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ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
A technology that converts an ordinary household telephone line into an extremely fast internet connection. It is a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional modem can provide. It does this by using frequencies that are normally not used by a voice call.
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Anti Virus
Software designed to help detect and remove programs that have the potential to harm your computer. Computer viruses and other malicious software (sometimes referred to as ?malware?) transmitted via the internet are blocked from computer networks by Firewall programs (see definition below). For more information on Antivirus programs, visit our Security page.
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ATA/AT Attachment
An ATA or Advanced Technology Attachment is a standard interface for connecting storage devices such as hard disks and optical drives inside computers.
SATA stands for Serial ATA, and is the successor to ATA. This older technology was retroactively renamed Parallel ATA (PATA) to distinguish it from the newer Serial ATA.
External hard drives which feature SATA interfaces are called eSATA
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Beta
A Beta version of a program is usually the first version of a program that has been released (usually through the Internet) for selected or general public use (called closed and open betas respectively). The purpose of this is for developers to gain important feedback from users, who report any faults or bugs that they find and suggest improvements that they would like to see in the completed version. A Beta release is also referred to as an early access or technical preview (TP).
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BIOS (Basic input/output System)
BIOS is accessed every time a computer is switched on; it checks all hardware connections are working before moving onto the next process therefore streamlining the effectiveness of the computer. The main function of the BIOS is to prepare the machine so other software programs stored on various media (hard drives, CDs, etc) can load, execute, and assume control of the computer. This process is also known as booting up.
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Bluetooth
Provides a way to connect and exchange information between computers, laptops, mobile phones and PDA's via a short-range radio frequency.
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Boot Camp
Boot Camp is a piece of software created by Apple allowing Intel-based Mac users to run Windows XP ? this allows Mac users to enjoy the wider range of software that is normally exclusive to PC users. The software is still in its trial stages, and as such has not yet been officially endorsed by Apple.
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BPS (bits per second)
The rate at which one bit can be carried, normally expressed in thousands (Kbps) or millions (Mbps).
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Broadband
High speed access to the internet usually at a transfer speed of over 1MB per second. Broadband is usually provided by ADSL or cable modems by internet service providers (ISPs) such as AOL.
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Browser
Programs such as Internet Explorer, Netscape and Mozilla Firefox, that allows the user to look at web pages and organise files.
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Burning/Ripping
Terms used to describe the transfer of data to and from storage devices such as CDs to hard drives. Information, mostly music files, is ?ripped? from CDs and can later be ?burned? onto blank devices.
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Byte
A byte is commonly used as a unit of storage measurement in computers, roughly equal to eight bits (binary digits). Large quantities of bytes are expressed as Kilobytes (KB) equivalent to one thousand bytes, Megabytes (MB), approx. a million bytes, Gigabytes (GB) a billion, and so on.
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Cache
A cache is a block of memory space used for temporary storage of data that is likely to be used again.
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Cookies
Are used to store information about you and your activities when you visit some websites, and in particular relied upon by the affiliate marketing industry.
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CPU or Processor
This determines the speed of a computer and is the component that performs virtually all of the computation and controls the behaviour of most devices.
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DSL
Is a Digital Subscriber Line, commonly known as broadband. Cable companies supply DSL broadband through TV cables.
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Dual Core
A dual core CPU combines two independent processors and their respective caches and cache controllers onto a single chip, or integrated circuit. A PC or laptop with dual core technology allows you to run more applications simultaneously than when using a single core processor. Think of it as having two family cars as opposed to a single, high-powered sports car; the one car on its own maybe faster, but is less versatile as it can't be in two places at once.
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ESD strap
An ESD strap is made from a mixture of conductive fabrics and is worn around the wrist or ankle. They are designed to earth people who are working on sensitive electronic equipment such as computers, preventing electro-static discharge (ESD) from building up.
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Ethernet Cable
A cable used to connect computers, hubs, switches, routers and other computer peripherals.
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Firewall
A firewall program is a barrier that protects your computer against unwanted programs accessing your computer through a network (e.g. the internet). Firewalls are synonymous with Anti virus programs ? most of which come with a firewall included.
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FSB
The Bus speed or Front side Bus (FSB) is essential to fast computer performance. The bus speed is how fast data & information will travel between two points within your computer system; the more FSB your computer has the faster it will run.
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Gigabyte (GB)
Computers have two types of storage; the hard disk which deals with long-term memory and is measured in Gigabytes (GB) and Ram which deals with short term memory and is usually referred to in Megabytes (MB).
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Gigahertz
A unit of alternating current or electromagnetic wave frequency equal to one thousand million hertz (1,000,000,000 Hz) used as an indicator of the frequency to express microprocessor clock speed in computers
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Graphics Card
Presents information in a visual form on the monitor of the computer. The higher the specification of the card, the better the resolution on your screen.
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Hard Drive
The magnetic storage component that holds programs and information when the computer is switched off. Its size is measured in Gigabytes (GB).
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Hz (Hertz)
A measurement of frequency in cycles per second. One Hertz is one cycle per second. Units of frequency equal to one thousand Hz is referred to as 1 Kilohertz (kHz).
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ISP
Internet Service Provider - a company which provides an internet connection.
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Kilobyte (KB)
A unit measuring 1,000 bytes.
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Kilohertz
Unit of frequency equal to 1,000 Hz.
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Megabyte (MB)
A unit measuring a million bytes, commonly used to express the size of Ram (short term memory) on a computer (see Gigabyte definition above).
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Memory or RAM (Random Access Memory)
The fast memory that computers use for temporary storage of information. The word 'Random' refers to the fact that data can be accessed whenever, regardless of its location, and within a certain time.
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Operating System (OS)
The software that the rest of the programs rely upon in order to make the computer functional.
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Optical Drives
An optical disc is a technical catch-all term for any kind of polycarbonate disc such as a CD-ROM which stores data. Optical drives are the tray-loading drives in the front or side of your computer which allow you to load and install software and write or "burn" data to discs. Optical drives come in several formats:
CD-ROM - only reads CDs
CD-RW - records and plays CDs
DVD-ROM - reads CDs and DVDs
DVD RW - records and plays CDs and DVDs
DVD Dual Layer - loads double DVDs
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Premium Ready PC
A new PC that is Premium Ready means that it will be compatible with Windows Vista if you choose to install it.
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Processor or CPU
This determines the speed of a computer and is the component that performs virtually all of the computation and controls the behaviour of most devices.
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RAM (Randon Access Memory) or Memory
The fast memory that computers use for temporary storage of information. The word 'Random' refers to the fact that data can be accessed whenever, regardless of its location, and within a certain time.
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Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of pixels horizontally and vertically that can be displayed on a screen and is expressed in measurements of pixels/dots per inch (ppi or dpi respectively). A screen resolution of 1024x768 ppi is considered to be the standard resolution for computer screens today.
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Router
A device or setup that finds the best route between any two networks.
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USB (Universal Serial Bus)
USB is a hardware interface for attaching peripheral devices to a variety of machines. The USB 'trident' icon is a widely recognised symbol.
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Viiv
Pronounced so that it rhymes with 'five', Intel's new platform is designed for the enjoyment of digital entertainment; Intel? Viiv? technology delivers the multitasking power of a dual-core processor.
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Wi-Fi/Wireless Internet
Also referred to as Wireless Internet, Wi-Fi allows people to connect to the Internet using radio waves instead of phone lines. You can share a broadband Internet connection around the computers in your home without cables.
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Windows Vista
Microsoft?s new version of Windows. A PC displaying a "Windows Vista Capable" logo or a "Premium Ready PC" will be able to cope with the more demanding aspects of Vista.
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