Animated gifs: Images that move.
Application: Computer software, such as a word processor or database. Often called a program.
Audio files: Music files. Can use on your web page.
Autoexec.bat: A special file containing instructions that are carried out every time the computer system is started or re-started. These instructions help the computer get set up and find certain programs.
BIOS: Basic Input/Output System. A routine stored in read-only memory (ROM) that controls communications between the PC & its hardware.
Bit: Short for binary digit. this is the smallest unit of data a computer can handle. Each bit has a value of 0 or 1 that the computer interprets as "off" or "on" respectively.
Border: The edges of a window; you can move the border in or out to change the window's size.
BMP: A graphic file extension. The Windows '95 Paint program can create & edit BMP files. If you have a scanner you can scan in any graphic as a BMP.
Byte: Eight bits make up one byte. A byte is equivalent to one character (letter or number).
CD-ROM: (compact disc, read-only memory) A storage medium that holds computer data and uses laser optics rather than magnetic means to read data. A CD-ROM can hold approximately 650 megabytes (MB) of data approximately 300,000 pages of text, which is roughly that of 700 diskettes. Information can be read from CD-ROMS but not recorded to, unless you are lucky enough to own the brand-new DVD-ROM drive.
Click: To push & release a button on the mouse. (Left button is the main button, unless it has been programmed otherwise, such as for a left handed person)
COM Port: Communications port for hooking up devices such as modems.
Command Prompt: The little symbol that looks like C:\ or A:\. It's where you type instructions (commands) for DOS to carry out. Also called a Prompt.
Config.sys: A text file DOS uses when a computer starts up. It contains commands that tell DOS how to communicate with new hardware, customize communication with existing hardware, & adjust your computer's memory usage.
CPU: Central Processing Unit. Also called the microprocessor, this chip is the brains of a computer. It controls the computers actions and can find, decode and carry out instructions and assigns tasks to other resources.
Cursor: The marker that shows your position in a file or on-screen.
Default: Choosing the default option enables you to avoid making a decision. If you not sure what to choose, select default.
Desktop: The area on your screen where you move the windows & icons around. You can select wallpaper to dress it up.
Device Driver: Software designed to control a particular hardware device, such as a monitor or printer.
Domain: The official Internet name of a computer on the Net. Its the part of the name after the @.
DOS: Disk Operating System. The operating system software used to run IBM-compatible computers.
Double-click: Rapidly pressing a mouse button twice in succession without moving the mouse. Use to open files & applications.
Download: To bring software or files from another computer to your computer via modem.
Directory: A separate folder on a hard drive for storing files. Storing related files in a directory makes them easier to find. Windows '95 calls a directory a folder now.
Drag: A 4-step mouse process that moves an object across your desktop.
Drop: Step 4 of the drag technique.
DRV: A file name ending in DRV is a driver file. Driver files let Windows talk to your printer, video card, sound card, CD-ROMS , modems, etc.
E-mail: Electronic mail messages sent by way of the Internet to a particular person.
FAQ: Short for Frequently Asked Questions. These text files are usually found on on-line services. Designed to answer questions most frequently asked by new users. Very handy.
File: A collection of information in a format designed for use on a computer.
Flame: A vicious on-line verbal attack, usually the result of someone's lack of Netiquette.
Folder: An area for storing files on a hard drive (formerly called a directory). Folders can contain other folders for further organization.
Format: The process of preparing a disk to have files written to it. Formatting a disk wipes it clean of any information that may have been on it.
GB: (Gigabyte) A common measurement of computer storage equaling about 1 billion bytes, or 1,000 megabytes.
GIF: Stands for Graphic Interchange Format. A graphic file extension. Commonly used in the Internet.
GUI: Graphical User Interface. Software such as Windows, that let users control computer tasks by pointing with a mouse to images & menus rather than by typing text commands.
Header: The information at the top of an E-mail message that's visible when replying or forwarding the message. The header contains information about the sender and route of the message.
Highlight:A selected item. Different colors usually appear over a highlighted object to show that it has been singled out for further action.
Home page: The introductory page at a Web site, that provides links (hyperlinks) to other Web pages.
HTML: Hypertext Markup Lanuage. The standard language used for creating & formatting WEB pages that are readable in the Internet.
Hyperlink: A connector that jumps you to different documents on the Internet when you select highlighted words.
ICQ: On online, instant messenger chat service from Mirabilis. Users can customize ICQ to alert them when friends or specified users are online so they can send or receive real-time messages. www.mirabilis.com/index.html
INI: Short for initialization. This extension is found on special computer settings. Don't mess with them unless you are very sure of what you are doing.
Instant Messaging: Sending messages to another user that immediately appear on that user's computer screen over the Internet. Instant messages are different from email messages in that they do not sit unread until the user checks his or her email; they appear on-screen as they are received.
Internet: A huge collection of computers linked around the world.
ISP: Internet Service Provider. A company that lets you dial into it's computers & connect to the Internet for a fee. There are local ISPs that offer access* numbers in your local calling area and national ISPs that provide local-access numbers across the country, such as AOL, CompuServe & MSN.
* Make sure you will be dialing a local number before signing up with any ISP!
JPG: Stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. A type of graphics file found commonly on the Internet.
Java: A programming language that allows you to write small programs that can be transmitted on-line in a Web page.
KB: (Kilobyte). A unit of computer storage equaling approximately 1 thousand bytes.
Link: A connection. In the Internet, a link refers to a hypertext link in a Web page that connects one page to another.
Maximize: Making a window fill the whole screen. The icon for this is the one in the middle of the group of 3 that appears in the upper right-hand corner of the window.
Memory: Where the computer stores information as it is being worked on. Everything in memory is gone if the computer goes down or gets shut off. Memory is a temporary storage, in the form of RAM chips. You can buy more memory. Measured in MBs.
Menu: A list of commands or options in a program. Menus are usually displayed across the top of the screen, giving you one word commands or choices. Menus usually contain a hidden list of items or choices.
MB (Megabyte) A unit of computer storage equaling approximately 1 million bytes.
MHz: (Megahertz). Used to measure a computer system's speed, one megahertz is equal to 1 million cycles per second.
Microprocessor: The computers main brain, where all the calculations take place and the control center for the entire computer. Microprocessors are also called CPUs. They are given numbers such as 8088, 80386, 80486, the 586's are referred to as pentiums.
Modem: (Modulator/Demodulator) A device that lets a PC communicate & exchange information with other modem-equipped computers via telephone lines.
Motherboard: The foundation of a computer. Contains a computer's CPU, RAM, & expansion slots. The motherboard is where all of your components come together.
Mouse: A hand-held device letting you control an on-screen pointer & make on-screen selections by clicking on the buttons, icons, or commands instead of using the keyboard.
Minimize: Shrinking down a window to temporarily get it out of the way. The icon for it is located in the group of 3 boxes in the upper right-hand corner of the window. Its the - (minus sign) one. Its icon will be located on the Taskbar. To restore it, just click on it.
MS-DOS: Stands for Microsoft Disk Operating System. Commonly shortened to just DOS.
Multimedia: Describes a computer or program that uses sound with animation or video. Many multimedia programs are stored on CD-ROM because sound & video consume more space than a diskette can hold.
Multitasking: Running several applications at the same time.
Nerd: Someone who enjoys using a computer. There is no known cure.
Netiquette: On-line courtesies; basically...just being polite to other Internet users.
Network: A group of 2 or more computers and other devices that are connected for the purpose of exchanging information.
Operating System: Software that controls the computers operations, such as MS-DOS, Windows '95, Windows '98, UNIX, & OS/2. Windows 3.x is an operating environment because it requires MS-DOS to run.
On-line: To be connected to the Internet. To be on and ready to go, such as when a printer is turned on, full of paper and ready to print. The state in which a computer can interact with a device or program or another computer.
Parallel port: The computer interface outlet or plug where you can connect an external parallel device (such as a printer) to your PC. This type of port lets more than one bit of data be transmitted at once.
Pathname: The full, exact name of a file or directory on a disk or hard drive. The pathname includes the drive letter, a colon and all the directories, sub-directories and the filename itself.
Pentium: The official name Intel gave the "586" microprocessor. This was done to keep the other companies (AMD, Cyrix) from calling their chip the 586. Intel could not copyright numbers.
Peripheral: Any item attached to the outside of the computer. Such as monitors, printers, modems, keyboards, mice, etc.
Pixel: An individual dot on the computer's display, used to show graphics. A graphic image on a computer is made up of hundreds of dots or pixels. Each can be a different color or in a different position, which creates the image you see on the screen.. The number of pixels horizontally & vertically give you the graphics resolution.
Ports: Plug-like connectors on the back of a PC's case that let the machine communicate with peripheral devices such as mice & printers. Serial ports transmit data 1 bit of data at a time; Parallel ports transmit data 8 bits (1 byte) at a time.
Program: A special file on disk or CD that contains instructions for the computer. In DOS all programs are stored with the 2nd part of the filename as EXE (execute), COM (command) or BAT (batch). To run a program , you need only to type in the first part of the filename.
Prompt: The little symbol that looks like C:\ or A:\. It's where you type instructions (commands) for DOS to carry out. Also called Command Prompt.
Purge: To eliminate unneeded files/information from a computer system. You can purge old files in order to free up hard drive space.
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RAM: (random-access memory) The temporary memory storage area used to load program instructions and store files currently in use. Unless a file is permanently stored on a hard drive, diskette, or other storage medium, changes to information in RAM will be lost when the computer is turned off.
Resolution: This refers to the number of dots on a screen. The higher the resolution, the greater the number of dots vertically and horizontally, the finer the graphics image your computer can display.
ROM: (Read-Only Memory). A memory area into which instructions for the computer are loaded. Data in this area cannot be edited.
Root Directory: The main directory on a diskette or hard drive. All directories & files stored on a disk are inside this directory. The root directory is created when a diskette or hard drive is formatted. Usually called C:\.
Scanner: A photocopier-like device that uses light-sensing equipment to read a document & translate it into information that can be used on a computer.
Screen dump: A ugly term for taking the information on the screen and sending a copy to the clipboard. You can then paste it into a word processor or other such program. To do a screen dump press the Print Screen key, which may be labeled Print Scrn, PrtSc, or some such thing.
SCSI: Stands for Small Computer System Interface. It's like a very fast & versatile serial port.
Search engine: A program that helps users find specific information, either on the Internet or in their system. One typically enters a keyword or phrase, and the search engine will seek out matches on the Internet or in your systems programs.
Serial port: An input/output channel for serial data communication. A serial port is the connection point on a computer where you connect a serial device to the system, such as a mouse or external modem. Serial ports are typically identified as communication (COM) ports. Most computers come with two serial ports, and many have the capacity to accommodate four or more.
Shortcut: A Windows 95 icon that serves as a punch button for doing something...loading a file, starting a program, or playing a sound. Shortcuts have little arrows in their bottom corner so that you can tell them apart from the icons that really stands for files & programs.
Shut Down: The process of telling Windows 95 to save all its settings and files so that you can turn off your computer.. You must click the Shut Down option, found on the Start menu before turning off your computer.
Sound card: A card that adds sounds beyond the basic beeps, to your computer. Essential for any program or application that uses sounds or music.
Start Button: The button in the corner of your screen where you begin working. Clicking the Start button brings up the Start menu.
Start Menu: The menu of options that appears when you click Start. From the Start menu you can load programs & files, find help, change settings, find programs, or shut down.
Spam: Unsolicited E-mail; also the act of sending someone junk E-mail.
Sub-directory: A term for a directory in relation to another directory. All sub-directories on a disk are sub-directories of the root.
Taskbar: The bar in Windows 95 that lists all the currently running programs and open folders. The Start button is on the Taskbar.
Toggle: Something that can be on or off.; a single switch that's pressed once to turn something on and again to turn it off. This term appears when describing something you can do in a program that turns a function on & doing it again turns it off.
URL: Universal Resource Locator. An Internet address
Utility: Software designed to perform basic computing tasks, such as backups, cleaning up files, and diagnosing potential problems with your PC.
Video card: The card your monitor plugs into at the back of your computer. It controls display factors such as resolution, colors & speed. The newer cards contain some memory (8MB is the high currently) so your computer isn't bogged down by handling all these chores by itself.
Videoconferencing: The face-to-face communication via computers using Web cameras, microphones, speakers, & communication lines to transmit compressed audio & video data. Participants sit in front of a Web camera & speak into a microphone. As this occurs, the data compresses & transmits to another participant who receives the data by viewing the video on a computer screen and hearing audio thru the speakers.
Virus: A program designed to destroy data or halt operation on systems by copying itself into files & executing when those files are loaded.
Wallpaper:Graphics that spread across the background of your computer screen. Any BMP file can be used as wallpaper.
Web Browser:Software for getting around in the World Wide Web. Some of the more popular ones are Netscape and Internet Explorer.
WWW: Short for World Wide Web. The WWW works as a sort of computerized television, letting you jump from channel to channel by pointing & clicking at the pages. Also known simply as "The Web".
WYSIWYG:Means "What You See Is What You Get". Generally speaking, if a program is WYSIWYG, what you see on the screen is pretty close to what you'll see when its printed...
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Yahoo Messenger: Another free, online instant messenger chat service, from Yahoo. Users can customize Yahoo Messenger to alert them when friends or specified users are online so they can send or receive real-time messages. Also, has a Voice Chat feature so you can actually chat with your friends or call friends on their phone from your computer (requires that a microphone & speakers be hooked up, but headphones are even better). http://messenger.yahoo.com/
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