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C
- A high-level programming language developed by Dennis Ritchie and Brian
Kernighan at Bell Labs in the mid 1970s from an almost unknown language
B. The first major program written in C was the UNIX operating system,
and for many years C was considered to be inextricably linked with UNIX.
C:
- Usually the master hard drive the main hard drive that the operating
system is on.
C++
- High-level programming language developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell
Labs. C++ adds object-oriented features to its predecessor, C. C++ is one
of the most popular programming language for graphical applications, such
as those that run in Windows and Macintosh environments. C++ is named
after the C's incermentation Operator.
Cable
- A bunch of small cables that are usually covered in a plastic covering
with some kind of a connection on both sides of the cable.
CACHE
- Pronounced Cash. Can be either a reserved section of main memory or an
independent high-speed storage device. The two main types of cache are
memory cache and disk cache. Memory cache is a portion on memory of high
speed static RAM (SRAM). Memory caching is effective because most
programs access the same data or instructions over and over. By keeping
as much of this information as possible in SRAM, the computer avoids
accessing the slower DRAM.
Disk
caching works under the same principle as memory caching, but instead of
using high-speed SRAM, a disk cache uses conventional main memory. The
most recently accessed data from the disk is stored in a memory buffer.
When a program needs to access data from the disk, it first checks the
disk cache to see if the data is there. Disk caching can dramatically
improve the performance of applications, because accessing a byte of data
in RAM can be thousands of times faster than accessing a byte on a hard
disk.
CAD
- Computer software that helps build Architecture and help engineers with
different projects.
Call-Control
Signaling - Operations
associated with establishing and tearing down virtual circuits through a
network.
Cancel
- Button that allows the user to exit out of the program or dialog box
that they are currently in.
Canned
Software - Software
that you go to a store and just buy off the shelf, opposite from software
that someone would make just for your needs.
Capacitance
- The ability of a
device to store electrical energy in an electrostatic field.
Capacitor
- Device that stores
an electrical charge and discharges it uniformly.
Capacity
- The amount of data that a device such as a hard drive can hold when the
device is full that means that you have met the capacity of the device.
Capture
- To receive data into some kind of a storage area for save keeping you
can also refer it as a screen capture were you can get the data on your
screen and then paste it on a document, or you can cut and paste.
Carbon
Ribbon - Usually used
with impact printers were a head hits the ribbon making the image.
Cardinal
Number - Number such
as 123456...... tells you how many items are in a group.
Card
Punch - Machine that
punches holes in the computer that can be meant for data.
Caret
- Symbol above the 6 "^"
Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome -
Repetitive strain injury affecting the wrists, usually caused from doing
a lot of typing.
Carrier
- Signals that are used to communicate with other modems and networks
this term also refers to a company that provides communications services.
Cartridge
- A device usually in a protective plastic shell such as a ink cartridge
for you printer or such as a disk cartridge.
CAS
- Refer to Column
Access Strobe.
Cascade
- Option in windows that will organize all windows that are open so you
can have access to view all open windows.
Case
- The housing of your computer that protects all of the vital equipment
from anything abstractive such as water, and ESD (Electric static
discharge.
Case
Sensitive - Means that
something like Computer and computer are two different words because the
C is in uppercase and lower case a good example of this is Unix anything
that you type is case sensitive so ls is different then LS.
Cathode-Ray
Oscilloscope -
Measures the voltage of the cathode-ray tube inside of your computer.
Cathode-Ray
Tube - Electron beams
that move across your screen either interlaced or non interlaced hiring
phosphor dots on the inside glass tube.
CD-Erasable
(CD-E) - Format for a
CD that allows a CD to be erased and be reused up to 10,000 times,
Introduced in 1995 expected at the end of 1996.
CD
Player - Just a
regular CD-player standard that is just meant to play audio CD's and not
meant for computer data CD's.
CD
Recordable Drive(CD-R)
- Usually called the WORM drive meaning Write Once Read Many the CD is
capable of writing to the CD and then once the data is on there it cannot
be written on the disk again nor can the data be erased.
CDRFS
- New file system
developed specifically for CD-R by Sony Corporation which makes a CD-R as
easy to use as a Floppy Drive. CDRFS uses a new recording technique
called packet recording which can allow several advantages to CD-R's such
as allowing the CD-R to look re-Writeable. See Sony's
CDRFS page for additional information about this technology.
CD-ROM
- CD-Player inside of a computer that can range of speeds from 1x to 13x
and has the capability of playing audio CD's and also computer data CD's
Celeron
- In early
1998 Intel was having a hard time with the Pentium II which was
expensive. Many users bought the AMD K6-233, which offered very good
performance at a moderate price. Thus Intel created a brand new CPU
called Celeron. Which is similar to the Pentium II however lacks L2 cache
as well as the Pentium II shell and using a new Covington core. Later in
1998 Intel replaced their Pentium MMX with the Celerons. This inexpensive
Celeron cartridge fits into Slot 1 and it runs at a 66 MHz system bus.
The internal clocks runs at 266 or 300 MHz and delivers very good
performance for floating point and MMX heavy programs such as certain
games. Concerning office applications, the lack of L2-cache is a great
disadvantage. The Celeron probably will be fine for overclocking, since
many of the problems here arises from the onboard L2 cache. Now
the Celeron A is available and runs at 333mhz and has 128k of cache built
right into the core CPU chip. The Celeron A's cache helps to elevate some
of the cache issues that brought the original Celeron some very harsh
reviews.
CELL
- The inter section between a row and a column on a spread sheet.
Center
- Allows text to be center on the screen.
Central
Office (CO) - Facility
at which individual telephone lines in a limited geographic area are
connected to the public telephone network.
Central
Processing Unit (CPU)
- The main brain of the computer that controls all instructions on the
computer, the first processor was made by Intel in 1974, which was eight
bit.Then in 1978 Intel introduced the 8086/8088 which was 16bit, Then in
1982 the 386 was invented which was a full 32-bit bus which was enhanced
to the 486DX which was invented in 1989, then the Pentium came out in
1993 which had a 64-bit data bus and came in MHz ranging from 12MHz all
the way up to the 200MHz.
Ceramic
Pin Grid Array (CPGA) - Refers
to the pin configuration on the bottom of a processor.
CHAD
- The material that is cut out when a hole is cut out of material such as
paper.
Character
Cell - The block of
space on a screen given to a character.
Character
Code - The value for a
character in ASCII from 0 to 127 such as C which is represented by 67.
Character
Map - The different
characters stored on a image that are stored to make a picture and when
it is needed again the character map will remake it with how it was
stored.
Character
Printer - Printer that
stores individual characters when needed to print the printer will print
one character at a time instead of one line at a time.
Characters
Per Inch - The numbers
that can fit in one inch usually depending on the width on length of the
font or depending upon if the image is mono spaced or if the font is
proportional font.
Characters
Per Second (CPS) - A
data transfer rate generally estimated from the bit rate and the
character length. For example, at 2400 bps, 8-bit characters with
start/stop bits (for a total of ten bits per character) will be
transmitted at a rate of approximately 240 characters per second (cps).
Chassis
- The metal frame that surrounds the computer.
Chat
- Type of entertainment that is live were you can talk to the person and
they will respond in a matter of seconds instead of like E-mail were it
could be a couple of days.
Check
Bits - Series of bits
that are used to check for errors.
Check
Box - A White
box/circle where the user can click to say that they want to do what the
box/circle is asking usually when you click in this box it will put a
check or a X or a small dot.
Checksum
- Number that is added when data is sent from one place to another and
when it arrives to the place being sent then is checked and if matched
then it is believed to be error free.
Chiclet
Keyboard - Real small
keyboard that was introduced with the PC Jr. with small keys spread out.
Cipher
- Algorithm of encoding or encrypting data.
Cipher
Text - Text that
cannot be read unless a special password or key is put in to decode it.
Circuit
- A circuit consisting of a complete path; a voltage source and a load.
Circuit
Board - Board which
electrical components are connected.
Circuit
Breaker - Device that
allows an electrical device from overloading breaking or opening a
circuit.
CISC
- Refer to Complex
Instruction Set Computer. Many of today's RISC chips support as many
instructions as yesterday's CISC chips. And today's CISC chips use many
techniques formerly associated with RISC chips.
Class
- Term used in
object-oriented programming to refer to a set of related objects that
share common characteristics. Classes, and the ability to create new
classes, are what make object-oriented programming a powerful and
flexible programming model.
Clean
Install - Installing
software onto a computer that previously does not already have the
software or older versions on it.
Clear
- To set back to the original position usually cleaning the screen such
as in dos by typing in CLS or in Unix typing in CLEAR.
Clear
to Send(CTS) - The
connections between computers that indicate that transmission can
proceed.
Client
- Computer that retrieves information from or uses resources provided by
the server.
Client/Server
Network - Network with
one server and one or more clients which are stand alone computers and
the server also can be a personal computer/minicomputer/or main computer
and allows you to share information with each other.
Clip
Art - Art that is made
by another various artists and usually has multiple amounts of images
which can be imported into your own work.
Clipboard
- Area used in Windows were you can store one thing and keep it there go
to another program and paste it and use it in multiple places just as
long as nothing else is put in there.
Clipping
- In computer graphics were you just take part of a image and put it
another image or program.
Clock-Doubling
- Technology used in microprocessors used to instruct information twice
as fast as before.
Clock
Pulse - Vibration of a
quartz crystal which is inside of the computer which each pulse emits a
volt of electricity, how ever many of these there are is how you
determine the clock speed.
Clock
Speed - Also can be
called Clock Rate, the speed at which the microprocessor executes each
instruction.The CPU requires a fixed number of clock ticks or cycles to
execute each instruction. The faster the clock rate the faster the CPU or
the faster it can execute instructions. Clock Speeds are usually
determined in MHz, 1 MHz representing 1 million cycles per second.
Clone
- Computer or device that is made like a better known device and usually
capable of doing the same thing such as a card that may come with a
popular type of computer that is made like the SoundBlaster card but may
not be 100% compatible like the SoundBlaster card.
Closed
Architecture - A
computer design that is made but the manufacture will not enable other
manufactures to know about it making it hard to be compatible with a lot
of different software and computers.
Closed
file - File that is
not being used by the user nor by the computer.
Cloth
Ribbon - Type of
printing ribbon that is used with impact printers, that is usually around
some type of a spooling device which moves the ribbon.
Cluster
- Group of disk sectors, but treated as one by the operating system or
disk controller for storage purposes. Another term that is used with
cluster is a group of computer terminals connected to a computer system.
CMOS
- Refer to
Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor.
Cobra
- Intel's i960 line of
32-bit embedded RISC microprocessors with onboard RAM and can vary in
speed and voltage (3.3 and 5). The Cobra help provide the brains of
various products such as Daytona arcade racing game from Sega, video
poker machines, and Hewlett Packard LaserJet 4 series printers.
Coil
- Components formed by
wrapping conductor wire in cylindrical form or around a metal core.
Complementary
Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) - Battery inside your computer that allows things such as your time and
date to be stored on your computer also most likely to get ESD.
See CMOS page for additional
information about the CMOS battery.
Composite
- Refers to the amount
of chips used on a given memory module. Composite is an older 4-bit
technology requiring more chips to archive capacity.
Complex
Instruction Set Computer
(CISC) - Currently the
standard in the majority of PC's today in which the processor supports as
many as two hundred instructions. And today's CISC chips use many
techniques formerly associated with RISC chips.
Coaxial
Cable - Cable that is
used in video, communications, and audio . This type of cable has high
band width's and grater transmission capacity.
Common
Business-oriented Language(COBOL) - Computer language developed in 1950/1960 popular for business
applications made to run on large computers.
Cold
Boot - To turn on the
computer after it has been off completely.
Collision
- The result of two computers on a network trying to send data on a
network at the same time once a collision occurs the data is sent back to
the computer and gives a certain amount of waiting time and then is sent
again.
Color
Graphics Adapter (CGA)
- Early type of video adapter which had the highest resolution of 640 x
200.
Color
Printer - Usually
printers that are capable of printing color usually contain ink
cartridge's Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black.
Column
- Horizontal row in a spread sheet such as A - B - C .....
Column
Access Strobe (CAS) -
Signals that your CPU or other device (like the processor on your video
card) sends to your RAM. Tells a circuit in your RAM module that an
column address line is correct.
COMDEX
- Communications and Data Processing Exposition. Computer hardware and
software tradeshow usually held in the winter and summer each year.
Command
- A word when typed in will perform a certain operation.
Command
Button - A button on a
graphic user interface such as windows when click will do something such
as the close button which will close the open window,
Command
Language - Limited
programming language used for executing a series of commands such as a
batch file.
Command
Line - A prompt were
the user will type in the command.
Command
State - State were the
modem is prepared to accept a command such as the AT statement which gets
attention to the computer.
Comment
- Text in a program that is not meant for seeing by the user but is meant
for a statement so that the programmer or someone looking at the program
can know what is going on.
Communication
Act - Create in 1934
the law that create the Federal Communications commission, that regulates
international communications, including telecommunications.
Communications
- The exchange of information.
Communications
Port - Serial
communications used to connect devices such as your modem. Usually
designated as COM1 COM2 COM3 COM4.
Communications
Program - Program that
allows you to use your modem to connect with other programs via phone
lines or other connection devices.
Communications
Protocol - Standard
created so that you can exchange information with as few as errors as
possible.
Communications
Server - Main computer
or server that allows multiple computers to access to its communications
lines, such as a shared modem.
Compact
Disk (CD) - Flat round
storage medium read by a laser. For 72 minutes of music.
Compact
Disk-Read Only Memory(CD-ROM)
- Storage medium capable of holding 650 megs about 700 diskettes.
Compile
- Makes a program that you have made into machine language.
Compressed
File - File that is
put all together as one and is made smaller so you can get the file
faster off of the Internet a common file that is compressed is a ZIP file
or a ARJ file.
Compression
Utility - File that
makes the compressed file for you such as Pkzip
Computer
- Computer that allows you to input data and have it stored/processed,
the first computer was called the ENIAC which was built during World War
II. Computers started out with having Vacuum tubes inside of them soon
they came out with better smaller cheaper parts which allowed the common
person to own them. Usually the basic computer includes a Monitor, Hard
drive, disk drive, Keyboard, also common devices include things such as a
mouse, modem.
Computer
Crime - Usually
performed by a Hacker, were they break into other computers and either
download files, modify files, destroy files without permission.
Computer
Family - A group of
computers with the same kind of designs and microprocessors which are
more compatible with each other then computers from different families.
Computer
Graphic/Picture -
Image of a picture on a screen.
Computer
Instructions - Tasks
for the computer to perform to take care of a certain task.
Computer
Literacy - Someone
that has general knowledge with different computers, software, and basic
input and knowledge of how computers work.
Computer
Name - Name that
identifies the computer that you are working on with a network
connection.
Computer
Revolution - A point
in time when computers become very popular and a used world wide, we are
now living in a computer revolution.
Computer
Science - Study of
computers and how they work and basic skills in computer programming.
Computer
Security - The
protection of computers and data that the computers hold usually by
putting passwords and putting important files in safe locations and the
use of cryptography.
Conductance
- The ability of a
material to pass electrons.
CONFIG.SYS
- File used with Dos and Os/2, file that is booted up when the computer
is first boots up that controls components hooked up to the computer such
as memory and other hardware devices.
Configuration
- How the computer is setup both hardware and software wise.
Connectivity
- Tells you how well two hardware or software device's work together.
Connect
Time - The amount of
time that you spend while hooked up to the Internet or a major commercial
provider.
Consistency
Check - Check of data
to determine if the data to see if it has any internal conflicts.
Console
- The main part of the computer.
Constant
- Value that does not change in a given amount of time.
Contention
- Conflict when two or more programs try to use the same thing at the
same time also can be on a network when two or more computers try to
access the same file at the same time.
Contiguous
- Usually refereed to when contiguous sectors on a disk are by each
other.
Continuity
- Continuous
electrical path.
Contouring
- Quality of a images surface that shows if the actual image is smooth or
rough.
Controller
- Device that managers the flow of data between the computer and a device
hooked up to the computer.
Control
Panel - Program in
Windows that lets you modify the main computer settings such as the mouse
settings, memory settings, display settings, sound settings and other
important settings on the computer.
Conventional
Memory - Usually 640kb
unless the computer has less then 640kb of memory, if the computer has a
special card that takes up 1kb/2kb of the memory, if the computer has a
Virus, or the computer has a damaged part. This part of the ram is the
only real part that DOS is able to access unless helped with another
program such as EMM386, Click here
to see a RAM DIAGRAM
Conversion
- Being able to transfer one file from one format to another format.
Cookie
- A cookie is simply
an HTTP header that consists of a text-only string that gets entered into
the memory of your browser. This string contains the domain, path,
lifetime, and value of a variable that you set. If the lifetime of this
variable is longer than the time the user spends at your site, then this
string is saved to file for future reference.
Cookbook
- Instructions on how to do something, explained in a easy way such as a
cook book is written giving step by step instructions on how to do a
certain procedure.
Cooperative
Multitasking -
Multitasking were the programs in the background can only process data
when the program in the foreground is doing nothing.
Copy
- To duplicate data, files or disks, which allows you to have two copies.
Copy
Protection - Hardware
or software that helps prevent users from making copies of the certain
program. Which is illegal.
Core
- Type of memory that was popular before RAM got its name from the Cores
that were small magnetized circles capable of storing data temporarily.
Corrupt
- When files are not written correctly or are not saved properly or
modified by another file not allowing the file to be able to open again.
CPGA
- Refer to Ceramic Pin
Grid Array.
Cracker
- Person that is able to able to decipher codes and passwords being able
to break security systems for illegal reasons.
Crash
- Program that terminates without warning or reason.
Critical
Error - Error that is
so serious that it is impossible for the current program that is running
to continue.
Crop
- To make a image so it is either not so big or to make a image so that
it is not so cluttered or to only get one part of the image and forget
the rest.
Crunch
- The process of processing numbers rapidly.
Cryptography
- The process of making data so that is unreadable and also being able to
make it readable again this is usually used for security reasons for
important files so that it can be seen for people that are supposed to
see it.
Current
- The flow of electricity.
Current
Directory - The
directory that is currently open also refereed to as working directory.
Current
Drive - The drive that
is currently working.
Cursor
- Marker on the screen that allows the user to specify were they want the
input to be.
Custom
Software - Software
that is special made just for you or the company so it does the tasks
that you just need to do.
Cut
- To remove something from the current place that it is to another place
without leaving the original in the same place.
Cyber
- Meaning having to do with computers and the Internet.
Cybernetics
- A branch of science that examines the workings of humans and machinery
and looks at the similarities and differences between the two.
Cyberspace
- The world created by computers "Internet" Usually were people
can do pretty much anything that they can do in the regular world.
Cycle
- One occurrence of many.
Cylinder - Two corresponding tracks on a fixed disk.
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