Glossary

 

Cache - Pronounced cash, a special high-speed storage mechanism. It can be either a reserved section of main memory or an independent high-speed storage device. Two types of caching are commonly used in personal computers: memory caching and disk caching.

CAD - Acronym for computer-aided design. A CAD system is a combination of hardware and software that enables engineers and architects to design everything

From furniture to airplanes.

CATE - Career and Technology Education

CPU -Abbreviation of central processing unit, and pronounced as separate letters. The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the processor or central processor, the CPU is where most calculations take place.

 

Digital -A method of distributing information by packets.

DHCP - Short for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, a protocol for assigning dynamic LP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network. DHCP also supports a mix of static and dynamic IP addresses.

DLL - Short for Dynamic Link Library, a library of executable functions or data that can be used by a Windows application. Typically, a DLL provides one or more particular functions and a program accesses the functions by creating either a static or dynamic link to the DLL. A static link remains constant during program execution while a dynamic link is created by the program as needed. DLLs can also contain just data.

 

DNS - Short for Domain Name System (or Service), an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Because domain names are alphabetic, they're easier to remember. The Internet however, is really based on IP addresses. Every time you use a domain name, therefore, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address. For example, the domain name www.examDle.com might translate to 198.105.232.4.

Download - To copy data (usually an entire file) from a main source to a peripheral device. The term is often used to describe the process of copying a file from an online service or bulletin board service (BBS) to one's own computer. Downloading can also refer to copying a file from a network file server to a computer on the network. NEVER DOWNLOAD A Program or an EXE. file 0n to your computer without Permission from Technology services ,

 

Driver - A program that controls a device. Every device, whether it is a printer, disk drive, or keyboard, must have a driver program. Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with the operating system. For other devices, you may need to load a new driver when you connect the device to your computer. In DOS systems, drivers are Files^-with a.SYS extension. In Windows environments, drivers often have a.DRV extension.

 

Electronic - 1. A source of power

Electronic-2. A piece of equipment that requires an external power to operate.

 

Exe - Pronounced ee-ex-ee file. In DOS and Windows systems, an EXE file is an executable file with an EXE extension. NEVER DOWN LOAD AN EXE. FILE ON TO your computer without Technology Services Permission.

 

FTP - Short for File Transfer Protocol, the protocol used on the Internet for exchanging files. FTP works in the same way as HTTP for transferring Web pages from a server to a user's browser and SMTP for transferring

Electronic mail across the Internet in that, like these technologies, FTP uses the Internet's TCP/IP protocols to enable data transfer.

 

GB - 2 to the 30^th power (1,073,741,824) bytes. One gigabyte is equal to 1,024 megabyte Gigabyte is often abbreviated as G or GB.

GHz - Abbreviation for gigahertz. One GHz represents 1 billion cycles per second. The speed of microprocessors, called the clock speed, often is measured in gigahertz. For example, a microprocessor that runs at 200 GHz executes 200 billion cycles per second. Each computer instruction requires a fixed number of cycles, so the clock speed determines how many instructions per second the microprocessor can execute. To a large degree, this controls how powerful the microprocessor is.

GIF - Pronounced jiff or gift (hard g) stands for graphics interchange format, a bit-mapped graphics file format used by the World Wide Web, CompuServe and many BBSs. GIF supports color and various resolutions. It also includes data compression, but because it is limited to 256 colors, if is more effective for scanned images such as illustrations rather than color photos.

 

GPS - Short for Global Positioning System, a worldwide MEO satellite navigational system formed by 24 satellites orbiting the earth and their corresponding receivers on the earth. The satellites orbit the earth at approximately 12,000 miles above the surface and make two complete orbits every 24 hours. The GPS satellites continuously transmit digital radio signals that contain data on the satellites location and the exact time to the earth-bound receivers. The satellites are equipped with atomic clocks that are precise to within a billionth of a second. Based on this information the receivers know how long it takes for the signal to reach the receiver on earth. As each signal travels at the speed of light, the longer it takes the receiver to get the signal, the farther away the satellite is. By knowing how far away a satellite is, the receiver knows that it is located somewhere on the surface of an imaginary sphere centered at the satellite. By using three satellites, GPS can calculate the longitude and latitude of the receiver based on where the three spheres intersect. By using four satellites, GPS can also determine altitude.

 

Hard Drive - The mechanism that reads and writes data on a hard disk. Hard disk drives (HDDs) for PCs generally have seek times of about 12 milliseconds or less. Many disk drives improve their performance through a technique called caching.

HTML - Short for Hypertext Markup Language, the authoring Ianguage used to create documents on the World Wide Web. HTML is similar to SGML, although it is not a strict subset. HTML defines the structure and layout of a Web document by using a variety of tags and attributes.

 

HTTP - Short for HyperText Transfer Protocol, the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. For example, when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web peas.

HTTPS - Short for HyperText Transfer Protocol that is secure.

IEEE - Abbreviation of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, pronounced l-triple-E. Founded in 1884 as the AIEE, the IEEE was formed in 1963 when AIEE merged with IRE. IEEE is an organization composed of engineers, scientists, and students. The IEEE is best known for developing standards for the computer and electronics industry. In particular, the IEEE 802 standards for local-area networks are widely followed.

IMS - Instructional Management System SASI IGPRO ETC

Ink Jet - type of imprinting that utilizes cartridges of ink

IP - Abbreviation of Internet Protocol, pronounced as two separate letters. IP specifies the format of packets, also called data grams, and the addressing scheme. Most networks combine IP with a higher-level protocol called Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source.

 

IP Address An identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. Networks using the TCP/IP protocol route messages based on the IP address of the destination. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.

ISP - Short for Internet Service Provider, a company that provides access to the Internet.

JPEG - Short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, and pronounced jay-peg. JPEG is a lossy compression technique for color images. Although it can reduce files sizes to about 5% of their normal size, some detail is lost in the compression.

 

LAN - A computer network that spans a relatively small area. Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings. However, one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves. A system of LANs connected in this way is called a wide-area network (WAN).

Laser - light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Laser printers are a popular type of personal computer printer that uses a non-impact (keys don't strike the paper), photocopier technology.

MB- When spelled MB, short for megabyte (1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes, depending on the context)?

 

Network - A group of two or more computer systems linked together.

NIC - Network Interface Card, an expansion board you insert into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network. Most NICs are designed for a particular type of network, Protocol, and media, although some can serve multiple networks.

OS - Operating System, The most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. Examples Windows 98 Mac OS 9

PDA - Short for personal digital assistant, a handheld device that combines computing, telephone/fax Internet and networking features.

PDF - Short for Portable Document Format, a file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF captures formatting information from a variety of desktop publishing applications, making it possible to send formatted documents and have them appear on the recipient's monitor or printer as they were intended. To view a file in PDF format, you need Adobe Reader, a free application distributed by Adobe Systems.

 

PDR RAM - Dynamic RAM needs to be refreshed thousands of times per second. Pen Drive - A USB device used an external saving device

PING - Packet Internet Groper, A utility to determine whether a specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a packet to the specified address and waiting for a reply. PING is used primarily to troubleshoot Internet connections. There are many freeware and shareware Ping utilities available for personal computers.

PNG - Short for Portable Network Graphics, and pronounced ping, a new bit-mapped Graphics format similar to GIF. In fact, PNG was approved as a standard by the World Wide Web consortium to replace GIF because GIF uses a patented data compression algorithm called LZW. In contrast, PNG is completely patent- and license-free. The most recent versions of Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer now support PNG.

 

RAM - Pronounced ramm, acronym for random access memory, a type of Computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that is, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computers and other devices, such as printers. There are two basic types of RAM:

   Dynamic RAM (DRAM)

   Static RAM (SRAM)

The two types differ in the technology they use to hold data, dynamic RAM being the more common type. Dynamic RAM needs to be refreshed thousands of times per second. Static RAM does not need to be refreshed, which makes it faster; but it is also more expensive than dynamic RAM. Both types of RAM are volatile, meaning that they lose their contents when the power is turned off.

 

ROM - Pronounced ramm, acronym for read-only memory, computer memory on which data has been prerecorded. Once data has been written onto a ROM cam, it cannot be removed and can only be read. Example CD-ROM

SAN - Storage Area Network (SAN) is a high-speed sub network of shared storage devices. A storage device is a machine that contains nothing but a disk or disks for storing data. A SAN's architecture works in a way that makes all storage devices available to all servers on a LAN or WAN. As more storage devices are added to a SAN, they too will be accessible from any server in the larger network. In this case, the server merely acts as a pathway between the end user and the stored data.

SD RAM - Static RAM does not need to be refreshed, which makes it faster; but it is also more expensive than dynamic

Server - A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any user on the network can store files on the server. A print server is a computer that manages one or more printers, and a network server is a computer that manages network traffic. A database server is a computer system that processes database queries

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TEKS - Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. In addition to other subject areas, the state of Texas established standards that all students are expected to master in

Technology.

TIFF - Acronym for tagged image file format, one of the most widely supported file formats for storing bit-mapped images on personal computers (both PCs and Macintosh computers). Other popular formats are BMP and PCX. TIFF graphics can be any resolution, and they can be black and white, gray-scaled, or color. Files in TIFF format often end with a tiff extension

Load - To transmit data from a computer to a bulletin board service, mainframe, or network. For example, if you use a personal computer to log on to a network and you want to send files across the network, you must upload the files from your PC to the network.

URL - Abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator, the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. The first part of the address indicates what protocol to use, and the second part specifies the IP address or the domain name where the resource is located.

USB - Short for Universal Serial Bus, an external bus standard that supports data transfer rates of 12 Mbps. A single USB port can be used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices, such as mice, modems, and keyboards. USB also supports Pluq-and-Play installation and hot plugging. Starting in 1996, a few computer manufacturers started including USB support in their new machines. It wasn't until the release of the best-selling iMac in 1998 that USB became widespread. It is expected to completely replace serial and parallel ports.

 

Video Streaming - Refers to displaying images and text on a computer monitor. The video adapter, for example, is responsible for sending signals to the display device.

Virus - A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems

 

WAN - Short for wide-area network. One LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves. A system of LANs connected in this way is called a wide-area network (WAN).

 

White Board - An area on a display screen that multiple users can write or draw on. Whiteboards are a principal component of teleconferencing applications because they enable visual as well as audio communication.

 

 

Worm - A program or algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using up the computers resources and possibly shutting the system down. Also see virus

W W W - World Wide Web

ZIP - A popular data compression format. Files that have been compressed with the ZIP format are called ZIP files and usually end with a.ZIP extension