| C/C++ |
C is a high-level programming language that was developed in the mid-1970s. It was originally used for writing Unix... |
| Cable Modem |
A cable modem is used for connecting to the Internet and is much faster than a typical dial-up modem. While a 56K... |
| Cache |
This term is pronounced like "cash" -- not "catch," and definitely not "cashé." There are many different types... |
| CAD |
Stands for "Computer-Aided Design." Also known by engineers and architects as the best invention of all time. Today... |
| Camera RAW |
Most digital cameras process and compress the pictures you take immediately after capturing the image. This can be... |
| Caps Lock |
Caps lock is a feature nearly all keyboards have that, when active, capitalizes each letter typed on the keyboard... |
| Captcha |
A captcha is a challenge-response test that determines whether a user is human or an automated bot. A typical captcha... |
| Card Reader |
"Card reader" is the generic term for an input device that reads flash memory cards. It can be a standalone device... |
| Cc |
Stands for "Carbon Copy." The term comes from carbon copying, in which a piece of carbon paper copies writing from one... |
| CCD |
Stands for "Charged Coupled Device." CCDs are sensors used in digital cameras and video cameras to record still and... |
| CD |
Stands for "Compact Disc." CDs are circular discs that are 4.75 in (12 cm) in diameter. The CD standard was proposed... |
| CD-R |
Stands for "Compact Disc Recordable." CD-R discs are blank CDs that can record data written by a CD burner. The word... |
| CD-ROM |
Stands for "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory." A CD-ROM is a CD that can be read by a computer with an optical drive... |
| CD-RW |
Stands for "Compact Disc Re-Writable." A CD-RW is a blank CD that can be written to by a CD burner. Unlike a CD-R... |
| CDMA |
Stands for "Code Division Multiple Access." CDMA is a wireless transmission technology that was developed during World... |
| Cell |
A cell is a location in a spreadsheet defined by the intersection of a row and column. For example, cell C7 is the... |
| Certificate |
An SSL certificate, or secure certificate, is a file installed on a secure Web server that identifies a website. This... |
| CGI |
CGI stands for "Common Gateway Interface" and is a standard set of rules that define how scripts and programs can be... |
| Character |
A character is any letter, number, space, punctuation mark, or symbol that can be typed on a computer. The word... |
| Checksum |
A checksum is a calculated sum used to check the integrity of a file. It can be generated from one of many algorithms... |
| Chip |
Technically speaking, a computer chip is a piece of silicon with an electronic circuit embedded in it. However, the... |
| Chipset |
A chipset describes the architecture of an integrated circuit. This includes the layout of the circuitry, the... |
| CISC |
Stands for "Complex Instruction Set Computing." This is a type of microprocessor design. The CISC architecture... |
| Clean Install |
A clean install is an operating system (OS) installation that overwrites all other content on the hard disk. Unlike a... |
| Clean Room |
A simple definition of this would be "the opposite of my bedroom." But technically speaking, a clean room is a highly... |
| Client |
In the real world, businesses have clients. In the computer world, servers have clients. The "client-server... |
| Clip Art |
Clip art is a collection of pictures or images that can be imported into a document or another program. The images may... |
| Clipboard |
The clipboard is a section of RAM where your computer stores copied data. This can be a selection of text, an image, a... |
| CLOB |
CLOB is short for "Character Large Object." It is a data type used to store large amounts of character data. CLOBs... |
| Clock Cycle |
A clock cycle, or clock tick, is one increment of the CPU clock, during which the smallest unit of processor activity... |
| Clock Speed |
Clock speed is the rate at which a processor can complete a processing cycle. It is typically measured in megahertz or... |
| Clone |
What do sheep, droids, and computers all have in common? They can all be cloned! Of the three, computer clones are by... |
| Cloud Computing |
Cloud computing is a general term used to describe Internet services. These include social networking services like... |
| Cluster |
In the computer world, a cluster can refer to two different things:
1) A group of sectors on a disk. While a sector... |
| CMOS |
Stands for "Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor." This technology is typically used in making transistors. The... |
| CMYK |
Stands for "Cyan Magenta Yellow Black." These are the four basic colors used for printing color images. Unlike RGB... |
| Codec |
No, this is not just a cheap rip-off of Kodak. The name "codec" is short for "coder-decoder," which is pretty much... |
| Command Prompt |
A command prompt is used in a text-based or "command-line" interface, such as a Unix terminal or a DOS shell. It is a... |
| Commercial Software |
Computer software comes in three different flavors: freeware, shareware, and commercial software. Freeware is free to... |
| Compact Flash |
Often abbreviated as simply "CF," Compact Flash is a type of flash memory. Compact flash cards are most commonly used... |
| Compile |
When programmers create software programs, they first write the program in source code, which is written in a specific... |
| Compiler |
A compiler is a software program that compiles program source code files into an executable program. It is included as... |
| Component |
Computers are made up of many different parts, such as a motherboard, CPU, RAM, and hard drive. Each of these parts... |
| Computer |
Technically, a computer is a programmable machine. This means it can execute a programmed list of instructions and... |
| Computer Ethics |
Ethics is a set of moral principles that govern the behavior of a group or individual. Therefore, computer ethics is... |
| Configuration |
In the computing world, when people talk about their computer configuration, they are referring to the technical... |
| Contextual Menu |
A contextual menu is a pop-up menu that appears when you right-click on a certain area of the screen. It is... |
| Control Panel |
The Control Panel is a feature of the Windows operating system that allows the user to modify system settings and... |
| Controller Card |
The controller card, or simply "controller," is a piece of hardware that acts as the interface between the motherboard... |
| Cookie |
It seems like everyone who tries to explain what a cookie is just has to make a joke out of it (because of the name... |
| Copy |
Many software programs allow you to copy data, such as text in Microsoft Word or an image in Adobe Photoshop. To copy... |
| Copyright |
Copyright protects an author's original work from being copied and republished by others. It gives the author... |
| CPA |
Stands for "Cost Per Action," and is used in online advertising. CPA defines how much revenue a publisher receives... |
| CPC |
Stands for "Cost Per Click," and is used in online advertising. CPC defines how much revenue a publisher receives each... |
| CPL |
Stands for "Cost Per Lead," and is used in online advertising. CPL defines how much revenue a publisher receives when... |
| CPM |
Stands for "Cost Per 1,000 Impressions," and is used in online advertising. CPM defines the cost an advertiser pays... |
| CPS |
Stands for "Classroom Performance System." CPS refers to a technology system that is used for educational purposes... |
| CPU |
Stands for "Central Processing Unit." This is the pretty much the brain of your computer. It processes everything... |
| CRM |
Stands for "Customer Relationship Management." This is a business term that started somewhere in the deep abyss of the... |
| Cron |
Also known as a "cron job," a cron is a process or task that runs periodically on a Unix system. Some examples of... |
| Crop |
When you crop an image or photo, you remove part of the image. This may involve cutting some of the image from the... |
| Cross-Browser |
Cross-browser means that a website is compatible with multiple Web browsers. This means the Web pages show up... |
| Crossplatform |
Software that can run on multiple types of computer systems. For example, the graphics program Adobe Photoshop and the... |
| CRT |
Stands for "Cathode Ray Tube." CRT is the technology used in traditional computer monitors and televisions. The image... |
| CSS |
Stands for "Cascading Style Sheet." Cascading style sheets are used to format the layout of Web pages. They can be... |
| CTP |
Stands for "Composite Theoretical Performance." CTP is used to measure the performance of computer processors. The... |
| CTR |
Stands for "Click-Through Rate," and is used in online advertising. Web publishers typically generate revenue from... |
| Cursor |
The cursor on your screen can indicate two things: 1) where your mouse pointer is, or 2) where the next character typed... |
| Cut |
The Cut command removes a selected object and copies it to the clipboard. It performs both a Delete and Copy operation... |
| Cyberbullying |
Cyberbullying involves harassing, embarrassing, or threatening a young person via cyberspace. It encompasses several... |
| Cybercrime |
Cybercrime is criminal activity done using computers and the Internet. This includes anything from downloading illegal... |
| Cyberspace |
Unlike most computer terms, "cyberspace" does not have a standard, objective definition. Instead, it is used to... |
| Cybersquatter |
A cybersquatter, or "domainer," is someone who registers a domain name without intending to create a website for it... |
