Computer Glossary

Computer Glossary

byte--Most computers use combinations of eight bits, called bytes, to represent one character of data or instructions. For example, the word “dog” has three characters, and it would be represented by three bytes.

kilobyte (K or KB)--Equal to 1,024 bytes, usually rounded off to one thousand bytes.

megabyte (MB)--Equal to 1,024 Kilobytes, or 1,048,576 bytes, usually rounded off to one million bytes, one thousand kilobytes.

gigabyte (GB)--1,024 megabytes, 1,048,576 kilobytes, or 1,073,741,824 bytes, usually rounded off to one billion byte, 1 million kilobytes, or 1 thousand megabytes.

Browser--Software used to navigate the Internet. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are today's most popular browsers for accessing the World Wide Web.

Cache--The space your browser uses to store pages. The more space you tell your browser to use for its cache, the faster pages appear the second time you look at them on the Internet.

CD-ROM--Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. Similar to a musical compact disc, but designed for computers, a single disc can hold around 640 megabytes of data, enough for several encyclopedias. Most software programs are now delivered on CD-ROMs.

CD-RW--Compact Disc ReWritable. Same as the CD-ROM except is a Flash ROM (rewritable), so you can save and store files on them (great for backing up big directories of files!).

CHAT--A system by which two people on the Internet can “talk” with each other by typing words. You see the other person’s message almost instantly and vice versa. Two or more are typing their messages back and forth. This is different from e-mail where you send your mail and wait for the recipient to receive, read and then respond.

Cursor/I Beam--A moving position-indicator displayed on the computer monitor that shows the computer operator where he or she is working. You begin to type at the cursor point.

Download--Used either as a verb or a noun, it refers to the process of transferring information from a web site (or other remote location on a network) to your computer. One can “download a file” or “view a download.” (Copy a file from the Internet to your computer!)

Email--Electronic mail; messages, including memos or letters, sent electronically between networked computers that may be across the office or around the world.

Hard copy--A paper printout from the printer of what you have prepared on the computer.

Hardware--The physical and mechanical components of a computer system, such as the electronic circuitry, chips, monitor, disks, disk drives, keyboard, modem, and printer.

Home page--The main page of a Web site used to greet visitors, provide information about the site, or to direct the viewer to other pages and links on the site.

HTML--Hypertext Markup Language. A standard of text markup conventions used for documents on the World Wide Web. Browsers interpret the codes to give the text structure and formatting (such as bold, blue, or italic).

HTTP--Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A common system used to request and send HTML documents on the World Wide Web. It is the first portion of all URL addresses on the World Wide Web (e.g., http://www.

Icons--Symbols or illustrations appearing on the computer screen that indicate program files or other computer functions.

Internet--An international conglomeration of interconnected computer networks. Begun in the late 1960s, it was developed in the 1970s to allow government and university researchers to share information. The Internet is not controlled by any single group or organization. Its original focus was research and communications, but it continues to expand, offering a wide array of resources for business and home users. According to the Global Reach maketing company, as of March 2001, there are 216 million Internet users who use English as their primary language and 238 million online users who use other languages as their first language!

ISP (Internet Service Provider)–An institution that provides access to the Internet, usually for a monthly fee.

Java--An object-oriented programming language designed specifically for programs (particularly multimedia) to be used over the Internet. Java allows programmers to create small programs or applications (“applets”) to enhance Web sites.

LINK--A hypertext connection that can take you to another document or another part of the same document. On the World Wide Web, links appear either as underlined test or as pictures/icons. To follow the link, mouse click on the underlined text or the corresponding icon.

Modem--A device that connects two computers together over a telephone line by converting the computer's data into an audio signal. Most new computers have the 56K Modem. The modem allows two computers to talk to each other via the phone lines.

Mouse--A small hand-held device, similar to a trackball, used to control the position of the cursor on the video display; movements of the mouse on a desktop correspond to movements of the cursor on the screen.

PC (Personal computer)--A single-user computer containing a central processing unit (CPU) and one or more memory circuits.

RAM (Random Access Memory)--One of two basic types of memory. Portions of programs are stored in RAM when the program is launched so that the program will run faster. Though a PC has a fixed amount of RAM, only portions of it will be accessed by the computer at any given time.

URL--Uniform Resource Locator. The protocol for identifying a document on the Web; the Web address (e.g., www.census.gov).

Web Page -- A "website" or "web page" can consist of just one page, or it can have many pages. Some websites consist of hundreds of pages! A website always begins with a "Home Page." The "Home Page" is always the first page that you go to when you visit a website. Sometimes there are other pages on a website along with the "Home Page." These other pages are always "linked" to the Home Page. When we say that a page is "linked" to the Home Page, we simply mean that it is "connected" to the Home Page.

World Wide Web (“WWW” or “the Web”)--A network of servers on the Internet that use hypertext-linked databases and files. It was developed in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, and is now the primary platform of the Internet. The feature that distinguishes the Web from other Internet applications is its ability to display graphics in addition to text.

Word processor--A computer system or program for setting, editing, revising, correcting, storing, and printing text, such as Microsoft “WORD” or “WORKS” to type a letter.