Glossary of Internet Terms

Please click on the letter below to take you to the corresponding glossary terms.

Absolute Reference	In a spreadsheet formula, a reference that neer changes when the user inserts rows or copy, or moves formulas in the spreadsheet.
Accelerated graphics cards	Graphics cards that use special graphics chips to boost performance.
Acceptance testing	A type of test designed to assure the purchaser or user of a new information system that the system does what it is supposed to do.
Access Cover	The protective cover on a floppy disk, which slides aside when the disk is inserted into the drive.
Access Time	The average time it takes a computer to locate data on the storage medium and read it.
Accumulator	In the arithmetic logic unit, the component that temporarily holds the result of any arithmetic or logical operation.
Action games	Arcade-style entertainment programs.
Active matrix screen	On a notebook computer, a display screen that utilizes thin film transistor technology to improve update speed and image quality.
Active pattern substitution	A compression technique designed specifically to compress text files.
ActiveX controls	Software that adds processing and interactive capabilities to Web pages.
Address	In spreedsheet terminology, the location of a cell, derived from it's column and a row location.
Address lines	In data transport terminology, the components of the data bus that carry the location of the data being transported, to help the computer find the data that it needs to process.
Adventure/role playing software	Games that allow players to interact with the computer-generated enviroment.
AFP	A network communications protocol developed by Apple Computer, Inc. for Apple Talk networks and Apple Macintosh computers.
Air time	In cellular communications, the number of minutes that you are connected during a call.
Algorithm	A set of steps for carrying out a task.
Alt key	A key used in combination with other keys to activate application-specific software functions.
Amplitude	The vertical distance between the trough and the crest of an electromagnetic wave.
Analog device	A device in which continuously varying data is processed as a continuous stream of varying information.
ANSI	(American National Standards Institute) A character-representation format that uses 8 bits to represent each character.
Application development tool	A "software construction kit" containing components that can be assembled into a software product.
Application server	A computer that runs application software and forwards the results of processing to workstations, as requested.
Application software	Computer programs that help the human user carry out a specific type of task (word processing, database management, etc.)
Application specifications	A description of the way in which an application should interface with the user, store data, process data, and format reports.
Application testing	The process of typing out various sequences of input values and checking the results, to make sure that an application works correctly.
Application-specific filename extension	An extension added to the name of a file, indicating that the file is associated with a particular application.
Archiving	The process of moving data off a primary storage device (such as a hard drive) onto a secondary storage device (such as a backup tape), for permanent storage.
ARCnet	A type of network configuration.
Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)	The part of the central processing unit that performs arithmetic and logical operations.
ARPANET	A project initiated in 1969 by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) that connected computers at four universities.
Arrow keys	Keys used to move the user's position on the screen up, down, right, or left.
Artificial intelligence (AI)	The ability of a machine to simulate or surpass intelligent human behavior.
ASCII	American Standard Code for Information Interchange, the data representation code most commonly used on minicomputers, frequently used on minicomputers, and sometimes used on mainframe computers.
ASCII file	A file of data encoded in the ASCII format.
Assumption	In a problem statement, information that is accepted as true, in order to proceed with the program design.
Asynchronous discussion	In Internet terminology, a discussion in which participants are not online at the same time.
Asynchronous protocol	A method of serial communication in which data transmission occurs without synchronization with a signal from the computer's internal clock; instead, the sending computer uses stop and start bits to indicate the beginning and end of the transmission (for example, communication over modems).
ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)	A network configuration utilizing a single standard for data, video, and voice.
Attachment	A file, such as a word-processing document, spreadsheet, or graphic, that is sent through anlp the e-mail system along with an e-mail message.
Attributes	In a relational database model, data field informatin contained in the columns in a table, in an object-oriented database, characteristics associated with an object.
Audio tutorials	Cassettes that verbally walk the user through the steps of the tutorial.
Auditing	In spreadsheet terminology, testing in order to verify the accurancy of data and formulas.
Auditing features	In spreadsheet terminology, software components designed to help the user find errors in data and formulas.
Autoexec.bat	A batch file that runs automatically when the system is started up.
Automatic page numbering	Automated numbering or renumbering of pages, which occurs as the user writes, edits, and formats a document (also called pagination).
Automatic word count	A feature of document production software nthat automatically counts the words in a document.
Automation	The use of electrical or mechanical devices to perform manufacturing or other tasks with minimal human intervention.