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PC Glossary

Definitions of Computer and Internet Terms

Computer Terms Beginning with "O"

OASIS Stands for "Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards." To someone backpacking through the...
OCR Stands for "Optical Character Recognition." This technology is what allows you to scan that paper you lost on your...
ODBC Stands for "Open Database Connectivity." With all the different types of databases available, such as Microsoft...
OEM Stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer." This refers to a company that produces hardware to be marketed under...
Offline When a computer or other device is not turned on or connected to other devices, it is said to be "offline." This is...
OLAP Stands for "Online Analytical Processing." OLAP allows users to analyze database information from multiple database...
OLE Stands for "Object Linking and Embedding." It can be pronounced as "O-L-E," or "Oh-lay!" if you are feeling Spanish...
Online In general, when a machine is "online," it is turned on and connected to other devices. For example, when a network...
OOP Stands for "Object-Oriented Programming." OOP (not Oops!) refers to a programming methodology based on objects...
Opacity Opacity (pronounced "o-PASS-ity") refers to the opaqueness of an object. In computing, opacity is often used in...
Open Firmware Open Firmware is a type of firmware that some computer systems use when they boot up. It controls the processor and...
Open Source When a software program is open source, it means the program's source code is freely available to the public. Unlike...
OpenGL OpenGL, or the Open Graphics Library, is a 3D graphics language developed by Silicon Graphics. Before OpenGL was...
Operating System Also known as an "OS," this is the software that communicates with computer hardware on the most basic level. Without...
Optical Drive In the real world, "optical" refers to vision, or the ability to see. In the computer world, however, "optical" refers...
Optical Media Media, in the computer world, refers to various types of data storage. For example, hard drives, CDs, DVDs, and USB...
OS X Mac OS X, pronounced "Mac Oh-Es Ten," is the current version of the operating system used on Apple Macintosh computers...
OSD OSD is short for "On Screen Display." An OSD is an onscreen menu included with most monitors that allows users to make...
OSPF Stands for "Open Shortest Path First." OSPF is a method of finding the shortest path from one router to another in a...
Outbox An outbox is where outgoing e-mail messages are temporarily stored. While you are composing a message, most mail...
Output Data generated by a computer is referred to as output. This includes data produced at a software level, such as the...
Output Device Any device that outputs information from a computer is called, not surprisingly, an output device. Since most...
Overclocking For some people, fast is never fast enough. In the world of computers, a fast processor can be made even faster by...
Overwrite In computing, overwriting refers to replacing old data with new data. There are two primary types of overwriting...

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