ctilr
`
`Third Edition
`
`Microsoft®Press
`
`1
`
`APPLE 1014
`
`

`
`PUBLISHED BY
`Microsoft Press
`A Division of Microsoft Corporation
`One Microsoft Way
`Redmond, Washington 980526399
`
`Copyright © 1997 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 Cataloging—i1i—Publication Data pending.
`
`ISBN 167231-743-4
`
`Printed and bound in the United States of America.
`
`123456789 QMQM 210987
`
`Distributed to the book trade in Canada by Macmillan of Canada, a division of Canada
`Publishing Corporation.
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`A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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`nn_s_prcss.microsoft.com.
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`Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respec-
`tivc owners.
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`Acquisitions Editor: Kim Fryer
`Project Editors: Maureen Williams Zimmerman, Anne Taussig
`Technical Editors: Dail Magee J'r., Gary Nelson, Jean Ross, Jim Fuchs. John Conrow,
`Kurt Meyer, Robert Lyon, Roslyn Lutsch
`
`2
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`

`
`27.. On the
`.fid011et.o1'g \dot—lT‘do—net—dot—6rg’\
`Internet,
`the major domain specifying that an
`address is located on Fidonet.
`field \féld\ 17.. 1. A location in a record in which a
`
`particular type of data is stored. For example,
`EMPLOYF.F.—RF.CORD might contain fields to store
`Last—Name, First-Name, Address, City, State, Zip-
`Code, I-Iire—Date, Current—Salary, Title, Department,
`and so on. Individual fields are characterized by
`their maximum length and the type of data (for
`example, alphabetic, numeric, or financial) that can
`be placed in them. The facility for creating these
`specifications usually is contained in the data def-
`inition language (DDL). In relational database inan-
`agement systems, fields are called coltmms. 2. A
`space in an on-screen form where the user can
`enter a specific item of information.
`fielcl-effect transistor \fEld‘;)—fel<t
`tranz—i’st:)r\
`See PET.
`
`It.
`
`field-prog1'a1n111able logic 211 ‘try \f6ld‘pr6—gram~
`a—bl loj’ik or—a‘\
`7-2. An integrated circuit containing
`an array of logic circuits in which the connections
`between the individual circuits, and thus the logic
`functions of the array, can be programmed after
`manufacture, typically at the time of installation in
`the field. Programming can be performed only
`once,
`typically by passing high current through
`fusible links on the chip. /lCr‘onyJ7z.- FPLA (F‘P—I.—
`A’). /1150 called PLA, programmable logic array.
`field separator \féld’ sep‘or—Et—tar\
`12. Any charac-
`ter that separates one field of data from another.
`See 61/50 delimiter, field (definition 1).
`FIFO \fi't-‘<3, F‘I«I*'—O’\
`11. See first in, first out.
`fiftl1~ge11e1'ati0n
`coinpiiter \fifth‘jen—ar—a‘shan
`l(ain—py6""o't9r\
`fl. See computer.
`/2.
`form’\
`fiftli normal
`form \fifth‘ n6r‘mal
`Abbreviated SNF. See normal form (definition 1).
`
`72.. A complete, named collection of infor—
`file \fTl\
`mation, such as a program, a set of data used by a
`program, or a user—created document. A file is the
`basic unit of storage that enables a computer to
`distinguish one set of information from another. A
`file is the “glue" that binds a conglomeration of
`instructions, numbers, Words, or images into a
`coherent unit
`that a user can retrieve, change,
`delete, save, or send to an output device.
`file allocation table \fil’ al-a—k2'1‘shan tz"1‘bl\
`
`72. A
`
`table or list maintained by some operating systems
`
`to manage disk space used for file storage. Files on
`a disk are stored, as space allows,
`in fixed-size
`groups of bytes (characters)
`rather
`than from
`beginning to end as contiguous strings of text or
`numbers. A single file can thus be scattered in
`pieces over many separate storage areas. A file
`allocation table maps available disk storage space
`so that it can mark flawed segments that should
`not be used and can find and link the pieces of a
`file. In lVIS~DOS, the file allocation table is com-
`monly known as the FAT. See also FAT file system.
`file attribute \fil” a‘tra-byoTot\
`71. A restrictive
`label attached to a file that describes and regulates
`its use—-—for example, hidden, system, read—only,
`archive, and so forth. In MS—DOS, this information
`is stored as part of the file’s directory entry.
`file backup \fTl’ bak‘up\ Y1. See backup.
`file compression \fil’ kam-presh‘an\ 12. The pro—
`cess of reducing the size of a file for transmission
`or storage. See also data compression.
`file control block \fil’ ksn—tr6l\ blok\
`
`11. A small
`
`block of memory temporarily assigned by a com-
`puter’s operating system to hold information about
`an opened file. A file control block typically con-
`tains sueh information as the file’s identification,
`its location on disk, and a pointer that marks the
`user's current (or last) position in the file. Acro-
`11_)m1: FCB (F‘C—B’).
`file conversion \iTl’ kan—var‘zhan\ n. The pro—
`cess of transforming the data in a file from one for-
`mat to another without altering its contents——for
`example, converting a file from a Word processor's
`format to its ASCII equivalent.
`file extension \lil’ el<s—ten‘shan'\
`(definition 1).
`file extent \fil’ eks—tent‘\
`file forlnat \ffl’ f5r‘n1at\
`
`77.. See extent.
`72. The structure of a file
`
`rz. See extension
`
`that defines the way it is stored and laid out on the
`screen or in print. The format can be fairly simple
`and common, as are files stored as “plain" ASCII
`text, or it can be quite complex and include Vari-
`ous types of control instructions and codes used
`by programs, printers, and other devices. Exam—
`ples include RTF (Rich Text Format), DCA (Docu-
`ment Content Architecture), PICT, DIF (Data
`Interchange Format), DXF, TIFF (Tagged Image
`File Format), and EPSF (Encapsulated Postscript
`Format).
`
`3
`
`

`
`71. 1.
`file fragmentation \fil’ frag~man—ta‘shan\
`The breaking apart of files into small, separate seg-
`ments for storage on disk. The condition is a nal:—
`ural consequence of enlarging files and saving
`them on a crowded disk that no longer contains
`contiguous blocks of free space large enough to
`hold them. File fragmentation is not an integrity
`problem, although it can eventually slow read and
`write access times if the disk is very full and stor-
`age is badly fragmented. Software products are
`available for redistributing (optimizing) file stor-
`age to reduce fragmentation. 2. In a database, a sit-
`uation in which records are not stored in their
`
`optimal access sequence because of accumulated
`additions and deletions of records. Most database
`
`systems offer or contain utility programs that rese-
`quence records to improve efficiency of access
`and to aggregate free space occupied by deleted
`records.
`
`file gap \fil’ gap\ 77. See block gap.
`file handle \l'Tl’ han‘dl\ Tl. In MS-DOS, OS/2, and
`Windows, a token (number) that the system uses
`to identify or refer to an open filelor, sometimes,
`to a device.
`
`72.
`file~handling routine \fTl’hand—léng r6"o-tén‘\
`Any routine designed to assist
`in creating,
`opening, accessing, and closing files. Most higl -
`level
`languages have built~in file—handling rou-
`tines, although more sophisticated or complex
`file—handling routines in an application are often
`created by the programmer.
`file header \lTl’ hed‘ar\
`1/2. See header (definition
`2).
`the
`In data storage,
`file layout \fil’ la‘out\ n.
`organization of records within a file. Frequently,
`descriptions of
`the record structure are also
`included within the file layout.
`71. A person or
`file librarian \fil’ li~brar‘e—an\
`process responsible for maintaining, archiving,
`copying, and providing access to a collection of
`data.
`
`71. Bzoadly,
`file maintenance \tTl' man‘to—nans\
`the process of changing information in a file, alter—
`ing a file’s control
`information or structure, or
`copying and archiving files. A person using a ter-
`minal
`to enter data,
`the program accepting the
`data from the terminal and Writing it to a data file,
`and a database administrator using a utility to alter
`
`the format of a database file are all forms of file
`maintenance.
`
`77.. A module of an
`file nlanager \fTl' man‘;)—jar\
`operating system or environment that controls the
`physical placement of and access to a group of
`program files.
`filename \lTl’nz‘1m\ 71. The set of letters, numbers,
`and allowable symbols assigned to a file to distin-
`guish it from all other files in a particular directory
`on a disk. A filename is the handle by which a
`computer user saves and requests a block of infor—
`mation. Both programs and data have filenames
`and often extensions that further identify the type
`or purpose of the file. Naming conventions, such
`as maximum length and allowable characters of a
`filename, vary from one operating system to
`another, See also directory, path (definition 5).
`filenarne extension \fTl’nam eks—ten‘shon\
`See extension (definition 1).
`
`71.
`
`’
`
`file protection \fTl' pra—tek‘shan\ 22. A process or
`device by which the existence and integrity of a
`file are maintained. Methods of file protection
`range from allowing read—only access and assign-
`ing passwords to covering the write—protect notch
`on a disk and locking away floppy disks holding
`sensitive files.
`
`77. The process of
`file recovery \lTl' ro—kov‘ar—e\
`reconstructing lost or unreadable files on disk.
`Files are lost when they are inadvertently deleted,
`when on—disk information about their storage is
`damaged, or when the disk is damaged. File
`recovery involves the use of utility programs that
`attempt to rebuild on~disk information about the
`storage locations of deleted files. Because deletion
`makes the file’s disk space available but does not
`remove the data, data that has not yet been over—
`written can be recovered. In the case of damaged
`files or disks, recovery programs read whatever
`raw data they can find, and save the data to a new
`disk or file in ASCII or numeric (binary or hexa-
`decimal) form. In some instances, however, such
`reconstructed files contain so much extraneous or
`mixed information that they are unreadable. The
`best way to recover a file is to restore it from a
`backup copy.
`file retrieval \tTl’ ra—tre‘val\ n. The act of transfer
`
`ring a data file from a storage location to the
`machine where it is to be used,
`
`4
`
`

`
`file server \l'Tl’ sar‘v9r\ 17. A file—storage device on
`a local area network that is accessible to all users
`on the network. Unlike a disk server, which
`appears to the user as a remote disk drive, a file
`server is a sophisticated device that not only stores
`files but manages them and maintains order as net-
`work users request
`files and make changes to
`them. To deal with the tasks of handling multiple--—
`sometimes simultaneous—requests for files, a file
`_ server contains a processor and controlling soft-
`ware as well as a disk drive for storage. On local
`area networks, a file server is often a computer
`with a large hard disk that is" dedicated only to the
`task of managing shared files. Compare disk server.
`file sharing \iTl’ shar‘eng\
`17.. The use of com-
`puter files on networks, wherein files are stored
`on :1 central computer or a
`server and are
`requested, reviewed, and modified by more than
`one individual. \‘(/hen a file is used with different
`
`programs or different computers, file sharing can
`require conversion to a mutually acceptable for-
`mat. When a single file is shared by many people,
`access can be regulated through such means as
`password protection, security clearances, or file
`locking to prohibit changes to a file by more than
`one person at a time.
`file size \tTl‘ siz\ 11. The length of a file, typically
`given in bytes. A computer file stored on disk actu-
`ally has two file sizes,
`logical size and physical
`size. The logical file size corresponds to the file’s
`actual size—the number of bytes it contains. The
`physical size refers to the amount of storage space
`allotted to the file on disk. Because space is set
`aside for a file in blocks of bytes, the last charac-
`ters in the file might not completely fill the block
`(allocation unit) reserved for them. When this hap-
`pens,
`the physical size is larger than the logical
`size of the file.
`
`filespec \fil’spek\ 11. See file specification (defini-
`tion 1).
`
`11.. 1.
`spes‘a—fa-k2't’shan\
`file specification \l'Tl‘
`Abbreviated filespec. The path to a file, from a disk
`drive through a chain of directory files to the file-
`name that serves to locate a particular file. 2. A
`filename containing wildcard characters that indi-
`cate which files among a group of similarly named
`files are requested. 5. A document that describes
`the organization of data within a file.
`
`11. A description of
`file structure \fil’ strul<:‘chur\
`a file or group of files that are to be treated
`together for some purpose. Such a description
`includes file layout and location for each file under
`consideration.
`
`12. In an operating sys-
`file system \fTl’ si‘st;>m\
`tem, the overall structure in which files are named,
`stored, and organized. A file system consists of
`files, directories, and the information needed to
`locate and access these items. The term can also
`
`refer to the portion of an operating system that
`translates requests for file operations from an
`application
`program into
`low-level,
`sector-
`oriented tasks that can be understood by the driv-
`ers controlling the disk drives. See also driver.
`file transfer \lTl’
`trans‘far\
`11. The process of
`moving or transmitting a file from one location to
`another, as between two programs or over a net-
`work.
`
`File Transfer Protocol \fil‘
`11. see FTP1 (definition 1).
`file type \fil’ tip\ 11. A designation of the opera-
`tional or structural characteristics of a file. A file’s
`
`trans—far pr6’ta—kol\
`
`type is often identified in the filename. With MS-
`DOS, a file’s type is usually reflected in the file-
`name extension. See also file format.
`
`to “paint" the
`11. In computer graphics,
`fill \fil\
`inside of an enclosed figure, such as a circle, with
`color or a pattern. The portion of the shape that
`can be colored or patterned is the fill area. Draw-
`ing programs commonly offer tools for creating
`filled or nonfilled shapes;
`the user can specify
`color or pattern.
`film at 11 \film‘ at a—lev’an\ A phrase sometimes
`seen in newsgroups. An allusion to a brief news-
`break on TV that refers to a top news story that
`will be covered in full on the 11 o’clock news, it is
`used sarcastically to ridicule a previous articles
`lack of timeliness or newsworthiness, See also
`newsgroup.
`fihn recorder \film’ ra-1:61“ dar\
`
`11. A device for
`
`capturing on 35-mm film the images displayed on
`a computer screen.
`film ribbon \film’ rib‘an\ 12. See carbon ribbon.
`
`12. 1. A program or set of features
`filter \fil’tar'\
`within a program that reads its standard or desig-
`nated input, transforms the input in some desired
`way, and then writes the output to its standard or
`
`5