| Abend |
Short for "Abnormal end." An abend is an unexpected or abnormal end to a process. In computer software, it typically... |
| Access |
Microsoft Access, often abbreviated "MS Access," is a popular database application for Windows. Access allows users to... |
| Access Point |
An access point provides wireless access to a network. Devices connected to an access point can communicate with other... |
| ACL |
Stands for "Access Control List." An ACL is a list of user permissions for a file, folder, or other object. It... |
| Active-Matrix |
Active-matrix technology is used in high-quality flat-panel displays, such as laptop screens and thin computer... |
| ActiveX |
This Microsoft-based technology was built to link desktop applications to the World Wide Web. Using ActiveX... |
| Ad Hoc Network |
"Ad Hoc" is actually a Latin phrase that means "for this purpose." It is often used to describe solutions that are... |
| ADC |
Stands for "Analog-to-Digital Converter." Since computers only process digital information, they require digital... |
| Add-on |
An add-on is a software extension that adds extra features to a program. It may extend certain functions within the... |
| ADF |
Stands for "Automatic Document Feeder." An ADF is used in copiers and scanners to feed pages into the machine. It... |
| ADSL |
Stands for "Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line." ADSL is a type of DSL, which is a method of transferring data over... |
| Adware |
Adware is free software that is supported by advertisements. Common adware programs are toolbars that sit on your... |
| Affiliate |
Website affiliates are what drive Internet marketing. Companies run affiliate programs to generate leads and sales... |
| AGP |
Stands for "Accelerated Graphics Port." This is a graphics card expansion port designed by Intel that resides on the... |
| AIFF |
Stands for "Audio Interchange File Format." AIFF is an audio format originally developed by Apple Computer for storing... |
| AIX |
Stands for "Advanced Interactive Executive," though some Linux fans have been known to refer to it as "Ain't UNIX... |
| Alert Box |
An alert box, sometimes called a message box, is a small window that pops up on your screen to warn you that your... |
| Algorithm |
An algorithm is a set of instructions, sometimes called a procedure or a function, that is used to perform a certain... |
| Analog |
As humans, we perceive the world in analog. Everything we see and hear is a continuous transmission of information to... |
| Android |
Android is Google's mobile operating system (OS) that is used by several smartphones, such as the G1, Droid, and Nexus... |
| ANSI |
Stands for "American National Standards Institute." ANSI's primary goal is to enhance the global competitiveness of... |
| Antivirus |
Antivirus (also written "anti-virus" or simply "AV") is software designed to prevent, detect, and remove viruses from a... |
| API |
Stands for "Application Program Interface," though it is sometimes referred to as an "Application Programming... |
| Apple |
Apple is the company that makes Macintosh computers, such as the iMac, Mac mini, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and... |
| Applet |
This a Java program that can be embedded in a Web page. The difference between a standard Java application and a Java... |
| Application |
An application, or application program, is a software program that runs on your computer. Web browsers, e-mail... |
| Archie |
Archie is a program used for finding files stored on FTP (File Transfer Protocol) servers. Archie is not used very... |
| Archive |
An archive contains multiple files and/or folders within a single file. Archives can be saved in several different... |
| ARP |
Stands for "Address Resolution Protocol." ARP is a protocol used for mapping an IP address to a computer connected to... |
| Array |
An array is a data structure that contains a group of elements. Typically these elements are all of the same data... |
| ASCII |
Stands for "American Standard Code for Information Interchange." ASCII is the universal standard for the numerical... |
| ASP |
Just to confuse ordinary people like you and me, there are two equally important definitions of ASP. The term can... |
| ASP.NET |
ASP.NET is a set of Web development tools offered by Microsoft. Programs like Visual Studio .NET and Visual Web... |
| ATA |
Stands for "Advanced Technology Attachment." It is a type of disk drive that integrates the drive controller directly... |
| ATM |
Stands for "Asynchronous Transfer Mode." Most people know of ATMs as automated teller machines -- those friendly boxes... |
| Autocomplete |
Autocomplete is a technology that provides text predictions as you type. For example, when you type a query in a... |
| Autoresponder |
An autoresponder is a program or script on a mail server that automatically replies to e-mails. Though it is run from... |
| Avatar |
An avatar is an online character that represents a person. For example, games like World of Warcraft and the Sims... |
