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Welcome to the interactive glossay at Inside Computers. This glossary allows members of Inside Computers to post new definitions, allowing for collective information sharing.
If there is some acronym that most people might not know, or a special computer term which others would most likely want to know, go ahead and add it.
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correct and edit it for content that could be offensive to others. If you are so inclined, every member is allowed to edit every user added post, so if
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| F | Fast Ethernet (100baseT) :
A form of ethernet that operates at 100MHz, uses Cat-5 UTP cabling, and transfers at speeds of up to 100Mbps (12.5MB/s).
Fibre Channel :
An interface similiar to SCSI that allows for the connection of up to 127 devices and a maximum transfer speed of 1600Mbps.
Field Of View (FOV) :
The angular area which is visible from a point in space.
File :
A collection of binary information that is used to store data or be used by the computer. Each file is capable of having a name, and usually a 3 or 4 letter file extension to mark the time of file that it is.
File Allocation Table (FAT) :
The part of a hard drive located in the first few sectors of each partition that contains the location and size of all of the files. It stores the cluster which make up each file, along with the name of each file, and the file's attributes.
File Allocation Table 16 (FAT16) :
A 16-bit FAT scheme used by DOS and some older Windows Operating System computers. It uses a dynamic cluster size to maximize the storage of a hard drive. The highest capacity of a partition using FAT16 is 2GB.
File Allocation Table 32 (FAT32) :
A 32-bit FAT scheme used in most Windows Operating System computers. It allows for smaller cluster sizes than FAT 16, and allows up to 2 terabytes of storage per partition.
File Format :
The specific organization in which data is stored in a file. Different programs store information in different ways, which makes it difficult to use the same file with different programs. The file extension usually indicates what type of file format is used.
Fill Rate :
The number of pixels that a video card is capable of producing in a second. Current video cards are capable of in excess of 400 millions pixels/sec fill rates.
Filter :
Any manipulation which is performed consistently to all of the data, such as an image or sound.
Firewall :
A server or program designed to monitor and prevent data from being transferred across a network.
FireWire (IEEE 1349) :
A transfer method originally made by Apple Computer that supports hot-swappable devices and peer-to-peer connections. It s available in 100Mbps, 200Mbps, and 400Mbps versions.
Firmware :
It is the internal software or routines which are used by a device or processor to tell it how to do an operation. These instructions are usually stored in flashable ROM chips, and are loaded by the device processor or control logic for the device whenever an operation is to be performed. Firmware, much like a BIOS, allow changes and updates to be made to the low level functions without a change in hardware.
First Person Shooter (FPS) :
A game in which there is a 3D environment, and the viewpoint is in respect to the character currently being controlled. This is the same as we see the world, we are able to see in front of us but not what is behind us without turning around.
Flash :
A term used when new instructions/code are written to otherwise permanent hardware. The most popular hardware to flash is the system BIOS, or device firmware.
Flat Shading :
A method in 3D rendering where each polygon is made using only 1 colour. This would be created in real life by a strong light directly in front of an object as to create no shadows. This is fast performance, but and unrealistic approach.
Floating Point Number :
Any fraction number used in a computer, (with the exception of a double floating point number). It is defined with 32-bits, but can be defined with less depending on the device doing the calculation. Some video cards use 16-bit floating point numbers, usually set up with a sign bit, ten bits for the mantissa (or base number), and five bits for exponent.
Fogging :
The effect of blending colours in varying degree with a base colour based on distance.
Force Feedback :
Any device which is capable of vibrating to simulate movement. The most popular devices are joysticks, steering wheels, chairs, and even mice.
Frame Buffer :
The memory onboard a video card which is used to store the current image. The front and back buffers are both part of the frame buffer. The frame buffer can also be used to store object calculations and textures.
Frames Per Second (FPS) :
The number of different images which are drawn on the monitor screen per second. The higher the frames per second, the more fluid and smooth the image is. A low FPS will create a shudder effect. For reference, movies run at 24fps, television at 30fps, and the average eye can distinguish around 60fps.
Frequency :
The number of cycles per second. Synonymous for clock speed, and are measured in Hertz (Hz, KHz, MHz, GHz).
Frequency Modulation Synthesis (FM Synth) :
The sound technology used before wavetable sound. It approximates sound by manipulating standard waveforms.
Full Duplex :
A network transfer mode that allows the for NIC to transmit and receive data simultaneously. Most often used with Ethernet, although both of the NIC's and hub have to support it. This effectively doubles the effective throughput of a connection.
Function :
A block of programming code which is used to do a routinely done set of instructions.
Function Unit :
The collection of transistors and circuits in a processor that execute the instructions on different types of data. Different function units include integer, floating point, multimedia, SIMD, and memory based.
FXT1 :
A texture compression scheme used only in 3Dfx video cards. It is very similar in performance when compared to DXTC.
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