Vocabulary words

The access time is the amount of time that it takes the computer gets data off of a local or network disk.

An accumulator is a register or storage area that keeps track of answers worked out by the arithmetic/logic unit. For example, if the AL adds 2+2, 4+4, 6+6, the answers 4,8, 12 would be stored in the accumulator.

The actuator is a device that goes over the hard dive that contains the read / write heads.

The address is the label given to the places in computer memory.

An algorithm is a sequence of actions to solve a problem. This is a software concept, dealing with programming.

AC, alternating current, is a type of electrical current that is used in home outlets in the USA. It is measured is cycles per second (CPS) or in hertz.

ALU stands for Arithmetic Logic Unit. It is where the mathematical operations take place. It handles the basic arithmetic and logic for the computer. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case.

An applet is a small program or basic function that is usually not able to be self-executed.

Apple Talk is a Macintosh / Apple network that is used for sharing files and devices.

An application is a full software program made of executable code

ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standard seven-bit code created in 1967 by Robert W. Bemer to bring multi environments together. The Standard ASCI character set is consists of 128 decimal numbers Ranging from 0-127. These codes are assigned to numbers, letters, and special characters. In 1981 IBM introduced the Extended ASCI set which made the code consist of codes 0-255. This addition made it an 8-bith code.

BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a simple computer programming language that is used to write applications and applets. This is a programming language.

Batch files are simple coded files that have sets of events to occur in order. The most common batch file is the autoexec.bat, which helps to start up Microsoft Windows.

Benchmarks are tests done on computers to see how fast they can do certain tasks. Comparing the benchmarks is another way to compare a set of computers.

A binary system includes mathematical numbers using 2 as the base number. The first "digit," called a bit, holds a place value of 2⁰, the next 2¹, 2², 2³, etc.

This is a concept related to both software and hardware. See binary system.

BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. This communicates with the hardware during the boot, or start up, sequence. It also has a set up utility. The BIOS runs the POST. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case.

A bit is one place value in a binary number. It always holds either a 0 or a 1. This is a concept related to both software and hardware. See binary system.

The boot process is the computer's start up process. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case.

A bus is the physical place on the motherboard, on which data is transferred. The three primary buses are the system bus, the input / output bus, and the connection bus. This is a part of the hardware. See inside the case.

A chipset is the controlling center for the system bus and the bridge to the Input / Output bus. This is a part of the hardware. See inside the case.

These programs allow users to keep information about their clients and what they have done. Different industries have there own versions of these software programs. This is a type of software.

CPU stands for central processing unit. This handles the logical processes of the computer. It passes math onto the ALU, and stores and gets data from the RAM. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case. See CPU.

A controller is a devise that takes charge of the data throughout the system. Most motherboards have controllers for the keyboard, serial devices, parallel devices, floppy drives, and hard drives. One can also add controllers, such as video, sound, and joystick. These all work with the master I/O controller. This is a part of the hardware. See controllers.

Data is another word for information.

Databases can be compounded tables for client directories, or they may be more advanced. They are used everywhere, even to manage lists of drivers in the operating system. This is a type of software.

A dial up server is a standard server that uses a modem pool. Often, extra software is needed to manage these pools. This is a type of Internet server software.

DNS servers are usually on high power machines, and are connected to the dial up server. Some operating systems offer DNS as an available service. This is a type of Internet server software.

Dot matrix printers work by placing dots on a coordinated matrix. The data sent to the printer specifies which dots to print, making up the letters on the paper. The first color printers were dot matrix. This is part of the hardware. See printers.

An E-mail program is used to send and receive email. E-mail can be messages sent within a network or over the Internet. Each user can have an address. The program allows you to write the message and the send it in there proper way to the server. This is a type of software. It also deals with Networks.

An enterprise server is what is used in large companies for many users. This is a type of networking server.

An expression is made up of operators and operands. The operators represent what is going to be done, and the operands represent to what it is going to be done. If there is more than one operation in an expression, then it is a compound expression. This is a software concept, dealing with programming. See C++.

Games are a form of entertainment. Computer games are a type of software. See our games.

Graphic art applications have many different levels of complexity. Some can be very expensive and allow you to render photographs or drawing as if you were doing them by hand, or with a camera. You can then use special added applications to manipulate your custom art or something that you have imported into the program. This is a type of software.

A hexadecimal number is a number using 16 as the base number. The first "digit" holds a place value of 16⁰, the next 16¹, 16², 16³, etc. This is a concept related to both software and hardware. See binary system.

Hosting servers, commonly referred to as web servers use special software that make available an Internet virtual directory system. These programs allow you to post pages on the server. They also allow viewers to see these pages, using a web browser. The hosting server should also be able to use the script ruining capabilities of the operating system or other program and run CGI, or other, scripts. This is a type of Internet server software.

Ink-jet printers work like dot-matrix printers, but use a much more sophisticated ink distribution system and are capable of more Dots Per Inch. This is part of the hardware. See printers.

Also called a web browser, an Internet browser is a program that allows the user to view web pages from the Internet. The browser takes the code of a web page and interprets it. Line by line, it decides what goes where on the screen so that you can see it. This is a type of software.

The keyboard is a major input device for the computer. This is a part of the hardware.

Laser printers are high quality printers, which use a laser. This is part of the hardware. See printers.

The mainboard, commonly called the mother board, is the central board of the computer, where all the main connection ports are mounted. It houses the buses between the main components. On the mainboard, there are usually controllers for parallel ports, serial ports, PS/2 port, floppy drives and hard drives. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case.

Mass storage is where all the data the computers have are kept (example: hard drive). This is a part of the hardware. See inside the case.

A modem pool is a group of modems used by a dial up server. Often, extra software is needed to manage these pools. This is a term related to Internet server software.

Money management programs are for both the home and office. You can use programs to work directly with your bank account and your credit cards and keep everything balanced. More advanced programs for business also can do pay roll and payment tracking. This is a type of software.

The monitor takes the information from the video card and turns it into the physical image that is seen on the screen. This is a part of the hardware. See hardware. See monitor.

The mother board, also called the mainboard, is the central board of the computer, where all the main connection ports are mounted. It houses the buses between the main components. On the mother board, there are usually controllers for parallel ports, serial ports, PS/2 port, floppy drives and hard drives. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case.

The mouse is a common type of pointer. It typically has 1-4 buttons, to provide more options for the user. This is a part of the hardware. See hardware. See pointer.

Operands are the object of the operation in an expression. This is a software concept, dealing with programming. See C++.

Operators represent operations in an expression. Binary operators have two operands in an expression, and unary operators can have just one. This is a software concept, dealing with programming. See C++.

The parallel ports are where external devices, such as printers, scanners, tape drives, etc., can connect to the computer. This is a part of the hardware. See inside the case.

The pointer is the piece of hardware that controls the cursor on the screen. Some common types of pointers are the mouse, the joystick, the trackpad, and the trackball. This is a part of the hardware. See hardware. See pointer.

POST stands for Power On Self Test. This starts the boot process and tests the standard components. It makes sure that all the critical components, such as RAM, CPU, and video card, are all working properly when the computer is first turned on. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case.

A printer is a device that puts data from the computer onto paper. This is a part of the hardware. See printers.

Productivity tools are programs that make a task easier and more direct. They usually come with calendars and client magnet programs. This is a type of software.

The PS/2 port for the mouse. This is a part of the hardware. See inside the case.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. This holds the data that the system is currently using, or has been using recently. It is often several chips mounted on a board. This board is then placed in sockets on the main board. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case.

The serial port is into which an external modem, or sometimes the mouse, is plugged. This is a part of the hardware. See inside the case.

The set up utility allows the user to configure the setting on how the BIOS and POST will function and what order they will work in. This is a part of the hardware. See inside the case.

Software is all of the components of code that allow the computer to perform tasks and give the user an interface to manipulate the processed data. It is usually distributed through CD-ROMs and floppy disks, and is installed to a hard drive. See software.

A spreadsheet is a special kind of paper that an accountant uses to keep track of money other sets of numbers. A spreadsheet program does the same thing but it also has the ability to do some of the math for you, manipulate charts, create graphs, and add the data into some databases. This is a type of software.

USB controllers allow the user to add and remove devices externally without shutting down. They are for newer Pentium systems with TX chipset or higher. This is a part of the hardware. See inside the case.

The video card takes processes done by the computer and sends them out to the monitor. The video card is usually placed in an expansion slot on the mainboard. This is part of the hardware. See inside the case.

A web server is the same thing as a hosting server. It uses special software that makes available an Internet virtual directory system. These programs allow you to post pages on the server. They also allow viewers to see these pages, using a web browser. The web server should also be able to use the script ruining capabilities of the operating system or other program and run CGI, or other, scripts. This is a type of Internet server software.

A word processor is a program that is used for the manipulation of text. This is a type of software.

A work group application is used over a corporate network to share data in more useful way then just transferring files. These types of programs are often called group ware applications. You can usually share calendars, access to databases, client directories and have many users editing a document at the same time. This is a type of software.