A:
The drive designator for floppy disk drive A.

A:\>
A DOS prompt which indicates that the current drive is A and the current directory is the root directory.

algorithm
A prescribed set of well-defined rules or processes for the solution of a problem in a finite number of steps.

active window
Active window is the term used to denote the application window which is currently selected. It is sometimes said that the active window "has the focus". Windows for other applications which may be open at the same time are said to be inactive, or in the background.

alpha-numeric keys
All keys on the keyboard which produce characters and numbers.

application program
A program written for or by a user that applies to his own work.

archiving
Freeing up space on the active storage system by moving infrequently-used data files to off-line storage.

ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standard format for storing and exchanging information between binary-based computers.

ASCII file
A disk file containing only ASCII characters 32 - 126, ie. only alpha-numeric characters and punctuation. Also known as a DOS or text file.

backspace key
Keyboard key which moves the cursor back one space, erasing the character (or code) which occupied that place.

bandwidth
The measurement of the rate at which information can be transferred across a network or the Internet. A wider bandwidth means more information can be transferred during a given amount of time.

C:\>
The DOS prompt indicating that the current drive is C (the first hard disk on a hard disk system) and the current directory is the root.

Command and Control (C&C)
The method of using a computer or computer network (peer-to-peer) to exercise control over a botnet.

computer
A data processor that can perform substantial computation, including numerous arithmetic or logic operations, without intervention by a human operator during the run.
A central processing unit, with main storage, input/output channels, control units, direct access storage devices, and input\output devices connected to it.

computer program
A series of computer instructions that are designed to accomplish a task or achieve a particular result.

COPY
The DOS command used to make an exact duplicate of a disk file.

CPU
Central Processing Unit. A CPU consists of a microprocessor and a certain amount of onboard RAM. Using built-in instructions as well as those from software programs, the CPU controls and coordinates the functions of other hardware devices and performs arithmetic calculations.

data
A set of meaningful symbols.

ellipsis
An ellipsis (...) appears after commands on a Windows application's menu which indicates that more information will be required in a dialogue box in order for the command to be carried out.

file
A document or collection of related records treated as a unit and stored on disk.

file association
See file extension below.

file extension
An optional three characters separated by a period from a file name to further identify a disk file. In MS-Windows file extensions such as .DOC, .TXT, .HTM, .XLS, etc. are associated with a particular application program, enabling a user to launch the appropriate application and load a file by simply double-clicking on a file in Windows Explorer or My Computer.

file maintenance
The process of deleting, copying, moving, and generally organizing files logically in folders in a hierarchal disk structure.

file name
In DOS, between one and eight characters which identify a disk file. MS-Windows permits file names up to 256 characters.

firmware
A term used to describe the instructions which have been permanently burned into a ROM (Read Only Memory) chip.

floppy disk, or diskette
Magnetic media secondary storage. A flexible mylar plastic disc coated with a magnetic material.

flush right
The word processing text alignment which positions text flush against a specified right margin, creating a ragged left margin.

folder
A folder is a location on a disk drive where files can be stored. The term folder is interchangable with the term directory.

font
A set of characters whose appearance is defined by a combination of typeface, style, weight, and size elements.

footer
Text printed in the bottom margin of each page in a word processing document.

forward slash
The character used to separate the structure levels of a URL. Adopted from the UNIX computer operating system.

FTP
File Transfer Protocol. The protocol used to upload and download files on the Internet.

hanging indent
A paragraph format in which the first line begins with one or more tab stops to the left of the remaining lines.

hard copy
Information in a readable form on paper. Printed copy.

hard page return
A manually placed page break, usually inserted with the Control-Enter keystroke combination. Hard page returns are represented by the [HPg] code in WordPerfect and by double-dashed lines in MS-Word.

hard disk
A secondary storage device in which the storage medium is several rigid aluminum platters coated with a magnetic material. Characterized by very large storage capacity and speedy retrieval.

hardware
Physical equipment, as opposed to the computer program or method of use. Mechanical, magnetic, electrical, or electronic devices. Examples: keyboard, system unit, monitor, disk drive, printer, etc. Contrast with software.

1. input (keyboard, mouse, microphone, digital camera, modem)
2. output (monitor, printer, speakers, modem)
3. primary storage (Random Access Memory)
4. secondary storage (magnetic media, optical media, digital memory)
5. processing (microprocessor)

header
Text printed in the top margin of a document.

homepage
(1) the default page loaded by a browser, or (2) a website's main page.

HTML
HyperText Markup Language. HTML formatting tags tell browsers how a World Wide Web document should be displayed. HTML documents have the extension .HTML on Unix servers and .HTM on MS-Windows servers. See also Hypertext.

HTTP
HyperText Transfer Protocol. The protocol used by World Wide Web servers and browsers to exchange information. The most common transfer protocol on the Internet.

Hypertext, or hyperlink
A method of formatting which permits documents to be linked by causing specified words (or images) to "jump" to other documents when they are clicked on.

IBM compatible
Designation for any make of computer which is hardware and software compatible with the IBM family of microcomputers.

information
Data which has been processed or organized.

initialize
To set counters, switches, and addresses to zero or other starting values at the beginning of, or at prescribed points in a computer routine.

Internal commands
The DOS internal commands, which are the smaller, most frequently used commands, are all included within COMMAND.COM. Since COMMAND.COM is loaded into secondary memory, or RAM, when the computer system is booted, internal commands do not need to be located on disk and therefore can always be executed from any DOS prompt.

Internet
An internet is a group of networks connected together. Used with a capital "I" it refers to the global interconnection of networks.

Internet Worm
A program which distributes so many copies of itself to Internet servers that they often crash.

IP
Internet Protocol. A protocol which determines how packets (discrete quantities of information) are addressed and routed. The second part of TCP/IP.

Java
A high-level, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Programs written in Java are cross-platform because they are compiled into bytecode which is interpretted to different hardware platforms by a virtual machine: the Java interpreter, or the Java runtime. Java applets can also be integrated into World Wide Web pages and provide features such as interactivity and animation.

JavaScript
A scripting language developed by Netscape Communications which is used to add interactivity and animation to World Wide Web pages. It is not the same as Java.

kilobytes
One thousand bytes. Also K or Kb.

laser printer
Output device which prints an entire page at a time by attracting toner particles to static charges on the paper surface.

logic
Comparing, branching, and testing true or false to continue or to repeat instructions.

macro
A common feature of application programs which "plays back" a sequence of commands and/or data entry with a single command.

mail merge
A word processing feature which creates standard documents by combining a template document and a database.

main frame computer
A large, fast, multiuser computer system with centralized processing and data storage.

megabyte
One million bytes (characters). Measurement of data storage capacity. Abbreviated M. or sometimes Mb.

megahertz
One million cycles per second. Used to measure the CPU's clock rate or speed. Abbreviated MHz.

microcomputer
An electronic device capable of performing arithmetic and logic operations on data, according to a stored program of instructions.
A self-contained desktop computer system utilizing a microprocessor.

microprocessor
A programmable processing circuit built on a single silicon chip.

modem
Input/output device that converts computer signals (digital) to telephone system signals (analog) and back again to facilitate the transmission of data between computer systems.

monitor
Output device which displays characters and graphic images.

motherboard
The main printed circuit board in a computer. At the minimum, a motherboard includes the microprocessor with its supporting chip set and RAM. Other circuits, such as video adapter, modem, network interface card, sound card, etc. are frequently plugged into the motherboard via expansion slots. This modular approach make computer hardware more easily and economically maintained and upgraded.

move command
The word processing or computer program feature which enables selected text to be moved within a document or between two documents. Windows programs use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+X.

newspaper columns
In a word processor document, the style of columns in which text is arranged from the top of the page to the bottom and then continues at the top of the page in the next column.

Node
A processing location on a network. A workstation (client) or server.

A user interface is a special class of computer program running under the supervision of the operating system that allows a user to communicate with the os.

Examples of operating systems include MS-Windows, Apple System X, Unix, Linux, and DOS.

orphan
The first line of a paragraph appearing by itself at the bottom of a page. See widow.

packet
To send information over a packet-switched network, the information is divided into small "packets" which are identified and labeled with their source and destination addresses.

packet switching
The technology that makes possible large-scale computer networking. Instead of a dedicated connection between two computers, messages are divided up into packets and transmitted over a decentralized network. Once all of the packets arrive at the destination, they are reassembled.

pagination
The division of a document into pages of predetermined length, either manually or automatically.

password
A confidential set of characters which restricts access to a document, program, or computer system.

phishing
Attempting to induce individuals to divulge personal information which can then be used for fraudulent purposes. Also, spear-phishing, or sniping where a specific individual or company is targeted.

pinned list items
The pinned list is the portion of the MS-Windows Start Menu at the top of the left column, just above the most frequently used programs list. Users can add an item to the pinned list by putting a shortcut to a document, application, or printer, etc. in the Start Menu folder.

On a color monitor, a pixel is actually composed of three sub-pixels (red, blue, and green) and is therefore the smallest area which can be lit up as a color.

The greater the number of pixels which can be displayed in a given area, the smaller each pixel is and the better the quality of the resulting image.

server
A server, or network server, is a computer system which shares hardware and software resources, such as secondary storage, printers, application programs, etc., with network clients, or workstations.

scrolling
The upward, downward, or sideway movement of information on a computer screen.

software
A set of instructions in a disk file which directs a computer to perform a specific set of functions. A program.

SPAM
Unsolicited email messages. Leading source for eFraud and malware.

spelling checker
A word processing function which searches for and corrects misspellings by comparing a document's words with those in a built-in spelling dictionary.

SPIM
SPAM delivered by instant messaging.

split screen
The word processing feature which permits the simultaneous display of (parts of) two or more documents.

TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The protocol first used on the Internet which has now become the most widely-used network protocol.

Telnet
Telnet is a terminal emulation protocol used to allow a user at a computer to log on to a remote computer and enter commands at a prompt as if they were directly connected.

Temporary Internet Files
Copies of web pages stored on a computer by a browser.

template
A model for other documents or files. Can contain formatting, styles, macros, and/or text.

thesaurus utility
A word processing feature that provides synonyms and antonyms from a built-in dictionary for specified words in a document.

typeover mode
The data entry mode in which new characters replace those already in the text.

Web-based email
Email services, usually free, which make it possible to send and receive email using a browser.

widow
The last line of a paragraph at the top of a page by itself. See orphan.

window control buttons
In an MS-Windows application window, the control buttons, which are located at the right-hand side of the window's title bar, are used to control the mode in which the application is running or to close the application.

• The left-most control button is the Minimize button. Clicking on this control causes an application to run minimized. An application which has been minimized is still open, but its window does not appear on the desktop, although its icon will still appear on the task bar.
• The center control button is called the Restore Down button when an application is running full-screen. Clicking on the Restore Down button switches the application from full-screen to window mode. When an application is running in window mode, this control is called the Maximize button. Clicking on the Maximize button makes the application run in full-screen mode.
• The right-hand control button is called the Close button. It is used to exit an application.