SECTION 4.1: Glossary 32-bit/16-bit - The number of bits of information that an operating system requires to have flowing in order to run a certain application, 32-bit being the more advanced and demanding on the computer. This also has a bearing on the construction of the computer's CPU (Central Processing Unit). The Pentium CPU, for example, easily runs 32-bit applications because the wires that hold all the pieces together (its bus) are big enough to allow 32 bits of digital information to flow through at a time. 486, 386 processors and below weren't big enough because they were designed to handle 16 bits at a time. Access provider - See ISP. Acrobat Reader - An Adobe software product, available in a freeware version, that permits the downloading, viewing and printing of files (in 'portable document format') from the web in their original format.
See PDF. A.I. - See Artificial Intelligence. Angle brackets - Used in HTML to differentiate between text to be seen on screen and 'text' embedded as instruction to the browser to indicate how the text should appear on screen. For example, <B>angle</B> has 'open' and 'close' instructions for bold type in angle brackets to instruct the browser to display the word 'angle' in bold. ANSI - American National Standards Institute. The place that sets standards for data communications systems such as the internet. AppleShare - Apple Computer's network system that allows many different users to attach to one central computer, or server. Applet - A very small application that serves one simple function. Application - See programme. Architecture - Used in a computing context to refer usually to a specifically developed and/or customised hardware/platform/software environment created for a specific project or task. Also used to refer to the structuring and placing of information within virtual 'space' on a web page. Artificial Intelligence - Software that is 'intelligent', or that lends 'intelligence' to a machine or computer. 'Intelligence' might be deemed to be the computational part of the ability to solve problems and achieve goals. ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This is the character set for figures and numbers, including many accented letters, represented in binary code. ASCII is the standard agreed manner in which characters are represented digitally by almost all Word-processors and other applications, providing a basic compatibility between them as far as text is concerned. The reason it is still difficult to transfer documents between different Word-processors, even for example Windows based ones, is because of all the embedded codes for tabs, paragraphs, spaces, page size, headers, footnotes etc. that differ from software to software. ASP - Active Server Pages. A programming tool based on Visual Basic (See VBA). ASP generates HTML pages (web pages) using any inputted information and is useful in the compilation of, for example, bibliographies published on-line, or such like. Attachment - It is possible to send any kind of document (a Word-processed document, an image, a spreadsheet, a database) as an attachment to an E-mail message. How to use this facility will depend upon the E-Mail software you are using, which all differ in the same way that Word-processing software products differ. Often there can be problems with decoding the attachment when it is received - though this can sometimes be avoided by specifying clearly what kind of document is being sent to the E-Mail software at the point of sending. Author - The creator of a piece of software or of a web site. Avatar - From the Sanscrit for the incarnation of Godhead, an avatar is the 'body' you 'wear' in a virtual community - an animated, articulated representation of a human which represents you, the user, in any virtual environment. Some of the more sophisticated chat rooms provide the facility to 'chat' over the 'net via the visual representation of interacting human forms. AVI - Audio/Video Interleaved. Microsoft's format for encoding pictures and sound for digital transmission, and therefore the extension for files of this kind. Background printing - Being able to print a document without having to wait until it is completed before being able to use your computer again. Windows uses Print Manager to look after the printing of a document in background, allowing you to continue working while the printing takes place. Back up - Making an identical copy of a file or files and storing it in a different place. Just in case. Bad sector - A fault on a floppy or hard disk. Disks are divided into tracks and sectors where a sector is the smallest amount of the disk which can be written to or read from. A bad sector means that the disk surface is defective or damaged at this particular point and the drive cannot read from this part of the disk. There are, however, many sectors on the disk and it may be possible to rectify the problem by using the Windows 95 disk tools, including 'Scandisk'. Bandwidth - Measured in Megabytes (see Bytes), bandwidth describes the capacity (and by implication the speed) of a line that carries digital information from computer to computer across the internet. The more traffic (TCP/IP vehicles - see TCP/IP), the faster this will flow if the roads are wider. Beta - The beta version of a new piece of software is one in the penultimate stage of its creation, and in the final phase of the pre-release testing cycle. It is often possible to download beta versions of experimental software from the WWW as often software companies need outside users to provide feedback for final revisions to a product. BIOS - Basic Input/Output System. A very simple piece of software that the computer uses to wake itself up. When you switch on, the computer activates the BIOS programme to test all its components and see what kind of computer it is. It will beep (to say Im alive!) and check the A: drive for a system disk (the evolutionary equivalent of the appendix, as computers used to start the operating system - see DOS - from a floppy disk - remember those old BBCs?) It will then find its operating system on the hard disk and finish booting up, leaving you to either log in to a network, key in a command or begin working in your GUI environment. Binary - The manner in which a computer counts (see Bit). The decimal counting system is based around the number ten so the number 234 is made up of 2×102 + 3×101 + 4×100 (or 200+30+4). In the binary counting system the number 2 is central and its figures can only contain a 0 or a 1 - so the binary number 1001 is made up of 1×23 + 0×22 + 0×21 + 1×20 (or in other words 8+0+0+1, or 9 in decimal). Counting to five in binary becomes: 1 - 10 - 11 - 100 - 101. Another good reason for our having opposable thumbs! Bit - BInary digiT. The smallest unit of information in a computer, either on or off, represented in binary as either 1 or 0. BMP - The extension for a bitmap file, an image made up of little dots and stored digitally. Booting up - From an old American phrase to do with pulling up your own boot strings (as opposed to being tied to apron strings). Booting up is the computer scratching itself after waking up and running a self-test before activating the operating system. A networked computer, on booting, is likely to link into the network and request your username and password. Bookmarks - In Netscape browsers, once you have found a page on the WWW that you would like to return to, the software provides the facility to 'bookmark' the page. In Microsoft's Internet Explorer these are referred to as 'Favorites'. BPS - Bits Per Second. The way in which the speed of a modem is measured referring to the number of digital bits flow through it each second. The higher the BPS the better though the speed of information sending and receiving is also dependent upon the bandwidth of any line it must flow through (see Bandwidth and ISDN) Browser - A form of software used for viewing pages on the WWW. Mosaic was the first widely available browser. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are the two most widely used browsers (both available as freeware to individual users), though there are others. As well as permitting you to view web pages, browser software comes with Usenet and e-mail facilities, making them useful ways of utilising these three aspects of the internet. Browsers can be made more flexible by the addition of plug-ins. Buffer - A section of the computer where data is stored at the ready before being used. Buffering allows time for an application to fix differences in bit rates, creating compensatory spaces that allow things to flow with more fluidity in front of you. Bugs - Glitches in programming that cause errors to occur when software is running. Bulletin Boards - The virtual versions of these everyday objects that carry pinned masses of paper on our walls. The Usenet is a collection of specific bulletin boards, but these also form a part of numerous web sites as separate pages which contain updated information for those who frequently refer to that particular site. Burn - When a CD-ROM is copied onto another one, or created afresh, we speak of the files being 'burned' onto it. Burst - To send data (between components within a computer) in a large package all at once rather than in small bits over a longer time. Bus - All the components of your computer; the mouse, the monitor, the printer, the processor, the hardware cards, the memory and so on are all connected by wires. This system of wires is called the bus. Bytes - A measurement of the amount of digitally stored or carried information, used to measure memory and document size. To be precise a byte is a grouping of binary digits representing information, a set of 8 bits making up a manageable unit of memory. The capacity of a floppy disk is measured in kilobytes (KB) (one kilobyte = 1024 bytes) and a hard disk in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB) (one megabyte = 1024 kilobytes). A high capacity hard disk is necessary for those who wish to store numerous image (or similar memory-hungry) files but less necessary for those working solely on text documents; it will not significantly affect performance. It is the RAM capacity of a computer that affects the speed and efficiency of the machine. 32 megabytes of RAM is usually adequate for most simple computing tasks. Cache - This is a memory section that holds data while the CPU is working on it (see RAM). Browsers such as Netscape also maintain a cache of files as they are displayed for you off the WWW. These are used when you want to go back through web pages you have already accessed and saves the browser having to call them up again from their original location. CAD - Computer Aided Design. The generic term for a specific type of software product that is used to construct and manipulate theoretical models virtually. Capture - One can 'capture' a still image from a video using certain software. A 'screen capture' (i.e. creating an image of what you see currently on your PC screen) can be made by pressing 'ALT' + 'Prt Sc' in Windows. This can then be inserted into any document. Card - A piece of hardware that performs a specific function. This slots into an expansion slot, which is connected to the PCs motherboard, and expands the functionality of the computer. Ethernet cards and sound cards are two examples. Chat Rooms - Special web sites that contain individual pages ('rooms') in which you can 'chat' with random surfers or arrange rendezvous. The 'chat' takes the form of inputting lines of text, often with the option of complementary 'emotion' signifiers, and waiting for a typed response. These may be HTML pages, or more efficient and speedy Java pages. Some suppliers are now experimenting with "voice mail" applications similar to conference telephone calls. CD-ROM - A form of read only data storage (see ROM). A Compact disk has a massive storage capacity compared to a floppy disk and has become a standard way of offering software. The speed of a CD-ROM drive will dictate how fast information can be read from a CD-ROM placed in it. CGA - Colour Graphics Adapter. PC computer screens could originally only display monochrome text on a black background. Graphics adapters were then made available such as IBMs CGA which was capable of creating graphics and text in colour at low resolution - 300x200 pixels with 16 colours per pixel possible. This made the GUI possible and greater user-friendliness. Click - To activate an icon, a menu or any item on screen by pointing a mouse cursor at it and clicking on the mouse key. The left button is the most commonly used one, but the right button can have specific uses within different applications and most often provides a drop-down menu pertinent to wherever the cursor is placed. CMC - Computer mediated communication. .com - (pronounced 'dot com'). 'Dot com' refers to the practice of (originally) commercial US websites indicating their nature within their web address with this suffix (www.microsoft.com, for example). The practice in the UK was often a '.co.uk' suffix. 'Dot com' has entered popular vocabulary as an indicator of internet presence (of a company or organisation) or of web activity in general. See Domain, URL and WWW. Compressed files - Large files that have been reduced in capacity in order to allow them to be downloaded over the internet more speedily, either using FTP or a web browser, and which require decompression software in order to be used. Unzip is one such programme for the Mac and Winzip does the trick for the PC. Computer - A device which processes and stores information digitally. Computer literacy - The ability confidently and competently to make good or optimum use of the facilities that computers provide. CPU - Central Processing Unit. See Processor. Crash - When a computer seizes up and will no longer respond to commands, it has crashed. This is usually not your fault! Cursor - A blinking line indicating where typed text will appear. The pointer that moves across the screen when you move the mouse can also be referred to as a cursor, though it isnt. Cut and Paste - To delete a selection of text from a document and place it elsewhere in the same, or a different, document. It is possible to cut and paste from E-mail and Web pages into documents, making this a handy function to master. Cyberspace - In William Gibson's book, Neuromancer, Cyberspace is defined as "an infinite artificial world where humans navigate in information-based space," and "the ultimate computer-human interface." This is a place of virtual reality where information flows down cables in digital bits. The information does not exist in any tangible form anywhere but is accessed by computers tapping into other computers connected by servers, allowing the information (text, graphics, video, software etc.) to flow wherever it is beckoned. The human conceptual mind deals with this by creating an imaginary space where all the information is stored. This library/shopping mall/theatre/meeting room is Cyberspace. Data - Information that is collected, stored or processed systematically. Database - A programme that helps to gather together information, such as bibliographic material or lists of addresses, usually in tabular form, and make it more easily accessible, sortable and searchable. Database engine - A programme which performs the database management functions on data held in a database. That is to say it can manipulate, add, delete, search, select and store data following simple user commands. Decompress - see Compressed files Default - Any pre-set value which will be used by a programme if you dont choose another option in its place. Windows default colours are blue and grey but you can adapt these to suit your whim. A Word-processor will always assume you intend to print on upright (portrait) A4 paper with standard margins around your text - these are default values. Defragmenting - When youve had enough of all your books, texts and papers cluttering up your desk you might decide to sort through them and leave them in a tidy pile on one side of the desk. This is what the PC does when you ask it to defragment your hard disk. When a file is created it is left any-old-where on the hard disk. When the disk is defragmented the computer collects all these files together and deposits them in one area, leaving a nice clean collection of empty sectors on the hard disk, ready for more information. Defragmenting the hard disk every two months or so (if you use a stand alone) is good computer health procedure. Windows 95 and '98 give you this option from within disk tools. Desktop computer - A full sized computer with a 14", 15", 16" or even 17" monitor and flat or tower casing. It may be a stand-alone or it may be connected to a network. Desktop publishing - Software that assists in creating sophisticated documents including complicated page designs, detailed illustrations, and camera-ready typefaces. Dialogue box - A way that Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs such as Windows or the Mac Desktop) use to ask us for what we want in a specific situation. For example, when you open a word processor and select open from the file menu a dialogue box will pop up so that you can specify which document you wish to open. You might then select which drive or directory (folder) to look in or what type of file you want. Digital - Computers carry out all their operations using binary, describing information in a series of switches that are either on or off (1 or 0). As all information is dealt with using these two digits, we talk of the digitalisation of text, images, video etc. when these things are to be stored or processed by computers. 'Digital' is also commonly used adjectivally to describe processes or facilities which involve the collection or manipulation of digitised information such as 'digital libraries' or 'digital video' or even digital culture. Digitise - To convert any text, video or audio material into a digital file - to reproduce in digital media. Directory - Files (whether our own documents or those pertaining to software) are kept in specific directories (known as Folders in Windows 95 and the Mac). These can be used, created and manipulated in order to sort our documents sensibly (using file manager in Windows or Explorer in Windows 95). You can create new directories and move files from one to another. Avoid moving software files though as this can be disastrous. Directory tree - A pictorial representation of the way information is stored in directories and their subdirectories on your hard disk. Windows Explorer' in Windows will provide such an image and permit you to cut and prune it. Domain - The home turf of any web site. The domain of the SCUDD web site is the Nottingham Trent Universitys server, as denoted in the root (art.ntu.ac.uk) of its URL: http://art.ntu.ac.uk/scudd/ Commercially, web domains can be chosen and registered to be easily remembered, such as http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/ DOS - Disk Operating System. The system that operates the hard disk. When we speak of DOS we are referring to the old Microsoft operating system software though, of course, all computers have a disk operating system (AmiDos for the Amiga, for example). The operating system is very basic software that must be in place before a computer can do anything and on top of which all other software runs. Before Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs - that use icons and menus to access programmes and functions) and What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) word processors, DOS was the system that required commands typed in at a prompt using the keyboard to perform any operation. It is still sitting under Windows, which, being more user-friendly behaves as an interpreter, translating our commands into DOS for us. Of course, the Mac had all this stitched up years ago, and uses much less memory in the process. Before Windows (or running despite it) software was written to run in DOS (you might type word at the DOS prompt, for
example, to open DOS version of the Word word processor). The disadvantage of these was that it was frequently unclear what the final layout of a document might be. Dot com - See .com. Double-click - To click the mouse button twice in quick succession. Download - To transfer files from elsewhere to your own space (to a hard disk, floppy disk or server memory space). The term is used most often in reference to the way in which files (documents or programmes) can be accessed transferred from a remote computer to your own via the internet. Dragging - Clicking the mouse and, without letting go, moving its pointer to another part of the document. In this way you can select specific pieces of text which can then be copied and pasted in another document, or deleted, or moved by using a drag and drop motion. Drag and drop - To take a selection of text, or an image, and - by holding down the mouse key with the pointer over the selection - shifting it to another place in the same document. Dreamweaver - A Macromedia software product that aids in the authoring of web pages and the management of web sites. It permits the user to maintain an overview of a complex site, and to upload updates of the site onto the web. Drive - The space where a disk is kept and read or written to. The A: or B: drive on a PC holds the extractable floppy disk, the C: drive contains the permanent hard disk and the D: drive is commonly used for the CD-ROM drive. On a network server other drives will exist, their use depending on the policy of those who run the server. Commonly the M: drive is where users are allocated memory space to save their documents. Drop-down menu - A menu of available options provided by an application when, using the mouse (or often the ALT key with the navigation keys), you click on the menus title (usually found on the top border of an applications window) Also a method of selecting options on a web page or a web form. In a word-processor, for example, clicking on the 'File' on the menu bar will provide a drop-down menu offering a selection of functions that might be carried out on the file presently open. In a web page, you might come across a drop-down menu offering a list of links off that page, or offering a selection of data to input into a form (destinations on a flight-booking page, for example.) DVD, DVD-ROM - Digital Versatile Disk (or Digital Video Disk). A multimedia format that holds video, audio and computer data. These can be 'played' in video-like boxes attached to your television or in DVD-ROM drives built into personal computers. In appearance very similar to CD-ROMs, DVD disks have higher storage capacity, up to 17 GB of data (compared to roughly 650 MB on a CD). See Bytes. Page 1 of 4 Top of Page
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