`Computer
`Dictionar
`Munsee.
`
`
`MLNMelexerele ALCONMC1iexcte
`technologies, terms, and acronym: ;
`* Easy to read, expertly illustrated "
`* Definitive coverage of hardware,
`software, the Internet, and more!
`
`Microsoft
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`att
`F
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`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
`of by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
`
`Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
`Microsoft Computer Dictionary.--5th ed.
`Pp. cm.
`ISEN 0-7356-1495-4
`
`1. Computers--Dictionaries.
`
`2. Microcomputers--Dictionaries.
`
`AQ76.5. M52267 2002
`004'.03-—de21
`
`200219714
`
`Printed and bound in the United States of America.
`
`23456789 QWT 765432
`
`Distributed in Canada by HB. Fenn and CompanyLtd.
`
`A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
`
`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@microsoft.com.
`
`Active Desktop, Active Directory, ActiveMovie, ActiveStore, ActiveSync, ActiveX, Authenticode,
`BackOffice, BizTalk, ClearType, Direct3D, DirectAnimation, DirectDraw, DizectInput, DivectMusic,
`DirectPlay, DirectShow, DirectSound, DirectX, Entourage, FoxPro, FrontPage, Hotmail, InteliEye,
`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. XO08-41929
`
`

`

`BW) sess
`
`audlo response ff. Any sound produced by a computer;
`specifically, spoken output produced by a computer in
`response to some specific type of input. Such output may
`be generated using a combination of words from a digitized
`vocabulary or through the synthesis of words from tables of
`phonemes. See also frequency response, phoneme.
`
`audlotex n. An application allowing users to send and
`receive information by telephone. Users typically call an
`audiotex system and are presented with a series of choices
`or aseries of questions through a voice mail system. When
`users select choices by pressing the buttons on the phone
`(rotary dial phones cannot be used for audiotex) or by
`speaking aloud, a database host responds by sending infor-
`mation to the voice mail system, which then converts the
`data to a spoken message for the user, or it responds by
`receiving and storing the information entered by the user.
`Also called: audiotext. See also voice mail.
`
`audlotext vn. See audiotex.
`
`Audlo Video Interleaved n. See AVI.
`
`audlovisual adj. Relating to or being any material that uses
`a combination of sight and sound to present information.
`
`audlt av. In reference to computing, an examination of
`equipment, programs, activities, and procedures to deter-
`mine how efficiently the overall system is performing,
`especially in terms of ensuring the integrity and security
`of data.
`
`auditing «. The process an operating system uses to
`detect and record security-related events, such as an
`attempt to create, to access, or to delete objects such as
`files and directories. The records of such events are stored
`ina file known as a security lop, whose contents are avail-
`able only to those with the proper clearance. See alse
`security log.
`
`audit pollcy «. A policy that determines the security
`events to be reported to the network administrator.
`
`audit trall «. In reference to computing, a means of trac-
`ing all activities affecting a piece of information, such as a
`data record, from the timeit is entered into a system to the
`time it is removed. An audittrail
`mafes it possible to doc-
`ument, for example, who made ch
`s to a particular
`record and when.
`
`AUI #. 1. Acronym for attachment unit interface. A 15-
`pin (DB-15) connector commonly used to connect a net-
`
`author
`
`work interface card to an Ethernet cable. 2. See aural user
`interface.
`
`AU! cable nv. Short for Attachment Unit Interface cable.
`A transceiver cable used to connect a host adapter within a
`computer to an Ethernet (1]0base5 or 1OBaseP) network.
`See also 10Base5, 10Base-F, Ethemet (definition 1),
`transceiver cable.
`
`AUP n. See acceptable use policy.
`
`aural user Interface n. Voice-activated interface that
`allows users to issue spoken commands to electronic
`devices. The aural user interface is used with features such
`as voice recognition for computers and voice-activated
`dialing for wireless phones. Acronym: AUI.
`
`
`
`A user's name and password are com-
`pared against an authorized list, and if the system detects a
`match, access is granted to the extent specified in the per-
`mission list for that user. See also logon, password, per-
`Mission, User account, user name.
`
`authentleatlon center #. Secure database used to iden-
`tify and prevent wireless phone fraud. Authentication cen-
`ters verify whether a wireless phoneis registered with a
`wireless carrier's network.
`
`Authentication Header n. See AH.
`
`Authenticode a. A security feature of Microsoft Internet
`Explorer. Authenticode allows vendors of downloadable
`executable code (plug-ins or ActiveX controls, for exam-
`ple) to attach digital certificates to their products to assure
`end users that the code is from the original developer and
`has not been altered. Authenticode lets end users decide
`for themselves whether to accept or reject software com-
`ponents posted on the Internet before downloading begins.
`See also ActiveX control, Internet Explorer, security.
`author’ vb. 1. To create a product for implementation via
`computer technology. 2. To write a computer program.
`3. To assemble multimedia components, such as graphics,
`text, audio, and animation, in a publication or product, for
`delivery on a CD-ROM or DVD or on line, to be viewed
`on a computer. 4. To create Web pages. Traditionally, to
`author meant to write a literary work or journalistic piece;
`in the cyberworld, to write is “to provide content”; thus, to
`author in the traditional sense is to be a “content provider.”
`
`author? n. See Web author.
`
`

`

`
`
`CPM
`
`for microcomputers based on Intel microprocessors. The
`first system, CP/M-80, was the most popular operating
`system for 8080- and Z80-based microcomputers. Digital
`Research also developed CP/M-86 for 8086/8088-based
`computers, CP/M-78000 for Zilog Z8000-based comput-
`ers, and CP/M-68K for Motorola 68000-based computers.
`When the IBM PC and MS-DOS were introduced, com-
`mon use of CP/M by end users dwindled. DRI continues to
`enhance the CP/M line, supporting multitasking with the
`Concurrent CP/M and MP/M products. See also MP/M.
`
`CPM nv. See critical path method.
`
`CPRM a. Acronym for Content Protection for Record-
`able Media. Technology developed to control the use of
`copyrighted digital music and video material by blocking
`the transfer of protected files to portable media such as zip
`disks and smart cards. CPRM would be added to storage
`devices and provide data scrambling and identification
`codes to block the copying of copyrighted files.
`
`eps a. See characters per second.
`
`
`
`CPU-bound adj. See computation-bound.
`
`CPU cache a. A section of fast memory linking the CPU
`(central processing unit) and main memory that tempo-
`rarily stores data and instructions the CPU needs to exe-
`cute upcoming commands and programs. Considerably
`faster than main memory, the CPU cache contains data
`that is transferred in blocks, thereby speeding execution.
`The system anticipates the data it will need through algo-
`rithms. Also called: cache memory, memory cache. See
`also cache, CPU, VCACHE.
`
`CPSR an. Acronym for Computer Professionals for Social
`Responsibility. A public advocacy organization of com-
`puter professionals. CPSR was originally formed out of
`CPU cycle «a. 1. The smallest unit of time recognized by
`concern over the use of computer technology for military
`the CPU (central processing unit)—typically a few hun-
`purposes. but has extended its interest to such issues as
`dred-millionths of a second. 2. The time required for the
`civil liberties and the effect of computers on workers.
`CPU to perform the simplest instruction, such as fetching
`
`
`CPU 1,Acronymforcentralprocessingunit.Thecompu-
`the contents of a register or performing a no-operation
`
`(ationalandcontrolunitofacomputerTheCPU is the
`instruction (NOP). Alse called: clock tick.
`device that interprets and executes instructions. Main-
`frames and early minicomputers contained circuit boards
`full of integrated circuits that implemented the CPU
`
`CPU fan n. An electric fan usually placed directly ona
`CPU (central processing unit) or on the CPU's heat sink to
`help dissipate heat from the chip by circulating air around
`it. See also CPU, heat sink.
`
`CPU speed v. A relative measure of the data-processing
`capacity of a particular CPU (central processing unit),
`usually measured in megahertz. See also CPU.
`
`CPU time a. In multiprocessing, the amount of time dur-
`ing which a particular process has active control of the CPU
`(central processing unit). See also CPU, multiprocessing.
`
`CR a. See carriage return.
`
`crack vb. 1. To gain unauthonzed access to a network by
`breaching its security. 2. To decipher encrypted information.
`
`cracker a. A person who overcomes the security mea-
`sures of a computer system and gains unauthorized access.
`The goal of some crackers is to obtain information ille-
`
`made possible personal computers and workstations.
`Examples of single-chip CPUs are the Motorola 68000,
`68020, and 68030 chips and the Intel 8080, 8086, 80286,
`80386, and i486 chips. The CPU—or microprocessor, in
`the case of a microcomputer—has the ability to fetch,
`decode, and execute instructions and to transfer informa-
`tion to and from other resources over the computer's main
`data-transfer path, the bus. By definition, the CPU is the
`chip that functions as the “brain” of a computer. In some
`instances, however, the term encompasses both the proces-
`sor and the computer’s memory or, even more broadly, the
`main computer console (as opposed to peripheral equip-
`ment). See the illustration. See also microprocessor.
`
`
`
`

`

`privileged mode
`
`Prodigy
`
`privileged mode a. A mode of execution, supported by
`the protected mode of the Intel 80286 and higher micro-
`processors, in which software can carry out restricted
`operations that manipulate critical components of the sys-
`tem, such as memory and input/output ports (channels).
`Application programs cannot be executed in privileged
`mode; the heart (kernel) of the OS/2 operating system can
`be, as can the programs (device drivers) that control
`devices attached to the system.
`
`privileges n. See access privileges.
`
`PRN a. The logical device name for printer. A name
`reserved by the MS-DOS operating system for the stan-
`dard print device. PRN usually refers to a system'sfirst
`parallel port, also known as LPTI.
`
`-pro n. One of seven new top-level domain names approved
`in 2000 by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
`and Numbers (ICANN), .pro is meant for use in Web sites
`relating to professions such as physicians, accountants, and
`lawyers. 5ix of the new domains became available for use
`in the spring of 2001; negotiations are still underway for the
`final registry agreement for the .pro domain.
`
`probability nm. The likelihood that an event will happen,
`which can often be estimated mathematically. In mathe-
`matics, statistics and probability theory are related fields.
`In computing, probability is used to determine the likeli-
`hood of failure or error in a system or device.
`
`problem solving «. 1. The process of devising and imple-
`menting a strategy for finding a solution or for transform-
`ing a less desirable condition into a more desirable one.
`2. An aspect ofartificial intelligence wherein the task of
`problem solving is performed solely by a program. See
`alse artificial intelligence.
`
`procedural language n. A programming language in
`which the basic programming elementis the procedure (a
`named sequence of statements, such as a routine, subrou-
`tine, or function). The most widely used high-level lan-
`guages (C, Pascal, Basic, FORTRAN, COBOL, Ada) are
`all procedural languages. See also procedure. Compare
`nonprocedural language.
`
`procedural rendering vn. The rendering of a two-dimen-
`sional image from three-dimensional coordinates with tex-
`turing according to user-specified conditions, such as
`direction and degree of lighting.
`
`procedure n. In a program, a named sequenceofstate-
`ments, often with associated constants, data types, and
`variables, that usually performs a single task. A procedure
`can usually be called (executed) by other procedures, as
`well as by the main body of the program. Some languages
`distinguish between a procedure and a function, with the
`latter (the function) returning a value. See alse function,
`parameter, procedural language, routine, subroutine.
`
`procedure call n. In programming, an instruction that
`causes a procedure to be executed. A procedure call can be
`located in another procedure or in the main body of the
`program. See also procedure.
`process* n. A program orpart of a program; a coherent
`sequence of steps undertaken by a program.
`process? vb. To manipulate data with a program.
`process-bound adj. Limited in performance by process-
`ing requirements. See also computation-bound.
`
`process color vn. A method of handling color in a docu-
`ment in which each block of coloris separated into its sub-
`tractive primary color components for printing: cyan,
`magenta, and yellow (as well as black). All other colors
`are created by blending layers of various sizes of halftone
`spots printed in cyan, magenta, and yellow to create the
`image. See also color model, color separation (definition
`1). Compare spot color.
`
`processing #. The manipulation of data within a com-
`puter system. Processing is the vital step between receiv-
`ing data (input) and producing results (output}the task
`for which computers are designed.
`
`Processor Direct Slot n. See PDS (definition 1).
`
`Processor Input/Output n. See PIO.
`
`Procmall n. An open-source e-mail-processing utility for
`Linux and other UNIX-based computers and networks.
`Procmail can be used to create mail servers and mailing
`lists, filter mail, sort incoming mail, preprocess mail, and
`perform other mail-related functions.
`
`Prodigy #. An Internet service provider (ISP) that offers
`Internet access and a wide range of related services. Prod-
`igy was founded by IBM and Sears as a proprietary online
`service, was acquired by International Wireless in 1996,
`and in 1999 entered into a partnership with SBC Commu-
`
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