Descriptionary

back up to make an extra or duplicate file in mem­ory in case the original is lost or accidentally erased.

BASIC a simple computer language in which line numbers precede each statement, popularly used by students and microcomputer owners.

baud a measurement, in bits per second, of the time it takes a computer to transfer data.

BBS bulletin board system. A central computer sys­tem that can be accessed over telephone lines to relay data to a remote computer or to exchange messages with other computer users.

bells and whistles sales jargon for any unnecessary gadgetry or features on a computer.

beta test a manufacturer's test of new programming software among selected computer users.

bidirectional printer a printer that can print with its head moving backward or forward over a page.

biometrics computer-driven devices capable of scanning and identifying fingerprints, faces, and retinas, for security purposes. Also, the science of this.

bit short for binary digit, the smallest unit of infor­mation, represented by either a 1 or a 0.

blue affectionate nickname for an IBM computer, named after Big Blue.

board a printed circuit board.

bomb any computer failure in which a program ends prematurely and must be restarted.

boot to start up a computer.

bootstrap a brief program that gets a computer started.

bps bits per second. Bps bytes per second.

buffer an area of memory that temporarily holds incoming or outgoing data.

bug a mistake in a computer program.

bundled software any software supplied with a computer at no extra cost.

burn to write (record) data, images, or music on to a computer disk.

bus the connections or wires through which infor­mation is relayed to all of a computer's components.

byte 8 bits of memory space.

cache a data storage area that can be accessed quickly.

CAD computer-aided design; a computer system for creating blueprints and drafting layouts.

caddy a tray that slides out of the computer and holds a CD-ROM.

CAM acronym for computer-aided manufacturing. card a printed circuit board.

carpal tunnel syndrome swelling around a main nerve in the wrist, causing pain and numbness that can extend from the wrist to the fingers. It is caused by repetitive keyboard work and sometimes results in permanent injury.

cartridge a medium for storing programs. catalog a list of a disk's contents.

cathode-ray tube the picture tube in a monitor, consisting of a vacuum tube and fluorescent screen on which electrons are focused.

CD-ROM compact disk read-only memory. A com­pact disk (similar to the audio disk version) that stores huge volumes of computer information coded into it by the manufacturer.

chip see integrated circuit.

chiphead a computer enthusiast.

cipher text encrypted data.

clip art ready-made, non-copyrighted artwork or graphics that can be stored on a computer and incor­porated into any document.

clipboard a temporary data storage area.

clone an imitation; it refers to a computer brand that imitates another computer brand or model.

COBOL an easy-to-read program for business data processing.

command an instruction to a computer.

compatibles any same-brand or competitive-brand computers or components that can work together.

compression the compaction of data to reduce the space needed to store it.

computerese computer jargon, slang, acronyms, etc.

computer forensics investigative techniques used to uncover illicit computer use.

CPu central processing unit. The part of a com­puter that executes directions and performs arithme­tic and logic functions.

cracker one who breaks through security systems and infiltrates a computer system or network with criminal or mischievous intent.

cracking the illegal copying of commercial software by breaking down copy and registration protections.

crash any condition in which a computer malfunc­tions or stops operating.

Cray a family of state-of-the-art supercomputers manufactured by Cray Research, Inc.

CRT see cathode ray tube.

crunch to process calculations or figures with the computer; to number crunch.

cursor on a computer screen or monitor, the symbol that points out where the next typed-in character will appear.

cyberphobe one who has an aversion to computers.

cyberpunk a subgenre of science fiction involving computer culture.

database a computer catalog of information.

data communication the passing of data from one computer to another.

DDT a debugging program.

debug to work the bugs out of or remove the mis­takes from a computer program.

defrag to clean up a computer's hard drive; defragment.