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Select the first letter of the word from the list above to
jump to appropriate section of the glossary. Missing letters
indicate no terms that begin with that letter.
- Applications Program:
- Any computer program that enables the user to accomplish
some task, but not a task relevant only to the computer's
operation. For instance, a word processing program would
be an applications program because it enables the user to
create, edit and print text.
- ASCII (American Standard Code for Information
Interchange):
- A standardized system which assigns letters, numbers, and
various other characters each their own code. This allows
information to be transferred successfully from one
computer to another via various interfaces.
- Assistive Technology Device:
- Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether
acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or
customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or
improve functional capabilities of individuals with
disabilities.
- Bit Map:
- A set of numerical values specifying the colors of pixels
on an output device.
- Braille:
- A system of writing and reading used by individuals who
are blind. This system is based on characters made up of
raised dots.
- Browser:
- Also called a Web Browser. A program that enables you to
explore the World Wide Web.
- CD-ROM (Compact Disk--Read Only Memory):
- A form of storage like a floppy disk except that it is
usually permanent (read only) and has a high storage
capacity (typically 650 megabytes). A CD-ROM disk looks
like an ordinary stereo CD, however, a CD-ROM is used to
store computer data rather than music.
- Device:
- Any identifiable subsystem of a computer. Identifiable to
the computer. Drives, video circuitry, printers, the
keyboard, the mouse, and ports are devices.
- Digital:
- Operating in discrete units or steps. Not continuous.
Since microcomputers operate using discrete voltages and
timing pulses, they are said to be digital. Usually
contrasted with analog.
- DVD (Digital Videodisc):
- A hardware technology designed to replace audio and
information CDs, laserdiscs, and even videotapes. Each
DVD can hold the equivalent of seven times a regular CD
(more than 120 minutes of video).
- Dynamic Braille Display:
- A computerized electro-mechanical device which displays
braille using pins or other means that permit the braille
to be changed as each line is read. An electronic code
sent to the system raises and lowers the pins to form
braille characters which the user can sense by placing
the fingers on top of the display. When the display is
full, the first cell recomposes itself and the display
fills up again.
- Electronic Mail (E-Mail):
- A system whereby a computer user can exchange messages
with other computer users (or groups of users) via a
communications network. Electronic mail is one of the
most popular features of the Internet.
- Electronic Text:
- Textual information stored in a digital form that can be
presented on a computer screen. Normally this can also be
presented in braille or as enlarged characters on a
computer screen.
- GUI (Graphical User Interface):
- A way for humans to communicate with a computer that
typically uses graphics mode instead of character mode.
Usually involves the use of a mouse.
- Hardware:
- Any component of an electronic system which is tangible
(e.g., a computer, a monitor, a disk drive, or a
printer). This category contrasts with software, which
describes those components which consist only of
electronic signals (e.g., programs, text files, and other
quantities of information that can be stored on a disk or
in a computer's memory).
- Homepage:
- The first page you see when you activate a Web browser.
- Hypertext:
- A collection of graphical and textual data organized in
such a way as to facilitate easy access to all of the
information it contains. Hypertext may be thought of as a
precursor to multimedia, or simply as an extension of it.
- Hypertext Markup Language (HTML):
- The language used to create pages for the World Wide Web.
Computer commands enable users to specify different
fonts, graphics, hypertext links and more.
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- Internet:
- The name given to a large network of computers that are
connected by high-speed information or data lines. The
Internet also refers to the different services you can
use on the Internet. Some of these activities include
electronic mail and the World Wide Web.
- Java:
- Java is a computer programming language. It has gained a
lot of popularity because of its cross-computer support.
That is, Java programs written for one computer operating
system will also work on other computer operating
systems, which saves the programmer from having to
re-write the program to get it to work on several types
of computers.
- Modem:
- Short for modulator-demodulator. A device that enables a
computer to communicate with other computers over
telephone lines.
- Multimedia:
- Combining static media (such as text and pictures) with
dynamic media (such as sound, video, and animation) on
the same system.
- Object-Oriented:
- Generally used to describe an illustration or font file
as being created by mathematical equations.
- On-Line Service:
- A commercial service that provides capabilities such as
e-mail, discussion forums, technical support, software
libraries, news, weather reports, stock prices, plane
reservations or electronic shopping malls. To access one,
you need a modem.
- Operating System:
- The program that allows the various parts of a computer
system to "talk" to each other. The operating
system is usually the first thing "loaded"
after a computer is turned on, as most other programs
require it in order to run.
- Optical Character Reader (OCR):
- A device which can optically analyze a printed text,
recognize the letters or other characters, and store this
information as a computer text file. OCRs are usually
limited to recognizing the styles and sizes of type for
which they are programmed.
- Platform:
- Specific computer hardware, as in the phrase
"platform-independent."
- PostScript:
- A computer language for describing a printed page
commonly used to drive office printers. Many fonts,
graphics programs, screen drivers, and printer drivers
use PostScript.
- QuickTime (QTM):
- A method of storing audio and motion picture video
information on an Apple Macintosh computer. It is used to
record and play back multimedia information and store the
data on magnetic or optical media. QuickTime is also a
collection of tools which allows movies to be modified
(edit, cut, copy, and paste) just as a word processor is
capable of modifying ordinary text.
- Screen Reader:
- A program which speaks the contents of the computer's
screen via a speech synthesizer. Such a program is
usually also equipped with a system that allows the user
to "navigate," or find his or her way around
the screen, without the necessity of seeing the screen.
- Search Engine:
- A program on a remote machine that allows keyword
searches on the Internet.
- Software:
- The part of a computer system which is not tangible; that
is, the programs of information that are processed by a
computer or stored in memory. Commercially available
software is usually sold in the form of a program or
programs stored on a disk.
- Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML):
- A system for describing structural divisions in text
(i.e., title-page, chapter, scene, and stanza),
typographical elements (changes in typeface, and special
characters), and other textual features (grammatical
structure, location of illustrations, and variant forms).
- Tags:
- Formatting codes used in the Hypertext Mark-up Language
(HTML) documents. These tags indicate how the parts of a
document will appear when displayed by a Web client
program.
- URL (Uniform Resource Locator):
- A code which provides the exact location of a resource on
the internet, and describes the type of resource.
- User Interface:
- The aspects of a computer system or program which can be
seen (or heard or otherwise perceived) by the human user.
- VHS:
- Video recording format and medium in wide use in
conjunction with television technology, offering
horizontal resolution of 240 lines. Not considered
broadcast quality.
- Web Browser:
- A program which enables an individual to explore the
World Wide Web.
- Word Processor:
- A type of applications software that is used to enter,
edit, manipulate, and format text. In order to be
considered a word processing program rather than a simple
text entry and editing program, a program should have
fairly sophisticated capabilities.
- World Wide Web (WWW) or W3:
- A graphics-rich hypermedia document presentation system
that can be accessed over the Internet using software
called a Web browser.
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