Baseband
Broadband
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Database
Defrag
Firewall
Fragmentation
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Internet
Intranet
Menu
Network
Operating System (OS)
Outlook
Pop-up window
Queries
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Reboot
Server
Toolbar
Trojan horse
Virus
Window
Windows
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Baseband
1) The
original band of frequencies of a signal before it is modulated for transmission
at a higher frequency.
(2)
A type of data transmission in which digital or analog data is sent over a
single unmultiplexed channel, such as an Ethernet LAN. Baseband transmission use
TDM to send simultaneous bits of data along the full bandwidth of the
transmission channel.
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Broadband
A type of data transmission in which a single medium (wire) can carry several
channels at once. Cable TV, for example, uses broadband transmission. In
contrast, baseband transmission allows only one signal at a time. Most
communications between computers, including the majority of local-area networks,
use baseband communications.
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Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Abbreviation of central processing unit,
and pronounced as separate letters. The CPU is the brains of the computer.
Sometimes referred to simply as the process or central processor, the CPU
is where most calculations take place. In terms of computing power, the CPU is
the most important element of a computer system.
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Database
Often abbreviated DB. A collection of information organized in
such a way that a computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data.
You can think of a database as an electronic filing system.
Traditional databases are
organized by field, record, and file. A field is a single piece of information;
a record is one complete set of fields; and a file is a collection of records.
For example, a telephone book is analogous to a file. It contains a list of
records, each of which consists of three fields: name, address, and telephone
number.
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Defrag
A DOS and Windows utility that defragments (see
fragmentation) your hard disk. In Windows, you run
Defrag by selecting Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Disk
Defragmenter.
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Firewall
A system designed to prevent unauthorized access
to or from a private network. Firewalls can be
implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls
are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet
users from accessing private networks connected to the internet, especially
intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet
pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do
not meet the specified security criteria.
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Fragmentation
Refers to
the condition of a disk in which files are divided into pieces scattered around
the disk. Fragmentation occurs naturally when you use a disk frequently,
creating, deleting, and modifying files. At some point, the operating system
needs to store parts of a file in noncontiguous clusters. This is entirely
invisible to users, but it can slow down the speed at which data is accessed
because the disk drive must search through different parts of the disk to put
together a single file.
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Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Short for Internet Service Provider,
a company that provides access to the internet. For a monthly fee, the service
provider gives you a software package, username, password and access phone
number. Equipped with a modem, you can then log on to the Internet and browse
the World Wide Web and send and receive e-mail.
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Internet
A global network connecting millions of computers. More than 100
countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and opinions.
Unlike
online services, which are centrally controlled, the Internet is decentralized
by design. Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators
can choose which Internet services to use and which local services to make
available to the global Internet community. Remarkably, this anarchy by design
works exceedingly well.
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Intranet
A network based on TCP/IP protocols (an internet) belonging to an
organization, usually a corporation, accessible only by the organization's
members, employees, or others with authorization. An intranet's Web sites look
and act just like any other Web sites, but the firewall
surrounding an intranet fends off unauthorized access.
Like the
Internet itself, intranets are used to share
information. Secure intranets are now the fastest-growing segment of the
Internet because they are much less expensive to build
and manage than private network based on proprietary protocols.
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Menu
A list of commands or options from which you can choose. Most
applications now have a menu-driven component. You can choose an item from the
menu by highlighting it and then pressing the Enter (or Return) key, or by
simply pointing to the item with a mouse and clicking one of the mouse buttons.
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Network
A group of two or more computer systems linked together.
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Operating System (OS)
The most important program that runs on a computer. Every
general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs.
Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the
keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and
directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives
and printers. Microsoft Windows is an operating system.
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Outlook
The application responsible for the management of email, contacts,
calendars and such. All City of Sevierville email is actually stored on the
City's server at City Hall. Microsoft Outlook is used to
view the data stored on the server.
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Pop-up window
A window that suddenly appears (pops up) when you select an option with
a mouse or press a special function key. Usually, the pop-up window contains a
menu of commands and stays on the screen only until you select one of the
commands. It then disappears.
A
special kind of pop-up window is a pull-down menu, which appears just below the
item you selected, as if you had pulled it down.
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Queries
A
request for information from a database. There are three
general methods for posing queries:
Choosing
parameters from a menu: In this method, the database system presents a list of
parameters from which you can choose. This is perhaps the easiest way to pose a
query because the menus guide you, but it is also the least flexible.
Query by
example (QBE): In this method, the system presents a blank record and lets you
specify the field and values that define the query.
Query
language: Many database systems require you to make requests for information in
the form of a stylized query that must be written in a special query language.
This is the most complex method because it forces you to learn a specialized
language, but it is also the most powerful.
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Random Access Memory (RAM)
Pronounced ramm, acronym for random access
memory, a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that
is, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes. RAM
is the most common type of memory found in computers and other devices, such as
printers.
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Reboot
To restart a computer. You can reboot by pressing the Alt, Ctrl and
Delete keys simultaneously. This is called a warm boot. You can also perform a
cold boot by turning the computer off and then on again.
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Server
A computer or device on a
network that manages network resource. For example, a file server is
a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any user on the
network can store files on the server. A print server is a computer that
manages one or more printer, and a network server is a computer
that manages network traffic. A database server
is a computer system that processes database queries.
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Toolbar
A series of selectable buttons in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that
give the user an easy way to select desktop, application or Web browser
functions. Toolbars are typically displayed as either a horizontal row or a
vertical column around the edges of the GUI where they are visible while the
application is in use. Most applications use toolbars as they give the user
another option aside from pull-down menus.
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Trojan horse
A destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. Unlike
viruses, Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they
can be just as destructive. One of the most insidious types of Trojan horse is a
program that claims to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces
viruses onto your computer.
The term
comes from the a Greek story of the Trojan War, in which the Greeks give a giant
wooden horse to their foes, the Trojans, ostensibly as a peace offering. But
after the Trojans drag the horse inside their city walls, Greek soldiers sneak
out of the horse's hollow belly and open the city gates, allowing their
compatriots to pour in and capture Troy.
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Virus
A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without
your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate
themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a
copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a
simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and
bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable
of transmitting itself across network and bypassing security systems.
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window
An enclosed, rectangular area on a display screen. Most modern operating systems
and applications have graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that let you divide your
display into several windows. Within each window, you can run a different
program or display different data.
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Windows
When spelled with a capital W, Windows is short for Microsoft Windows.
Windows is an operating system (OS).
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