Glossary of Computer Terms—F

Glossary of Computer Terms—F

F

FAQs: (Frequently Asked Questions) Files that are maintained at Internet sites to answer frequently asked questions. INA has a FAQ section for its members.

FAT: Stands for File Allocation Table. Basically this is a table of contents in a directory that tells the computer what al is in there. Look at your Netscape cache, you’ll see a FAT. It’ll be the first file.

FAN-IN: The maximum number of output terminals from other logic gates that can be connected to an input terminal of a specified logic gate.

FAN-OUT: The maximum number of input terminals that can be connected to the output terminal of a specified logic gate.

FETCH: The command to obtain an instruction from a stored program.

FIBER-OPTIC: This is a new style of cable being used for very high speed data transmission. It works by pushing (modulating) a light wave across cable. The data is carried along with the light.

FILE: A collection of related data treated as a single unit. In a computer, a file can exist on a disk, magnetic tape, or as an accumulation of information in memory.

FILE COMPRESSION: Many computer files can be reduced in size for downloading. Files with .ZIP extension have been “zipped” using PKZip software. Files with .SIT extension have been “stuffed” using Stuffit software. Files with .PDF have also been compressed using Adobe Acrobat. The Acrobat files have the added feature of viewing, printing and placing, using Adobe’s Reader program. For example, the Bulletin starts as a 3.5 megabyte file and is compressed to less than 150 kilobytes. That’s a compression ratio of almost 24:1

FILE SHARING: This is the most important feature of the Internet. This is a method of allowing one server to give the same file to many different end users.

FIREWALL: A combination of hardware and software that protects a local area network (LAN) from Internet hackers. It separates the network into two or more parts and restricts outsiders to the area “outside” the firewall. Private or sensitive information is kept “inside” the firewall.

FIREWIRE: Apple?Computer’s high-speed data transfer. Frequently used to import video to a computer.

FIRMWARE: A combination of a software program in hardware, such as a READ-ONLY MEMORY (ROM), or a disk that has files or software programs written on its surface.

FIRST IN, FIRST OUT (FIFO): The term refers to the sequence of entering and then retrieving data from a data storage section of a computer. The first data entered is the first data retrieved.

FLAMES: Insulting, enraged Internet messages.

FLAG: An indicator of a specific condition that informs a section of a program that this condition has already occurred and is identified by the presence or absence of the flag. A flag can be implemented in software and/or hardware.

FLASH MEMORY (FLEXIBLE ARCHITECTURE for SHARED MEMORY): This type of non-volatile memory has the ability to retain its information even when there is no power source. Flash Memory is best known for its use in hand help devices where it is used to store the operating system and core applications. Other devices that use Flash Memory are:

      Digital Cameras ,Audio Players ,Cell Phones, Pagers, USB Drives and Printers

FLIP-FLOP CIRCUIT: A logic circuit having two stable output states. It has the ability to change from one state to the other when an input pulse is applied in a specified manner. It is also called a BISTABLE MULTIVIBRATOR.

FLOATING-POINT ARITHMETIC: A method in which the decimal point location of a number in an arithmetic operation is determined by the number’s exponent value in base 10. All exponents are equalized prior to the operation to set a decimal point in its proper location in the final computation. Floatingpoint arithmetic extends a computer’s mathematical capability beyond the limit imposed by a fixed word length and contributes to easier programming.

FLOW CHART: A symbolic representation of the processing steps performed by a software program or a graphic sequence of logic operations implemented in hardware. A flow chart helps to visualize the procedure(s) necessary to design a software program or a final hardware system.

FOLDER: A structure for containing electronic files. In some operating systems, it is called a “directory.”

FONTS: Sets of typefaces (or characters) that come in different styles and sizes.

FORMAT: An orderly, structured arrangement of data elements (bits, bytes, and/or fields) that is necessary to produce a larger entity, such as: a list, record, table, file, or dictionary. Also, it is the term that describes the preparation of a magnetic disk to allow it to accept digital data.

FQDN: (Fully Qualified Domain Name) The “official” name assigned to a computer. Organizations register names, such as “INAnews.com” or “CNAads.com.”

FORTRAN: A science-oriented high-level software language, derived from the contraction of the terms FORmula TRANslator.

FREEWARE Software created by people who are willing to give it away for the satisfaction of sharing or knowing they helped to simplify other people’s lives. It may be freestanding software, or it may add functionality to existing software.

FREQUENCY SHIFT KEYING (FSK): A technique of digitally keying (modulating) an audio tone (carrier wave) so that a commercial telephone line can carry digital data.

      See MODEM.

FTP: (File Transfer Protocol) The basic Internet function that enables files to be transferred between computers. You can use it to download files from a remote, host computer, as well as to upload files from your computer to a remote, host computer. (See Anonymous FTP). 
FULL DUPLEX: A data transmission mode that provides simultaneous and independent transmission and reception. A conventional telephone communication is an example of this technique.