Essential Tech Terms: A Glossary of Computer Terminology
Essential Tech Terms
A
Application
An application, or application program, is a software program that runs on your computer. Web browsers, e-mail programs, word processors, games, and utilities are all applications. The word “application” is used because each program has a specific application for the user.
Base Station
In the computer world, a base station refers to the wireless access point for computers with wireless cards. It is basically a router that communicates with devices based on the Wi-Fi standard. Some common Wi-Fi configurations include 802.11b and 802.11g. Wireless base stations are made by companies such as Netgear, Linksys, D-Link, Apple Computer, and other manufacturers. Fortunately, as long as the hardware is based on the Wi-Fi standard, all wireless cards can communicate with base stations from any manufacturer.
C
Chip
Technically speaking, a computer chip is a piece of silicon with an electronic circuit embedded in it. However, the word “chip” is often used as a slang term that refers to various components inside a computer. It typically describes an integrated circuit, or IC, such as a central processor or a graphics chip, but may also refer to other components such as a memory module.
D
Defragment
Defragmenting your hard disk is a great way to boost the performance of your computer. Though the term “defragment” sounds a little abrasive, it is actually a simple and helpful process. After all, a defragmented hard disk is a happy hard disk.
Adding and deleting files from your hard disk is a common task. Unfortunately, this process is not always done very efficiently. For example, when you delete a bunch of little files and add a new large file, the file may get broken up into multiple sections on the hard disk. The computer will still read the newly added file as a single valid file, but the drive will have to scan multiple parts of the disk to read it. Because hard disk seek time is one of the most significant bottlenecks in a computer’s performance, this can drag down your computer’s speed quite a bit. If you have a ton of “fragmented” files on your hard disk, you might hear extra grinding, sputtering, and other weird noises coming from your computer.
Driver
In the computer world, a driver is a small file that helps the computer communicate with a certain hardware device. It contains information the computer needs to recognize and control the device. In Windows-based PCs, a driver is often packaged as a dynamic link library, or .dll file. In Macs, most hardware devices don’t need drivers, but the ones that do usually come with a software driver in the form of a system extension, or .kext file.
E
Emulation
The term “emulation” comes from the verb “emulate,” which means to imitate or reproduce. Therefore, computer emulation is when one system imitates or reproduces another system. This can be done using hardware, software, or a combination of the two. However, since hardware is expensive to reproduce, most emulation is done via software.
F
File
A file is a collection of data stored in one unit, identified by a filename. It can be a document, picture, audio or video stream, data library, application, or other collection of data.
G
Gigabyte
It can be estimated as 10 to the 9th power, or one billion (1,000,000,000) bytes. A gigabyte is 1,024 megabytes and precedes the terabyte unit of measurement. Hard drive sizes are typically measured in gigabytes, such as a 160GB or 250GB drive.
H
Hardware
Computer hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer and related devices. Internal hardware devices include motherboards, hard drives, and RAM.
O
Operating System
Also known as an “OS,” this is the software that communicates with computer hardware on the most basic level.
P
Plug and Play
Sometimes abbreviated PnP, is a catchy phrase used to describe devices that work with a computer system as soon as they are connected. The user does not have to manually install drivers for the device or even tell the computer that a new device has been added. Instead, the computer automatically recognizes the device, loads new drivers for the hardware if needed, and begins to work with the newly connected device.
S
Server
As the name implies, a server serves information to computers that connect to it. When users connect to a server, they can access programs, files, and other information from the server. Common servers are Web servers, mail servers, and LAN servers. A single computer can have several different server programs running on it.
T
Terminal
The word “terminal” comes from early computer systems that were used to send commands to other computers. Terminals often consist of just a keyboard and monitor, with a connection to another computer. The purpose of a terminal is not to process information (like a typical computer), but to send commands to another system. For example, a network administrator may use a terminal to log in to a network and manage devices connected to the network.