Hope this post may help all of you though you know all of
this.
anti-virus software - A
program that
finds and removes
viruses from
a computer.
backup - A copy of files from a computer's
hard disk,
usually made on some external medium such as
CD-ROM or
flash
drive. A backup is made in case the hard disk file(s) are erased or damaged.
bit, bytes - A bit is the smallest piece of
information that computers use. For simplicity, a PC uses bits in groups of 8
called bytes (8 bits = 1 byte).
Bluetooth - a way of communicating wirelessly over
short distances between electronic devices (for example computer and mobile
telephone)
boot, boot up, boot disk - You boot (or boot up) your
computer when you switch it on and wait while it prepares itself. Instructions
for startup are given to the computer from the boot disk, which is usually the
hard disk.
browser, to browse - A browser is a
program like
Firefox or Internet Explorer. You use it to view or browse the
Internet.
bug - A (small) defect or fault in a
program.
cache - A kind of
memory used
to make a computer work faster.
CD-ROM - A disk for storing computer
information. It looks like an audio CD.
CPU - Central Processing Unit. This is a PC's heart or
"brains".
data - usually means the information
(text, pictures, audio etc) that you create or share on a computer, as opposed
to the
programs that
manipulate the data.
DOS - Disk Operating System. The original system used
for PCs, where you typed in commands instead of pointing and clicking.
driver - A small
program that
tells a PC how a
peripheral works.
ebook - an electronic book that can
be downloaded and read on a computer or other device.
electronic mail (email, e-mail) - Messages
sent from one computer to another. You can see email on the screen or print it
out.
file - a specific computer record; it could
contain
data such
as text (eg essay.doc), or a
program such
as paint.exe.
floppy disk - A cheap,
removable disk used for storing or transferring information. It is floppy
(soft) because it is plastic. (Now virtually obsolete.)
See hard disk.
floppy drive - The device used to run a
floppy disk (usually
drive "A".) (Now virtually obsolete.)
folder (directory) - A
sub-division of a computer's
hard disk into
which you put files.
font - A particular sort of lettering (on the screen
or on paper). Arial is a font. Times New Roman is another.
format - All
hard disks and
floppy disks have
to be electronically prepared for use by a process called formatting. Hard
disks are pre-formatted by the computer manufacturer. If you buy a floppy disk
that is not pre-formatted, you format it yourself, using a
program that
comes with your PC.
graphics card - The equipment inside a computer that
creates the image on the screen.
hard disk - The main disk
inside a computer used for storing
programs and
information. It is hard because it is metal.
See floppy disk.
hotspot - an area that has an available wireless
signal for Internet access (usually public).
icon - A small image or picture on a computer screen
that is a symbol for
folders,
disks,
peripherals,
programs etc.
Internet -
International
network
of computers that you connect to by telephone line. Two popular services of the
Internet are the
World Wide Web and
electronic
mail.
iPad - a
tablet computer
created by Apple.
Kb, Mb, Gb - kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes. Used to
measure computer
memory and
storage.
Kindle - a device for downloading and reading
ebooks,
developed by Amazon.com.
memory - Memory is for the
temporary storing of information while a computer is being used.
SeeRAM, ROM and
Cache.
MHz - Megahertz. This describes the speed of computer
equipment. The higher the MHz the better the performance.
modem - Equipment connected to
a computer for sending/receiving digital information by telephone line. You may
need a modem to connect to the
Internet,
to send
electronic
mail and to fax.
notebook - a notebook computer; a laptop computer; a
folding, portable computer.
operating system (OS) - The basic software that
manages a computer (for example, Windows 7, OS X, Unix, iOS).
OCR - Optical Character Recognition. OCR lets a PC
read a fax or scanned image and convert it to actual lettering.
palmtop - a computer that is small
enough to sit on the palm of the hand.
parallel port - A socket at the back of a computer for
connecting external equipment or
peripherals,
especially printers.
PC card - A device that is the same size as a thick
credit card, for plugging into a slot on notebook computers. You can buy
memory,
modems and
hard disks as
PC cards.
PDA - abbreviation of "personal
digital assistant".
peripheral - Any equipment
that is connected externally to a computer. For example, printers,
scanners and
modems are
peripherals.
pixel - The image that you see
on the screen is made of thousands of tiny dots, points or pixels.
program Software that operates a PC and does various
things, such as writing text (word-processing program), keeping accounts
(accounts program) and drawing pictures (graphics program).
QWERTY - The first 6 letters on English-language
keyboards are Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The first 6 letters on French-language keyboards are
A-Z-E-R-T-Y.
RAM, ROM - Two types of
memory.
RAM (Random Access Memory) is the main memory used while the PC is working. RAM
is temporary. ROM (Read Only Memory) is for information needed by the PC and
cannot be changed.
resolution - The number of dots or
pixels per
inch (sometimes per centimetre) used to create the screen image.
scanner - Equipment for
converting paper documents to electronic documents that can be used by a
computer.
serial port - Socket at the back of a PC for
connecting
peripherals (obsolescent).
smartphone - a mobile phone that includes a
palmtop computer
or
PDA and
also gives access to Internet and email.
tablet - a tablet computer; a
mobile computer consisting of a screen only, and controlled by touching the
screen.
TFT - Thin Film Transistor, a type of high quality
screen for notebook computers.
USB - abbreviation of "universal serial
bus"; a standardized connection for attaching devices to computers etc.
USB flash drive - a small,
external device for storing data; it connects through the USB socket.
virus - A small,
unauthorized
program that
can damage a PC.
Wi-Fi - a system for communicating without wires over
a computer network.
Windows - An operating system
used by the majority of PCs.
World Wide Web, WWW, the Web - WWW
are initials that stand for World Wide Web. The Web is one of the services
available on the
Internet.
It lets you access millions of pages through a system of links. Because it is
"world-wide", it was originally called the World Wide Web or WWW.
WYSIWIG - "What You See Is What You Get."
With a WYSIWIG
program,
if you print a document it looks the same on paper as it looks on the screen.