OVER
`10,000
`ENTRIES
`
`Microsoft
`
`
`
`C_0Ir‘r_1I0llter
`D|ctlonary
`
`
`
`
`° Fully updated with the latest
`technologies, terms, and acronyms
`
`Fifth Editio
`
`- Easy to read, expertly illustrated
`
`- Definitive coverage of hardware,
`software, the Internet, and more!
`
`

`

`
`
`
`Microsoft“
`
`Cpmputer
`Dictionary
`
`Fifth Edition ~
`
`

`

`
`
`PUBLISHED BY
`Microsoft Press
`
`A Division of Microsoft Corporation
`One Microsoft Way
`Redmond, Washington 980526399
`
`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.microsoft.com/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, JScript, 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. X08-4l 929
`
`

`

`internal font
`
`lnternet2
`
`internal font n. A font that is already loaded in a printer's
`memory (ROM) when the printer is shipped. Compare
`downloadable font, font cartridge.
`
`internal interrupt n. An interrupt generated by the pro(cid:173)
`cessor itself in response to certain predefined situations,
`such as an attempt to divide by zero or an arithmetic value
`exceeding the number of bits allowed for it. See also inter(cid:173)
`rupt. Compare external interrupt.
`
`internal memory n. See primary storage.
`
`internal modem n. A modem constructed on an expan(cid:173)
`sion card to be installed in one of the expansion slots inside
`a computer. Compare external modem, integral modem.
`
`internal schema n. A view of information about the
`physical files composing a database, including file names,
`file locations, accessing methodology, and actual or poten(cid:173)
`tial data derivations, in a database model such as that
`described by ANSl/X3/SPARC, that supports a three(cid:173)
`schema architecture. The internal schema corresponds to
`the schema in systems based on CODASYL/DBTG: In a
`distributed database, there may be a different internal
`schema at each location. See also conceptual schema,
`schema.
`.internal sort n. 1. A sorting operation that takes place on
`files completely or largely held in memory rather than on
`disk during the process. 2. A sorting procedure that pro(cid:173)
`duces sorted subgroups of records that will be subse(cid:173)
`quently merged into one list.
`
`International Computer Security Association n. See
`ICSA.
`
`International Federation of Information
`Processing n. See IFIP.
`
`International Maritime Satellite n. See Inmarsat.
`
`International Mobile Telecommunications for the
`Year 2000 n. Specifications set forth by the International
`Telecommunications Union (ITU) to establish third-gener(cid:173)
`ation wireless telecommunication network architecture.
`The specifications include faster data transmission speeds
`and improved voice quality. Acronym: IMT-2000.
`
`International Organization for Standardization n. See
`ISO.
`
`International Telecommunication Union n. See ITU.
`
`International Telecommunication Union-Telecommu(cid:173)
`nication Standardization Sect9r n. See ITU-T.
`
`International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative
`Committee n. English-language form of the name for the
`
`Comite Consultatif International Telegraphique et Tele(cid:173)
`phonique, a standards organization that became part of the
`International Telecommunication Union in 1992. See also
`CCITT, ITU-T.
`
`lnternaut n. See cybernaut.
`
`internet n. Short for internetwork. A set of computer ·
`networks that may be dissimilar and are joined together by
`means of gateways that handle data transfer and conver(cid:173)
`sion of messages from the sending networks' protocols to
`those of the receiving network.
`
`Internet n. The worldwide collection of networks and
`gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to commu(cid:173)
`nicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a
`backbone of high-speed data communication lines
`between major nodes or host computers, consisting of
`thousands of commercial, government, educational, and
`other computer systems, that route data and messages.
`One or more Internet nodes can go off line without endan(cid:173)
`gering the Internet as a whole or causing communications
`on the Internet to stop, because no single computer or net(cid:173)
`work controls it. The genesis of the Internet was a decen(cid:173)
`tralized network called ARPANET created by the U.S.
`Department of Defense in 1969 to facilitate communica(cid:173)
`tions in the event of a nuclear attack. Eventually other net(cid:173)
`works, including BITNET, Usenet, UUCP, and NSFnet,
`were connected to ARPANET. Currently the Internet
`offers a range of services to users, such as FTP, e-mail, the
`World Wide Web, Usenet news, Gopher, IRC, telnet, and
`others. Also called: the Net. See also BITNET, FTP1 (def(cid:173)
`inition 1), Gopher, IRC, NSFnet, telnet1, Usenet, UUCP,
`World Wide Web.
`
`lnternet2 n. A computer-network development project
`launched in 1996 by a collaborative group of 120 universi(cid:173)
`ties under the auspices of the University Corporation for
`Advanced Internet Development (UCAID). The consor(cid:173)
`tium is now being led by over 190 universities working
`with industry and government. The goal of Internet2,
`whose high-speed, fiberoptic backbone was brought on
`line in early 1999, is the development of advanced Internet
`technologies and applications for use in research and edu(cid:173)
`cation at the university level. Though not open for public
`use, Internet2 and the technologies and applications devel(cid:173)
`oped by its members are intended to eventually benefit
`users of the commercial Internet as well. Some of the new
`technologies lnternet2 and its members are developing
`and testing include IPv6, multicasting, and quality of ser(cid:173)
`vice (QoS). Internet2 and the Next Generation Internet
`
`281
`
`

`

`subnet
`
`SuperDrive
`
`subnet n. 1. In general, a network that forms part of a
`larger network. 2. In terms of the ISO/OSI reference
`model, the subnet comprises the layers below the transport
`layer-that is, the network, data link, and physical layers.
`
`subnet mask n. See address mask.
`
`subnetting n. The division of a network into subnets to
`improve network security and performance. See also sub(cid:173)
`net (definition 1). Compare supernetting.
`
`subnetwork n. A network that is part of another, larger
`network.
`
`subnotebook n. A class of portable computer that is
`smaller in size and lighter in weight than a full-sized lap(cid:173)
`top. Subnotebooks feature a reduced-sized keyboard and
`screen and often use an external floppy drive to save space
`and weight. Despite their size, subnotebooks retain all the
`functions of a full-sized portable computer.
`
`subportable n. See subnotebook.
`
`subprogram n. A term used in some languages for rou(cid:173)
`tine (procedure or function) because the structure and syn(cid:173)
`tax of a subprogram closely model those of a program. See
`also program, routine.
`
`subreport n. A report contained within another report.
`
`subroutine n. A common term for routine, likely to be
`used in reference to shorter, general, frequently called rou(cid:173)
`tines. See also procedure, routine.
`
`subschema n. The definition of a user view of the data(cid:173)
`base (in CODASYL/DBTG systems' only), roughly equiv(cid:173)
`alent to the external schema of an ANSUX3/SPARC
`database management system or to a view in a relational
`database management system. See also schema.
`
`subscribe vb. 1. To add a newsgroup to the list of such
`groups from which a user receives all new articles. 2. To
`add a name to a LISTSERV distribution list. See also
`LISTSERV.
`
`Subscriber Identity Module card n. See SIM card.
`
`subscript n. 1. One ,or more characters printed slightly
`below the baseline of surrounding text. See also baseline.
`Compare superscript. 2. In programming, one or more
`numbers or variables that identify the location of an ele(cid:173)
`ment in an array. See also array, index (definition 2).
`
`subscription site n. E-commerce Web site that provides
`information or services to customers who pay a subscrip(cid:173)
`, tion fee.
`
`substrate n. The inactive supporting material used in a
`manufacturing process. In circuit boards, it is the base to
`which the traces (foil areas) are attached. In tapes and
`disks, it is the material on which the magnetic particles are
`fused.
`
`substring n. A sequential section of a string. See also
`string.
`
`subtransaction n. See nested transaction.
`
`subtree n. Any node within a tree, along with any selec(cid:173)
`tion of connected descendant nodes. See also node (defini(cid:173)
`tion 3), tree.
`
`subweb n. A named subdirectory of the root Web site that
`is a complete FrontPage-based Web site. Each subweb can
`have independent administration, authoring, and browsing
`permissions from the root Web site and other subwebs.
`
`suitcase n. A file on Macintosh computers that contains
`one or more fonts or desk accessories. In early versions of
`the operating system, such files are indicated with the icon
`of a suitcase. See also font suitcase.
`
`suite n. 1. A set of application programs sold as a pack(cid:173)
`age, usually at a lower price than that of the individual
`applications sold separately. A suite for office work, for
`example, might contain a word processing program, a
`spreadsheet, a database management program, and a com(cid:173)
`munications program. 2. See protocol suite.
`
`summarize vb. To post the results of a survey or vote in
`short form to a newsgroup or mailing list after collecting
`the results by e-mail.
`
`SunOS n. Short for Sun Operating System. A variety of
`the UNIX operating system used on workstations from
`Sun Microsystems, Inc.
`
`superclass n. A class in object-oriented programming
`from which another class-a subclass-is derived. The
`subclass inherits its attributes and methods from the super(cid:173)
`class. Compare subclass.
`
`supercomputer n. A large, extremely fast, and expensive
`computer used for complex or sophisticated calculations.
`See also computer.
`
`superconductor n. A substance that has no resistance to
`the flow of electricity.
`
`SuperDrive n. An Apple 3.5-inch disk drive that can read
`and write in both Apple Macintosh (400K and SOOK) and
`MS-DOS/Windows (720K and 1.44-MB) formats .
`
`502
`
`