BASIC TERMINOLOGIES
(PART – 1)
EBEES Infotrain Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd.
Access time – The performance of a hard drive or other storage device – how long it takes to locate a file.
Active program or window– The application or window at the front (foreground) on the monitor.
Application – a program in which you do your work.
or
A computer program that does specific tasks such as word processing or spreadsheets.
Bit – Represents a binary digit which is the amount of information obtained by asking a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’
question.This is also the smallest unit of information stored on a computer as a 0 or 1 .
Blinking Cursor – This is a vertical blinking bar that locates the position on the screen where text can be inserted or deleted . This appears most frequently in text or dialog boxes.
or
I Beam – As the cursor moves over text, the pointer will change into an ‘I.’ This facilitates word processing and copying text. See Blinking Cursor.
I or │
Byte – Data is stored on a computer in Bytes. A byte is one character, which may be a number or letter. A byte is composed of 8 consecutive bits.
• 1,000 bytes = 1 kilobyte (K or KB)
• 1,000 KB = 1 megabyte (MB)
• 1,000 MB = 1 gigabyte (GB)
• 1,000 GB = 1 Terabyte (TB)
Backup – a copy of a file or disk you make for archiving purposes.
Boot – to start up a computer.
Bug – a programming error that causes a program to behave in an unexpected way.
Byte – a piece of computer information made up of eight bits.
Cache – This is a type of memory and is similar to RAM. Cache is used by the computer to move data between the RAM and CPU.
Clock Rate (MHz) – The instruction processing speed of a computer measured in millions of cycles per second (i.e., 200 MHz).
Compiler – a program the converts programming code into a form that can be used by a computer.
Compression – a technique that reduces the size of a saved file by elimination or encoding redundancies (i.e., JPEG, MPEG, LZW, etc.)
Control panel – a program that allows you to change settings in a program or change the way a Mac looks and/or behaves.
Crash – a system malfunction in which the computer stops working and has to be restarted.
Cursor – The pointer, usually arrow or cross shaped, which is controlled by the mouse.
Daisy chaining – the act of stringing devices together in a series (such as SCSI). Database – an electronic list of information that can be sorted and/or searched. Data – (the plural of datum) information processed by a computer.
Defragment – (also – optimise) to concatenate fragments of data into contiguous blocks in memory or on a hard drive.
Dialog box – an on-screen message box that appears when the computer requires additional information before completing a command.
Digitise – to convert linear, or analogue, data into digital data that can be used by the computer.
Disk – a spinning platter made of magnetic or optically etched material on which data can be stored.
Disk drive – the machinery that writes the data from a disk and/or writes data to a disk.
Disk window – the window that displays the contents or directory of a disk. Document – a file you create, as opposed to the application which created it. DOS – acronym for Disk Operating System – used in IBM PCs.
DPI – acronym for Dots Per Inch – a gauge of visual clarity on the printed page or on the computer screen.
Download – to transfer data from one computer to another. (If you are on the receiving end, you are downloading. If you are on the sending end, you are uploading).
ASCII (pronounced ask-key ) – American Standard Code for Information Interchange. a commonly used data format for exchanging information between computers or programs.
Drag – to move the mouse while its button is being depressed.
Driver – a file on a computer that tells it how to communicate with an add-on piece of equipment (like a printer).
Ethernet – a protocol for fast communication and file transfer across a network. Expansion slot – a connector inside the computer that allows one to plug in a printed circuit board that provides new or enhanced features.
File – the generic word for an application, document, control panel or other computer data.
Floppy – a 3.5-inch square rigid disk which holds data. (so named for the earlier 5.25 and 8 inch disks that were flexible).
Font – a typeface that contains the characters of an alphabet or some other letterforms. Fragmentation – The breaking up of a file into many separate locations in memory or on a disk.
Freeze – a system error, which causes the cursor to lock in place.
Gig – a gigabyte = 1024 megabytes.
Hard drive – a large capacity storage device made of multiple disks housed in a rigid case.
Head crash – a hard disk crash caused by the heads coming in contact with the spinning disk(s).
