Microsoft“
`
`C_onr_1puter
`Dictionary
`
`Fifth Edition
`
`

`
`
`
`PUBLISHED BY
`Microsoft Press
`
`A Division of Microsoft Corporation
`One Microsoft Way
`Redmond, Washington 98052—6399
`
`Copyright © 2002 by Microsoft Corporation
`
`All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
`or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
`
`Library of Congress Control Number: 2002019714
`
`Microsoft Press books are available through booksellers and distributors worldwide. For further informa-
`tion about international editions, contact your local Microsoft Corporation office or contact Microsoft
`Press International directly at fax (425) 936-7329. Visit our Web site at www.microsofncom/mspress.
`Send comments to mspinput@micr0s0ft.com.
`
`Active Desktop, Active Directory, ActiveMovie, ActiveStore, ActiVeSync, ActiveX, Authenticode,
`BackOffice, BizTalk, ClearType, Direct3D, DirectAnimation, DirectDraw, Directlnput, DirectMusic,
`DirectPlay, DirectShow, DirectSound, DirectX, Entourage, FoxPro, FrontPage, Hotmail, lntelliEye,
`IntelliMouse, Intellisense, .lScript, MapPoint, Microsoft, Microsoft Press, Mobile Explorer, MS-DOS,
`MSN, Music Central, NetMeeting, Outlook, PhotoDraw, PowerPoint, SharePoint, UltimateTV, Visio,
`Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual FoxPro, Visual InterDev, Visual J++, Visual SourceSafe, Visual Studio,
`Win32, Win32s, 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, e-mail 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
`
`Body Part No. X08-41929
`
`

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`without regard to the truth of the argument. Formal logic
`is used in proving program correctness.
`
`format1 11. 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 21. 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 n. On a Web site, an individual box or button
`with which you enter information on an electronic form.
`
`a 1. 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,
`
`form feed n. 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 prQ_
`gram into a single basic document. See also mail merge,
`formula 11. 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 B representing what-
`ever values the user designates. Thus, a formula is unlike
`an arithmetic problem, such as 1 + 2, which includes val-
`ues and must be restated if any value is changed. Through
`formulas, users of applications such as spreadsheets gain
`the power to perform “what-it" calculations simply by
`changing selected values and having the program recalcu-
`late the results. Sophisticated programs include many
`built-in formulas for performing standard business and
`mathematical calculations.
`
`Forte n. 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 language’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 lan-
`guage that uses threading, which lets programmers easily
`extend the language and enables Forth to fit a great deal of
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