1、http:/ - Someone who buys up internet domain names in order to sell them on at a profit. DDR - (Double Data Rate) A fast type of RAM for a PC, originally only used on high performance graphics cards but now being used for general memory in most high-end PCs. DDR2 is a yet faster version. Default - A
2、 default setting is one you havent changed - what a program will do (or use) if you dont tell it any different. “Accept the defaults“ means leave any settings as they are. DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module; pr. “dim“) A module of RAM (memory) for a PC, replacing the older SIMM specification. Domain -
3、 An internet address owned by a company, organisation or individual, such as , nasa.gov or bbc.co.uk. See also TLD, How web addresses work. Dongle - A small hardware device used for copy protection with some software. The dongle must be plugged in to a port on the computer, often the printer port, o
4、r the software wont function. They are often unpopular with users because if the dongle gets lost or broken, the software wont function. DoS - (Denial of Service) A form of attack on (usually) an internet service, which aims to prevent the service from operating properly, often by bombarding it with
5、 more information than it can process. dpi - (Dots Per Inch) - A measure of picture quality, often used to measure printer capabilities. The higher the number, the better the quality. Dual core - dual-core PC processors which have two complete processors on the same chip, allowing computers to handl
6、e multiple tasks faster. See also quad-core. Dual layer - A technology allowing two layers of data to be written to a DVD instead of the usual one, thus increasing its capacity. DVI - (Direct Video Interface) A special type of connector for computer monitors, particularly flat panels. Emoticon - (EM
7、OTion ICON) A group of symbols used to indicate emotions in email or newsgroups. The most popular is the smiley :-) or :) (look at it sideways), but there are lots of variations including the sad face :-( , the wink ;-) , and the astonished face :-0 . Encrypt, encryption - Coding data so that it can
8、t be read by hackers etc when transmitted over the internet. For example, any reputable website selling goods by credit card will encrypt your credit card number and personal details. Ethernet - The most popular system used to connect a computer to a network, including most broadband internet connec
9、tions. The computer needs to be fitted with a suitable expansion card, usually called an Ethernet card. FAQ - (Frequently Asked Questions). A document on a website or in a newsgroup which gives answers to common problems and questions. Look for an FAQ if you have a problem with something, before you
10、 email or phone support. FAT - (File Allocation Table; pr. “fat“) A sort of index of where data is stored on a hard disk, used by the operating system. Filter - A device which allows you to use an ordinary phone over a telephone line set up for an ADSL internet connection. Also called a micro-filter
11、. Flame - Internet slang for an email or newsgroup post insulting or telling someone off. They range from elegant rapier wit to obscene profanity. Flamewar - A public trading of insults in a newsgroup or forum. Sometimes flamewars get so out of hand that there are hundreds of flames in the newsgroup
12、 and almost nothing else. Floppy disk - Also known as a diskette. Originally called floppy disks because they were round and non-rigid, but modern floppies might as well be called rigid squares, as the actual floppy disk is enclosed inside a rigid, almost square protective casing. Most programs used
13、 to be released on floppy disks, but modern programs are so large that they are now released on CD ROM instead. Despite a capacity of only 1.44 Meg per diskette, until recently all new computers were fitted with them as standard, and many still are. Forum - A public or semi-public area on a website
14、or bulletin board where you can read and post messages on a particular topic, allowing public debate. GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out; pr. “guy-go“) - Programmers slang. A reminder of a fundamental principle of computing, that unexpected results are often caused by feeding a computer bad data, rather t
15、han a fault in the computer or program. GPF (General Protection Fault) - A common error message in early versions of Windows, seen when a program tried to do something Windows thought it shouldnt, often locking up the PC. Hub - A basic device for connecting computers together to form a network. IANA
16、L (I Am Not A Lawyer) Internet slang. Amazing how often this one comes up. IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics ) - A type of PC hard disk, now obsolete, the foreunner of EIDE. Intranet A private miniature internet which allows no or only limited access to the internet proper, for example to allow easy
17、 sharing of confidential files within a company or corporation. ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network ) - An early high speed (for its time) internet connection system mainly aimed at business, now largely obsolete. Requires a special type of modem called a Terminal Adaptor. Joe job, joe-job - S
18、pam email apparently promoting a website that actually has nothing to do with it, intended to get the owner of the website in trouble. Mac address The unique serial number of an Ethernet card, required for connecting a PC to a network. (Nothing to do with Apple Macs, despite the name). MMORPG (Massi
19、vely Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). An online role-playing game (RPG) designed to played by thousands of players simultaneously, such as Everquest or Warcraft. Napster - A pioneering peer-to-peer internet file-sharing system. Because much of the data shared was copyrighted, and thus being di
20、stributed illegally, the operators of Napster were hit with a number of large lawsuits by the music industry, and later closed down. The name was bought and is now used by a legal pay-to-download service. Peer-to-peer - A type of network where computers are connected together directly, rather than v
21、ia a server, allowing them to access each others hard disk etc. Newbie (New beginner) - Internet slang for someone who hasnt been using computers or the internet long. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) - A program which attempts to convert a scanned image (ie a picture) of text into text that can
22、be edited in a word processor. The result is rarely 100% accurate and must be carefully proofread, but it can save a lot of retyping. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) - A company that actually builds computers, as opposed to just retailing them. “OEM software“ is ordinary software bought in bul
23、k at a discount by the OEM and pre-installed on a new machines, usually without printed manuals. OEM software cannot legally be sold separately from a computer, so when offered for sale at huge discounts is either pirated, or not what it claims to be. OS/2 (Operating System 2) - A rival PC operating
24、 system to Microsoft Windows, produced by IBM in the 1990s. It still has a small, dedicated core of supporters, but didnt catch on and for most purposes is obsolete. Plasma - A type of very large screen, either TV or computer monitor. At present plasma screens arent very suitable for computing becau
25、se the images, although bright and colourful, arent very sharp, especially when depicting motion. SP2 (Service Pack 2). - A major enhancement to Windows XP, particularly its security vulnerabilites, downloadable as a free patch from Microsofts website. Spam - Originally a name for mass postings to U
26、senet newsgroups advertising products or services, regardless of their relevance to the newsgroup. (The name comes from a famous Monty Python sketch in which every conversation is interrupted every few seconds by people shouting “spam spam spam“ at the top of their voices). Now generally used to des
27、cribe bulk commercial advertising emails (UCE). Sending spam is a violation of most ISPs AUP. Surfing - In a computer context, wandering around the World Wide Web Also called websurfing. System Tray - An area on the righthand end of the Windows Taskbar which displays icons representing TSRs presentl
28、y running, usually at least a loudspeaker which represents the volume control for the soundcard, and a clock. Programs in the Sytem Tray are often but not always launched from the StartUp folder. System unit (or box) - The unit with the disk drives which the keyboard, monitor etc are plugged into. I
29、n other words, the actual computer. Taskbar - In Windows, a bar across the bottom of the screen (usually - you can move it to the top or side if you want to) which contains the Start Button, the System Tray, and icons which represent all the applications currently running. You can switch between app
30、lications by calling up the taskbar and clicking on the relevant icon. The taskbar can be set to remain visible all the time (the default), or only to appear when you press the Windows key. TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - A common protocol (language) which a computer can use t
31、o communicate with other computers, particularly on the internet. Terabyte - Unit of measurement for pieces of information : approximately 1 trillion bytes, 1 billion kilobytes, 1 million megabytes or 1000 gigabytes. Thats a lot of data. Terminal Adaptor - A piece of hardware similar to a modem, req
32、uired to operate an ISDN internet connection. Thumb drive - A computer storage device about the size of a mans thumb, often carried on a keyring, which plugs into a PC USB port and is seen by the PC as an extra drive - a very convenient way to carry large amounts of data around. TIFF, Tif (Tagged Im
33、age File Format) - A type of graphics (picture) file, often used for photographs. The files are usually huge, as the data is not significantly compressed. Files in this format usually have names ending .tif . TFT (Thin Film Transistor) - A technology used mainly in laptop screens for giving a sharp
34、and vibrant colour display. Much less bulky than the CRT system used in most desktop monitors, which it is now slowly beginning to replace, but also more expensive. TLD (Top Level Domain). - The part of an internet address between the last . and the end of the address, excluding the path/address of
35、a specific page if present. TLDs include .com, .org, .net, and all the national domains such as .uk for the UK and .fr for France. Toolbar - An extra set of controls that can be added to many programs to provide extra functionality not present in the standard version, such as the Google toolbar, whi
36、ch lets you do Google searches from your browser without having to go to the website. Torrent - A method of making data available for download over the internet, where the recipient of data is expected to make the data available to others for download from their PC, rather than all users downloading
37、 from a central server. Typically much of the data is bootleg software, audio and video. Because the data is distributed from multiple computers all over the place rather than a central point, it is extremely hard to police. Touchpad - A pressure-sensitive pad which replaces the mouse on most laptop
38、 computers. Trojan - A program similar to a virus which is disguised as something harmless like a game, but when launched actually sabotages the computer on which it is running. TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) - A program, usually loaded automatically on startup, which remains in memory to provide
39、 particular functions such as connection to a network or protection against viruses. In Windows 95/98 TSRs presently running are usually represented by icons in the System tray, such as the small loudspeaker which represents the volume control for the soundcard. A few TSRs are essential, but many ar
40、e installed automatically by a particular application just to improve its own performance, with no thought for anything else you may be doing, and may actually have a negative impact on everything else. Usually (but not always) launched from the StartUp folder in the Windows Start Menu. TWAIN (Techn
41、ology Without An Interesting Name, according to legend) - A standard “language“ or protocol which computers use to communicate with scanners. UBE, UCE (Unsolicited Bulk Email, Unsolicited Commercial Email) - Email sent out in bulk to addresses harvested from web pages, newsgroups, etc, advertising p
42、roducts or services - mostly scams or pornography. Also known as spam. Sending UCE is a violation of most ISPs Acceptable Use Policies, and will often get your account terminated immediately. Ultra DMA, UDMA (Direct Memory Access) - A standard for EIDE disk controllers relating to how fast they can
43、transfer data. Often followed by a number representing the transfer rate in Mbps, eg UDMA100 operates at up to 100 Mbps. Uninstall - Remove a program from your system. You cant just delete its folder, because almost all programs make changes to various parts of Windows. Many programs come with a spe
44、cial uninstaller, which you should use if it exists. Otherwise, you can uninstall programs (in Windows) from the Control Panel. Upload - To transfer information (files) from a user PC to a network or the Internet. See also download. URL (Universal Resource Locator) - An address used to locate someth
45、ing on the internet, most often a web page. All web addresses are URLs. USB (Universal Serial Bus) - A type of serial port (or connector), used to attach extra devices such as a scanner to a PC. Standard on new PCs from around 1998. USB 2.0 is a faster version of the same thing. Many PCs now use USB
46、 to connect the mouse and keyboard. Usenet - An enormous collection of public newsgroups on the Internet, well over 25,000 at last count, which allow users to post messages discussing particular issues. User interface - A programs controls, with which the user “interfaces“ with the program. Vaporwar
47、e - Derogatory term for software which is announced but fails to materialise. VGA (Video Graphics Array) - An early colour graphics standard for PCs, now used as a sort of lowest common denominator which all monitors and graphics cards understand. Virus - A program that has been deliberately created
48、 to cause computer problems, usually minor ones as a prank, but occasionally very nasty ones indeed, such as erasing your entire hard disk. Viruses were originally designed to attach themselves to programs on a disk, and then “hide“ in the computers memory once the host program is executed, and “inf
49、ect“ every disk they come across. Some types of virus (such as the famous “I love you“) propagate by email, disguised as an attachment, which is why you should never open an attachment you are unsure of. Virus protector - A program which guards against computer viruses, either by lurking in memory as a TSR and checking everything you run for viruses as you go along, or by scanning some or all of the files on either hard or floppy disk at a time you specify. Virus protectors need to be updated frequently to guar
