The Epiphany Glossary: Computer Terms You May Need to Know

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This glossary defines terms in a way that should be useful for teachers rather than computer programmers.  We do not include all possible terms; for more complete or more technical definitions of terms, consult the whatis.com.

Older terms with value for historical or scholarly purposes have been retained.  If you spot an error or wish to suggest a term for this list, contact Joe Essid (jessid@richmond.edu).

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

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Address There are two forms of addresses that are commonly used within the Internet. They are e-mail addresses and dotted quads. On the Internet, both of these forms will identify the machine being contacted. In IP (Internet Protocol) form, the address consists of a series of numbers--separated by periods--which enables a machine in one part of the world to contact another (much like a postal or zip code). For example:  

If a person's email address is MDAY@SILVER.SDSMT.EDU, this means that SILVER.SDSMT.EDU is the host name for this address and the IP number or dotted quad form for the host is 151.159.1.1. (see also entry for E-Mail)

(For an explanation of World Wide Web site addresses, see URL. See also entry for Domain.)

Anonymous FTP A form of FTP (see entry for FTP below) which allows unregistered users (those without passwords to the account) access to files on a remote computer. When using FTP, one logs in as "anonymous" and uses one's email address (e.g., MDAY@SILVER) as the password. Sometimes users will be instructed to use a generic password, such as "guest," instead of their email addresses.  

AppleShare A program that turns a Macintosh computer into a file server so that it can control an AppleTalk network.  

Archie An Internet service which allows one to search the offerings of many FTP sites. Archie tracks the contents of over 800 anonymous FTP archive sites containing millions of files stored across the Internet. Two Archie sites are: archie.ans.net(147.225.1.31) and archie.unl.edu (129.93.1.14). Login as "archie".  

ASCII An acronym that stands for the "American Standard Code For Information Interchange" and is pronounced "ASKEE," this term is generally used to refer to "plain vanilla" text (or other data) that can be easily transferred from one computer to another because it is stripped of all the control and formatting characters that are particular to a specific software or hardware environment. Examples of formatting that will be lost if a file is "saved as" ASCII include boldface, underlines, and special font designations (see also entry for Font). Most word-processing packages now have the ability to export files in ASCII format so that users can send them to other users who work on different hardware and software systems. Authors may choose to save an ASCII version of their articles and use these files for email attachments and when sending text to graphic designers who work with programs and systems that are different from the one in which the file was originally created.  

Asynchronous Communication Networks Networks that allow the exchange of information or written messages, but in a slightly delayed fashion. Messages are exchanged among computers on a network much like letters are exchanged within a postal system, only faster. Email is an example of "asynchronous" communication. This is in contrast with synchronous communication, such as Internet chat rooms, in which exchanges take place in "real time" (See also Synchronous).  

Authoring Systems (or Language) This term refers to computer languages (like HyperCard, SuperCard, ToolBook, or Inkway) that use "real" language (in limited sense) to represent programming commands. The intent of such systems is to make it easier for users to program their computers without having to learn the more obscure terms and syntax of most programming languages such as FORTRAN, Pascal, and C.  

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BITNET Acronym for "Because It's Time Network." Begun in 1981 and taken offline in the late 90s, BITNET was a world-wide academic and research network that connected many universities, colleges, and collaborating research centers.   Unlike the Internet, it was restricted to the non-commercial exchange of information. It was operated by EDUCOM.

Browsers Software that allows a networked computer to connect to other Internet sites. Some browsers are graphical (such as NetScape, Explorer, and Mosaic, which allow you to see formating, images, and even sound and video) and others are text-only (such as Lynx, which allows you only to read the text at a given site.)  

Bulletin Boards Bulletin Boards (BBs) are virtual "spaces," located within some computer's memory, that are used to post and receive messages of interest to various groups of people-hence, the analogy to traditional bulletin boards. The messages on bulletin boards are generally directed at people with something in common (a hobby, a profession, a chronological age, a problem) and are transmitted and received within minutes for relatively little expense. Users generally get access to these BBs through personal computers equipped with modems and connected to telephones-users pay the phone costs. Frequently, BBs can also be accessed through educational, governmental or some business computer systems. BBs are popular because they provide virtual spaces for users to talk about topics of general interest (e.g., problems with specific computer platforms and/or software packages), a variety of academic and scholarly projects (e.g., cold fusion research, the use of computers in composition instruction), areas of personal commitment (e.g., abortion, environmental news), or personal concerns (e.g., computer dating, vampires, alternative sexual practices).

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Campus-Wide Information System (CWIS) A tool which allows users to navigate through and retrieve data from a variety of campus sources (e.g., library, news bureau, events center, admissions, registrar, computing center).

CD ROM Compact Disks (CDs) are used as mass storage devices that allow users to store large quantities of information (i.e., 650 megabytes currently) on one surface. These disks are read by a light beam, and the information fed into a computer. Currently, unlike floppy disks, without a CD "read-write" drive attached to a computer, CDs can only be read by a user: users cannot write information on them, erase it, and write other information. Hence, teachers may come across the term CD-ROM, referring to compact disks that provide only "read only" memory.  Some companies supply multiplatter machines that allow users to access (usually relatively slowly) more than one CD. For instance, a user could employ such a device to access an encyclopedia, a graphics database, and a listing of government documents during one work session!

Client In network terminology, "client" can have two meanings. Sometimes it is synonymous with "user". Other times it is used to denote a relationship between two computers where one computer is a host and is serving a client machine. In this situation, the client computer becomes a guest on the host computer in order to use the host computer's resources. The program on the client machine that provides the user interface for those resources is typically called the client software.

Client-Server Interface A program that provides an interface to remote programs (called clients), most commonly across a network, in order to provide these clients with access to some service such as databases, printing, etc. In general, the clients act on behalf of a human end-user (perhaps indirectly).

Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) or Computer-Mediated Instruction Using computers to instruct human users. CBI includes Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) (tutorial, review and practice, simulation, etc.); Computer Managed Instruction (diagnostic and prescriptive testing functions); and electronic messaging, which is generally associated with networked computer classrooms.

Consultants In a virtual classroom or computer-supported writing facilities, consultants are often, but not always, students who have some special training or expertise. Technical consultants, for example, generally have some hardware or software expertise, or both, on one or more systems (e.g., Macintosh, DOS, UNIX). Other consultants may have expertise in particular applications (e.g., word-processing software packages, drawing programs, page-layout programs) or in providing support for communicators. Some facilities pay their consultants for their work; others use volunteer consultants (who work in exchange for access to the computers, for experience in teaching, or for the fun of it); others provide course credit for such work; still others use a combination of such methods to entice these talented people into their lab/classrooms. One can never have too many consultants.

Courseware Software, including documentation and workbooks, that is marketed for educational purposes.

CPU An acronym that stands for "Central Processing Unit," the brains of the computer that contains the internal storage, processing circuitry, and the control units of the computer. CPU refers to the components of a computer that control and make sense of the directions that users and programs give to the computer.

Cross Platform Any file, software package, or piece of computer hardware that will work with different computer platforms (see entry below).  As compared to the early days of personal computing, files for common programs such as Microsoft Word often work without difficulty on both Windows-based PCs and Macintosh computers; the file is therefore considered a cross-platform file.

Cross-Post Posting a BBS or discussion group message to multiple subject groups or conferences. It is a good idea to be judicious about cross-posting because people who subscribe to several thematically-related conferences or lists will become annoyed when they receive the exact same message many times from the different lists (see also Netiquette).

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DV (Digital Video) the format used for processing and sharing video signals via computer.  Video on the Web or CD has been "digitized."

Digitizer (Audio) These devices-with accompanying software-allow users to digitize sounds and place them into various computer-based projects. The beeps, boings, bells, trumpets, and clanks that you hear on computers, for example, are digitized sounds.

Digitizer (see also Scanner) Used by itself, this term refers to a device that can take visual information (graphics or text) and, employing some of the same technology as photocopy machines, translate that information into a digital format. This digitized information can then be edited on a computer. Scanners can range from desktop units priced under $150 and that provide resolutions adequate for scanning images for the Web and for simple printed materials, to large color scanners, which cost over $20,000, that provide excellent resolution for professional publishing. Most scanners  have OCR capability, which allows users to scan printed text for use in a word processor (see OCR). Most DTP systems, especially in academic settings, operate on the low to medium end of this spectrum with hand-held and flat-bed scanners.

Digitizer (Video) Video "cards" (internal hardware for computers) are used to "capture" still video images, digitize them, and place them into multimedia or DTP projects. Some of the more expensive hardware/software systems allow the capture of video clips as well as still images. Some systems also give users the option of transferring digitized computer-generated graphics onto video tape. These cards and their software cost anywhere from $500 to $5,000 dollars.

Digitizing Pad (or Tablet) A peripheral device that allows users to draw freehand images with a stylus (electronic pencil), digitize these images, store them in a computer file, and manipulate or change them at will, using the appropriate graphics software.

Distance Learning Using computers hooked to WANs and equipped with telecommunications software, learners can attend "classes" offered at sites distant from their own. Sometimes, distance learning involves an exchange of video or television images.

Domain Usually the last term in an address. Domains are usually functional or national. Functional domains include edu for education, gov for government, com for commercial, and org for non-profit organizations (note that this distinction is only consistently true for domains that are in the United States). National domains identify a country, such as ca for Canada, my for Malaysia, sg for Singapore, and th for Thailand.

DOS An acronym that stands for "Disk Operating System," which is the most common operating system for IBM compatible systems. It underlies the Windows 3.1, 95, and 98 software (you can still "drop to DOS" and issue commands at the C> prompt).  This software essentially runs the computer, telling it what to do with the commands that you and your software send to the computer.

Download The electronic transfer of information from a remote computer to a local one. Upload refers to the transfer from the local machine to the remote one.

DPI An acronym that stands for "Dots Per Inch," DPI is a measurement of the resolution, clarity or sharpness, of text and graphics. DPI refers to the number of dots a printer can produce within a linear inch. The more dots per inch, the better the resolution. Computer screens are only capable of displaying 72 dots per inch, so graphics that are scanned at resolutions greater than 72 dots per inch will display as much larger than the original when viewed through an Internet browser, which will change the graphic size proportions to accommodate 72 dpi on-screen resolution.

DTP An acronym that stands for "Desk Top Publishing," the use of personal computers and the appropriate software to produce publications that approach typeset quality (1200 DPI). Generally, desk top publishing systems use word-processing software, graphics software, and a WYSIWYG(what-you-see-is-what-you-get) page-layout program-to combine text and graphics on the same page-as well as a laser printer for high quality output (300-600 DPI). Some high-end desk top publishing systems are linked to computerized typesetting systems like CompuGraphics (see also WYSIWYG).

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EDUCOM An organization that seeks to transform higher education through the use of information technology (see also entry for BITNET). EDUCOM sponsors the email-based newsletter Edupage, a summary of news about information technology, is provided three times a week. To subscribe to Edupage send mail to: listproc@educom.unc.edu with the message: subscribe Edupage yourname.

Electronic Journal (ejournal) An electronically distributed publication which, like a print journal, includes a table of contents, numerically defined issues and an ISSN number. Recipients can reformat text as they wish, and print only what they need to print.

E-Mail (Email) Refers to "electronic mail," or mail sent via computer from one person to another or from one person to many people. E-mail can only be sent from one computer on a network to another computer on the same network or from one computer on a network to another computer on a linked network. E-mail works much like the postal system (only much faster!) in that messages are forwarded to individuals or groups who have addresses-the name of the computer at which one receives or sends mail (e.g., MTUS5 is the address for the IBM System 5 computer at Michigan Technological University)-and an id-the name which identifies the particular person at that address (e.g., my id is RSELFE, which stands for Richard Selfe). To use e-mail, a user also needs a communications software package that allows one computer to speak to other computers. Typical communications packages are Kermit, Xmodem, or PC-Talk. These programs also allow users to set the communication protocols (the settings and the parameters) for their machines to match the protocols for the machine they are sending information to. Some people access e-mail with GUI software programs such as Eudora, which is used in conjunction with a communications dial-up program such as Trumpet Winsock. Recent versions of Internet browser software (e.g., Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape) also include e-mail capabilities.   As of 1999, many computer users have "POP mailers" that download all mail to a local machine (see entry below).

Emoticon (smiley) Electronic text likenesses of human faces used in mail and news to indicate a variety of emotions and reactions. You read the "face" from left to right, as if it were rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise. The most common smiley is :-), indicating happiness. You will also often see :-(, meaning disappointment, and ;-), meaning, wink, irony or sarcasm.

ENFI (Electronic Networks For Interaction) A real-time writing environment for the networked computer classroom, in which synchronous communications software allows teachers and students to explore, collaborate, and expand on ideas in class in writing. They see each other in the process of developing ideas; they write for each other and not just to "the teacher".

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FAQ See Frequently Asked Question.

Fiber Optics The technology of connecting or networking communication devices such as computers by means of optical fiber cable instead of copper wire.

File Extensions DOS and Windows-based operating systems require file names that begin with eight letters, followed by a period, and end with a two or three-digit extension (e.g., thisfile.doc). The exception to this rule is Windows 95, which supports long file names-but even Windows 95 files are given extensions. These extensions tell the system what kind of software should be "associated" with the file. For example, a .doc extension indicates that when the user double clicks on the file name, the system should automatically open it in Microsoft Word, whereas clicking on a .gif graphics file opens Adobe Photoshop or whatever other graphics program the user has pre-selected to associate with graphics. The following are some of the more commonly-encountered extensions:

File Server A file server is a computer, hooked to a hardware network and using network software, that stores files centrally so that they can be shared by many users (e.g., a PowerMac with AppleShare software, or an IBM PS 2 Model 70 with Novell software, or a SUN Sparc workstation with NFS software). File servers are the machines that run networks and determine many of their operating characteristics. Be sure to back up file servers frequently!

Filesharing Exchanging files from one computer to another on a networked system of computers.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) A user-level TCP/IP protocol and program that you can use to transfer files over the network.

Firewire A high-speed computer interface that allows peripheral devices such as digital video cameras or external hard drives to be connected to a CPU.  In 1999, Apple began to offer Firewire "ports" on its higher-end Macintosh systems, and third-party manufacturers began to build "cards" for other computers.  Firewire devices offer a speed of 400 MIPS (see entry), a huge increase in speed compared to floppy disks, CDs, and most other media other than some high-speed internal hard drives.  Firewire-capable video cameras began to appear in 1999.

Flame To express a strong opinion to, and/or criticize someone (or something), usually in a frank inflammatory statement, in an electronic message. Because e-mail seems ephemeral, is usually composed spontaneously, and quickly sent, writers may "say" things that they would have kept to themselves were they communicating face-to-face or in a publication. This problem with the medium is further exacerbated by the fact that its inherent lack of attitudinal signifiers, such as a smile or a wink, creates a context in which humor and irony are sometimes mistaken for serious criticism. One way to avoid misunderstandings is to use emoticons when joking or teasing another person (see also Emoticon and Netiquette)

FrEdMail Network Free Educational Electronic Mail. One of the pioneering networks of microcomputer-based BBS systems serving K12 educators, FrEdMail was begun in 1986 by Al Rogers in San Diego, California and has spread to include more than 150 electronic bulletin boards systems across the United States and as far away as Australia and Ireland. FrEdMail offers collaborative activities designed to help students become better writers and learners, and promotes the sharing of resources and experiences among teachers. FrEdMail can now be accessed through the internet For more information, contact Al Rogers, FrEdMail Foundation, P.O. Box 243, Bonita, CA 91908-0243.

Frequently Asked Question File (FAQ) Pronounced "fack", A FAQ is a document containing information about some service, application or function. FAQs contain answers to the most common questions and generally are updated as users gain experience with the service, application or function. When you join a discussion group on Usenet or the Internet, be sure to ask for the FAQ file before asking questions others in the group might think are self-evident. It is considered common courtesy to look for and read all FAQ lists before requesting software technical assistance or asking questions of a listserv. Not all programs or lists provide FAQ lists, but those that do are annoyed when newcomers ask questions that have been asked by others hundreds of times and are already answered in the FAQ list (see also Netiquette).

Fonts Fonts are complete sets of characters in a particular family (e.g., Helvetica, Bodini, Times) and style (e.g., Helvetica Narrow, Bodini Bold, and Times Roman). On a desk top publishing system, two kinds of fonts are generally used: bit-mapped fonts and outline fonts. The letters of bitmapped fonts are composed of individual patterns of pixels, and the computer must store every pattern for every letter used in its memory. Users who want to use different sizes of bitmapped fonts (e.g., Helvetica Narrow 24 or Avant Garde 48), must store a complete character set for each size of this font in their computer's memory; bitmapped fonts cannot be enlarged or shrunk (scaled up or down) without distortion. Outline fonts, in contrast, are formed with a mathematical equation and can be enlarged or shrunk without distortion.. These fonts, however, require special processing capabilities within a computer. As you might guess from this description, storing fonts can be a problem. There are two main ways to store fonts. Built-in or resident fonts are stored permanently in the computer's or printer's ROM, but they also take up valuable memory space. Downloadable or softfonts must be transferred from the computer's hard drive to the printer's RAM before they can be used - this approach takes time and many users consider it an inconvenience. Such a strategy does, however, eliminates the problem of devoting large chunks of ROM memory to font storage.

FTP See File Transfer Protocol

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Gateway A device that acts as a connector between two separate networks. It has interfaces to more than one network and can translate the packets of one network to another, possibly dissimilar, network.

Gopher An information management tool which allows users to search for specific kinds of information over a wide-area network by using a series of menus. Gopher was developed by the University of Minnesota and is freely available in client and server form. Many GOPHERs serve as useful front-ends to Internet databases, FTP archives, OPACs and CWISs.

Groupware (Group Conferencing Systems) Programs (often marketed for business) that permit simultaneous work on a common file by more than one networked user. All the users can see the changes made by any other person as they occur.

GUI An acronym that stands for "Graphical User Interface" and is pronounced "gooey." A GUI allows users to work with graphical icons of files and tools by using a mouse to point to and select various items on a computer screen.

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High Density This is a strategy for packing more information onto a computer disk by using very small magnetic particles. On a high density disk, one can store up to a megabyte of information. As you might guess, such disks cost more than regular disks, but are becoming the standard.

Hot Swappable When one device can be unplugged from a computer's port (see entry) and another plugged in without restarting the computer. USB and Firewire devices offer this utility, as of 1999.

Host Computer In the context of networks, a computer that allows a user or a user's client to connect to it, in contrast to a network server, which provides services to a user through an intermediary host computer.

HTTP:// Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol. This is a standard coding procedure that tells a person's browser that they are about to connect to a World Wide Web site. It allows for the smooth and consistent transmission of information.

HTML Hyper Text Markup Language is a subset of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) which allows all network browsers to see (nearly) the same formatting when they access a URL. These days HTML is a common, agreed upon mark-up language.

HyperCard An authoring language developed by Bill Atkinson at Apple Computer in1984, HyperCard allows authors to create hypertext stacks, or files, that contain text and graphic components. Using HyperCard, authors can create hypertext stacks without knowing traditional programming languages. SuperCard is another version of an authoring language that allows for enhanced hypermedia applications.

Hypermedia A hyper-document that mixes all or any one of the following: text, still photography, video, sound, and synthesized voice-in a hypertext environment. Various nodes in a hypermedia document about Virginia Woolf's life, for instance, may contain a video clip about education in Victorian England, a speech from the suffrage movement during the time that Woolf was writing, photographs of a number of Woolf's original diary pages, and several published chapters from A Room of One's Own, among many other potential items.

Hypertext A term coined by T. H. Nelson in the 1960s (Landow and Delany, 1991, p. 45), hypertext refers to the non-sequential arrangement of text-based information. Hypertexts broken down into nodes, or small units of text (screens of text or of text and graphics, or scrolling screens of text and graphics, for instance), which are linked, or connected, to other nodes in webs, or connected sets of information (a web of nodes may be a set of critical essays on existentialism, a set of poems by Emily Dickinson, or a set of definitions of terms from a single page). In most hypertexts, each node will contain several "hot" words. If readers select one of these words or icons, they jump to a node containing related information. In a pure hypertext, every node is connected to every other node, so each reader must choose which nodes to view and the order in which to view these nodes. Typically, hypertexts present readers with alternative paths through a document; as a result, each reader creates his/her own path through a hypertext.

HYTELNET A hypertext guide to telnetting to remote online library catalogs and other information sources, updated 2-3 times per year. It can be downloaded by Anonymous FTP from ftp.usask.ca, in the /pub/hytelnet directory and placed on a local machine.

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Icon A graphical representation on the computer screen that represents a location (e.g., a trash can or a disk), an application (e.g., Microsoft Word or HyperCard), a tool (e.g., a paintbrush or an eraser), or a folder or file. Icons are also commonly used in Web pages, in place of or in conjunction with hypertext words, to indicate links to other pages or sites.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) A world-wide synchronous multi-user chat protocol that allows one to converse with others in real time. IRC is structured as a network of servers, each of which accepts connections from client programs, one per user. Jarkko Oikarinen, a Finnish programmer, created Internet Relay Chat. IRC is a free program, which means that anyone with access to the Internet can get a client program and use it to talk with others.

Internet A collection of computer networks interconnected by a set of routers which allow them to function as a single, large virtual network. The Internet is often referred to as a "network of networks."

Intranet A network of computers whose contents are not open for all to see on the Internet because it is designed to be used locally within a specific site or organization (See also LAN and Server).

IP Address The numeric address, or dotted quad, of a computer connected to the Internet; also called Internet address (see also Address).

IRC See Internet Relay Chat.

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KIDSNET Has been renamed KIDSPHERE. See KIDSPHERE.

KIDSPHERE The major mailing list for the discussion of K-12 computer networking. It was established in 1989 by Bob Carlitz with the name KIDSNET. In the spring of 1993 is was renamed KIDSPHERE with this statement of purpose: "to stimulate the development of an international computer network for the use of children and their teachers. The first pieces of this network have already begun to take shape, and the mailing list now helps to guide its continuing evolution. Subscribers to the list include teachers, administrators, scientists, developers of software and hardware and officials of relevant funding agencies." To join the list,write to Bob Carlitz at <joinkids@vms.cis.pitt.edu> and ask to be added to the KIDSPHERE mailing list.

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LAN See Local Area Network

LCD An acronym that stands for "Liquid Crystal Display;" this term refers to the screen displays used for laptop computers. These screens are flat-and, thus, take up little room-but they also can cause eye strain because the image they produce is not as bright as many users would desire.

Listserv > Listserv is one of the software packages used to manage electronic discussion forum or computer conference distribution lists. These discussion groups are often called "lists" because, using what is called a "mail exploder", the software sends a single message to a list of many subscribers. Participants subscribe by sending a message to a central listserv account; list discussions are conducted by electronic mail over the Internet. Many lists have a moderator who manages the information and content. Eric Thomas originally wrote the listserv software for IBM mainframes , but there are now versions of Listserv that run on Unix systems. Programs such as Majordomo and Listproc provide similar services.

Local Area Network (LAN) A network connecting machines at one site. Networks that are internal to an organization are increasingly referred to as intranets so that they can be distinguished from the Internet, a network connection that has the capacity to communicate with people and broadcast information outside the organization (See also Intranet and Server).

Lurking Reading or "listening" to a mailing list discussion or USENET newsgroup without actively participating (i.e., without contributing to the discussion). Lurking is encouraged for beginners who wish to learn the history and habits of the group (see also Netiquette).

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Mail Exploder Part of an electronic mail delivery system which allows a single message to be delivered to a list of addresses. Mail exploders are used to implement mailing lists. Users send messages to a single address (e.g., group@somehost.edu) and the mail exploder takes care of delivery to the individual mailboxes in the list.

Mass-Storage or Optical-Storage Devices A device connected to a computer on which users can store projects. Mass-storage devices are particularly handy for teachers dealing with video, complex graphics, large databases and other information that requires an extensive amount of memory. This term can refer to several kinds of devices: for example,   3.5" floppy drives that store from 1.4 megabytes (or "megs") of data, internal or external hard drives that store from 1 gigabyte and more, removable-platter hard drives that provide the capability of storing information on platters  that can be removed and stored on a shelf, and tape backup systems that store information on specialized cassette tapes.  With the 1999 update of this list, other options, such as 100 meg or larger Zip disks, 3 1/2", 120 meg Superdisks, and multi-gigabyte Firewire hard drives are also available. The most common technology for many computer users is the CD-ROM (for "read-only memory" and hold 650 megs of data) or DVD (see entry).  For both formats, read-and-write drives are becoming common and less expensive.

Megabyte A term that refers an amount of stored data equal to one million characters (letters, numbers, symbols) of text. It is equivalent to 1000 kilobytes, commonly referred to as 1000 "KB" or 1000 "K". The word megabyte is often abbreviated as "meg" or "MB."

Menu Driven Refers to systems that allow users to choose from a menu of items (programs, applications, drives), rather than typing in commands consisting of alphanumeric characters-letters or numbers. Pull-down menus, like those on the Apple Macintosh system, can be down from the top of the screen with the mouse pointer like window shades to reveal a series of choices to users.

MHz Stands for "megahertz," a unit of measurement equal to one million electrical vibrations per second. Megahertz is the unit of measure which describes the rate at which computers process instructions. It is used to compare the speeds of very similar computers but is not a very good measure of computer speeds between platforms. Personal computers commonly work at 60 and 75 MHz, and sometimes even up into the 166+ MHz range.

MIPS Stands for millions of instructions per second. It is used in combination with MHz and is a better measure of the relative speed among different makes of computers.

MODEM MOdulator/DEModulator-a device that converts the digital signals in your computer to analog signals, and vice-versa, to enable computer communication through analog telephone lines.

Moderator The person "in charge" of a network discussion group. On a moderated list, the moderator collects the messages posted to the list, edits them, and forwards them to the list of subscribers. On an unmoderated list, the moderator may just step in when things get out of control. The moderator may also subscribe people to and unsubscribe people from the list, if it is not a public list.

MOO MUD, Object Oriented. A Multiple User Dimension which, in addition to text-based communication, allows users to construct and manipulate "objects" and move from textually described room to room (see also MUD).

Mouse A palm-sized peripheral device that is hooked to a computer by a small wire (hence, the mouse and its tail) and used to input commands. By rolling the mouse on a pad alongside the computer and clicking one or more of its buttons, a user can move a pointer or cursor on the computer screen and select items, make menu choices, or give commands. The term "point-and-click" refers to the ease with which even novice users can, by manipulating the mouse, move a pointer on the computer screen, click one or more of the mouse's buttons, and select their choice of commands and actions.

Monitors The primary video output device for a computer. A monitor may be monochrome, which means it is capable of displaying shades of only one color. Monitors have a variety of attributes including size, resolution, number of colors displayed, and video format. You might hear people talk about various kinds of monitors, among them the following: RGB (red, green, blue), CGA (color graphics array), VGA (video graphics array), or MCGA (multicolor graphics array). Another category of monitor includes full-page and double-page monitors. These larger displays can provide either color or gray-scale (black and white) images and measure either 8 1/2" by 11" inches (for the one-page variety) or 11" by 17" (for the double-page displays).

MUD Multiple User Dimension. A synchronous (real-time) text based virtual reality in which "players" interact. MUDs are remote login based environments, which means that even without a specialized client program such as TinyFugue or MUDdweller, you can telnet to them to interact with others.

Multitasking Allows users to work with several programs at once without exiting any one program. The different programs are shown in different windows on the computer screen, and a user can work in different windows as needed. For example, in one window, a user can be working in a word-processing program on a document; while in another window she uses a graphics program to draw a diagram; and, in a third window, she refers to data from a spreadsheet program.

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National Education and Research Network (NREN) The NREN is a proposed national computer network to be built upon the foundation of the National Science Foundation backbone network, NSFnet, the current Internet backbone. NREN would provide high speed interconnection between various national and regional networks.

Navigate The process of moving about purposefully within a virtual environment. For example, readers of a hypertext or hypermedia document navigate from node to node via links, and World Wide Web surfers click on links in pages to navigate from site to site. Each reader chooses his/her own path of navigation, depending on interests, curiosity, associations, directions, etc. The term navigation suggests the wide-open spaces involved in virtual environments and the need to find one's way with the help of navigational devices (nodes, links, web maps, files, menus) that are particular to electronic environments.

Netiquette A contraction of "network" and "etiquette" referring to proper behavior on a computer network, such as reading FAQs, newcomer listserv lurking, using emoticons, avoiding cross-posts, not flaming, etc.

Netweaving When a human volunteer (netweaver) must move individual messages from network to network because those connections are not automatic.

Network Collections of computers that are linked electronically so that they can exchange information and share peripheral devices such as printers and scanners. Local-area networks (LANs) link computers in a single location (a classroom, a building, or a campus, for example) by some kind of cabling system. Typically, LANs are used when computers are located within one to two miles of each other. Wide-area networks (WANs) link computers in different and more far-flung locations via high speed, long distance communications networks or satellites. BITNET, ARPANET, and Internet are WANs that connect people in various locations for various purposes: BITNET (Because It's Time Network), for instance, is a network supported by a not-for-profit educational consortium and connects more than 1,000 collegiate-level institutions around the world. ARPANET is a WAN supported by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and is intended to support defense research. There are gateways that allow people on ARPANET, for instance, to send messages to people on BITNET.

Network Operating Systems (NOS) The controlling software associated with a network is called a network operating system. The topography of these systems varies with their particular characteristics. AppleTalk, for example, is the LAN software that Apple developed for Macintosh computers. AppleTalk, because it uses a computer's serial port, is relatively slow for a network (320 bits per second), but it allows the linking of IBM PCs to Apple Macintoshes by a simple and inexpensive cabling and system (twisted pair, or telephone, cables). In contrast, EtherNet, LAN software developed by Xerox Corporation, is a high speed networking system (2 to 3 megabits per second), which requires the installation of interface cards - electronic circuit boards - and is, thus, more expensive to install. These boards allow the rapid transmission of information via the computer's internal bus system, the circuitry pathways that carry information from one location to another within the computer.

Newbie A slang term that is often used in reference to persons who are new to a particular program, group, machine, listserv, etc. The term is often used affectionately, but sometimes is considered to be derrogative.

Node A computer that is attached to a network; also called a host.

NSFnet National Science Foundation Network. TCP/IP-based network that is the Internet backbone in the United States.

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OCR When images are scanned, even part of the image that are text are saved as a graphics file and therefore cannot be edited like a conventional text document. Optical Character Recognition allows users to scan printed text for use in word processing (see Digitizer). Note that current applications of this technology are not always accurate. Unless the original copy is absolutely spotless and uses a standard font, the scanned file will probably contain numerous errors and will need to be proofread carefully.

OPAC Online Public Access Catalog. Most large academic and many public libraries have converted their card catalogs to electronic or "machine-readable" format. These online catalogs may be searched from remote locations via modem or remote login, and so truly have become public reference sources. OPAC examples include LOCIS (the Library of Congress's online catalog database), OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), and CARL (Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries). Many of these catalogs are now searchable via Web-resident databases. Some of the database programs that make these online catalogs possible are actually owned and managed by commercial entities even though the catalog itself if belongs to the library, such as CARL, which was recently purchased by Knight-Ridder.

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PDF stands for "portable document format" and was developed by Adobe Systems (see entry for "postscript").  PDF files enable computer users to create documents that can be viewed on a Web browser without regard to the user's platform (see below).  Unlike HTML documents, PDFs retain their formatting (such as indentations, fonts, etc.) when scanned from a printed original.    Adobe provides free copies of Acrobat Reader, a plug-in (see below) for reading PDF files.

Pixel Stands for "picture element." This is the smallest definable element of a monitor's display. Pixels are defined by their attributes: location and color. The size and width of a computer image is often measured in pixels (instead of inches or points).

Platform Describes a unique and complete computer system. Each platform, such as the Windows (also known as "IBM compatible" or more commonly, "PC"), UNIX, Linux, or Macintosh, approach the solutions to computer-use problems from different perspectives. Each computer configuration generally has both advantages and disadvantages. For instance, a Windows platform has a easy-to-use and stable system for which a great deal of software has been written.   Most users of Windows do not, however, work "behind the scenes" in the registry where file settings and installation procedures occur.  The Macintosh system is also easy-to-use, but its smaller market share means that fewer software applications are being written for it.  The Mac platform provides higher-resolution graphics and new technology  (such as the Firewire high-speed input--see entry) than does the Windows platform for devices and software related to graphic design and video production.  In 1999, many popular software packages such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop produce files that work interchangeably on Mac and Windows platforms. UNIX and Linux systems provide a robust and "open" operating system (the source code can be downloaded and modified by users) but both UNIX and Linux are complex, even when the "command line" interface of the programs runs with a graphical user interface (see entry) such as Xwindows for Linux.

Plug-and-Play Adding a printer or other piece of hardware could be a nightmare on older computers.  Most newer computers allow users to add such devices with minimal preparation.  When restarting a Windows machine with for which a new printer has been installed, for example, the printer would be recognized and the user prompted to install any necessary software to make the computer print with the new printer. 

Plug-In Multimedia (e.g., audio, video, graphics) and protocols (gopher, telnet, html) are changing so rapidly that software companies find it difficult to create programs in a timely manner that recognize all new formats. Plug-Ins are a way of avoiding having to write a whole new software program each time an additional protocol or file format becomes popular. Programs like Netscape and Adobe Photoshop have a "preferences" option that users can modify to include additional "associated" Plug-Ins. A "Plug-In" is a small program that has a specific function and is designed to work in companion with another, primary, software program. For example, if a user comes across an Internet page that includes MacroMedia Schockwave files, Netscape will display a message informing the user that plug-in is necessary for this portion of the page to be viewed. Users have the option of downloading the plug-in, which will become an associated program will automatically open each time the user visits a site that includes Shockwave files in the future. Common plug-in programs include: RealAudio, Telnet applications, and Adobe Acrobat Reader, Real Player, Quicktime Player, and a host of MP3 players.

POP or POP Mailer: Stands for "Post Office Protocol," and it is a popular way of managing electronic mail with programs such as Pegasus, Eudora, and Microsoft Outlook.  Unlike "real-time" e-mail systems, where a user logs on to a computer and works with mail there, POP mail programs contact the remote computer where mail is stored, then transfer the mail to the user's computer.   This offers some real advantages to universities and to teachers, since e-mail does not accumulate on a remote computer and thus slow down traffic on the campus network.   Most POP mailers also shut down the connection to the computer that stores the mail once the mail has been transferred, then re-connect when mail is to be sent or checked again.  This permits more users to dial in over modem lines or use the campus network at one time.  Despite this efficiency, POP mail can be a hindrance when a faculty member or student travels; it is often more difficult to check mail from several different computers using a POP mail program.

Port As a verb it means to write software code to make a program work on a certain platform ("Adobe ported In Design to Linux"); as a noun, it means a hardware interface on a computer or peripheral for inputting data from another computer or peripheral ("The new computer has two USB, one parallel, and one Firewire port").

Postmaster The person responsible for answering questions about a site's users and e-mail addresses. Can sometimes be reached by sending mail to postmaster@host.subdomain.domain if you are having trouble reaching someone at that host machine or subdomain.

Postscript A standardized page-description language developed by Adobe Systems, Inc. that describes how to print or to display the elements on a page or screen. Postscript commands allow users, among other things, to identify typical formatting commands (e.g., right or left justification), the shape and location of objects such as text or graphics, and how to portray fonts. Laser printers used on desk top publishing systems generally require Postscript commands for high-quality output.

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Quicktime a audio/video format developed by Apple Computer.  Currently the format works on both Windows and Macintosh Platforms (see entry above).

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RAM An acronym that stands for "Random Access Memory," the memory of the computer that can be accessed by users, filled with information (e.g., text, graphics, data), and easily changed.

Remote Access The ability to access another computer. Remote access requires communications hardware, software, and actual physical links, although this can be as simple as common carrier (telephone) lines or as complex as a telnet login to another computer across the Internet.

ROM An acronym that stands for "Read Only Memory," memory that contains information the user cannot change. Generally this memory, in the form of computer chips, is filled with instructions for the computer's CPU.

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Scanner A peripheral device that digitizes images (e.g., line art or photographs) and text copy, and stores these in a file so that users can work with them. Using a scanner, students can take a drawing that they have produced, digitize it, store it on a disk, and import it into a papers they are writing. Similarly, with scanners that allow for Optical Character Recognition (OCR), a teacher can use a scanner to digitize the best and the worst examples of a set of essays and store them in computer files so that students can refer to them (See also Digitizer and OCR).

SCSI An acronym that stands for "Small Computer System Interface," and is pronounced "scuzzy." SCSI interfaces allow personal computers to communicate with peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, and mass storage devices.

Server In LANs, the server manages the traffic on the network at a given site, orchestrating demands on peripheral devices and central files so that multiple users' requests get responses in a timely and efficient manner. This internal or local network is known as an "intranet." Some servers are designed so that they can be hooked up to the Internet via a phone line or other form of wired connection. Web pages (HTML files) must be stored or uploaded via ftp onto an Internet server before they can be read by persons browsing the Internet (see also LAN, FTP and HTML).

Shareware Microcomputer software, distributed through public domain channels, such as ftp, for which the author expects to receive compensation.

Signature The three or four lines at the bottom of a piece of email or a Usenet article which identify the sender. Often contains addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Large signatures (over five lines) are generally frowned upon.

Snail Mail A pejorative term referring to the postal service.

Stack (Stacks or Stax) A hypertext or hypermedia file is often called a "stack," and contains several cards, or nodes, linked to each other that readers can view in the order they choose. The analogy is to a stack of cards that can be shuffled and reshuffled at will. (Hypertext cards, which are meant to represent pieces or chunks of information, should not be confused with hardware cards, which are internal circuit boards placed within a computer for a specialized function.)

Synchronous Data communications in which transmissions are sent at a fixed rate, with the sending and receiving devices synchronized. Synchronous communication occur in real-time, e.g., with two or more users communicating online at the same time to one another.

Synchronous Communication Networks Networks that allow users to exchange written information at very high speeds so that written conversations take place in "real time," much like regular conversations, rather than in a delayed, or asynchronous, fashion (See also Asynchronous).

Sysop (Sysops) System operator. Person in charge of maintaining a host, server, or network.

Systems and Versions Software producers number each revision and version of their programs so that they can keep track of the various versions. Before a program is officially released, it is usually referred to first as an "alpha" version (distributed internally only), then as a "beta" version (distributed to people who agree to test use it with the understanding that it may have unresolved "bugs"). The first official completed version of a program is given the number 1.0, but its programmers will continue to discover glitches and hear about bugs from customers, so they make incremental improvements (for example, WordPerfect 5.0 was replaced by a 5.1 "upgrade"). Minor revisions retain the same first number, but have a new number in the decimal place. When programs are completely overhauled to the extent that the user interface looks substantially different, software companies signify this by increasing the first number. System 9.0 for the Macintosh, for example, is the 1999 release for users of System 8.6 or earlier.   Microsoft labels its updates by date of release (thus, Windows 98 and 2000; Office 97,98, and 2000).

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Talk A protocol which allows two people on remote Unix computer systems to communicate in real time. TELL is the interactive real-time protocol for VM/CMS. SEND is the interactive real-time protocol for VMS.

Telecommuting Describes a practice where employees work partially or primarily from home, using microcomputers and modems to access information systems and perform their daily duties without regard for their actual physical location.

Telnet Remote login, or remote terminal connection service. Telnet, a basic service on the Internet, allows a user to interact with another computer as if she or he were directly connected to the remote computer.

Terminal Emulation Software Communications software which permits your personal computer or workstation to communicate with another computer or network as if your machine were a specific type of terminal directly connected to that computer or network.

Thread A series of postings to an electronic bulletin board, or other discussion group (e.g., listserv), that have a common subject heading. A thread normally consists of responses to an original posting to a discussion, or an offshoot of another thread (See also Listserv).

286, 386, 486, and Pentium These numbers or names refer to the different microprocessing chips found in many Windows (IBM compatible) personal computers. In this series of microprocessing chips, all manufactured by Intel Corp., the 286 chip is the older, less powerful chip, and the Pentium chip (now in its third generation, or "Pentium III")is the most powerful and most recent chip.   Other types of chips for Windows computers, and offering speeds comparable to the Intel chips, are on the market.

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UNIX An operating system developed by Bell Laboratories that supports multi-user and multitasking operations. That is, this operating system allows many people to share the processing capabilities of the computer on which it is running, and allows those people to use several programs at once.

URL Universal Resource Locator. A term used to designate the address for a site located on the Internet. URLs are typically WWW sites that indicate the host's domain, subdirectory, and HTML filename: <http://www.thedomain.edu/theuser/filename.htm>. But URLs can also designate gopher sites: <gopher://gopher.hu.mtu.edu> or anonymous FTP sites: <ftp://something.somewhere.edu>. If the user has previously associated a Telnet program plug-in with a browser such as Netscape, then clicking on a Web page link to <telnet://telnetaddress> will automatically will also automatically begin a Telnet session (see also Plug-In).

USB Universal Serial Bus.  A type of hardware "port" common on newer PC and Macintosh computers.  USB devices such as printers, disk drives, and scanners are "hot swappable" (see entry), so a computer user can unplug one device and plug in another without restarting the computer.

Usenet (NETNEWS, Newsgroups) A distributed computer bulletin board system that some computers on the Internet participate in. It is not strictly an Internet service; many, many computers not on the Internet also participate. Usenet consists of thousands of newsgroups (somewhat like listserv discussion groups except that they are not distributed by e-mail) which anyone with access to Usenet can read and respond to. With the number of groups growing daily, there is truly something of interest to everyone on Usenet.

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VAX Computer produced by the Digital Equipment Corporation in wide use on the Internet, which accounts for the pervasiveness of VT100 emulation. VMS operating system is used for the VAX architecture of computers (See also VMS).

VAX Notes VAX Notes is essentially a computer bulletin board. It is structured like a two-dimensional matrix with a set of topic notes on various subjects. Replies to each topic get attached to each topic note. Topics are numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. Replies to topic 3 would be numbered 3.1, 3.2, etc. It permits users to have several different discussions simultaneously. It also saves all topics and replies, permitting readers to connect at any time, even several days late, and still catch up on the entire transaction.

Video Capture Refers to the process of freezing a video image and storing it digitally so that it can be displayed on a computer screen or printed as a still image in a document. Video capture requires special hardware and software as well as large amounts of memory.

Videodisk These are optically scanned disks that can store large quantities of video and graphic data (both images and sounds) and retrieve them for playing back on a monitor. They are currently read only, meaning that you can read from them but not store any new information on them.

Virtual Refers to things that are stored in the digital domain of a computer; they are not physical entities. Hence, classes held via computer, which never met in a traditional classroom, are termed "virtual classrooms" (Hiltz, 1986). Text which exists only in the computer's memory has been called "virtual" text.

Virtual Reality Systems which transform the computing environment by immersing the user in a simulated three-dimensional world, which also can include movement and tactile control. Virtual reality systems permit users to interact with computer systems in a manner that more closely mimics how humans naturally operate in the real world.

VMS Operating system designed by Digital Equipment Corporation  for VAX machines (See also VAX).

VT100 A standard "terminal emulation" type, based on a DEC (Digital Equipment Company) terminal, which is available in most communications software packages.

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Wide-Area Network (WAN) A distributed network spanning hundreds or thousands of miles, connecting a number of Local Area Networks (See also LAN and Intranet).

Wide-Area Information System (WAIS) An information retrieval tool developed by Thinking Machines, Inc. WAIS provides a simple-to-use interface which allows a patron to search multiple sources for information with a single natural language question.

World-Wide Web (WWW or "Web") A hypertext-based, distributed information system created by researchers at CERN in Switzerland. It allows users to create, edit or browse hypertext documents that include images, sound, and video.

WYSIWYG An acronym that stands for "What You See Is What You Get," this term is used to refer to programs that show users, on the computer screen, exactly what a page will look like when it is printed out. Related acronyms such as WYSIAWYG ("What You See Is Almost What You Get") and WYSIMOLWYG ("What You See Is More Or Less What You Get") are used to accentuate the slight differences that characterize some programs' screen representations and page copy.

Glossary Was Adapted & Expanded Using the Following Sources:

Note: Miscellaneous glossaries from unidentified sources were sent to us as private correspondence.

AppleGram (1991) "Apple Introduces System 7." 7(4), May, p. 1-2.

Ask ERIC InfoGuide. (1993). K-12 Educators and the Internet. Available via anonymous FTP at ericir.syr.edu.

Berge, Zane, Mauri Collins and Michael Day. (1995) "Glossary"

Collins, Marie, and Zane Berge, eds. Computer Mediated Communication and the Online Classroom. Vol. 1-3. (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press).

Collins, J. L. and Sommers, E. A. (1985) Writing On-Line: Using Computers in the Teaching of Writing. Upper Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook.

Hiltz, S. R. (1986) "The 'Virtual Classroom': Using Computer-mediated Communication for University Teaching." Journal of Communication, 36(2): 95-104.

Jacobsen, O. and D. Lynch. (1991). A Glossary of Networking Terms. RFC 1208.

Kehoe, Brendan P. (1992) Zen and the Art of the Internet. 1st ed.. Available for anonymous FTP on host FTP.CS.WIDENER.EDU, directory PUB/ZEN, filename ZEN-1.0.PS (Postscript file) and other formats.

Longley, Dennis. (1986). Dictionary of Information Technology. 2nd Edition. NY: Oxford University Press.

Malkin, G. and T. LaQuey Parker. (1993). Internet Users' Glossary. RFC 1392.

Mitchell, Maurice and Laverna Saudners. (1992). Glossary. Sent via private correspondence.

Mulliner, Kent. (1993). Internet Glossary. Prepared for a workshop in Columbus, Ohio. Sent via private correspondence.

Pfaffenberger, B. (1990) Que's Computer User's Dictionary. Carmel, IN: Que Corporation.

Landow, G.P. and Delany, P. (1991) "Hypertext, Hypermedia and Literary Studies: The State of the Art." In G. P. Landow and P. Delany (Eds.), Hypermedia and Literary Studies, p. 3-49.

Selfe, Richard. (1992) "What are they Talking About? Computer Terms that English Teachers May Need to Know." Hawisher, Gail E. and Paul LeBlanc, eds. Re-imagining Computers and Composition: Teaching and Research in the Virtual Age. Portsmouth, NH Boynton/Cook Heinemann.

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This page last modified on October 15, 1999
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