Supportmycomputer.com - Glossary of Computer Terms - Free computer help to find and fix computer problems.

FREE COMPUTER HELP AND SUPPORT

WWW.SUPPORTMYCOMPUTER.COM

Find:

Support My Computer Menu

This is a database of Computer Terms in common use.

The database is in alphabetical order.
Click here to help speed up your search.

AB CD EFGH IJKLM NOPQ RST UVWXYZ

EBCDIC	Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code is a common binary code in use today
Eight-bit microcomputer	A microcomputer whose microprocessor can process only eight bits, or one byte, of data at a time
Electron gun	The electronic component in a cathode ray tube (CRT), such as a television or monitor, that aims a stream of electrons against the screen's phosphor elements, thereby creating a screen image
Electronic bulletin board	A file that is accessible to the users of a local area network and typically contains notices of current interest such as advertisements, messages, and announcements
Electronic mail	The use of a computer for personal or business communications, in which users leave short, written message in each other's computer "mail boxes"
Electronic spreadsheet (ESS)	A software program that creates a large number of cells, each of which can be referenced by its row and column coordinates
Electronically altered PROM (EAPROM)	A programmable read-only chip that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed
Electronically erased PROM (EEPROM)	A programmable read-only chip that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed
e-mail	(Electronic mail) A means of sending text or files to other computers via an internet connection.
Emulation	The use of special control programs to make a new computer system "act" like an older one, thus enabling a business to execute its older programs while software conversion takes place
Encryption	The process of scrambling computerized data using a predefined formula or algorithm in order to protect it during transmission or storage
End user	Usually nontechnical individuals who use computer resources to accomplish daily tasks
Erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM)	A programmable read only memory that can be erased and programmed with special devices
Erasable read only memory (EROM)	A type of read only memory that can be erased by exposure to ultraviolet light
Ethernet	Network access method developed in the early 1970s. Ethernet is the most widely used network technology.
Execution time (E-time)	The portion of one machine cycle needed by a CPU's supervisory-control unit to execute an instruction
Expansion card	Electronic components that have been wired onto a flat board and that slip into an expansion slot of a microcomputer
Expansion slot	Physical areas in a central processing unit, especially microcomputers, that are used to install additional electronic components
Explicit formatting	The use of observable print-control characters to plan the placement and appearance of output in a word processing document
Exploded pie chart	A type of graphic picture whose circular format resembles the slices of a pie, but with at least one of these pieces partially removed from the pie's center
External data transmission	The transfer of data to either local or remote computers or equipment
FAQ	(Frequently Asked Questions) FAQs are files of answers to commonly asked questions. Always read FAQs before asking obvious questions.
FAX (Facsimile) machine	A device for digitizing picture images and transmitting them over long distances -- typically over telephone lines
Field	A set of character spaces reserved for a specified data item (such as an employee's last name) in a computer record
Field mask	A designated area on a preformatted screen that identifies the field size for input data
FIFO	First-in, first-out
File	A set of computer records that have been stored together on tape or disk for some common data processing purpose
File management program	A program that allows the user to enter data on forms and make requests for particular types of data items
Firewall	Hardware and/or software used to prevent computer hackers from getting into a computer system. Further Information
Firmware	Halfway between hardware and software, firmware consists of modifiable programs embedded within hardware enabling it to run properly.
First-generation programming language	A machine language written in binary code and stored in primary memory
First-in, first-out (FIFO)	A method of prioritizing job requests in which the first user to request service gets it
Fixed disk	A disk drive whose disk pack has been permanently mounted
Fixed-length record	A computer record that uses the same amount of space as every other record on the file
Flat file	A collection of similar computer records in which each record on the file is the same as every other record in terms of importance or use
Flat panel display screen	A liquid crystal display (LCD) screen that contains a grid of luminescent substances which glow when excited by electricity
Flatbed plotter	A plotter using a bed or tray to hold paper in a fixed position
Floating point number	A number with significant digits to the right of the decimal point
Floppy	A common type of removable disk. Floppies hold little data, but most computers are capable of reading them. However, there are different formats used for floppies, so that a floppy written by one type of computer might not directly work on another. Also sometimes called "diskette".
Floppy disk	A flexible mylar disk often used as secondary storage and commonly called a diskette
Flowchart	The pictorial representation of an orderly step-by-step solution to a problem
Font	The typestyle used in printing a document
Footers	The lines of text that appear at the bottom of every page of a word-processing document
Foreground mode	Computer processing that is immediately controllable by the user
Form letter	A letter created with a word processing system in which most of the information is standard and a limited amount of variable information (such as the recipient's name and address) is added from a separate file
Formula (in spreadsheets)	A calculation to be performed and stored in certain cells, typically using data from other cells
Formula Display (in spreadsheets)	A spreadsheet's ability to display the actual formula programmed in a particular cell instead of the value the formula computes
FORTH	A language released by Charles Moore in 1975 that was designed for real-time control tasks, as well as business and graphics applications
FORTRAN (FORmula TRANslator)	The first high level language, introduced in 1954 by IBM; it is scientifically oriented
Freeware	Software that is made available for download and to use completely free of charge.
Frequency	The number of times an analog signal repeats during a specific time interval
Frequency modulation	The alteration of the carrier wave frequency to represent 0s and 1s
Friction feed printers	A printer that uses friction, instead of tractor or pin feeders, to hold printer paper steady in its platen
FTP	(File Transfer Protocol) A protocol that allows the transfer of files from one computer to another over the internet.
Full-duplex transmission	Data transmission in both directions at once
Full-screen display	The ability to use 80 columns and 25 lines on a video display screen
Function keys	Special keys programmed to execute commonly-used commands which are usually labeled "F1", "F2", etc
Gallium arsenide	Speedy material used as a substitute for silicon in chipmaking
Gantt chart	A bar chart commonly used to depict schedule deadlines and milestones
General-purpose register	A register used for several functions, such as arithmetic and addressing purposes
Generic operating system	An operating system that works with different computer systems
Gigabyte	1,000 or 1,024 Megabytes, depending on the measuring system.
Gigabyte (GB)	One billion bytes
GIGO	Garbage in, garbage out: The quality of the output is directly dependent on the quality of the input
Graphics adapter board	A circuit board that enables an IBM Personal Computer to display pictures or graphs as well as text
Graphics printer	A printer such as a dot-matrix printer that is capable of preparing graphics (such as charts or drawings) as well as text output
Graphics system	A set of computer hardware and software for creating, storing, manipulating, changing, and outputting graphics images
Graphics terminal	A terminal with the ability to produce pictures, line drawings, graphs, charts, and other pictorial displays in numerous eye-pleasing formats, often in color
Grid chart	A row-and-column chart commonly used in the systems analysis phase of a computer project to document input and output specifications
GUI	(Graphical user interface) A graphics-based means of communicating with a program, especially an operating system or window manager.
Hacker	The current popular meaning of the term is to describe those who break into computer systems or networks, destroy data, steal copyrighted software, and perform other destructive or illegal acts.
Half-duplex data transmission	Data transmission in either direction, but only one way at a time
Hard disks	5 inch or 3 1/2 - inch Winchester disks in sealed modules
Hard hyphenation	A permanent dash in a word document (e
Hardcard	10, 20 or more megabytes of hard disk on a board that fits into an expansion slot inside a personal computer
Hard-copy output	Computer output that is permanent -- for example, output that is printed or graphed on paper
Hard-sector disk	A disk with a hole in front of each sector, near the center of the diskette
Hardware	The computer and its associated equipment
Head crash	An accident caused by a read/write head touching (crashing) the disk, and which destroys the heads, disks, and data stored on the disk
Headers	The lines of text that appear at the top of every page of word processing documents
Help facility	A computer program's ability to provide users with on-screen explanations of system commands, formatting conventions, or usage techniques
Help key	A function key that enables a user to obtain additional explanatory information on the input requirements or acceptable codes of an application program
Hexadecimal number system	A number system that uses 16 symbols to represent data
Hierarchical model	A database model in which records in a file are associated in a one-to-many, or parent-child, relationship
High-level languages	English-like programming languages developed after the development of symbolic languages
Host	Any end-user computer system that connects to a network.