16-bit: The addressing scheme used in the original IBM PC and AT (286) computers. The main reason for the old 640K limit.
32-bit: The addressing scheme used in 386, 486 and Pentium Processors. Allows a wider range of addresses, and processes data far more quickly than 16-bit
256-color: The minimum number of colors that many modern programs will accept. To change your color settings in Windows 95, right-click on the desktop, choose Properties, and then click on the Settings Tab.
A
active window: The window that's currently capable of accepting input. The active window is said to have the focus. The active window can cover other windows on the desktop, and usually does.
adapter card: A printed wiring board with digital circuitry that plugs into connectors on the motherboard of a personal computer, usually performing input/output functions.
ADC: An abbreviation for Analog-to-Digital Converter, the electronic device converting conventional analog audio and video signals to digital form. The digital form can be processed by computer and stored as data on a computer's hard disk drive.
address: The numerical value, usually in hexadecimal format, of particular location in a computer's random-access memory (RAM).
ADPCM (Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation): A method of digital waveform sampling encoding the difference between successive samples rather than encoding their actual values based on the content of the sample. ADPCM is the storage format used by CD-ROM XA and CD-1 discs.
algorithm: A digital set of instructions for solving a problem; or the configuration of operators in an FM synthesizer.
amplitude: The strength or intensity of sound or signal; or the measure of a current's deviation from its zero value.
amplitude modulation: A term describing the interaction of two signals--a carrier and modulator. The modulation signal varies the amplitude (intensity) of the carrier. In AM radio transmission, the carrier is a medium-frequency signal (550-1550kHz), and the modulator is the sound signal. In sound synthesis, a low frequency oscillator modulates a carrier that is the sound's fundamental frequency.
analog: A term describing a circuit, device, or system that responds to continously-variable parameters; or generated by hardware rather than by software.
analog-to-digital converter: A circuit that periodically samples a continuously-variable voltage and generates a digital representation of its value, also called an ADC, A-to-D, or A/D converter.
anonymous FTP: A service that allows Internet users to upload and download files freely across the Internet, without identifying themselves, or typing passwords.
ANSI (American National Standards institute); or in the Windows context, refers to the ANSI character set that Microsoft uses for Windows.
API (Application Programming Interface): A set of routines that programmers can cann from hgiher level languages. These rouotines access capabilities of the operating system.
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Exchange): A standard for describing characters that allows different makes and models of computers to communicate with one another. An ASCII file or ASCII text file is one that contains only ASCII characters, no pictures, graphics or formatting codes.
aspect radio: An image's ratio of width to height. Aspect ratio is usually expressed as W:H, with W being the width and H being the height of the image. The aspect ratio of digital images is expressed as the ratio of the number of pixels in each dimension (640:480 for VGA images).
AVI (Audio Video Interleaved): The Microsoft Application Programming Interface (API) designed to compete with Apple's QUICKTIME methodology. AVI techniques provide a software synchronization and compression standard for audio and video signals competing with DVI.
B
backward compatibility: The ability to use documents, settings, and so forth, creating or using earlier versions of the same product. For example, Windows 95 is bacwardly compatible with DOS and Windows 3.x.
baud: The speed of a modem. The higher the baud rate, the faster the modem.
BBS (Bulletin Board System): A service you can contact via telephone lines using your modem and a communication's program such as Hyper Termina. Most offer special interest groups, shareware, freeware, and other services. As the Internet becomes more and more prominent, BBS's are fading rapidly because they require a long distance phone call. The same information is available on the Web for free.
binding: A process that establishes a communication channel between a network adapter card's drive and the drive for a network protocol. In Windows 95, bindings are available via the Network icon in Control Panel.
BIOS enumerator: In a plub-and-play system, the BIOS enumerator identifies all hardware on the mainboard.
BitBlt (Bit Block Transfer): An assembly-level function used for copying graphic images in Windows applications from a source to a destination graphic context.
bps (bits per second): A measure of a modem's speed, also expressed as baud.
browse: To look around at drives, folders and files using My Computer, Explorer, or a dialog box's Browse button.
buffer: A section of Ram where data is stored temporarily, usually containing data to be edited or inserted.
bus: A device that controls yet other devices. For example, when you plug a new board (a video card, sound card, etc.) into the mainboard, you're actually plugging it into a slot called the bus.
byte: The amount of space required to store one character. For example, the word cat requires three bytes of storage. The word Hello requires five bytes.
C
cache: Pronounced cash, refers to an area in RAM where frequently-accessed data is stored, to speed up access.
Camcorder: A contraction of camera and recorder. The term describes a video camera and videocassette recorder combined into a single, hand-held unit.
CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) devices, such as computer-hard disks and CAV video laserdiscs, depending on the distance of the read write head from the drive spindle.
CCD (Charge-Coupled Devices): An integrated circuit consisting of a linear array of semiconductor photoreceptor elements. CCD's are used to create a bit-mapped image. Each photoreceptor creates an electrical signal representing the luminance of one pixel. CCDs are primarily used in scanners, color xerographic printers, and video cameras.
CCITT (Consultative Committee International for Telephone and Telegraph communication): CCITT establishes standards for telephone interchange and modems in Europe. Several CCITT standards for communication between modems over telephone networks have been adopted in the United States.
CD (Compact Disc): CDs are the original format for distributing compact optical disks for audio reproduction (CDAudio). This early format was jointly developed by Phillips N.V. and Sony Corporation and is described in Phillips N.V.'s Yellow Book. Control of Yellow Book CD-ROMs, such as starting and stopping the drive and file selection with your computer, requires Microsoft's MSCDEX.DRV driver.
CD-DA (Compact Disk-Digital Audio): Also called "Red Book" audio. CD-DA requires compatibility with MPC Specification 1.0. It enables interleaving of audio with other types of data, so recorded sound can accompany images. Playing CDs with it is not provided with Windows 3.1. It is usually supplied with the CD-ROM drive when purchased as a component of an MPC upgrade kit. The CD-DA format is defined in the International Electrotechnical Commission's' (IEC) Standard BNNI-5-83-095.
CDFS (Compact Disc File System): The system that Windows 95 uses to manage files stored on a CD-ROM.
CD+Graphics: A format in which the subchannel(s) of an audio CD contain graphic images that may be displayed on a computer or a television set.
CD-I (Compact Disc-Interactive): CD-I refers to a class of CDs primarily designed to be viewed on conventional television sets by means of CD-I player. CD-i players incorporate at least 1M of memory (RAM), special pointing devices, and remote-control systems. CD-I players may also be used for training and other commercial and industrial applications. CD-i formats are covered by Phillips N.V.'s Green Book specification.
CD+MIDI: A format in which the subchannel(s) of an audio CD contain data in standard MIDI file format that may be routed to a MIDI OUT connector and played on external MIDI synthesizers or internally by audio-adapter cards.
CD-MO (Compact-Disk Magneto-Optical): Magneto-Optical CDs and CD-ROMs are capable of multiple use because they can be erased and re-recorded. The standards for Cd-MOs are incorporated in Phillips N.V.'s "Orange Book 1" specification. CD-MO technology is used for high-capacity, 3.5" "floptical" floppy disks.
CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory): CD-style disks used in CD-ROM readers on a PC. Unless you have special equipment, you can only read information from a CD-ROM. You cannot add, change, or delete files.
CD-ROM XA (CD-ROM extended Architecture): Jointly developed by Philips N.V., Sony Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation in 1989. CD-ROM XA provides storage for audio and other types of data interleaved on a CD-ROM, enabling access simultaneously.
channel message: A MIDI command or data that is sent over a specific MIDI channel.
character: A single letter, digit or punctuation mark. For example, there are nine characters in the boldface text that follows: Hello123!.
chrominance: A term used in television broadcasting to describe the signal (a sub-carrier of the basic black-and-white signal) containing the color information in a composite video signal. Chrominance has two components: hue (tint) and saturation (the degree to which the color is diluted by white light). Chrominance is also called chroma and abbreviated as C.
CIS (CompuServe Information Service): A popular information service offering e-mail, special-interest forums, Internet access, and other services.
click: To press and release the mouse button after positioning the mouse pointer onto the thing you want to click on. The main mouse button is usually the one that rests comfortably under your index finger.
client: A computer on a LAN that uses some resource shared by another computer on the LAN. The computer that the shared resource is physically connected to is called the server.
Clipboard: An area in memory where objects can be stored temporarily, for ct-and-paste procedures. Typically you select an object (by clicking on it) or select text (by dragging the mouse pointer to it). Then to copy to the Clipboard, choose Edit -> Copy or press Ctrl+C. Move to wherever you want to move the object/text, and choose Edit -> Paste or press Ctrl+V to copy the Clipboard's contents to the insertion point position. To open the Clipboard, click on start and choose Programs -> Accessories ->Clipboard Viewer.
clipping: Audible distortion of an audio signal, usually caused by overloading a circuit of transducer.
clock: A periodic signal used to indicate tempo and synchronize playback.
close: To remove from the screen so it's no longer visible. Typically, closing an object removes it from memory (RAM) and saves the object to the hard disk.
CLV (Constant Linear Velocity): The recording technique used with CD-ROMs (and other CD devices) specifying the velocity of the media at the point of reading or writing remains constant, regardless of the distance from the spindle. CLV devices have a constant data transfer rate. To achieve CLV, the rotational speed of the spindle motor must be inversely proportional to the distance of the read or write point on the media from the spindle Video. Laser disk drives are produced in CLV and constant angular velocity models.
CMOS: Memory that's maintained by a battery inside the PC. Often used to manage settings that come into play before the operating system is loaded. When you see a message such as "Press <Del> to run Setup", pressing the Delete (Del) key at that point will take you to the CMOS settings of that PC.
codec: A system for compressing/decompressing digital video and sound to minimize the amount of disk space required for storage.
computer name: the name assigned to the computer, up to 15 characters in length. To assign a name to a computer, open Control Panel, double-click on the Network icon, and click on the Identification tab.
context menu: The menu that appears when you right-click on an object. Also called a short menu or a pop-up menu.
context-sensitive help: On-screen help that is relevant to what you're trying to do at the moment. In Windows 95, you typically use the help key (F1) or Question-mark (?) button to receive context-sensitive help.
control: Any button, list, or text box within a dialog box that lets you control how the computer will behave.
Control Panel: The place in Windows 95 where you choose your own settings and preferences, add new hardware and software, and alter profiles. Click on Start and choose Settings Control Panel. Or open My Computer and double-click on the Control Panel icon.
CTI (Computer/Telephone Integration): Using a PC in combination with the telephone system. For example, voice mail (see telephony).
Ctrl+Click: To hold down the Ctrl (control) key while you click objects with your mouse.
Ctrl+Drag: To hold down the Ctrl (control) key while you drag an object with your mouse.
Cyberspace: A nickname for the Internet, or all the networks of the world. The place where e-mail messages travel to get from sender to recipient.
cycle: A single, complete wave; the basic unit of oscillation.
D
DAC (digital-to-analog converter): DAC is the electronic device used to convert digital audio and video signals stored on CD-ROMs, DAT, or in computer files to analog signals that can be reproduced by conventional stereo and television components.
daisy chain: The connection of several devices on a SCSI. Also a network in which data flows from one receiving device's MIDI through port to another receiving device's MIDI in port.
DAT: Acronym for Digital Audio Tape. DAT is a process of recording sound in helical bands on a tape cartridge. This process is similar to recording video signals.
DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange): A means by which two separate programs can exchange data and commands. Available in early Windows, DDE has been superseded by OLE in more recent versions of Windows.
default: A selection that will be used unless you specify otherwise. For example, when you print, the job is sent to the default printer unless you specifically request a different printer.
default printer: The printer that's used when no other printer is specified. To define the default printer, open My Computer, then double-click on the Printers folder. Right-click a printer's icon and choose Set As Default from the shortcutprinter.
desktop: Basically your entire screen when Windows 95 is running.
desktop icon: An icon that appears right on the desktop, such as My Computer and Recycle Bin. You can also add your own shortcut icons to the desktop.
desktop theme: A combination of sounds, wallpaper, screen saver, and icons to give your entire desktop an appearance. The Microsoft Plus! package comes with several desktop themes.
device: A general term for any gizmo or gadget that you put into a computer, or attach to a computer with a cable.
device driver: see driver.
device: A general term for any gizmo or gadget that you put into a computer, or attach to a computer with a cable.
device driver: see driver.
dialog box: A box with options that appears on the screen, so that you can make additional selections. For example, choosing File -> Open from a program's menu bar typically displays that program's Open dialog box.
digital-to-analog converter: A circuit that generates a digital representation of a continuously-variable signal; also called a DAC, D/A converter.
DIN: An acronym for Deutches Institute fur Normilization. DIN is an organization similar to ANSI that establishes and coordinates standards for Germany. It has become the de facto standards bureau for Europe.
DHCP ( Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol): A protocol for TCP/IP configuration, often used for Internet connections.
digital video: video stored in binary format on a disk rather than in the analog format of a VHS tape.
dimmed: An option of command that's grayed because it's not available in the current context. For example, Copy and Cut are dimmed when an object or text is selected. Paste on the Edit menu is dimmed when the Clipboard is empty.
directory: (see folder)
DLL (Dynamic Link Library): A file containing API routines that programmers can access using procedure calls from a higher-level language.
DMA channel (Direct Memory Access Channel): A direct channel for transferring data directly between a disk drive and memory, without involving the microprocessor.
dock: To put a portable PC into a docking station or port replicator.
Docking station: A unit that connects a portable computer to larger desktop accessories, such as full-sized keyboard, monitor, and disk drives.
document: Typically a file that you create while using some program, For example, when you use a word processing program to type a letter, that letter is a document.
document-centric: An operating design that focuses on the documents that people create and use, as opposed to the programs needed to create/edit those documents.
DOS (also MS-DOS): The original Disk Operating System for the IBM PC. Purely textual interface where you type commands, rather than clicking on icons with a mouse. Still used to create many games because DOS allows quick screen updating useful in simulations and animations.
drag-and-drop: A Windows process whereby an icon representing an object, such as a file, can be moved (dragged) by the mouse to another location, such as a different directory, and placed (dropped) in that location. Visual Basic provides drag-and-drop capabilities for control objects.
driver (also called a device driver): A small program that makes a hardware device work. For example, to print, you typically need a printer (hardware) and a driver (software) for that printer.
Dial-Up Networking: A service that lets a PC dial into another PC or local area network, and access its shared resources. The PC that dials is called the dial-up client. The PC that answers the phone is called the dial-up server.
domain: In Windows NT , a group of computers that share a common domain database and security policy controlled by a Windows NT Server domain controller.
domain name: On the Internet, the last part of an e-mail address. For example, in
alan@coolnerds.com the coolnerds.com part is the Internet domain database.
domain controller: In a local area network, the Windows NT computer that authenticates logons, controls security, and the maintains the master domain database.
DNS (Domain Name System): A database used by Internet TCP/IP hosts for resolving host names and IP addresses. Allows users of remote computers to access one another by host names rather than IP address.
double-click: To point to an object with the mouse pointer, then press and release the main mouse button twice in rapid succession (click-click). The main mouse button is usually the one that rests comfortably under your index finger.
drag: To hold down the mouse button while moving the mouse, usually to move an icon or selection to some new location on the screen. Right-drag means to drag using the secondary mouse button (usually the mouse button on the right side).
drag-and-drop: A mouse technique of dragging an object from one location and dropping it in another.
drop-down list: A text box attached so you can choose an option from a list rather than typing one in. To open the drop-down list, click on the drop-down list arrow, or press Alt+DownArrow.
DSP (Digital Signal Processing): A feature of modern telephony boards that allows hardware to be updated to new standards using software only. Prevents the hardware from becoming obsolete each time a new modem or compression standard comes along.
DTV: The abbreviation for desktop video. The term describing the production of video tape presentations using the multimedia capabilities of personal computers. DTV implies the capability to edit video-tapes by using the playback and record functions of VCRs that can be remotely controlled by a computer.
DVI (Intel's Digital -Video Interactive standard): DVI simultaneously displays compressed video images and sound files. IBM has adopted the DVI standard for its Ultimedia product line. Microsoft adds DVI capability through its DVMCI extensions.
E
EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture): A bus specification used to interconnect adapter cards employing 32-bit addresses or providing multiprocessor capabilities. The EISA standard was declared by a group of PC-compatible hardware suppliers to compete with IBM's Micro Channel Architecture.
e-mail: Electronic mail sent over a local area network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN).
e-mail address: The address that uniquely identifies you on a network, much as your street address uniquely identifies the location of your home (see Internet address).
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript): High-resolution graphics file that can only be printed on PostScript printers.
Error Correction Code (ECC): A coding system that, in conjunction with an Error Detection Coding scheme, can reconstruct erroneous data to its original value.
Error Detection Code(EDC): A coding system that detect errors in a single byte or in blocks of data. Single-byte errors are caught by parity checkers such as the ones employed in the PC's memory system. Errors in blocks of data are commonly determined by using techniques such as the Cyclic Redundancy Codes (CRC) used for data transfer by modem. More sophisticated EDC methods are employed when error correction is required, such as with CD-ROMs.
Ethernet: The most widely used network protocol for PCs.
Ethernet cable: The cable used to attach a PCs network adapter card to an ethernet Concentrator.
Ethernet Concentrator: A device that all PCs in a local area network connect to via Ethernet cables.
Ethernet hub: Another name for an Ethernet concentrator.
event: Any activity from the mouse, keyboard, or a program that the computer can detect.
Explorer: A browsing tool in Windows 95 that you can get to by clicking on the Start button, pointing to Programs, and choosing Windows Explorer.
Easter egg, n.
1. A message hidden in the object code of a program as a joke, intended to be found by persons disassembling or browsing the code. 2. A message, graphic, or sound effect emitted by a program ... in response to some undocumented set of commands or keystrokes, intended as a joke, to display program credits or just to do something special not mentioned about anywhere else.
F
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): A document you can browse on the Internet, or download from a fax-back service, to answer common questions about a topic.
FAT (File Allocation Table): The filling system used by DOS and 16-bit versions of Windows. Windows 95 uses a 32-bit implementation of FAT called VFAT (Virtual File Allocation Table).
field: In video terminology, one half of a television image. A field consists of either the even or odd lines of a frame. When used in conjunction with computer databases, a field is single, distinct element of a complete database record.
file: The basic unit of storage on a disk. For example, when you create and save a letter, that letter is stored in a file. Each file within a folder has its own unique filename.
file sharing: Allowing multiple PCs on a local area network access to the same set of files on one PC. To allow file sharing on a PC, you need to make sure file sharing is enabled in the network properties (right-click Network Neighborhood and choose Properties). Then to actually share a drive or folder, right-click on the item's icon in My Computer, and choose Sharing.
file system: The overall structure in which files are named and organized. Windows 95 uses VFAT for the hard disk, CDFS for CD-ROM drives.
filter: A circuit or function that alters a signal's frequency spectrum by attenuating or accenting certain portions.
flame: To rant and rave on the Internet or some other information service.
FM synthesis: A method of generating complex waveforms by modulating the frequency of audio waveforms (carriers) with other waveforms (modulators); frequency modulation.
frame rate: In film or video, the frequency at which single frames are shown, usually equal to 24, 25 or 30 frames per second.
frequency: The rate of oscillation, which determines pitch, measured in cycles per second, per Hertz.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): A service that allows file transfers over a TCP/IP connection. Commonly used to upload/download files across the Internet.
FTP site: A place on the Internet that has files you can download to your own computer, using an FTP program.
folder: An area on the disks that contains its own set of files. Called a directory in DOS and earlier versions of Windows.
font: A lettering style. To add, view, and remove fonts in Windows 95, click on Start, choose Settings->Control Panel, double on click the Fonts folder. To assign a font to text in a program, select the text. Then choose Format->Font from the program's menu bar.
free space: The amount of unused space on a disk. To see how much free space is available, open My Computer, click on a drive icon, and look to the status bar, or run ScanDisk on the drive. To gain free space, delete unwanted files and empty the Recycle Bin.
fundamental frequency: A sound's primary frequency; the first harmonic.
G
gateway: See IP Router
genlock: A process for synchronizing the video display of a computer to the frame synchronizing signal of NTSC, PAL, or SECAM video. This process allows a computer-generated graphics to be viewed on a television set or recorded with a VCR. Genlock capability is required to add computer-generated tilting to the video productions.
GIF: Acronym for Graphic Interchange Format. GIF is the file format (and extension) storing most graphic images in the CompuServe forum libraries.
global: Pertaining to a computer program as a whole. Global variables and constants are accessible to, and may be modified by, program code at the module and procedure level.
graphics: Pictures (as opposed to text).
graphics accelerator: A hardware device that speeds up complex graphics rendering on the screen.
gray-scale: A description for monochrome (black and white) images displayed in various intensities of black. The most common format is an 8-bit gray-scale providing 256 shades of gray. Four-bit gray-scale images with 64-shades are also used.
H
hack: To get past a password or other security device. A hacker is a person who hacks into places in Cyberspace. Also a general term for "programmer" or computer enthusiast.
harmonic: A single component of a complex waveform that's a whole-number multiple of the fundamental frequency.
HDTV (High-Definition Television): A form of television transmission that results in clear images, especially on large screen sets. Our present standard is 525 lines swept across the screen from top to bottom. HDTV would increase the number and give much better resolution.
Help key: The key labeled F1 near the top of the keyboard. Pressing F1 usually brings up context-sensitive help.
Hi8 (High Band 8-mm): A format developed by Sony Corporation for camcorder videotapes. Hi8 provides the capability of recording PCM digital audio-and time-code tracks in addition to conventional analog audio and enhanced-Quality video information.
High Color: A scheme that shows near photographic-quality color on your PC. Also called 16-bit color. To change your color settings, you right-click on the desktop, choose Properties, and then click on the Settings tab. However, not all hardware supports High Color.
High Sierra format: A name assigned to the processor of ISO standard 9660 defining the table of content and directory structure of CD-ROMs for computer applications. Microsoft's MSCDEX.DRV driver reads the table of content and directory structure and converts the latter to the structure used by DOS. This function enables you to treat CD-ROM files as if they were located on a conventional hard disk drive.
HMS time: Time expressed in hours, minutes, seconds, usually separated by colons.
home page: The first page you come to when you go to a World Wide Web site on the Internet. Clicking the Home button in a web browser takes you back to the home page.
host: Any device that's attached to the Internet using TCP/IP. For example, the computer that answers the phone in dial-up networking. In direct-cable connection, the PC that has the shared resources you want to access.
hot docking: The ability to connect a portable computer to it's docking station without powering down the portable PC. Requires a special plug-and-play BIOS.
hot swapping: A characteristic of some PC CARDS that allows the card to be inserted/removed without powering down the PC.
HPFS (High Performance File System):The file system used by the OS/2 operating systems. Supports long filenames, but no security.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): A set of codes you must use in a document you plan to present on the World Wide Web.
HTTP (Hypertext Transport Protocol): The Protocol used in the World Wide Web to allow documents to call one another.
hub: Short name for an ethernet concentrator or Ethernet hub. A device into which all PC's on the local area network connect via cable.
Hz: An abbreviation for Hertz, the fundamental unit of frequency of audio and radio waves. Hertz was previously called cycles per second (cps). Most people can discern sounds that range in frequency from about 20 to 18,000 Hz.
I
Icon: Any little picture on the screen. Typically you can right-click on an icon to see it's options and properties. Double-clicking on an icon usually opens it up into a window.
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics): Prior to IDE technology, the circuitry necessary to run a hard drive was located in the drive controller connected to the mainboard. Today's hard drives have the circuitry mounted on the drive itself. In general use, the term IDE often refers to a specific kind of disk interface, one that uses the AT expansion bus for its connections, which is formally, (and correctly) termed the AT Attachment or ATA interface or AT interface.
in-place editing: A technique that allows you to edit an embedded document without leaving the program that you're in at the moment. The tools of the object being edited come to the current program's menu bar and toolbar.
INI file: A text file that holds information necessary to initialize a program. In Windows 95, these settings are stored in the Registry, but the original INI files are maintained to support backward compatibility.
interlaced: The method of displaying television signals on conventional TV sets and computer images on video display images on video display units. Alternative fields of images, consisting of the even or odd horizontal lines comprising the image, are displayed in succession.
interleaved: A method for containing sound and video information in a single file but in separate chunks, so digital images and audio signals may be transferred from a file to a computer's memory without delays incurred by CD-ROM seek operations.
Internet: A worldwide network of computers that anyone can tap into. Home of popular services such as the World Wide Web, FTP, Usenet Newsgroups, and Internet e-mail (among others).
Internet address: A person's mailing address on the Internet. If you have an MSN account, your Internet address is your MSN name followed by @msn.com.
Internet Explorer: A program that comes with the Microsoft Plus! kit that allows you to explore the Internet from your Windows 95 PC. Requires a modem, Microsoft Network (MSN) account, or account with an ISP.
Internet mail: e-mail sent through the Internet via a direct ISP connection, or a connection through some other service such as MSN, CompuServe, or American Online.
Internet Service Provider: (see ISP)
Interrupt: A condition that interrupts an ongoing processing to call attention to a processor that needs processor resources.
I/O device: Any hardware device that provides input to, or output from, the central processing unit. Printers, mice, keyboards, monitors, and disk drives are all I/O devices.
IP address: An address used to uniquely identify a computer on the Internet. A series of numbers, such as 123.45.67.890, assigned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
IP Router: A computer that's connected to several TCP/IP networks and can route or deliver packets between networks. Also called a gateway.
IPX/SPX: A network transport protocol used by Novell Network networks. In Windows 95, the NWLINK.VXD module implements the IPX/SPX protocol.
IRQ (Interrupt Request Line): The line that a hardware device uses to call attention to the processor. Typically, each hardware device must have its own IRQ. To view IRQ usage in Windows 95, click on start and choose Settings -> Control Panel. Double-click on the System icon, click on the Device Manager tab, then double-click on Computer at the top of the list.
ISA (industry Standard Architecture): The specification of the connections to plug-in adapter cards with 16-bit memory addressing capability. ISA in the bus structure used in the IBM-compatible computers using the 8088, 80286, 80486 CPU chips.
ISO (International Standards Organization): The ISO is a branch of the United Nations headquartered in Geneva. ISO coordinates international standards for a wide variety of products and equipment. The CD-ROM standard for tables of content and file directory entries, originally called the High Sierra Format, has been established as the ISO-9660 standard.
ISP (Internet Service Provider): A service that connects you PC to the Internet via your modem and telephone line (see Appendix C).
J
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): Compression/ decompression scheme used for digital video. See also MPEG.
.JPG: The file extension for graphic image files stored with JPEG compression.
jumper: A small, plastic-enclosed spring clip making an electrical connection between two adjacent square metal pins, Usually in the form of a header. Jumpers are used to set device addresses, interrupt levels, and select other optional features of adapter cards. They are also found on motherboards.
K
K or KB or Kilobyte: 1024 bytes (characters).
Karaoke: A musical arrangement designed to accompany an added singing voice. Karaoke can be used to describe a consumer audio or audio-video component equipped with a microphone (and often with digital signal processing). The added singer's voice is combined with the accompaniment and heard through the same speakers.
kernel: That part of an operating system that manages the processor.
L
LAN (local area network): Computers that are connected to one another with cables and network adapter cards, rather than by modems and telephone lines.
legacy: Older hardware devices that don't conform to the "Designed for Windows 95" plug-and-play specification.
local area network: (see LAN)
local printer: A printer that's physically connected, via a cable, to the current PC.
localization: Adapting software to the language and formats of a specific country or culture.
luminance: One of the characteristics defining a color in the Hue-Saturation-Luminance (HSL) system. Luminance is the collective intensity (lightness) of the color defined by hue and saturation. In television broadcasting, the signal containing the black and white image is referred to as the luminance signal.
M
map and drive letter (also called map network drive): To assign a shortcut drive-letter name, such as M: or P:, to a shared device in a local area network. To map a drive letter, double-click on Network Neighborhood, double-click on a computer's icon. Then right-click on a shared device and choose Map Network drive from the shortcut menu.
MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface): Allows programs to access the messaging capabilities of the operating system. For example, many programs offer a File ->Send option, which interacts with the MAPI to allow you to send messages directly from that application.
memory: In PC lingo, the term memory generally refers to RAM, as opposed to some other type of memory (such as disk storage).
menu: A list of options. Clicking on the Start button displays the Start menu.
message box: Any box that appears on the screen to display a message.
Microsoft Network: (See MSN)
MIDI (Musical Interface Digital Interface): A standard for playing music on a PC's sound board.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions): A protocol that allows e-mail messages to contain more than just plain text.
miniport driver: A 32-bit virtual driver that allows hardware to be added and removed easily, without rebooting the entire system. Windows 95 and Windows NT both support miniport drivers.
modem: A device that connects your PC to a telephone line.
MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group): A modern compression/decompression scheme for digital video that may someday allow video to run as smoothly on a PC as it does on a TV/VCR.
MS-DOS: (see DOS)
MSN (Microsoft Network): An information service provided by Microsoft Corporation.
Mwave: IBM's implementation of the DSP standard that allows modem and telephony hardware to be updated via software, so that the actual hardware doesn't become obsolete when standard improve.
My Computer: A browsing tool for finding resources on your own PC. Usually the first icon on the desktop. Also displays icons for shared resources on other PCs to which you've mapped a drive letter.
N
NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants): NAMM is an industry association of musical dealers and musical instrument manufacturers. NAMM holds a new exhibition where new MIDI devices and audio components are introduced.
nanosecond: One billionth of a second, abbreviated ns. The speed of memory chips is measured in nanoseconds, usually ranging from about 30 to 100. Faster computer clock speeds require memory chips with lower nanosecond response times. 33 MHz computers, for instance, use 70-80 ns memory chips.
NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification): The Interface for network drivers.
All transport drivers call the NDIS interface to access network adapters.
net (the net): A slang expression for The Internet.
NetBEUI transport (pronounced net buoy): Stands for NetBIOS Extended User Interface, a local area network transport protocol provided in Windows 95.
network: Two or more computers connected to one another with cables or modems and telephone lines. A local area network (LAN) is generally PCs that are close to one another and connected without modems and telephone line. A Wide Area network (WAN) is composed of computers that are connected with telephones and modems. A LAN can connect to a WAN.
NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System): A program that allows input/output requests to be sent to, and received from, another computer on a local area network.
network adapter card: A hardware device that allows you to connect a PC to other PCs in a local area network.
network adapter driver: A small program that controls a network adapter card.
network administrator: Typically the person who is in charge of managing a local area network, including accounts, passwords, e-mail, and so on.
Network Neighborhood: A desktop icon that, when double-clicked, displays shared resources on other PCs in the same workgroup on your local area network. Network Neighborhood lets you browse shared resources on the LAN in much the same way that My Computer lets you browse resources on your own computer. If you use Network Neighborhood to map a drive letter to a shared resource, that resource will then be available to your May Computer window.
network printer: A shared printer that's physically connected to some other PC in the LAN. Opposite of a local printer.
NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification): The interface for network driver adapters in all Windows networks.
NIC (Network Interface Card): Another name for a network adapter or network adapter card.
noninterlaced: The preferred method of displaying computer images, usually on a multisynchronous video display unit, in which the image is created by displaying consecutive rather than alternate scanning lines.
NT: The shortcut name for Windows NY, Microsoft's 32-bit operating system for highend workstations and non-Intel processors, such as the Dec Alpha and Power PC.
NTFS: The file system used by Windows NT.
O
Object: An individual chunk of data that you can manipulate on the screen. Can be a chart, picture, sound, video, or chunk of text.
object-oriented: An operating system that allows chunks of data to be manipulated as individual objects, and easily moves/copies from one program to another.
object package: (see package)
OLE (pronounced olay): The acronym without words, OLE originally stood for "object linking and embedding", a feature of windows that let's you take an object from one program (such as a chart in a spread-sheet program), and link or embed that object into another program's document (such as a word processing report). OLE's capabilities extend beyond simple objet embedding. So now if you ask a Microsoft person what OLE stand for, he or she is likely to say "nothing... it's just olay".
OOP: Object-oriented programming language used to control an object-oriented operating system.
Option button: A small, round button in a dialog box that generally lets you select only one option of many. Also called radio buttons (because only one can be "pushed in" at a time).
oscillator: A circuit or software which generates voltage signals.
P
page: 1) Internet: an electronic document in the World Wide Web or Gopher, 2) RAM: a fixed-sized chunk of memory, 3) BBS: "page the sysop" means to sound a beep on the system operator's PC.
PAL (Phase-Alternative Line system): PAL is the television transmission standard of Western Europe (except France). PAL displays 625 lines per frame at a rate of 25 frames per second.
palette: A Windows data structure defining the colors of a bit-mapped image in RGB format.
parallel interface: A connection between devices that transfers one or more bytes of information simultaneously.
parameter: A variable characteristic or value.
password: A string of characters that allows you access to protected data.
path: The location of the folder described in terms of its drive folder, and subfolder. For example, in c:\winward\mydocuments\Letter to Mom.doc, the c:\winward\mydocuments\ part is the path to the file named Letter to Mom.doc. Also a DOS command used to search, now handled by the Registery in Windows 95.
PC card: A credit-card sized adapter card that fits into the PCMCIA slot of a portable or desktop PC.
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect): A local bus system that allows devices to be installed quickly and easily, and supports high-speed graphics processing. Used in many Pentium and Apple Power PC computers. The successor to the older ISA, EISA, and VL bus systems.
PCM (pulse code modulation): A means of digitally encoding and decoding audio signals.
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association): A standard that defines how PC cards must be designed to work in the PCMCIA slot of a portable or desktop PC.
PCX: The file extension created by ZSoft Corporation for storing images created by its PC Paintbrush applications.
peer-to-peer: A way of connecting several PCs into a local area network where any PC can act as either client or server.
photo CD: A trademark of the Eastman Kodak Company for its technology and CDs that provide copies of photographic color images in a format compatible with CD-I and CD-ROM XA drives. Photo CDs are produced from 35-mm film images by licensed photo finishing facilities. These facilities have equipment that can write to the special Photo CD media.
plug-and-play: A general term for devices that are (supposedly) easy to plug into your PC and use. In Windows 95, a device that really can be plugged in and used immediately. The latter devices bear the Designed for Windows 95 logo.
plug-and-play BIOS: A Basic Input/Output System capable of configuring plug-and-play devices during power up, and also during run time.
point: To point to an object means to move the mouse until the mouse pointer is touching that object.
pointing device: A mouse or trackball used to move the mouse pointer around on the screen.
PPP (Point-toPoint Protocol): An industry standard method of connecting PCs through telephone lines. PPP is often used to connect a PC to the Internet, and to connect one PC to another during dial-up networking.
pop-up menu: The menu that appears when you right-click on an object. Also called a context menu or shortcut menu.
port: A slot on the back of your PC into which you plug a cable that connects to some external device. Mice, keyboards, monitors, external modems, external CD-ROM drives, printers, and all other external devices plug into a port on a PC.
port replicator: Compact-sized docking station for a portable computer that allows easy connection to full-sized keyboard, mouse, monitor, and other devices.
POSIX Compliance: An acronym defined as a portable operating system interface based on UNIX. It refers to a collection of international standards for UNIX-style operating system interfaces. U.S. government agencies specify POSIX as a procurement standard for government computing contracts.
Postoffice: The place where an e-mail is stored until the recipient reads the message. In a workgroup, only one PC can play the role of Postoffice.
preemptive multitasking: A scheduling technique that allows the operating system to take control of the processor at any time. Allows multiple hardware devices such as modem, printer, screen, and floppy disk to operate at the same time.
presentation: Multimedia production consisting principally of still images or simple animation covering a single topic.
primary mouse button: On a right-handed mouse, this is typically the button on the left. If you reverse the mouse buttons for left-handed use, the primary mouse button becomes the mouse button on the right. The idea is to use whichever mouse button rests comfortably under your index finger as the primary mouse button.
print driver: A small program that allows a PC to drive a printer (make the printer work).
printer fonts: Fonts that are built into the printer rather than stored on disk. Also called resident fonts.
printer sharing: Allowing your printer to be used by other members of a local PC (the on e the printer is connected to) print sharing must be enabled through Network Neighborhood Properties. Then the printer must be installed as a local printer, and then shared via the Printers folder in My Computer. Other LAN members must then use the Add New Printer icon in their own Printers folder, and the Network Printer option, to connect to that shared printer.
private key: A password you create to manage your own public keys.
program: Software that makes the computer perform a specific task, or helps you to perform some job using the PC.
properties: The characteristic of an object. You can usually get to an object's characteristics. For example, right-clicking on the object's icon and choosing Properties from the shortcut menu that appears.
property sheet: A specialized dialog box, or tab within a dialog box, that lets you view and change an object's properties by right-clicking on the Windows 95 desktop and choosing Properties opens the Display Properties sheet.
prosumer: A contraction of professional and consumer. Prosumer describes video components, such as camcorders and VCRs, bridging the gap between consumer-grade products and industrial-quality devices.
protocol: An agreed-upon set of rules by which two computers can exchange information over a network. Windows 95 supports the NetBEUI, TCP/IP, and IPX/SPX protocols.
public key: Passwords shared by people who need to secure privacy in their fax and e-mail transmissions. To read someone else's private transmissions, you must get a public key from that person. To create your own secured messages, you need to create a public key, and send it to your intended recipients.
Q
R
RAM (Random Access Memory): Super-fast memory that stores whatever programs and document you're working with at the moment. The term memory is often used as a synonym for RAM.
real mode: The general term for a 16-bit device driver that's loaded into memory from the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Windows 95 attempts to replace all real-mode drivers with its own 32-bit virtual drivers which provide better performance.
refresh: To update something on the screen so it shows current data. Can typically be accomplished by pressing the F5 key or choosing View -> Refresh from a menu bar.
RegEdit (Registery Editor): A program that you can use to manipulate the Registery directly, without using the Control Panel or any property sheets. To open, you must click on the Start button, choose Run, then type regedit and press Enter.
registered file type: A type of document file that is associated with a specific program, based on its filename extension. For example, all .DOC files are registered to (associated with) the Microsoft Word for Windows program. Extensions on registered file types are hidden unless you use View -> Options in My Computer to turn off the option titled Hide MS-DOS file extensions for file types that are registered.
Registery: The place where Windows 95 stores all settings and preferences that you choose through Control Panel, and all associations between filename extensions and programs.
remote administration: The ability for a person to control sharing and other settings on someone else's PC from his/her own PC grant this permission via the Passwords icon in Control Panel.
resource: Items that can be shared in a LAN. For example, disk drives, folders, CD-ROM drives, printers, and modems are all useful resources that can be shared.
ribbon cable: A flat multiconductor cable having parallel individual conductors that are molded together. One side of the cable is marked with a printed line, usually blue or red. This line identifies the conductor corresponding to pin 1 of the attached connectors.
RIFF (Windows Resource Interchange File Format): RIFF is used in conjunction with Multimedia Extensions. Depending upon their definition, these files may contain MIDI sequence, sample dump, or system exclusive data; waveform audio files; or data to create graphic images. RIFF is the preferred file format for Windows multimedia files; however, few third-party applications currently create RIFF files, except in Wave format (WAV files).
right-click: To point to an object an then click the secondary mouse button (typically the mouse button on the right side of the mouse).
right-drag: To hold down the secondary mouse button while dragging an object across the screen.
root directory: The topmost folder on a disk, typically named just \. For example, C:\ represents the root directory of drive C:.
S
sample: To digitally encode an analog signal.
sawtooth wave: A waveform that contains every component of the natural harmonic series; also called a ramp wave.
scalability: Scalable, multiprocessing operating system that allows a user to run the same application on single-processor and multiprocessor computers.
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface): One of the fullest implementations of an embedded disk controller, SCSI operates as a fully arbitrated expansion bus and allows device-independent interchanges of data at high speeds. SCSI technology is most often found in computers that "serve" a network, i.e. "servers". For the most part, there is no need for an individual or even a small business to utilize SCSI, for although it provides faster data transfer, it is more costly than IDE based systems.
SECAM (System Couleur avec Memoire): SECAM is the French standard for television transmission (819 horizontal lines per frame displayed at 25 frames per second). SECAM is the standard for most of Eastern Europe, including the former USSR and in African Countries where French is the most common language.
secondary mouse button: On a right-handed mouse, this is typically the button on the right. If you reserve the mouse buttons for left-handed use, the secondary mouse button becomes the mouse button on the left. The button that rests comfortably under your middle or ring finger.
seek: To locate a specific byte, sector, cluster, record, or chunk within a disk file.
select: To specify which object(s) you plan to perform some operation on. Usually you select one object by clicking on it. To select multiple objects, you can use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click. Or you can drag a frame around the objects. To select text, drag the mouse pointer through the text.
selection: An object (or objects) that are already selected, and hence framed or highlighted in some manner.
serial interface: A connection between devices that transfers information one bit after another.
server: In a LAN, the PC that has some resource connected directly to it. For example, if your PC has a printer attached to it, and you let other LAN users print to your printer, your PC is acting as the print server. The other PCs are clients to that server.
share: To allow multiple users on a local area network to use a single device, such as a printer or modem, that's attached to only one PC in the LAN. You can also share disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and folders.
shareware: Programs that your allowed to try, and use for a while, without charge. If you like the program, the authors hope you'll register and send in some money. In return, you get a non-crippled version of the program, or just mailings of when bigger and better versions are available.
shortcut: 1) An icon on the desktop that lets you open a folder, document, or program without going through the Start menu. 2) An alternative to using the mouse, often called a keyboard shortcut.
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR): The ratio between an audio and video signal of a specific amplitude (level) and the underlying noise contributing to the signal by a component. Signal-to-noise ratio is expressed in dB or dBr (relative)--a large negative number being preferred.
sine wave: A pure, simple waveform comprised of a single frequency with no overtones. It is a voltage signal that goes positive above zero to a certain height, then back to zero, then negative for a minus voltage, then back to zero. Alternating voltages are sine waves.
slave: A device receiving signals from and controlled by a master device.
SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol): A method used to connect a PC to an Internet Service Provider. PPP is preferred over SLIP when connecting to the Internet with Windows 95.
smiley: A series of characters that, when turned on its side, looks like a facial expression. For example, this is the basic :-) smiling face smiley. Also called emoticon.
SMPTE: A type of time code adopted by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, used to indicate location in time and synchronize playback.
snail mail: The new term for what we used to just call mail. Any mail that involves paper, as opposed to e-mail.
square wave: A pulse wave with a 50% duty cycle, consisting of odd harmonics only.
Start button: The button that appears in the taskbar, which you can click on to start a program, open a recently saved document, get help, and so forth on.
Start menu: The first menu to appear after you click the Start button in the taskbar.
status bar: The bar along the bottom of a program's window that provides information about the status of various options within that program. Can typically be turned on or off using a command on the program's View menu.
streaming: The technique used to transfer information from a file structure, such as on a disk or CD drive, to the computer's memory.
string: Textual rather than numeric data. For example, 123.45 is a number, whereas My dog has fleas is a string (of characters).
stripe: A synchronization signal recorded on one track of a multitrack tape recorder.
subfolder: A folder that's contained within another folder. The containing folder is called the parent folder.
subnet: Any smaller network that's connected to the Internet.
subnet mask: A value that allows the recipient of Internet packets to distinguish the network ID portion of the IP address from the ID of the host.
SVGA (Super Virtual Graphics Array): The type of display card and monitor that gives you high resolution, rich color, and graphics. An improvement over standard VGA.
S-VHS: A VHS-format videocassette recorder S-video capability.
S-video (Super-video): S-video is a video signal with enhanced quality used for recording. S-video separates the chrominance signal from the luminance signals of composite video.
sync (synchronization)
system menu: A menu that you can open by clicking on the icon in the upper-left corner of a window, or by pressing Alt+Spacebar. Lets you move and size a window using the keyboard rather than the mouse.
sysop: The person who operates a bulletin board.
T
.TGA: The file extension identifying files created in the format used by Truevision's TARGA series of graphic adapter cards.
.TIF (Tagged Image Format): TIF is a format for storing black and white, gray-scale, and color bit-mapped images developed by Aldus Corporation.
TAPI (Telephone Application Program Interface): A standardized set of procedures that programmers can use to allow their programs to interact with the modem and dialing properties on your PC.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): The primary communications protocol used on the Internet. Allows a Windows 95 PC to participate in Unix-based bulletin boards and other information services. Can also be used to allow a non-Windows PC (such as an OS/2 computer) to connect to a Windows local area network.
telephony: The interaction between PCs and telephones. A telephony board is a device that you can add to your PC to support voice mail, fax-on-demand, and similar services.
text file: A file that contains only ASCII text codes, no word-processing formatting codes. Text files should be edited with text-only editors, such as NotePad or Edit (available from the command prompt).
thread: 1) A series of messages about a topic that have been posted to an information service. 2) An executable chunk of program code that can run simultaneously with other threads in a microprocessor.
TIA (Thanks In Advance): Often used to close an e-mail message.
time code: A method of identifying the time an event (such as single motion picture or video frame) occurs in a format that can be understood by a computer.
time stamp: The date and time attributes applied to a disk file when created or edited. In MIDI files, a time stamp identifies the time MIDI events (such as Note On or Note Off) should occur, so the correct tempo is maintained.
title bar: The colored area across the top of the window that shows the window's name, and offers the Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons, and system menu. To move a window, you drag its title bar. You can also maximize/restore a window by double-clicking on its title bar.
toolbar: A set of buttons and other controls that provide one-click access to frequently-used menu commands. A program's tool bar usually appears just under its menu bar. In many windows you can choose View -> Toolbar to show/hide the toolbar.
tooltip: A little label that appears below a button after you've rested the mouse pointer on that button for a couple of seconds.
tray: The name originally given to the Windows 95 taskbar.
triangle wave: A wave form with a strong fundamental and weak overtones, comprised of odd numbered harmonics only.
trigger: A control signal which indicates the beginning of an event.
True Color: A scheme that shows photographic-quality color on your PC. Also called 24-bit color. To change your color settings, you right-click on the desktop, choose Properties, and then click on the Settings tab. However, not all hardware supports True Color.
truncate: In sampling, to remove recorded data before or after a sample.
TrueType: A trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. for its outline-based typeface design and display system that creates display and printer fonts in a manner similar to Adobe's PostScript. Microsoft Corporation has incorporated and improved version of TrueType technology in Windows 3.1.
TSR: Terminate-and-stay-resident, a term describing software that loads itself into RAM and stay there. It is available at any time but it may use up a lot of much needed 640K.
twip: Window's smallest unit of graphic measurement. A twip is a twentieth of a point or 1/1440th of an inch.
typeface: Print or display type of a single design. Typeface is often confused with the term font, which means a particular size of a typeface. A typeface may be a member of a typeface or type family including related designs with attributes such as bold, Roman (regular), italic, compressed or extended.
U
UART: Pronounced wart , a chip used on a modem or serial device that determines the top speed of serial communications. The latest UART, 16550A, offers the highest speeds.
UNC (Universal Naming Convention): A method of identifying a resource by its computer name, followed by a resource name. The computer name is preceded by two backslashes e.g. \\Comm_Center\MyStuff.
Unimodem: A universal driver for modems.
URL (Universal Resource Locator): A protocol on the World Wide Web that lets a web browser gain access to a variety of services.<br
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Linear Mode
