shadenights

Computer and Internet Terms and Acronyms


Alias
A name that is substituted for a more complicated name. For example, a simple alias may be used instead of a more complicated mailing address or for a mailing list.

Applet
A computer program written in Java for transfer over the web.

Archie
A search utility used on the Internet to locate files in FTP sites, these files are generally public domain files that anyone can download.

Avatar
A graphical representation of a person in a chat room. The word comes from Hindu mythology in which spirits come down and inhabit bodies.

Bandwidth
Describes the capacity at which a given communications channel, such as ordinary copper telephone line, can transfer information; increasing bandwidth increases the speed at which data transfer takes place. The greater the bandwidth, the greater amount of data can be transferred.

Baud Rate
A measurement of how quickly a modem transfers data. Although, strictly speaking, this is not the same as bits per second, the two terms are often used interchangeably.

BBS (Bulletin Board System)
A service accessible via modem or other connection through which users may exchange messages privately or post messages to a publicly accessible forum; may or may not have Internet access.

BIOS
Basic Input Output System. This is the basic set of instructions that tell the computer how to act.

Bit
Short for binary digit; either a 1 or a 0; the smallest unit into which digital information may be broken.

BPS (Bits per Second)
A measure of the speed of data transmission; the number of bits of data that can be transmitted each second. Modems are generally measured by their BPS rate (14.4K - 14400 BPS, 28.8K - 28800 BPS)

Boot up
The process of turning on the computer, which includes a number of functions that are performed automatically every time the power switch is turned on.

Browser
A client software program used to search networks, retrieve copies of files and display them in an easy-to-read, often graphical, format. Browsers such as SPRY Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, and Microsoft Internet Explorer are used to access information on the World Wide Web.

Byte
A collection of eight BITS.

Client
A software program that provides access to network resources by working with information stored on a server.

CMOS
Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. A CMOS computer circuit consumes very little power and is used in computers to keep track of the system setup information, data, time, type of disk and hard drives, etc. that a computer has installed. The CMOS information is powered by the computer's on-board battery. So if the on-board battery fails, the information in CMOS is lost.

Crash
An unexpected shutdown either of a program or the whole system.; sometimes traumatic, always frustrating ; often fixable by turning off the computer and turning it back on; results in losing any unsaved work. Can also be used in instances of a hard disk physically being damaged.

Cyberspace
A term coined by author William Gibson. It describes the imaginary space in which computer users travel when "surfing" the Internet.

Daemon
In UNIX, a program running all the time in the "background" (that is, unseen by users), providing special services when required. An example of a daemon is biff, which lets you know when mail arrives.

E-mail (Electronic Mail)
A means of sending typed messages from one computer to another, over a network or the Internet.

FAQ
Frequently Asked Question. This is often a file which new users can refer to when using a new service or piece of Internet software. It contains answers to frequently asked questions, hence the name.

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