What are the 20 computer terms?
Unit 6. Basic computer terminologies Show
Click play on the following audio player to listen along as you read this section. Basic Internet Terms and Acronyms– A globally connected massive computer network system. – A system of Internet servers that is made from millions of interlinked websites and web pages. – A network security device designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a network. – A device that transfers data between computer networks to provide access to the Internet. – A company that provides Internet service to customers. – A set of rules (a protocol) for transferring and accessing data using the web. – A web address of a specific web page or file on the Internet. An example is https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com. – A set of rules (a protocol) for sending data from one computer to another on the Internet. Each computer has a unique IP address that distinguishes it from all other computers on the Internet. – A set of rules (a protocol) for transferring files between computers over the Internet. – A small text file stored in a user’s computer by a website that the user has visited so that it can remember something about the user at a later time. For example, cookies are used for online shopping. Without cookies, login information would have to be entered before every product was added to the shopping cart. – A word, phrase, image, etc., within a file or web page that a user can click on to jump to another document, section of the same document, or web page. Basic Computer Terms and Acronyms– a small computer designed for use by a single user at a time. – a type of personal computer made by Apple Inc. It runs a version of the macOS (Apple’s operating system, pronounced “mack-oh-ess”). – a powerful program that controls and coordinates a computer’s hardware devices and runs software and applications. Examples includes Windows, Android, OS X, and Linux. – to shut down and restart a computer, allowing its operating system and programs to be reloaded. – the brain or engine of a computer, where most of the processing and operations take place. – a type of data storage (memory element) used in computers that temporarily stores programs and data. RAM is a kind of volatile memory, meaning its contents are lost when the computer is turned off. – A type of data storage used in computers that permanently stores data and programs. ROM is a kind of non-volatile memory, meaning its contents are retained even when the computer is turned off. Bits and Bytes– the smallest, most basic unit of measurement for computer data storage, represented as either a 0 or a 1. One byte is equal to 8 bits. – a unit of measurement for data storage. One byte is equal to 8 bits. Data Storage Units and Their Properties
By Simon Kewin A great deal of jargon is used when talking about computers, and it’s surprising how often these terms are used incorrectly. Even published, successful novels sometimes do so. The following list provides an explanation of some of the more common computing terms you may come across or need to employ in your own writing. Internet, World Wide WebThe Internet is the network of computers we’re all familiar with. It’s quite common for the terms “Internet” and “World Wide Web” to be used interchangeably, but these aren’t actually the same thing. The Internet is essentially the wiring that allows computers all over the world to communicate. The World Wide Web is a system that operates via this wiring. Web pages are transmitted via Internet connections but there is more to the Internet than just the web. Many other types of data travel across the Internet too, for example email. Web BrowserA program you use to look at, and navigate between, pages on the World Wide Web. Examples include Internet Explorer and Firefox although there are many others. Again, people sometimes refer to web browsers as “the Internet”, whereas they really only provide the means to view pages on the web. Bandwidth, BroadbandBandwidth is an indication of how quickly data travels along a connection. The greater the bandwidth, the faster data will be sent and received. Broadband is a rather vague term that refers to bandwidth somewhere above that of an old dial-up modem, although there is no precise definition of the term. Broadband connections are generally “always on”, unlike modem connections. There are various technologies which provide “broadband” speeds – such as ADSL, cable, satellite etc. ModemThe word modem was originally coined in the days when computers communicated by converting numbers into sounds that could then be transmitted over a regular telephone line. At each end you needed a “modulator” to generate the sounds to transmit and a “demodulator” to convert received sounds back into numbers. From “MOdulator/DEModulator” came the word modem. With modern digital communication, no conversion to and from audible sounds is required, but even so it’s common to hear people talking about “broadband modems” or “ADSL modems” when referring to devices providing broadband connectivity. Strictly speaking, such devices are not modems at all as they communicate digitally but the word has stuck; its meaning has shifted to refer to digital devices as well. Memory, Disk SpaceAnother very common source of confusion. In computing, “memory” generally refers to the temporary storage used by a computer whilst it is switched on. A computer loads programs and data into its memory in order to carry out tasks. This is more accurately called RAM or “random-access memory”. Disk space (or “hard disk space”), on the other hand, is a more permanent store that holds files even when the computer is switched off. It’s from here that the computer loads things into its memory. Strictly speaking you don’t store things in the computer’s memory as that vanishes when you turn the machine off. Virus, Spyware, Trojan, Worm, MalwareThese terms are often confused, although they have distinct meanings. A virus is a piece of software that can copy itself and which attaches itself to some other program in order to survive and replicate. It may have some malicious intent or it may exist simply to reproduce. A worm is similar but it can exist independently; it doesn’t need to attach to a separate program. A Trojan – or Trojan Horse – is a piece of software that gains access to a computer by pretending to be benign or by hiding within some innocent-looking application. The name is obviously derived from the wooden horse employed by the Greek army during the Trojan Wars. Spyware is software that secretly monitors computer activity, attempting to gain private information without the computer user knowing. By and large, all of the above will have some malicious intent – to harm data, spy on computer activity and so forth. Malware is a general term for all such programs – it simply means any software, of whatever sort, written with a malicious intent. Viruses are generally malware but there is more to malware than just viruses. Bits, BytesAt a basic level, all computer data is just a series of 0s and 1s. Each of these is referred to as a “binary digit”, for which “bit” is just an abbreviation. A byte is (generally) a collection of eight bits, so called because of the pun with bit and bite. Similarly a collection of four bits – half a byte – is sometimes called a “nybble”. In order to refer to large numbers of bits and bytes, various prefixes are used, as in : 1 kilobyte = 1024 (or 1000) bytes RebootTo switch a computer off and on again, allowing its operating system and programs to be reloaded. Note that this is not the same as placing a computer into standby/hibernate and then resuming. A reboot requires that all software is completely reloaded. The term derives from “bootstrap”, as in the phrase “to pull oneself up by one’s bootstraps”, because of the similarity to that seemingly impossible act (as a computer can’t run without first loading some software but must be running before any software can be loaded). CookieA small text file sent to your computer by a web site you have visited. These can be very useful in that they can allow the web site to recognize who you are when you return. Cookies cannot store viruses or other threats, although they can be used to track your activity across different web sites in order to provide, for example, “targeted” advertisements. FirewallA firewall is a piece of computer software or hardware that restricts the data that is allowed to flow through. Firewalls block traffic that is undesirable in some way, the intention being to prevent infection by malware and so on without restricting the user from carrying out legitimate activity. SpamUnsolicited email messages sent out in bulk and generally commercial in nature. In fact the term is used more widely these days to refer to such messages in a variety of places, not just on email – for example comments on blogs. The origin of this sense of the word spam is unclear. CAPTCHACAPTCHA checks are the strings of letters and numbers that have to be typed in on some web pages before something can be saved. They exist because, although humans find interpreting these strings relatively easy, computers do not. Setting up these checks therefore blocks an automated process – such as one generating spam – from using the page, whereas a human is still able to. The acronym CAPTCHA actually stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart” – a rather contrived way of arriving at an acronym that sounds like the word “capture”. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:
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What do computer terms mean?Updated: 05/02/2021 by Computer Hope. In general, a term is a word or expression made up of many words used to describe a thing or concept. For example, a computer mouse is a computer-related term (terminology) that describes a hardware input device used with the computer.
What are 5 technical terms?Tech Terms 101: Back End development. Back End. ... . Application. ... . API (Application Programming Interface) ... . Bugs. ... . DEVOPS (Development Operations) ... . Frameworks. ... . Object-oriented programming (OOP) ... . Software.. |