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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.
Because this is a "real time" interaction, Inside Computers can't monitor the boards 24 hours a day, but we will do our best to keep this information both
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
you think you can improve on a definition, if you want to correct a mistake others may have made, go ahead!
| L | Latency :
The measure of the amount of time it takes for a task to complete.
Legacy :
The ability to support older and almost outdated equipment.
Level 1 Cache (L1) :
The first buffer in the memory hierarchy that the CPU looks for information. This cache always is onboard the processor die and running at full processor frequency. All Intel chips have 32k of L1 cache, and all new AMD chips have 128k.
Level 2 Cache (L2) :
The second buffer in the memory hierarchy that the CPU looks for information. This cache can be located on or off of the processor, and running at anywhere from FSB speed up to full clock frequency. Most new chips have the L2 onboard running at full frequency. L2 cache sizes range from 64k up to4MB.
Level 3 Cache (L3) :
The third buffer in the memory hierarchy that the CPU looks for information. Most chips do not use a L3, the only consumer level chips that do are the AMD K6-3 and K6-2+. Level 3 caches are always off of the processor die, usually on the motherboard.
Library :
A collection of pre-written code used by programmers to save time.
Lighting :
The process of simulating lighting effects in 3D objects by calculating their relative orientation and distance from a light source.
Lightmap :
A texture used in 3D rendering which is used to simulate lighting effects on a surface instead of having to raytrace the scene. Lightmaps are usually in greyscale, but can be coloured for coloured lights.
Linear Frame Buffer :
A buffer on a video card which is organized in a contiguous way so that each pixel is followed by the next successive one. This is the most efficient way of organization because the memory can be read in sequence when the frame is accessed or drawn on screen.
Liquid Crystal Display :
Another name for a TFT flat panel.
Local Area Network (LAN) :
Any network that is entirely located in the same area, such as a room, building, or group of buildings.
Logical Block Addressing (LBA) :
A mode used with hard drives that is 8.4 GB's. It is used instead of CHS addressing in most hard drives.
Logical Partition :
A partition on a hard drive which is capable of containing data and being recognized by an Operating System.
Low Level :
Basic functions which are routinely performed by hardware such as loading data into RAM, controlling DMA transfers, RAM timing, and frequency generation. This is opposed to the higher level functions which are performed by specific software programs.
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