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Google, Excite, Lycos,
AltaVista, Infoseek, and Yahoo are all search engines. They index millions of
sites on the Web...
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Secondary storage refers to
storage devices and media that are not constantly accessible by a computer
system...
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A sector is the smallest unit
that can be accessed on a hard disk. Each platter, or circular disk of a hard
disk is...
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Stands for "Search Engine
Optimization." Just about every Webmaster wants his or her site to
appear in the top...
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The serial port is a type of
connection on PCs that is used for peripherals such as mice, gaming
controllers, modems...
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SERP is an acronym for
"Search Engine Results Page." This is the Web page that displays
the results of search...
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As the name implies, a server
serves information to computers that connect to it. When users connect to a
server, they...
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A service pack is a software
package that contains several updates for an application or (operating
system|...
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There is commercial software
and then there is shareware. With commercial software, you have to pay for
the product...
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Most people know of shells as
small protective coverings for certain animals, such as clams, crabs, and
mollusks. You...
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Shift is a modifier key that
allows you to capitalize lowercase letters and enter various symbols and
punctuation...
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Stands for "Single In-Line
Memory Module." This is an older type of computer memory. A SIMM is a
small circuit board...
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A site map, sometimes written
"sitemap," is an overview of the pages within a website. Site maps
of smaller sites may...
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This strange term refers to the
appearance of a program's interface. By changing the skin of a program, you
can make...
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Stands for "Stock Keeping
Unit," and is conveniently pronounced "skew." A SKU is a
number or string of alpha and...
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While not as common as the
banner ad, the skyscraper is another prevalent form of Web advertising.
Skyscraper ads...
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Press releases can often trigger
increased interest in a certain topic, and if a Web site link is provided in
the...
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Stands for "Scalable Link
Interface." SLI is a technology developed by NVIDIA that allows multiple
graphics cards to...
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Stands for
"Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology." It is used to
protect and prevent errors in hard...
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A smartphone combines standard
mobile phone features with advanced features found on personal device
assistants (PDAs...
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Stands for "Server Message
Block." SMB is a network protocol used by Windows-based computers that
allows systems...
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SMM is short for "Social
Media Marketing." It refers to marketing through social networking websites
and is a popular...
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Stands for "Short Message
Service." SMS is used to send text messages to mobile phones. The
messages can typically be...
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Stands for "Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol." This is the protocol used for sending e-mail over
the Internet. Your...
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While the term
"snapshot" is often used in photography, it is also a computing
term that refers to a copy made of a...
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A snippet is a small block of
source code or text that can be inserted into a program or Web page. Program
snippets...
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Stands for "Simple Network
Management Protocol." SNMP is used for exchanging management information
between network...
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Stands for "Small Outline
Dual In-Line Memory Module." Most desktop computers have plenty of space
for RAM chips, so...
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Stands for "Service Oriented
Architecture." When businesses grow, they often add new products and
services. While...
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Stands for "Simple Object
Access Protocol," and can do more than just get your hands clean. SOAP
is a method of...
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When the Web became popular in
the mid-1990s, it enabled people to share information in ways that were never
possible...
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When a computer program needs
to connect to a local or wide area network such as the Internet, it uses a
software...
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A soft copy is a document saved
on a computer. It is the electronic version of a document, which can be
opened and...
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A soft token is a software
version of a hard token, which is a security device used to give authorized
users access to...
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Computer software is a general
term that describes computer programs. Related terms such as software programs...
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Solid state, at its most basic
level, means "no moving parts." Therefore, solid state electronic
devices are made up...
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The sound card is a component
inside the computer that provides audio input and output capabilities. Most
sound cards...
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Every computer program is
written in a programming language, such as Java, (C/C++|cplusplus), or Perl.
These programs...
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The southbridge is a chip that
connects the northbridge to other components inside the computer, including
hard drives...
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Originating from the name of
Hormel's canned meat, "spam" now also refers to junk e-mail or
irrelevant postings to a...
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Speakers are popular output
devices used with computer systems. They receive audio input from the
computer's sound...
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A spider is a software program
that travels the Web (hence the name "spider"), locating and
indexing websites for...
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The word "spoof"
means to hoax, trick, or deceive. Therefore, in the IT world, spoofing refers
tricking or deceiving...
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A spool is a temporary storage
area within the computer's RAM that contains input or output data. When a job
or...
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Spooling is the process of a
sending data to a spool, or temporary storage area in the computer's memory.
This data...
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A spreadsheet is a document
that stores data in a grid of horizontal rows and vertical columns. Rows are
typically...
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As the name implies, this is
software that "spies" on your computer. Nobody likes to be spied
on, and your computer...
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Stands for "Structured
Query Language," and can be pronounced as either "sequel" or
"S-Q-L." It is a query language...
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Stands for "Static Random
Access Memory." I know it is tempting to pronounce this term as
"Sram," but it is correctly...
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Stands for "Standard
RGB" (and RGB stands for Red-Green-Blue"). All the colors you see
on your computer display are...
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SSD is short for "Solid State
Drive." An SSD serves the same purpose as a (hard drive|hard drive), but
uses flash...
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Stands for "Secure
Shell." SSH is a method of securely communicating with another computer.
The "secure" part of the...
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Stands for "Service Set
Identifier." An SSID is a unique ID that consists of 32 characters and
is used for naming...
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Stands for "Secure Sockets
Layer." SSL is a secure protocol developed for sending information
securely over the...
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A stack is a type of data
structure -- a means of storing information in a computer. When a new object
is entered in a...
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A standalone device is able to
function independently of other hardware. This means it is not integrated
into another...
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When electronic devices are
receiving power but are not running, they are in standby mode. For example, a
television...
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A static website contains Web
pages coded in HTML. The content of each page is fixed and does not change
unless it is...
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A status bar is a small area at
the bottom of a window. It is used by some applications to display helpful
information...
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Storage capacity is another
term for "disk space." It measures how much data a computer system
may contain. For...
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A computer storage device is
any type of hardware that stores data. The most common type of storage
device, which...
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Data streaming, commonly seen
in the forms of audio and video streaming, is when a multimedia file can be
played back...
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A string is a data type used in
programming, such as an integer and floating point unit, but is used to
represent text...
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A subdirectory, or subfolder,
is a folder that is nested within another folder. Subdirectories are used to
organize...
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A subnet mask is a number that
defines a range of IP addresses that can be used in a network. (It is not
something you...
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A supercomputer is a
high-powered computer system that has processing capabilities far greater
than a typical...
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A superscalar CPU can execute
more than one instruction per clock cycle. Because processing speeds are
measured in...
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The surge protector is an
important, yet often overlooked part of a computer setup. It allows multiple
devices to...
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A switch is used to network
multiple computers together. Switches made for the consumer market are
typically small...
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When you "sync" a
device, you synchronize it with your computer. Syncing is commonly done with
iPods, PDAs, cell...
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Each spoken language has a
general set of rules for how words and sentences should be structured. These
rules are...
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A system analyst is the person
who selects and configures computer systems for an organization or business.
His or her...
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Most computers offer network
security features to limit outside access to the system. Software such as
antivirus...
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Whenever you purchase software
or hardware for your computer, you should first make sure your computer
supports the...
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Your computer has many types of
resources. They include the CPU, video card, hard drive, and memory. In most
cases...
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System software refers to the
files and programs that make up your computer's operating system. System
files include...
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This is the technical term that
refers to the box that houses your computer. The system unit refers to the
computer...
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The systray, short for
"system tray," is located on the right side of the Windows toolbar.
It is the collection of...
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Terms
Beginning with "T"
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This is a data transfer system
that transfers digital signals at 1.544 megabits per second (quite a bit
faster than a...
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What about T2, you ask? For
some reason, there just is no such thing. (There was probably some legal
dispute about it...
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On clothes, tags usually
indicate the brand, size of the garment, fabrics used, and the washing
instructions. In Web...
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This is a removable storage
device mainly used for backing up data. It is similar to a Zip Drive, but
instead of Zip...
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Target disk mode is a way of
booting a Macintosh computer so that it acts as an external hard drive on
another...
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The task bar was introduced
with Windows 95 and has been part of every version of Windows since then. It
is the bar...
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Stands for "Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol." These two protocols were developed
in the early days of...
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A tebibyte is a unit of data
storage that equals 2 to the 40th power, or 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. While a
terabyte...
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Technology services are
services that make use of modern technology. Examples include Internet
service providers...
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Telecommunications is the
transmission of analog or digital signals over a long distance. This includes
telephone...
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This is a program that allows
you log in to a Unix computer via a text-based interface. If you have an
account on a...
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A template is a file that
serves as a starting point for a new document. When you open a template, it
is pre-formatted...
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A terabyte is 2 to the 40th
power, or 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. It can be estimated as 10 to the 12th
power, or...
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Teraflops (also TFLOPS) is used
to measure the performance of a computer's floating point unit (FPU). One
teraflops...
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The word "terminal"
comes from early computer systems that were used to send commands to other
computers. Terminals...
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A text editor is any word processing
program that you can use to type and edit text. Hey, they don't call it a
text...
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Stands for "Thin Film
Transistor." These transistors are used in high-quality flat panel
liquid-crystal displays...
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Thick clients, also called
heavy clients, are full-featured computers that are connected to a network.
Unlike thin...
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In the 1950s, minimalism
emerged as an popular art movement. In the 1990s, minimalism emerged again as
a popular...
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Third party software refers to
software programs developed by companies other than the (operating system|...
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What do a t-shirt and a
computer program have in common? They are both composed of many threads!
While the threads in...
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Throughput refers to how much
data can be transferred from one location to another in a given amount of
time. It is...
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A thumbnail is the nail on your
thumb. If you look at your thumbnail, you will notice it is rather small in
size...
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A thyristor is a four-layer
semiconductor that is often used for handling large amounts of power. While a
thyristor...
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Stands for "Tagged Image
File Format." It is graphics file format created in the 1980's to be the
standard image...
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This ferocious cat is the code
name for Mac OS X 10.4, released April 29, 2005. Tiger follows a list of
other felines...
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A title bar is the section at
the top of a window that contains the name or description of the window.
Nearly all...
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A toggle key is used to
alternate the input mode of a group of keys on a keyboard. Some examples
include Caps Lock...
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A token is a group of bits that
are transferred between computers on a token-ring network. Whichever computer
has the...
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A toolbar is a set of icons or
buttons that are part of a software program's interface or an open window.
When it is...
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As computer users, we have
become accustomed to icons that represent files, folders, programs, and other
objects on the...
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A torrent is a file sent via
the BitTorrent protocol. It can be just about any type of file, such as a
movie, song...
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Toslink is a type of digital
audio connection developed by Toshiba Corporation. It uses a fiber optic
cable to...
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When computers communicate over
the Internet, there are often many connections made along the way. This is
because the...
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Trackback is a protocol for
notifying websites that other websites have linked to it. When a trackback
link is added...
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A trackball is an input device
that has a ball which is held in a socket and can be rolled in any direction.
Most...
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The Trash is used by Macintosh
computers to store deleted items. It serves as a safety net, which provides
an extra...
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Trinitron is arguably the best
consumer CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) technology available. The technology was
developed by...
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In Greek mythology, there is a
story about the Trojan War. This war lasted many years, as the Greeks could
not...
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In Internet terminology, a
troll is a person who posts offensive or off-topic comments online. These
comments are...
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Troubleshooting is the process
or identifying and fixing problems. Computer troubleshooting may involve
hardware or...
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To truncate something is to
shorten it, or cut part of it off. In computer science, the term is often
used in...
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Stands for "Time To
Live." Pretty intense for a computer term, huh? It refers an aspect of
the Internet Protocol...
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The term "tunneling"
probably brings to mind images of digging tunnels underground, perhaps for a
subway system, or for...
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A computer tutorial is an
interactive software program created as a learning tool. Tutorials help
people learn new...
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Other than being the last name
of the author of "Huckleberry Finn," there are numerous other ideas
concerning the...
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When you modify a certain piece
of hardware for better performance, it is often referred to as
"tweaking" it...
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A tweet is an update published
by a Twitter user. It is similar to a blog posting, but cannot be longer
than...
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Twitter is a service that
allows people to stay connected with each other by answering the basic
question, "What are...
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A typeface is a set of
characters of the same design. These characters include letters, numbers,
punctuation marks...
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