OVER
`10,000
`ENTRIES
`
`Microsoft
`
`Cpmputer
`ictionar
`
`software, the lnternet, and more!
`
`Fifth Editio
`
`Fully updated with the latest
`technologies, terms, and acronyms
`
`Easy to read, expertly illustrated
`
`Definitive coverage of hardware,
`
`

`

`
`
`Microsoft
`
`Cpmputer
`Dictionary,
`
`FifthEdition %
`
`
`
`——-——¥
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`

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`
`
`PUBLISHED BY
`Microsoft Press
`
`A Divisiou of Microsoft Corporation
`One Microsoft Way
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`Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
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`Copyright © 2002 by Microsoft Corporation
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`Active Desktop, Active Directory, AetiveMovie. ActiveStore. ActiveSync, ActiveX, Authenticode,
`BackOffice, BizTalk. ClearTypc, Direct3D, DirectAnimation. DirectDraw. Directlnput, DirectMusic.
`DirectPlay, DirectShow, DirectSound. DirectX, Entourage. FoxPro. FrontPage, Hotmail, IntelliEyc,
`IntelliMouse, IntelliSensc, JScript, MapPoint, Microsoft, Microsoft Press. Mobile Explorer, MS-DOS.
`MSN, Music Central, NetMeeting, Outlook, PhotoDraw, PowerPoint, SharcPoint, UltimateTV. Visio,
`Visual Basic, Visual C-H-, Visual FoxPro, Visual Intchev. Visual J++, Visual SourceSafe, Visual Studio.
`Win32, Win325. Windows, Windows Media, Windows NT, Xbox are either registered trademarks or
`trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and
`company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
`
`The example companies, organizations, products, domain names, email addresses, logos, people, places.
`and events depicted herein are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product.
`domain name, e-mail address, logo, person, place, or event is intended or should be inferred.
`Acquisitions Editor: Alex Blanton
`Project Editor: Sandra Haynes
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`Body Part No. X084! 929
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`

`

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`
`formal logic
`
`Penn
`
`formal logic in. A study of the logical expressions.
`sequences, and overall construction of a valid argument,
`without regard to the truth of the argument. Formal logic
`is used in proving program correctness.
`
`formati‘ n. 1. in general, the structure or appearance of a
`unit of data. 2. The arrangement of data within a document
`file that typically permits the document to be read or writ-
`ten by a certain application. Many applications can store a
`file in a more generic format. such as plain ASCII text.
`3. The layout of data storage areas {tracks and sectors) on
`a disk. 4. The order and types of fields in a database. 5. The
`attributes of a cell in a Spreadsheet, such as its being alpha-
`betic or numeric, the number of digits, the use of commas,
`and the use of currency signs. 6. The specifications for the
`placement of text on a page or in a paragraph.
`
`format: vb. 1. To change the appearance of selected text
`or the contents of a selected cell in a spreadsheet. 2. To
`prepare a disk for use by organizing its storage space into
`a collection of data “compartments." each of which can be
`located by the operating system so that data can be sorted
`and retrieved. When a previously used disk is formatted.
`any preexisting information on it is lost.
`
`format bar in. A toolbar within an application used for
`modifying the format of the document being displayed.
`such as changing font size or type.
`
`formatting n. 1. The elements of style and presentation
`that are added to documents through the use of margins,
`indents, and different sizes, weights, and styles of type.
`2. The process of initializing a disk so that it can be used
`to store information. See also initialize.
`
`form control it. On a Web site, an individual box or button
`with which you enter information on an electronic form.
`
`n l. The size, shape, and configuration of a
`piece of computer hardware. The term is often applied to
`subcomponents such as disk drives, circuit boards, and
`small devices, such as handheld PCs. It can also be used
`more broadly to include the arrangement and positioning
`of external switches, plugs. and other components of the
`device, or it can refer to the footprint of an entire com—
`puter. 2. A term used in computer graphics, specifically
`with reference to a method of rendering known as radios—
`ity, which divides an image into small patches for calculat—
`ing illumination. The form factor is a calculated value that
`represents the amount of energy radiated by one surface
`and received by another, taking into account such condi-
`tions as the distance between the surfaces. their orientation
`
`with respect to one another, and the presence of obstruc-
`tions between them. 3. When used to describe software,
`
`refers to the amount of memory required, the size of the
`program. and so on.
`
`form feed it. A printer command that tells a printer to
`move to the top of the next page. In the ASCII character
`set, the form-feed character has the decimal value 12
`
`(hexadecimal 0C). Because its purpose is to begin printing
`on a new page, form feed is also known as the page—eject
`character. Acronym: FF.
`
`form letter n. A letter created for printing and distribu-
`tion to a group of people whose names and addresses are
`taken from a database and inserted by a mail-merge pro.
`gram into a single basic document. See also mail merge,
`formula :1. A mathematical statement that describes the
`actions to be performed on numeric values. A formula sets
`up a calculation without regard to the actual values it is to
`act upon, such as A + B. with A and 8 representing what.
`ever values the user designates. Thus. a formula is unlike
`an arithmetic problem, such as i + 2, which includes val.
`Lies and must be restated if any value is changed. Through
`formuias. users of applications such as spreadsheets gain
`the power to perform "what-ii“ calculations simply by
`changing selected values and having the program recalctr
`late the results. Sophisticated programs include many
`built-in formulas for performing standard business and
`mathematical calculations.
`
`Forte rt. Sun Microsystems integrated development envi-
`ronment (IDE) for Java developers. See also integrated
`development environment.
`
`Fortezza n. A cryptographic technology developed by the
`United States National Security Agency (NSA) for
`enabling secure communication of sensitive information.
`Fortezza is based on encryption. authentication. and other
`technologies built into a personalized card known as the
`Fortezza Crypto Card that can be inserted into a PCMCIA
`slot on a computer. This card works with Fortezza-enabled
`hardware and software to secure applications such as e-
`mail, Web browsing. e-commerce, and file encryption. An
`RS-232 token can also be used with legacy systems that do
`not have card-reading capability. The technology is sup—
`ported by a number of commercial vendors.
`
`Forth n. A programming language originated by Charles
`Moore in the late 1960s Moore chose the Ianguage‘s
`name, a shortened version of the word fourth, because he
`believed it was a fourth-generation language and his oper-
`ating system would allow him to use only five letters for a
`program name. Forth is an interpreted, structured iann
`guage that uses threading, which lets programmers easily
`extend the language and enables Forth to fit a great deal 0f
`
`222
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