Glossary of Computer Terms—A

Glossary of Computer Terms—A

A

ACCESS TIME: The length of time required for a binary word in the memory section of a computer to be read by the Central Processing Unit (CPU), or the time to read data from a peripheral data storage area.

ACCUMULATOR: An interface Register (memory) in the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), that stores interim arithmetic information for future processing. The accumulator is interface between the ALU and other sections of the computer.

ADDER: The digital logic circuits in the ALU section of a computer which implements the adding process (sum and carry) of two or more binary numbers.

ADWARE: A software program that is designed to run once a web page has been accessed. This is usually in the form of banner or popup advertisements. Adware can also be designed to be installed on your system without your consent or knowledge. These forms of adware are usually referred to as “spyware” and are used to monitor your surfing habits so that their software can deliver better targeted advertisements.

ADDRESS: The location of digital information in the Memory Unit of a computer, or a digital code that designates this location.

ALGORITHM: The sequence of operations that defines a solution to a problem in logic.

ALPHANUMERICS: The term that defines the letters of the alphabet (A to Z) and the ten numerals (0 to 9). The term is generally used to mean any text data.

AMERICAN STANDARD CODE FOR INFORMATION INTERCHANGE (ASCII): A 7-bit binary code, providing 128 different binary combinations for standard American keyboards. ASCII is used to encode all 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lower case), all ten decimal digits (0 to 9), punctuation marks, standard graphics, and special control codes into machine language. Although ASCII has 128 different codes, only 7 bits are needed for each different code. ASCII characters are generally stored inside 8-bit bytes, providing room for the 128 ASCII codes plus another 128 codes, totaling 256 characters. This 8-bit code is referred to as EXTENDED ASCII.

ANSI: It stands for American National Standards Institute. This is the place that sets standards for data communications, like the Internet.

ANALOG: Not digital. This is data in the form of a continuous flow. A record or a tape is analog. Digital, on the other hand, is in pieces or samples.

ANONYMOUS FTP: Using the FTP function of the Internet anonymously by not logging in with an actual, secret login ID and password. Often permitted by large, host computers who are willing to share openly some of the files on their system to outside users who otherwise would not be able to log in. ftp.apple.com and ftp.microsoft.com are two software company sites.

AOL: America On-Line used to be the largest bulletin board system in the world. With the advent of AOL v3.0 though, AOL has become the largest Internet Service Provider in the world. Unfortunately, AOL is available in only large metro areas. It is also the largest provider of blank diskettes in the world ;-)

APPLESHARE: This is Apple Computer’s network system. It allows many different end users (people on computers) to attach to one central location and get files. (Sound familiar?)

APPLET: A small Java application that is downloaded by an ActiveX or Javaenabled web browser. Once it has been downloaded, the applet will run on the user’s computer. Common applets include financial calculators and web drawing programs.

APPLICATION: Computer software that performs a task or set of tasks, such as word processing or drawing. Applications are also referred to as programs. It does things when called upon.

ARITHMETIC LOGIC UNIT (ALU): The section of a computer that contains a large amount of logic circuitry and performs the four basic arithmetic functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Larger units contain circuitry for higher mathematical functions, such as: quadratic equations, etc.

ARCHIE: Search tool used to find resources stored on Internet-based FTP servers.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: It is the technique with which a machine is made to think and take decisions like human beings.

ASSEMBLER: A software program that converts (translates) each symbolic instruction written in ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE into the MACHINE LANGUAGE (binary code) of a computer.

ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE: A programming language (source code) that consists of a group of coded letters or labels, called mnemonics. A mnemonic is a memory assist to help recall data. Each mnemonic represents a single instruction that is translated into the binary code of machine language. Mnemonics are easier to use than machine language instructions. For example, the mnemonic “MUL” tells the computer to “Multiply”.

ASYNCHRONOUS: A term that describes a non-clocked, or free-running digital signal that triggers successive computer instructions; the completion of one instruction triggers the next. The speed of operation depends only on the speed of the signal generated through the circuit or network. In contrast with SYNCHRONOUS operation, the computer clock controls the speed of the signals in the system. Transferring data with the help of start and stop bits that indicate the beginning and end of each character being sent.

ASP: Active Server Pages. An invention from Microsoft that runs on their server software.

AVI: Stands for Audio/Video Interleaved. Microsoft’s format for encoding video & audio for digital transmission. 
64-bit/32-bit: This denotes the number of “pieces” (or bits) of information required by an operating system to run a certain application. Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 have 32 bit as well as 64 bit versions. More bit means that data can be processed idn larger chunks and system can address a larger number of locations in physical memory.