Microsoft‘
`
`Computer
`ictionary
`
`Fifth Editio:<
`
`_
`Fun}; updated with the Fates:
`zechrmfogfes. terms. and acronyms?
`
`Easy to read, expertly mustrated
`
`fjeffnitive cmre:*age of hardware,
`software, the Interraet. and more!
`
`

`

`PUBLISHED BY
`Microsoft Press
`A Division of Microsoft Cof?Jl"atiou
`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 f ont11
`or by any means without the \vritten pernlission of the publisher.
`
`Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
`Microsoft Computer Dictionary.--5th ed.
`p. cm.
`ISBN 0-7356-1495-4
`1. Computers--Dictionru:ies. 2. Microcomputers--Dictionaries.
`
`AQ76.5. M 52267 2002
`004'.03--dc21
`
`200219714
`
`Printe;d and bound in the United States of An1erica.
`
`2 3 4 5 6 7 S 9 QWT
`
`7 6 5 4 3 2
`
`Distributed in Canada by H.B. Fenn and Company Ltd.
`
`A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
`
`Microsoft Press books are av ailable through booksellers and distributors \Vorldv .. ide. For further informa(cid:173)
`tion about international edi tions, contact y our local Microsoft Corporation office or contact Microsoft
`Press foternation31 directly at fa.'< ( 425) 936-7329. Visit our Web site at www.microsoft.com/mspre:ss.
`Send co1n111ents to n1spinput @rnicrosoft.co1n.
`
`Active Desktop, Active Directory, ActiveMovie, ActiveStore, ActiveSync, Active){, Authenticode,
`BackOffice, BizT31k, Clear Type, Direct3D, Direc!Animation, DirectDraw, Directlnput, DirectMusic,
`DirectPlay, DirectSho\v, DirectSound, Direct.X,, Entourage, FoxPro , FrontPage, Hotmail, IntelliEye~
`llltelliMouse, llltelliSense, JScript, MapFoint, Microsoft, Microsoft Press, Mobile El<plorer, MS-DOS ,
`MSN, Music Centr31, NetMeeting, Outlook, PhotoDraw, PowerPoint, SharePoi.nt, UltimateTV, Visio,
`Visual Basic, Vi.su31 C++, Visual FoxPro, Visu31 lnterDev, Visual J++, Visual SourceSafe, Visu31 Studio,
`\Vin32 , Win32s, \Vindows, \Vindo\VS Media, \Vindo\VS N T, Xbox are ei ther registered trade111arks or
`trade111arks of Mi crosoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and
`company nanles mentioned herein 111ay be the traden1arks of their respective O\\'ners.
`
`The exatnple c o111panies, organizations, products, donlain natnes, e -mail addresses, logos , people, places,
`and e vents depicted herein 31'e fictitious. N o assoc.iation v.:ith any real c0111pa11y, organization, prodoct,
`domain nan1e., e -mail address, logo, person, place, or e.vent is intended or should be inferred.
`
`Acquisitions Editor: Alex Blanton
`P roject Editor: Sandra Haynes
`
`Body Part No. XOS-41929
`
`
`
`

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`constraint
`
`content provider
`
`const raint 11. In programming, a restriction on the solu(cid:173)
`tions that are acceptable for a problem.
`consultant 11. A computer professional who deals with
`client firms as an independent contractor rather than as an
`employee. Consultants are often engaged 10 analyw user
`needs and develop system specifications.
`Consumer Elect ronics Show n Annual tradeshow of
`the consumer electronics industry, held in Las Vegas,
`Nevada. CES features exhibits of the latest consumer elec(cid:173)
`tronics products and conference events that focus on con(cid:173)
`sumer trends and business strategies. Acro11ym: CES.
`contact manager n.. A type of specialized database that
`allows a user to maintain a record of personal communica(cid:173)
`tion with others. Contact managers are widely used by
`salespeople and others who want to keep track of conver(cid:173)
`sations, e-mail, and other forms of communication with a
`large number of current and prospecti\'e customers or cli(cid:173)
`ents. See also database.
`container 11. t . In OLE terminology, a fi le containing
`linked or embedded obj ects. See also OLE. 2. In SGML ,
`an element that has content as opposed 10 one consisting
`solely of the tag name and attributes. See also element,
`SGML, tag. 3. In Sun M icrosystem's llEE network plat(cid:173)
`form, an entity that provides life cycle management, secu(cid:173)
`rity, deployment, and ru ntime services to components such
`as beans, Web components, applets, and application cli(cid:173)
`ents. Each type of container created (for example, EJB,
`Web, JSP, servlel, applet, and application client) also pro(cid:173)
`vides component-speci fic services. See also apple~ com(cid:173)
`ponent (definition 3), enterprise java baan, JSP, servlel.
`container object 11. An obj ect that can logically contain
`other objects. For example, a folder is a container object.
`See also noncontainer obj ect, object.
`content n I. The data that appears between the starting
`and endi ng tags of an element in an SGML, XML, or
`HTML document. The content of an element may consist
`of plain text or other elements. See alsoelement (definition
`2), HTML, SGML. tag (definition 3). 2. The message body
`of a newsgroup article or e-mail message. 3. The "meat" of
`a document, as opposed 10 its format or appearance.
`content-addressed st orage 11. See associative storage.
`content aggregator 11. 1. Broadly, an organi1,ation or
`business that groups Internet-based information by topic
`or area of interest-for example, sports scores, business
`news, or online shopping-to provide users with a means
`of accessing that content from a single location. 2. In
`
`terms of push technology and multicasting, a service busi(cid:173)
`ness that mediates between subscribers ("customers") and
`content providers by gathering and organizing information
`for broadcast over the Internet. Content aggregators sup(cid:173)
`ply subscribers with client software through which content
`providers broadcast (push) information via "channels" that
`allow users both to choose the kind of information they
`receive and to decide when they want it updated. Also
`called: channel aggregator. See also push, webcasting.
`Compare content provider.
`content caching 11. See content delivery.
`
`content delivery 11. The process of caching the pages of
`a Web site on geographically dispersed servers to enable
`faster delivery of Web pages. When a page is requested at
`a URL that is content-delivery enabled, the content-deliv(cid:173)
`ery network routes the user's request to a cache server
`closer to the user. Content delivery frequently is used for
`high-traffic Web sites or for specific high-traffic events.
`Also called: content distribution, content caching.
`content distri bution 11. See content delivery.
`
`content ion 11. On a network, compention among nodes
`for the opportunity to use a communications line or net(cid:173)
`work resource. In one sense, contention applies to a situa(cid:173)
`tion in which two or more devices attempt to transmit at
`the same time, thus causing a collision on the line. In a
`somewhat di fferent sense, contention also applies to a
`free-for-all method of controlling access to a communica(cid:173)
`tions line, in which the right to transmit is awarded to the
`station that wins control of the line. See also CS MA/CD.
`Compare token passing.
`Content Management Serve r 11. Automated software
`application developed by Microsoft Oirporation to assist
`nontechnical users in creating, tracking, and publishing
`content for Web sites. A workOow system delineates the
`tasks each user can perform, assigns content to individuals
`or groups, and allows users to n1onitor the status of con(cid:173)
`tent with which they are associated.
`
`Content Protection for Recordable Media 11. See
`CPRM.
`content provider n I. Broadly, an individual, group, or
`business that provides information for viewing or distribu(cid:173)
`tion on the Internet or on private or semiprivate intra nets or
`extranets. Content in this sense includes not only informa(cid:173)
`tion but also video, audio, software, listings of Web sites,
`and product-specific materials such as online catalogs.
`2. A service business that makes Internet information
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