Computer Glossary
When a software program is open source, it means the program's source code is freely available to the public. Unlike commercial software, open source programs can be modified and distributed by anyone and are often developed as a community rather . Read More
A
- Abend
- Access
- Access Point
- ACL (Access Control List)
- Active-Matrix
- ActiveX
- Ad Hoc Network
- ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter)
- Add-on
- ADF (Automatic Document Feeder)
- ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
- Adware
- Affiliate
- AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
- AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format)
- AIX (Advanced Interactive Executive)
- Alert Box
- Algorithm
- Analog
- Android
- ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
- Antivirus
- API (Application Program Interface)
- Apple
- Applet
- Application
- Archie
- Archive
- ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)
- Array
- Artificial Intelligence
- ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
- ASP (Active Server Page or Application Service Provider)
- ASP.NET
- ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment)
- ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)
- Autocomplete
- Autoresponder
- Avatar
B
C
- C++
- Cable Modem
- Cache
- CAD (Computer-Aided Design)
- Camera RAW
- Caps Lock
- Captcha
- Card Reader
- Cc (Carbon Copy)
- CCD (Charged Coupled Device)
- CD (Compact Disc)
- CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable)
- CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory)
- CD-RW (Compact Disc Re-Writable)
- CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
- Cell
- Certificate
- CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
- Character
- Checksum
- Chip
- Chipset
- CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing)
- Clean Install
- Clean Room
- Client
- Clip Art
- Clipboard
- CLOB (Character Large Object)
- Clock Cycle
- Clock Speed
- Clone
- Cloud Computing
- Cluster
- CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)
- CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black)
- Codec
- Command Prompt
- Commercial Software
- Compact Flash
- Compile
- Compiler
- Component
- Computer
- Computer Ethics
- Configuration
- Contextual Menu
- Control Panel
- Controller Card
- Cookie
- Copy
- Copyright
- CPA (Cost Per Action)
- CPC (Cost Per Click)
- CPL (Cost Per Lead)
- CPM (Cost Per 1,000 Impressions)
- CPS (Classroom Performance System)
- CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
- Cron
- Crop
- Cross-Browser
- Cross-Platform
- CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheet)
- CTP (Composite Theoretical Performance)
- CTR (Click-Through Rate)
- Cursor
- Cut
- Cyberbullying
- Cybercrime
- Cyberspace
- Cybersquatter
D
- DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)
- Daemon
- Dashboard
- Data
- Data Management
- Data Transfer Rate
- Data Type
- Database
- DBMS (Database Management System)
- DDL (Data Definition Language)
- DDR (Double Data Rate)
- DDR2 (Double Data Rate 2)
- DDR3 (Double Data Rate Type 3)
- Debug
- Debugger
- Default
- Defragment
- Degauss
- Del.icio.us
- Delete
- Desktop
- Desktop Computer
- Desktop Publishing
- Developer
- DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
- Dial-up
- Dialog Box
- Digital
- Digital Camera
- Digital Signature
- Digitize
- DIMM (Dual In-Line Memory Module)
- Direct Digital Marketing
- Direct3D
- Directory
- DirectX
- Disk Drive
- Disk Image
- Dithering
- DLL (Dynamic Link Library)
- DMA (Direct Memory Access)
- DNS (Domain Name System)
- DNS Record
- Dock
- Document
- Domain
- Domain Name
- Domain Suffix
- Dongle
- DOS (Disk Operating System)
- Dot Matrix
- Dot Pitch
- Double Click
- Download
- DPI (Dots Per Inch)
- Drag
- DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)
- Driver
- DRM (Digital Rights Management)
- Drop Down Menu
- DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
- DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer)
- DTD (Document Type Definition)
- Dual-Core
- DV (Digital Video)
- DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)
- DVD+R (Digital Versatile Disc Recordable)
- DVD+RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable)
- DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disc Recordable)
- DVD-RAM (Digital Versatile Disc Random Access Memory)
- DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable)
- DVI (Digital Visual Interface)
- DVR (Digital Video Recorder)
- Dynamic Website
E
- E-commerce
- E-mail Bankruptcy
- ECC (Error Correction Code)
- EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
- Edutainment
- EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics)
- Email
- Emoji
- Emoticon
- Emulation
- Encryption
- End User
- EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
- Ethernet
- EUP (Enterprise Unified Process)
- Exabyte
- Exbibyte
- Excel
- Expansion Card
- External Hard Drive
- Extranet
F
- Facebook
- FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
- FAT32 (File Allocation Table 32-bit)
- Favicon
- Fiber Optic Cable
- FIFO (First In, First Out)
- File
- File Extension
- File Format
- File System
- File Type
- Filename
- Finder
- Fios (Fiber Optic Service)
- Firewall
- Firewire
- Firmware
- Flaming
- Flash
- Flash Drive
- Flash Memory
- Flat File
- Flatbed
- Floating Point
- Floppy Disk
- FLOPS (Floating Point Operations Per Second)
- Flowchart
- Folder
- Font
- Format
- Formula
- FPU (Floating Point Unit)
- FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name)
- Frame
- Freeware
- Frequency
- Friend
- Frozen
- FSB (Frontside Bus)
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
G
- Gamma Correction
- Gateway
- Gibibyte
- GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
- Gigabyte
- Gigaflops
- Gigahertz
- GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out)
- GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
- GNU
- Gnutella
- Golden Master
- Goodput
- Google
- Google Drive
- Gopher
- GPS (Global Positioning System)
- GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
- Graphics
- GUI (Graphical User Interface)
- GUID (Globally Unique Identifier)
H
- Hacker
- Halftone
- Handle
- Hard Copy
- Hard Disk
- Hard Drive
- Hard Token
- Hardware
- HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
- HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
- HDTV (High Definition Televsion)
- HDV (High-Definition Video)
- Heat Sink
- Hertz
- Heuristic
- Hexadecimal
- HFS (Hierarchical File System)
- Hibernate
- Hit
- Home Page
- Horizontal Market Software
- Host
- Hover
- HSF (Heat Sink and Fan)
- HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language)
- HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
- HTTPS (HyperText Transport Protocol Secure)
- Hub
- Hyper-Threading
- Hyperlink
- Hypermedia
- Hypertext
I
- I/O (Input/Output)
- I/O Address
- IBM Compatible
- ICANN (Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers)
- ICF (Internet Connection Firewall)
- ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol)
- Icon
- ICQ
- ICS (Internet Connection Sharing)
- ICT (Information and Communication Technologies)
- IDE (Integrated Device Electronics or Integrated Development Environment)
- IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
- IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor)
- Illegal Operation
- IM (Instant Message)
- IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
- Impact Printer
- Impression
- Inbox
- Index
- Infotainment
- Inkjet
- Input
- Input Device
- Install
- Installer
- Integer
- Integrated Circuit
- Intellectual Property
- Interface
- Interlaced
- Internal Hard Drive
- Internet
- InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center)
- Intranet
- iOS
- IP (Internet Protocol)
- IP Address
- iPad
- iPhone
- iPod
- IPv4
- IPv6
- IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange)
- IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
- IRQ (Interrupt Request)
- ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
- iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface)
- ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
- ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
- ISP (Internet Service Provider)
- IT (Information Technology)
- Iteration
- iTunes
- IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
J
- Java
- JavaScript
- Joystick
- JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
- JRE (Java Runtime Environment)
- JSP (Jakarta Server Page)
- Jumper
K
- Kbps (Kilobits Per Second)
- KDE (K Desktop Environment)
- Kernel
- Kerning
- Keyboard
- Keyboard Shortcut
- Keylogger
- Keystroke
- Keywords
- Kibibyte
- Kilobyte
- KVM Switch (Keyboard, Video, and Mouse Switch)
L
- LAN (Local Area Network)
- Laptop
- Laser Printer
- Latency
- LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
- LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
- Leaderboard
- Leaf
- LED (Light-Emitting Diode)
- LIFO (Last In, First Out)
- Link
- LinkedIn
- Linux
- LISTSERV
- Load Balancing
- Localhost
- Log File
- Logic Gate
- Login
- Lossless
- Lossy
- LPI (Lines Per Inch)
- LUN (Logical Unit Number)
M
- MAC Address (Media Access Control Address)
- Macintosh
- macOS
- Macro
- Mainframe
- Malware
- MANET (Mobile Ad Hoc Network)
- Markup Language
- Mashup
- Maximize
- Mbps (Megabits Per Second)
- MBR (Master Boot Record)
- MCA (Micro Channel Architecture)
- Mebibyte
- Media
- Megabyte
- Megahertz
- Megapixel
- Memory
- Memory Bank
- Memory Leak
- Memory Module
- Memory Stick
- Menu Bar
- Meta Search Engine
- Meta Tag
- Metadata
- Metafile
- Metaverse
- MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
- Mini DV
- Minimize
- MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second)
- Mirror
- Mirrored Volume
- Mnemonic
- Modem
- Modifier Key
- Monitor
- Moodle
- Motherboard
- Mount
- Mouse
- MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3)
- MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)
- MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit)
- Multimedia
- Multiplatform
- Multiprocessing
- Multitasking
- Multithreading
- MySpace
- MySQL
N
- Name Server
- NAS
- NAT (Network Address Translation)
- Native File
- NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System)
- Netiquette
- Netmask
- Network
- Network Topology
- Newbie
- Newsgroup
- NIC (Network Interface Card)
- NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol)
- NOC (Network Operations Center)
- Node
- Non-Impact Printer
- Northbridge
- NTFS (New Technology File System)
- Null
- Null Character
- Num Lock
- Nybble
O
- OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards)
- OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
- ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)
- OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
- Offline
- OLAP (Online Analytical Processing)
- OLE (Object Linking and Embedding)
- Online
- OOP (Object-Oriented Programming)
- Opacity
- Open Firmware
- Open Source
- OpenGL
- Operating System
- Optical Drive
- Optical Media
- OS X
- OSD (On Screen Display)
- OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)
- Outbox
- Output
- Output Device
- Overclocking
- Overwrite
P
- P2P (Peer To Peer)
- Packet
- Page Orientation
- Page View
- Parallel Port
- Parse
- Partition
- Password
- Paste
- Path
- Payload
- PC (Personal Computer)
- PCB (Printed Circuit Board)
- PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
- PCI Express
- PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended)
- PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)
- PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
- PDF (Portable Document Format)
- Pebibyte
- Peopleware
- Peripheral
- Perl
- Permalink
- Personal URL
- Petabyte
- Petaflops
- Pharming
- Phishing
- PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor)
- Phreaking
- Piconet
- PIM (Personal Information Manager)
- Ping
- Pinterest
- Pipeline
- Piracy
- Pixel
- Plain Text
- Platform
- Plug and Play
- Plug-in
- PMU (Power Management Unit)
- PNG (Portable Network Graphic)
- Podcast
- Pop-Up
- POP3 (Post Office Protocol)
- Port
- Portal
- PostScript
- Power Cycle
- Power Supply
- Power User
- PowerPoint
- PPC (Pay Per Click)
- PPGA (Plastic Pin Grid Array)
- PPI (Pixels Per Inch)
- PPL (Pay Per Lead)
- PPM (Pages Per Minute)
- PPP (Point to Point Protocol)
- PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet)
- PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol)
- PRAM (Parameter Random Access Memory)
- Prebinding
- Primary Key
- Primary Memory
- Printer
- Process
- Processor
- Program
- Progressive Scan
- PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory)
- Protocol
- Proxy Server
- PS/2 (Personal System/2)
- Pseudocode
- Push
- Python
Q
R
- RADCAB
- RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)
- RAM (Random Access Memory)
- Raster Graphic
- Raw Data
- Raw File
- RDF (Resource Description Framework)
- RDRAM (Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory)
- Readme
- Real Number
- Real-Time
- Recursion
- Recursive Function
- Recycle Bin
- Refresh
- Refresh Rate
- Registry
- Reimage
- Remote Access
- Remote Desktop
- Remote User
- Repeater
- Resolution
- Restore
- RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification)
- RGB (Red Green Blue)
- Rich Text
- Right-Click
- Ripcording
- RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)
- ROM (Read-Only Memory)
- Root
- Rootkit
- Rosetta
- Router
- RPC (Remote Procedure Call)
- RPM (Revenue Per 1,000 Impressions)
- RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
- RTE (Runtime Environment)
- RTF (Rich Text Format)
- Ruby
- Runtime
- RUP (Rational Unified Process)
S
- Safe Mode
- Samba
- Sample
- Sampling
- SAN (Storage Area Network)
- SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)
- Scanner
- Schema
- Screenshot
- Script
- Scroll Bar
- Scroll Wheel
- Scrolling
- SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
- SD (Secure Digital)
- SDK (Software Development Kit)
- SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory)
- SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
- Search Engine
- Secondary Memory
- Secondary Storage
- Sector
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Serial Port
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
- Server
- Service Pack
- Shareware
- Shell
- Shift Key
- SIMM (Single In-Line Memory Module)
- Sitemap
- Skin
- SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
- Skyscraper
- Slashdot
- SLI (Scalable Link Interface)
- SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology)
- Smartphone
- SMB (Server Message Block)
- SMM (Social Media Marketing)
- SMS (Short Message Service)
- SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
- Snapchat
- Snapshot
- Snippet
- SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
- SO-DIMM (Small Outline Dual In-Line Memory Module)
- SOA (Service Oriented Architecture)
- SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
- Social Engineering
- Social Networking
- Socket
- Soft Copy
- Soft Token
- Software
- Solid State
- Sound Card
- Source Code
- Southbridge
- Spam
- Speakers
- Spider
- Spoofing
- Spool
- Spooling
- Spreadsheet
- Spyware
- SQL (Structured Query Language)
- SRAM (Static Random Access Memory)
- sRGB (Standard Red Green Blue)
- SSD (Solid State Drive)
- SSH (Secure Shell)
- SSID (Service Set Identifier)
- SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
- Stack
- Standalone
- Standby
- Static Website
- Status Bar
- Storage Capacity
- Storage Device
- Streaming
- String
- Subdirectory
- Subnet Mask
- Supercomputer
- Superscalar
- Surge Protector
- Switch
- Sync
- Syntax
- System Analyst
- System Hardening
- System Requirements
- System Resources
- System Software
- System Unit
- Systray
T
U
- U
- UDDI (Universal Description Discovery and Integration)
- UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
- Ultra DMA
- UML (Unified Modeling Language)
- UNC (Universal Naming Convention)
- Undo
- Unfriend
- Unix
- Unmount
- Upload
- UPnP (Universal Plug and Play)
- UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)
- URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)
- URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
- User Interface
- Username
- Utility
V
- VCI (Virtual Channel Identifier)
- VDU (Visual Display Unit)
- Vector
- Vector Graphic
- Veronica
- Vertical Market Software
- VFAT (Virtual File Allocation Table)
- VGA (Video Graphics Array)
- Video Card
- Virtual Memory
- Virtual Reality
- Virtualization
- Virus
- Visual Basic
- VLB (VESA Local Bus)
- VLE (Virtual Learning Environment)
- VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)
- Volume
- VPI (Virtual Path Identifier)
- VPN (Virtual Private Network)
- VRAM (Video Random Access Memory)
- VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
