The Computer Folks Glossary

RAD	(rapid application development)
Radio waves	A means of wireless transmission for mobile communications, such as cellular telephones.
RAID (redundant array of independent disks)	A hard disk storage format, used by mainframes and microcomputers, in which many disk platters are used to provide data redundancyfor faster data access and increased protection from media failure.
RAM address	An identifying value associated with each bank of capacitors that holds information in RAM.
Random access memory (RAM)	Memory that temporarily holds data that is being processed.
Range check	A method used in data management enviroments to specify what constitutes the range of valid entries in each field.
Readibility formulas	Instructions contained in grammer checkers that help the user to write at a level appropriate for a particular target audience.
Read-only	An indication that a computer can retrieve data from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, but cannot write new data onto it.
Read-only memory (ROM)	A set of chips containing permanent, nonchangeable instructions that help a computer prepare for processing tasks.
Read-write head	The component of a disk drive that magnetizes particles on the storage disk surface, in order to encode data.
Real numbers	Numbers containing decimal units.
Real-time clock	In a computer system, a battery-powered clock chip that maintains the current data and time.
Receiver	The destination of a message, such as a person, or anothe communications device.
Record	A subdivision of a data file that contains data about a particular entity.
Record format	The internal structure of a record, including field names, field lengths, and data types.
Record number	In a database, a unique identifier associated with a speciic reccord.
Record occurrence	Data entered into a record.
Record type	the structure of a record, usually indicating the purpose of a record.
Redirecting	Diverting data headed for a local peripheral (such as a printer) to a network peripheral (such as a network printer)
Redundancy	The storage of duplicate data in more than one location, for protection against media failure.
Reference manuals	Books or online resources that describe the features of a hardware device or a software package.
Register	A region of high-speed memory in an electronic processing device, such as an ALU, used to hold data that is being processed.
Relational database	A database consisting of a collection of tables that can share information or files.
Remarks	Explanatory comments inserted into lines of code in a computer program.
Remote control software	Computer programs used to establish a connection, via modem, between two machines that are located at a distance from each other.
Removable hard disks	Hard disk cartridges that contain platters and read-write heads, and that can be inserted into and removed from the hard drive.
Rendering	In graphics software, the process of creating a 3-D solid image by covering a wire-frame drawing and applying computer-generated highlights and shadows.
Repetition control structure	A component of a computer program that repeats one or more instructions until a certain condition is met.
Report generator	The component of a data management enviroment that provides a user with the ability to design reports.
Report template	A predesigned pattern that provides the outline or general specifications for a report.
Request for proposal (RFP)	A document sent by an organization to vendors in order to solicit proposals; it specifies the problem that needs to be solved and the requirements that must be met.
Request for quotation (RFQ)	A document sent by an organization to venders requesting a formal price quotation on a list of hardware and/or software.
Resolution	The number of dots per unit of measurement displayed by a computer monitor; the greater number of dots, the higher the resolution.
Revision	An updated form (indicated by .x) of a software program, incorporating minor enhancements and eliminating bugs found in the most recent version.
Right-click	Pressing the right-hand button on a mouse, in order to manipulate an object or activate a menu, in a GUI interface.
Rightsize	To find the most effective configuration for computer resources.
Ring	A type of network topology in which the cables from a cicle that connects MAUs, which in turn connect to each network node.
RISC (Reduced instruction set computer)	A microprocessor that uses a streamlined instruction set for more rapid and efficient processing.
Risk management	The process of weighing threats to a computer data against expendabbility of that data and the cost of protecting it.
Roaming calls	In cellular communications, calls placed outside of the user's local calling area.
ROM BIOS	A small set off basic input/output system instructions stored in ROM, which cause the system o load critical operating files when the user turns on the computer.
Root	In a hierarchical database, the topmost node in the hierarchy.
Root directory	The main directory of a disk.
Router	A computer found at each intersection on the Internet backbone that examines incoming data's IP address and forwards the data towards its destination.
Rows	In spreadsheet terminology, a horizontal arrangement of items withen a grid, such as cells running from the left to the right of the page.
Rule	In graphics, a line usually positioned under text.
Run length encoding	A graphics file compression technique that looks for patterns of bytes and replaces them with messages that describe the patterns.
Run-time error	An error that occurs when a computer program is run.