Technology Terms and Acronyms# 2-BIT VIDEO ADAPTER See Video adapter

2-D, 2D Two dimensional Two dimensional graphics images and animated images. Software options for 2-D scanning and authoring are reviewed in the NewMedia 1995 Tool Guide, pp. 33-43. (See also Paintbrush software) 3-D, 3D Three dimensional Three dimensional graphics images and animated images. Images in 3-D, especially 3-D photographs, are sometimes called "holograms." Biedney (1994) provides a technical discussion and a comparison of alternative software options for rendering 3-D images on desktop computers. Software options for 3-D rendering on the web are reviewed in the NewMedia, May 5 1998, pp. 52-64. The NewMedia web site is at http://www.newmedia.com Those authoring packages rated as "Awesome" include Live Picture Reality Studio at http://www.livepicture.com (800-724-7900) and Platinum Technology VRCreator at http://www.platinum.com (800-442-6861). There are many other options rated as "Thumbs Up" or "Does the Job." (See also Rendering) 3DO See CD-3DO

4-BIT COMPUTER See Bus 4-BIT VIDEO ADAPTER 4GL See Video adapter

Fourth Generation Language

The first three generations were developed fairly quickly, but these were painfully slow and complex for certain kinds of tasks such as report generation and database queries. Many of the 4GLs are: database query languages (e.g. SQL; Focus, Metafont, PostScript, RPG-II, S, IDL-PV/WAVE, Gauss, Mathematica and data-stream languages such as AVS, APE, Iris Explorer.) See GainMomentum and Relational database management. 16:9 TV See Wide-screen TV 24-BIT VIDEO ADAPTER 32-BIT COMPUTER A AB ROLL EDITING The transfer of portions of two video sources into one master videotape. For example, one source may be a VCR and the other source a video camera. (See also Video) See Video adapter See Bus

AB STYLE SWITCHES analog switchers that are designed to be used in applications whenever multiple computer sources must be connected to a single display device such as a monitor, projector, or LCD panel. For example, multiple VGA or SVGA PCs may be connected to a single data projector or PCs and Macs may be connected to a single data projector. Extron carries an extensive line of AB style switches at http://www.extron.com/prodline.htm. See also Projection. ABKY The Atkinson, Banker, Kaplan, and Young (1994) Textbook entitled Management Accounting which is noteworthy in this glossary as being the first accounting text accompanied by an Internet bulletin board. Prentice-Hall was the first publishing company, to our knowledge, to offer an interactive two-way network dialog between adopters of selected textbooks and the authors of those books, including a bulletin board of latest readings related to the text, abstracts of related literature, and classroom aids. The ABKY network was the first of the Prentice-Hall offerings to adopters and is available on listserver@watarts.uwaterloo.ca. (See also Internet and Networks) ACCELERATOR BOARD A hardware electronic board (containing a microprocessor) that can be added to some computers in order to speed up the processing in slow computers. The speed gains are confined to internal calculating and sorting such that no apparent gains are obtained for file management and other busing activities. (See also CPU, Board, and Bus) ACCESS POINT (AP) A device connected to the wired local area network that receives and transmits signals to wireless clients; this device must also be connected to the wired LAN if connections to external networks are required. ACCOUNT BOOT DISK A disk used to load DOS into the computer when it is turned on. ACROBAT ACTIVE VIDEO A video AV standard and open-video architecture that Microsoft Corporation hopes will become the popular standard to replace the Video for Windows (.avi file extension) and Quicktime (.mov file extension) video architecture. Active video attempts to overcome common complaints with its Video for Windows (e.g., limited throughput, poor A/V synchronization, and hardware/software incompatibilities. Also, Active Video will have software MPEG decoding and will cross platforms with Windows, Windows 2000, and Power Macintosh. It will also have an Active Movie filter to play on the Internet via Microsoft's Explorer browser. Whereas Video for Windows was losing out to Apple's Quicktime in See PDF

popularity, Microsoft's Active Video makes it a closer race between Apple and Microsoft for dominance in the setting of video standards. (See also Video and MPEG) ACTIVE X utilities from Microsoft Corporation that combine older Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and Component Object Model (COM) utilities. AcitiveX is usually coded in Visual Basic and is quite confusing since it is an outgrowth of a complex set of OLE and COM technologies. Various ActiveX applications can be downloaded from http://www.download.com/PC/Activex/0,271,0-0,00.html. One of the most widespread applications is to give interactive controls (e.g., ask questions, provide answers, perform computations, push buttons, etc.) to users of Internet Explorer on the web. Therein lies a huge risk as well when computers also have Windows Scripting Host (WSH) utilities using ActiveX. WSH files have a file extension whs and are similar to PIF files in older 16-bit applications. Prior to WSH applications, users could browse the web and use email without any worries about virus infections as long as security warnings were heeded about file downloads that run in Microsoft Word, Excel, etc. That is no longer the case if WSH utilities are installed. To avoid such risks, users can either rely upon Netscape products for email and web browsing since Netscape products use Java rather than ActiveX software. If users prefer Microsoft Internet Explorer for web browsing and Microsoft Outlook for email, then they may want to consider adding security barriers to WSH risks. In Internet Explorer you can click on menu choices (View, Internet Options, Security, Custom, Settings) and choose the option to disable "ActiveX Controls Not Marked as Safe." Repeat the same procedure for Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. You may also want to consider disabling WSH, although you thereby lose the applications relying on WSH utilities. For virus updates and news, two good web sites are Network Associates at http://www.nai.com/vinfo/ and Mcafee at http://www.mcafee.com/ . (Also see Visual Basic and CORBA ) For more information on the use of ActiveX in distributed network computing, see Database, ADO, and RDS. ADAM Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine Project that resulted in high quality computer-aided learning modules for schools of medicine. The "inside story" of A.D.A.M. is briefly reviewed in PC World, November 1994, p. 96. See A.D.A.M. Software, Inc. at http://www.adam.com/ for more details. ADC Analog to Digital Converter

Converts analog sound to binary code form (digital information). (See also DAC, Modem and Video) ADO ADPCM ActiveX Data Objects; See ActiveX, Database Adaptive Pulse Code Modulation

ADPCM of audio waveform sampling that records the difference between samples is recorded rather than the actual values. This increases fidelity with lower resolution than conventional PCM. (See also Audio and PCM)

AERO 1. "Before Going to Buy High-Tech Devices, Learn the New Terms," by Walter S. Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal, November 16, 2006; Page B1 --http://online.wsj.com/article/personal_technology.html 2. This is the graphical user interface that's a key part of Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system. If you want to get the full benefit of Vista, make sure any Windows PC you buy this season is capable of running Aero. Many are not. AGENT Agents are search tools that automatically seek out relevant online information based on your specifications. Agents are also called intelligent agents, personal agents, knowbots or droids. AGP Accelerated/Advanced Graphics Port

A bus specification by that gives 3D graphics cards faster access to main memory than the usual PCI bus. AGP allows scattered data in system memory to be read in bursts. AGP reduces the overall cost by using existing system memory. AIF One format of Macintosh audio (sound) files. (See also Audio) AIS Automated Information System

Any equipment of an interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, control, display, transmission, or reception of data and includes software, firmware, and hardware. AIX An IBM version of the Unix operating system. It will run on PCs with 386 or higher chips and on workstations and mainframes. (See also Unix) ALDERSON LOOP A special kind of infinite loop that traps the user by using a false exit condition; i.e., Click OK when the OK function has been disabled. ALN Asynchronous Learning Networks

ALN networks of education and training modules or courses where students learn in self-paced online pedagogy in contrast to synchronized presentations in traditional classrooms or electronic classrooms. Synchronous education in a scheduled sequence of classes will face serious new competition of asynchronous education distributed on networks where students learn and communicate most any day and most any time of day and study at their own paces. Ideally, faculty or other expert help is available

online to both help students and evaluate student work and ideas. In addition, asynchronous courses may schedule synchronous virtual online meetings of subsets of students or entire classes of students. Networked courses may thus be synchronous and asynchronous, although the technical learning components are largely asynchronous. ALPHA PROCESSOR The ultimate top-of-the line processor for PCs that uses DEC's 21064 chip. The "Alpha-based" systems such as the DECpc from Digital Equipment Corporation claims it is the fastest system available for Windows 2000. ALT 1. Alternate value keyboard key 2. Software ALTernatives to authoring systems that have full CMS utilities. In other words, professors who do not need full CMS features may opt for alternative authoring packages such as hypertext or hypermedia packages that do not have full CMS features. Various ALT options are compared in Chapter 3. (See also CMS) AOL America Online

The commercial AOL network (800-827-6364) that "remains the hottest, easiest-to-use and most interesting of the services" according to Mossberg (1994a). AOL offers Time Magazine, the Chigago Tribune, and other news and television network options. New services to educators online include an American Federation of Teachers online doctoral program from the Electronic University Network and the Forum on Technology in Education and Training (FORUM-TET). With the May 11, 1994 announcement of a merger of AOL and Redgate Communications, AOL will take an early lead over competitors in multimedia and GUI graphics networking. (See also GUI, Networks, CompuServe, Internet, eWorld, Interchange, and Prodigy) AMIGA A video computing hardware/software desktop workstation formerly manufactured and marketed by Commodore International based on Motorola microprocessors. Amiga workstations became a widely popular option in conjunction with NewTek's Video Toaster software for home and office videotape productions. Amiga developed its own operating system called Amiga DOS. A major drawback is that as a computer it does not communicate (i.e., its files are not readable) on more popular Apple, PC, and Unix operating systems. For example, it can neither read MS-DOS files into its operating system nor write out MS-DOS files. It is far less of a competitor for digital computers and networking than for analog video computers such as Mac Video (see Birkmaier (1993) and Torres 1993). The new Amiga workstations became aggressive low-priced competitors to Silicon Graphics and Sun workstations for 3D animation rendering for broadcast quality video. The future of the Amiga is clouded by the 1994 declaration of bankruptcy and subsequent liquidation of the former Commodore International Corporation. At this juncture it is uncertain whether another manufacturer will take over all Amiga

technologies and patents. NewTek Inc. (800-847-6111) now sells workstations for its Video Toaster software formerly used in Amiga computers. The Amiga and NewTek workstations compete with Apple AV and SGI competitors, but these options should not be confused with the more extensive concepts of network video servers. (See also Video server, CD32, Apple AV, SGI, and Mac) A combination of fierce loyalty and anti-Microsoft sentiment that would make Linux and Mac users blush has Amiga users clinging to their aging computers. The prospect of new hardware is almost too much for the dedicated outcasts to handle. They stick with the platform because it's stable, fast, and has an elegant OS that could multitask in only 512KB of memory fifteen years ago, back when Microsoft still thought DOS was the way to go. No new hardware has been made for the Amiga since Commodore went under in 1993, with the exception of some third-party peripherals. "And [now] there's tremendous hatred for Microsoft," said Harv Laser, founder of the AmigaZone, the oldest Amiga fan site online, with roots dating back to the mid-1980s. "A lot of people, myself included, don't want to give Bill Gates one penny." So when a mysterious German computer company materialized last week announcing new computers based on the long-abandoned Amiga technology, there was much jubilation, along with some skepticism, on Amiga enthusiast sites. AMIGA DOS See Amiga

AMPS See Wireless Glossary of Terms ANALOG See Video ANCHOR Synonymous with hyperlinks, anchor refers to non-linear links among documents. Or more simply put, it's the word or phrase that can be selected to connect to another page resource. ANCHOR COLOR The color on a browser screen that represents the anchor tag (navigation item) colors. The reason so many are blue is that blue is often the default color in browser software. This color can be changed to any combination of red, green and blue. The ability to change these colors at the reader level complicates choice of color at the authoring level. ANIMATION Time-phased moving graphic images that give the impression of motion such as in motion picture cartoons or videographic movements of objects about the screen. Several frames show a progression of movement, and thereby simulate movement. The best-buy in animation software is Autodesk 3D Studio according to PC Computing, December 1994, p. 204. (See also 3-D, flc/fli, Morphing, and Video)

ANKLE BITER A person who aspires to be a hacker/cracker but has very limited knowledge or skills related to AISs. Usually associated with young teens who collect and use simple, malicious programs obtained from the Internet. ANNOTATIONS Personal notes you can attach to the documents you have saved in your Web browser. The notes are available to you whenever the document is viewed. ANOMALY DETECTION MODEL A model where intrusions are detected by looking for activity that is different from a user's or a system's normal behavior. ANSI The American National Standards Institute

ANSI sets basic standards like ASCII characters and acts as the United States' delegate to the ISO. Standards can be ordered from ANSI by writing to the ANSI Sales Department, 1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018. (See also ASCII, ISO 9000, and Rich-text format) ANTI-BLUR Also known as antishake or image stabilization, this is a crucial feature of digital cameras today. Because few cameras have optical viewfinders, users tend to hold them at arm's length to frame the shot on the LCD screen. This increases the likelihood of shaking the camera. An anti-blur feature can correct that. The best anti-blur technology is optical. Digital versions are less effective. API Application Program Interface

Interface by which an application program accesses operating system. An API can also provide an interface between a high level language and lower level utilities and services which were written without consideration for the calling conventions supported by compiled languages. Netscape Corporation and Microsoft both provide APIs called NSAPI and ISAPI that essentially extend their web servers, and it provides developers a way to put application code actually within the web server. This means that you dont have to start up a separate process each time one of these applications is called. And, since that application is always running, it can maintain connections to the database. APPLE AV A line of computers that was popular for low-cost analog video computing due to built video capture hardware on the motherboard, a DAV connector, and a scan converter for analog video output to television sets and videotape recorders. The Power Macs have replaced the Apple AVs. (See also Video server, Dry camera, SGI, Mac, PowerPC, Mozart, Copeland, Gershwin, and Amiga) APPLE CORPORATION See Mac

APPLE Q UICKTIME ARCHIE

See QuickTime

Derived from the word archive, Archie is a Net-based service that allows you to locate files that can be downloaded via FTP. ARPANET The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network

ARPANet was formed in 1969 to connect the Department of Defense (DOD) with institutions conducting major defense contract research. The network linked super computers in major research universities with the DOD. This is credited with being the first academic computer network and is considered the "mother" of the Internet. In the 1980s, ARPANet split into two networks called ARPANet and MILNet (for unclassified military research). An interconnection with the DOD Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) led to a set of networks called DARPA Internet that later became referred to as just the Internet. (See also Internet) ARRAY 1. A collection of discrete values arranged in a matrix 2. A collection of disk drives, generally in a specialized enclosure that are configured to operate as a disk array. This collection of disks is generally formatted as a RAID or JBOD array. 3. See Jukeboxes AI Artificial Intelligence

AI is a branch (usually called AI/Expert Systems) of computer science, mathematics, psychology, and systems engineering that attempts to make computer "decision making" more like human decision making and to aid or replace human decision makers with machines. Expert systems attempt to utilize the skills, knowledge, and decision evaluation processes of human experts. For example, computers now aid physicians in diagnosing diseases and computer-guided laser rockets virtually replace human guidance decisions. AI failed to live up to its early expectations when it was believed that AI computers would never fail to win at chess and language translators would soon be put out of work by computers. However, applications of AI have been taking place and computers can now play very good chess to a point where they occasionally beat even the grand masters. ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange

ASCII computer character set (text and symbols) that enables transfer of text and data between different computing systems. This international standard provides only very plain text without options for font modifications. For example, files from word processors such as Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, and Word Star often cannot be imported to hypertext or hypermedia software without conversion to ASCII code (most word processors will change files to ASCII "text" files). The downside is that nearly all formatting and font variations are lost in ASCII conversions such that imported ASCII text may have to be re-formatted line by line and altered for font preferences. Very few software alternatives have "filters"

that import word processor files directly without having to convert to ASCII codes, although many are now adding rich-text format (RTF) utilities. In hypertext authoring, choice of a hypertext software option should include a question concerning whether "filters" are available for avoidance of ASCII text conversions. (See alsoANSI, Internet Messaging, and Rich-text format) ASIM Automated Security Incident Measurement Monitors network traffic and collects information on targeted unit networks by detecting unauthorized network activity. ASK / ASK JEEVES ASP 1. Application Service Provider: Organization that provides individuals or enterprises access over the Internet to applications and related services. This service is s sometimes referred to as "apps-on-tap." Early applications include: a. Remote access serving for the users of an enterprise b. An off-premises local area network to which mobile users can be connected, with a common file server c. Specialized applications that would be expensive to install and maintain within your own company or on your own computer d. Hewlett-Packard, SAP, and Qwest have formed one of the first major alliances for providing ASP services. 2. Active Server Pages: ASP script extensions contain either Visual Basic or Jscript code. When a browser requests an ASP page, the Web server generates a page with HTML code and sends it back to the browser. So ASP pages are similar to CGI scripts, but they enable Visual Basic programmers to work with familiar tools. This is a page that performs customized "applications" services. ASPECT RATIO The ratio of the horizontal to vertical size of the screen. Some monitors display rectangular pixels which can make the picture or image appear stretched. Software that allows images to be resized and changed with respect to aspect ratios greatly facilitates authoring. Otherwise, images have to be transported to other software for such changes and then transported back in a cumbersome process that makes authors grateful when aspect ratios and image sizes can be modified without such difficulties. Macromedia Director is one of the very few hypermedia authoring systems that has a utility for changing the scale and aspect ratios of imported bitmap pictures as well as rotating and inverting such pictures. ASSESSMENT The evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of technology on attitudes and performance. Tidd (1995) discusses various assessment scales such as the Computer Attitude Scale, the Computer Anxiety See Search engine

Rating Scale, and the Computer Self-Efficacy Scale. Assessment is very difficult because no matter how good the findings are in an empirical study, the relevance of those findings quickly falls away due to constantly emerging technologies that are significantly better than older technologies used in the study. ASYNCHRONOUS A method of communication that places data in discrete blocks that are surrounded by framing bits. These bits show the beginning and ending of a block of data. ASYNCHRONOUS CONNECTION The type of connection a modem makes over a phone line, this connection is not synchronized by a mutual timing signal or clock. AT ATG ATM 1. Automatic Teller Machines for banks 2. Asynchronous Transfer Mode: The high speed ATM networks allow transmission of video, audio, and data over local and world-wide networks. (See also Broadband, Networks, and Sonet) ATTACKER TRAPS Systems used to lure hackers or other information warriors into an attack so that they can be traced. AU The file extension for UNIX audio (sound) files. This is an audio format developed for Sun workstations and often used to distribute sound clips via the Web. (See also Audio) AUDIO Voice, music, and other sounds recorded and stored in analog or digital form. The term RealAudio refers to a helper-app (plug-in) that allows WWW users to hear audio files in real time. Options for creating and playing digital audio Java applets are reviewed in deCarmo (1996). Options for converting written text into audio are given in Text reading. (See also Sound board, AU, AIF, Board, Hertz, Java, MIDI, Speech recognition, Text reading, Video/audio networking, and Wave file) AUDIO BOARD AUDIO CARD See Sound board See Sound board See Text reading See PC See Video server

AUDIO CONVERSION TO TEXT

AUDIO ON THE INTERNET See Internet audio and video

AUDIO STREAMING

See Web streaming

AUTHENTICATED PAYMENT PROGRAM Visa has begun the global rollout of the Authenticated Payment Program. The Program, based on commercial incentives, will vastly improve the payment service for e-merchants, consumers and Visa Members by enhancing convenience, acceptance and security. Consumers will know that they can shop safely and conveniently while preventing fraud on their card, and merchants will know they are dealing with a legitimate cardholder anywhere in the world. The newest authentication technology, 3-D Secure, forms the basis for global interoperability of Authenticated Payments. AUTHENTICATION A process that verifies that the user has permission to access the network; often associated with the process of joining a Bluetooth piconet or WLAN. AUTHORING Developing (writing of text, recording of audio, importing of video, inserting graphics, etc.) hypertext and hypermedia learning, entertainment, and reference materials. Also see Cross-platform, Delta Project, Hypertext, CORE, Non-core, Hypermedia, Morphing, Presentation, Titles, and Rendering) AUTHORING SOFTWARE This term refers to software that enables the creation of multimedia or hypertext documents and presentations. AUTHORWARE Macromedia's hypermedia authoring system designed primarily for training and education asynchronous learning courses. AUTODESK Company that manufactures CAD software including AutoCAD AV, A/V AVATAR This term refers to an interactive representation of a human in a virtual reality environment; the term was popularized by Neal Stephenson's novel "Snow Crash." AVI Audio Video Interleaved Audio/Video

Digitized video files (with audio tracks) that satisfy MPC standards for Video for Windows playback. The Media Player (mplayer.exe) file that is included in Windows operating systems runs AVI files. Most PC video capture boards will convert analog video into AVI files. The AVI standard from Microsoft's Video

for Windows is giving way to Microsoft's newer Active Video architecture. (See also Active video, MCI, MPC, and QuickTime)ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

This is a policy set up by the network administrator or other school leaders in conjunction with their technology needs and safety concerns. This policy restricts the manner in which a network may be used, and helps provide guidelines for teachers using technology in the classroom.ALIAS

1. A file that points to another item, such as a program, document, folder, or disk. When an alias is opened, the original item that the alias points to is opened. This helps in the organizing and accessing of files. Alias is purely a Mac term. The equivalent term for Windows-based computers is a shortcut. 2. An A record in DNS that provides an alternative friendly name alias for a given IP address. ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange

This international standard contains 128 codes that correspond to all upper and lower-case Latin characters, numbers, and punctuation marks. Each code is represented by a seven-digit binary number: 0000000 through 1111111.APPLICATION

A software program that lets you complete a task, such as writing a paper, creating a poster, designing an image, or viewing a Web page. B B2B B2C

Business to Business

(See E-Business)

Business to Consumer (See E-Business)

BACKDOOR/TRAPDOOR An intentional breach in the security of a computer system left in place by designers or maintainers. A hidden software or hardware mechanism used to circumvent security controls. A breach created intentionally for the purpose of collecting, altering, or destroying data. BACK-END 1. The final stage in a process or a task not apparent to the user. A common usage is in a compiler. A compiler's back-end generates machine language and performs optimizations specific to the machine's architecture. Generally each layer uses the layer immediately below it and provides a service to the layer above in a "back ended" way. 2. In the third generation of network computing, web servers perform back-end database computing where its controlled and managed. But third generation computing takes advantage

of the new interactive server/client interactive technology like Sun's Java andMicrosoft's Microsoft's ActiveX/CORBA. Users on the client side want to interact in various ways such as perform sensitivity (what-if) type of analyses. BANDWIDTH Capacity (range) of transmission frequencies on a network as expressed in cycles per second (hertz) or bits per second that determines the amount of data, audio, and video that can flow over the network. The higher the frequency, the higher the bandwidth. (See also Baseband, Broadband, Hertz, bps, and Information highway) BAR CODES Alternate standards for marking products or other items for reading by laser beams. They are used extensively for locating items on videodiscs and CDs. The LaserBarCode was the original standard for CAV discs. This was extended to LaserBarCode2 for CLV discs. The Bar Code CD is an audio standard for CD discs. (See also Videodisc and CD) BASEBAND A network cable that has only one channel for carrying data signals. BASTION HOST A system that has been hardened to resist attack at some critical point of entry and that is installed on a network in such a way that it is expected to come under attack. Bastion hosts are often components of firewalls or may be "outside" Web servers or public access systems. Generally, a bastion host is running some form of general-purpose operating system (e.g., LNIX, VMS, WNT, etc.) rather than a ROM-based or firmware operating system. BAUD A unit of speed in data transmission, or the maximum speed at which data can be sent down a channel. Baud is often equivalent to bits per second. Named after J. M. E. Baudot (died 1903). (See also bps) BBS Bulletin Board Systems

BBS on the Internet that provide electronic bulletin board and conferencing services. (See also CWIS and Freenets) BE VOCAL BINHEX A file conversion format that converts binary files to ASCII text files. BIOS Basic Input Output System (See VESA) See Speech Recognition

BITNET Because It's Time NETwork BITNET is an early network of academic and research professionals. Most users have shifted to e-mail gateways. (See also Internet and Networks) BLOB Binary Large Object Can be stored in a database but normally not interpretable by a database program. Occasionally used as a mild hacker threat when mailed. Can also be used to hide malicious logic code. BLOG See Weblog a.k.a. Blue Screen of Death or WinNuke

BLUE BOMB

Technique for causing the Windows operating system of someone youre communicating with to crash or suddenly terminate. The blue bomb contains information that the operating system can't process. This condition causes the operating system to "crash" or terminate prematurely. Its name comes from the effect it sometimes causes on the display, as the operating system is terminating a white-on-blue error screen. BMP Bitmap

Bitmap graphics files that are accessible through Windows Paintbrush and most other PC graphics software. (See also Compression, CGM, and JPEG) BOARD A hardware component that fits into the expansion slot of a computer unit and expands the capabilities of the computer. A board can enable the computer to communicate with an external hardware device, such as a CD-ROM. Alternate terms are card, expansion card, interface card, interface board. (See also SCSI, Sound board, Video board, and PCMCIA) BOMB A generic description for the crashing of software or hardware systems. BOOKMARK A user-defined place mark that enables the user to return to a particular screen or starting point after accessing related information. Bookmarks may also be used to locate sections on related topics. BOT a roBot that usually is a software program that can be good (administering or policing on the network) or bad (causing evil) on the network. Bots commonly are used in real audio chat lines. A WebBot are "smart objects" that can be inserted into web pages to perform tasks that otherwise would require CGI scripting or some other dynamic action programming. WebBots can help set up dynamic chat lines, time image appearances, register and confirm actions, reference annotations, perform calculations, etc. Some HTML editors can be used to create WebBots.

BPS

bits per second

This is a measure of transfer speed that is commonly used in modems. (See also Bandwidth and Baud) BRANCH Any one of the paths an application can take after it evaluates a specific condition. BREACH 1) The successful defeat of security that could result in system penetration. 2) Violation of a systems controls that exposes information assets or system components. BRIDGE A device that connects different LANs so a node on one LAN can communicate with a node on another LAN. BROADBAND Network transmission capacity that greatly exceeds capacity required for voice transmission over traditional telephone cables. Broadband networks may have dedicated portions for audio, video, and data or they may allow for capacity switching. (See also Bandwidth, Information highway, Switched network, Networks, and ATM) BROADCASTING See webcasting BROWSER A type of software that allows you to navigate information databases; examples are Netscape Navigator and NCSA Mosaic. BROWSERS See Web browsers

"BRUTE FORCE " PASSWORD CRACKER Guessing the password until you figure it out, whether via manual methods or by using a program that continually guesses passwords. Programs will try passwords like "aa," "ab," "ac," and so on until every legal character combination has been tried. BSP Business Service Provider (See ASP)

BUFFER UNDERRUN A common error where the data stream being fed from the CD-R's cache buffer falls behind the laser doing the writing. (See also CD-R) BULLETIN BOARD See BBS, e-mail

BUS The internal pathways (data bus, address bus, and control bus) of wires connecting various parts of a computer. Common standards for buses were Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) 16-bit bus common in AT-compatible PCs, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) 32-bit buses in IBM PS/2 computers, and Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) 32-bit buses that are backward compatible with ISA adapters. An "expansion bus" is an extension of the data bus and address bus that includes slots for adapter boards. It is better than ISA and EISA for hypermedia authoring to also purchase a "local bus" system in 32-bit or higher capacity with eight or more expansion slots for multimedia options. A local bus connects the CPU with peripherals directly so as to improve performance speed. However, in recent years, the VL local buses are not as good as the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) brainchild of Intel. The term "bus" can also apply to standards for connecting electronic components other than computer components. The term CDBus or consumer electronics bus refers to a home or office automation standard such that components connected through power lines, coaxial cable, infrared connections, and telephone lines will be mutually compatible. (See also VL-Bus and Cache) BUS TOPOLOGY A physical layout of a LAN where all nodes are connected to a single cable. BYTE 1. The number of bits used to represent a character, in most current systems a byte is defined as 8 bits. 2. Grouping of eight bits. While a bit can assume only two states, 0 and 1, a byte can store from 0 up to 255 different states. Most of the time a character is stored in a byte. Therefore, a byte can store up to 255 different characters. The standard ASCII character set consists of 128 characters; the additional characters generally used in PC software brings the total number of characters up to 255.BANDWIDTH

The amount of information that one can send through a connection, measures in bits-per-second (Bps). A standard page of English text contains about 16,000 bits. BCC Blind Courtesy Copy; Blind Carbon Copy

A way to send an e-mail message to more than one recipient, without the parties knowing that an identical message was sent to others. Using the BCC is a good way to avoid the long list of recipients that your correspondents usually have to wade through in the header of a mass-mailing. See CC.BIT

Binary DigIT

A single digit number in base-2 (either a one or a zero). This is the smallest unit of computerized data.BROWSER

The software application that allows you to view Internet pages.BROWSER-SAFE COLORS

Although there are millions of colors in the computer world, there are only 216 colors that are browsersafe, or are able to be read by any Web browser. These colors will remain true no matter what platform or browser you use, and their hexadecimal codes (numerical names for colors) are made up by using any combination of 00 33 66 99 CC or FF. BTWBYTE

By The Way

A set of 8 bits that means something to the computer, like a letter, number, or punctuation mark. For example, the byte 01001000 signifies the character H. The three-letter word hat requires 3 bytes. C C2

Command and Control

The arrangement and deployment of personnel, equipment, communications, facilities, and procedures employed in accomplishing a mission. C2W Command and Control Warfare

In addition to the traditional physical destruction aspect of war, this includes the integrated use of operations security, military deception, psychological operations, and electronic warfare to degrade or destroy the adversarys command and control capabilities and to protect ones own. It is a subset of information warfare. CAT5E Category 5 Enhanced A category of performance for inside wire and cable. Used in support of signaling rates of up to 100 MHz over distances of up to 100 meters. Calls for tighter twists, electrical balancing between pairs and fewer cable anomalies. CAT5e is intended to support 100 Base-T, ATM and Gigabit Ethernet. CARNIVORE A controversial FBI system to monitor e-mail and other traffic through Internet service providers. CACHE 1. A storage area in both RAM (cache memory) and disc drives (cache controllers) that keeps frequently accessed instructions more readily accessible. (See also Bus) 2. An object relational database software manufactured by Intersystems. CAL

1. Client Access License: A software license that allows a single user to access a software application at a given time. This is most common on server applications such as Databases, Operating Systems andWeb Servers. 2. Computer Aided Learning or Computer Assisted Learning: CAL encompasses in-class lecture aids, learning materials for computer labs, electronic books, learning materials available on networks such as the Internet, and any other learning aids that are used with computers or related devices such as compact disc (CD) players connected to television sets. Especially see the concept of a shell. (See also Authoring, Computer Based Training, Course Management Systems, Hypertext, Hypermedia, and Networks) CALLER ID Caller identification of the phone number of person placing a call to another number. Some states now allow telephone owners to have visual displays of the caller ID. CAMCORDER See Video camera and Video from digital (DV) camcorders. Also see Video.

CAMERA See Dry camera CAPTURE 1. A NetWare utility program used to redirect output from a printer port on the workstation to a network printer. 2. See Screen capturing. Also see Video. CARD See Board See Authoring

CAREERS CASE

Computer Assisted Software Engineering

Software tools for automating information systems design and programming. See also Database and MDA. CASTANET See Webcasting

CASTINGSee Webcasting CAT Computer Aided Teaching

That subset of CAL that entails CAT. This subset is restricted to software designed for authoring and/or delivery of learning materials in a classroom or on line in a computer network or teleconference in which the instructor is present and using the CAT materials as an aid to his or her teaching. CAV Constant Angular Velocity CAV playback in magnetic and laser discs where the disc rotates at a constant speed. Relative to CLV variable speeds, the CAV approach results in varying data retrieval times that depend upon where the

read/write head is located relative to the disc spindle. Authors of CAV disc products try to locate commonly accessed files closer to spindle. In videodiscs, CAV discs hold only 30 minutes of video on each side of a 12-inch disc. However, CAV facilitates searching for individual frames. (See also CLV) CBT Computer-Based Training

CBT in which the computer becomes a tutor for asynchronous learning that adjusts to each student's learning pace. CBT that contains artificial intelligence for adapting training requirements and options to different aptitudes and skills of individual students is referred to in military training as Intelligent CBT (ICBT) to distinguish ICBT from traditional CBT that does not automatically adapt to skills and needs of different learners. (Also see Authoring, Computer Based Training, Computer Aided Learning, Course Management Systems, Hypertext, Hypermedia, and Networks). CD Compact Disk

A "small" injection-molded optical disc containing digitized information that has been recorded with a laser device and must be read on a laser device. The term "small" generally refers to a disc that is 8 cm or 12 cm (4.72 inches) in diameter as opposed to videodiscs that typically are much larger in diameter. Also, videodiscs usually are restricted to analog inputs from videotape whereas CDs rely on inputs from computer tape or other digitized platforms. Although there are several types of CDs for audio, television, and computer playback, the CD-Audio and CD-ROM discs have overwhelming shares of the market. For example, Kim (1994) discusses why CD-ROM discs are replacing floppy discs in a "ground swell." CDROM discs now hold approximately 680 Mb (i.e., 680 million characters) although compression techniques make it possible to record CDs from even larger computer files. Usually CDs have slower access speeds than magnetic hard drives, but speeds are improving and playback of video is now possible on both CD-ROM and CD-I players. Although the best known CDs once were those that contain only audio recordings, there is a rapidly growing market for various types of CDs that contain computer files and/or files that can be read on special devices connected to television sets. (See also Bar codes, CAV, CLV, Photo CD, Videodisc, Minidisc, CD-Stand Alone, Nintendo/SGI Cartridges, and Laserdisc) CD BURNING CDMA 1. core digital multiple alignment 2. code division multiple access: CDMA is used in the United States by Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp., as well as in Japan, India, China and South Korea. In other markets, including Europe, the Middle East and Africa, GSM, or Global System for Mobile communications, is the dominant standard. Code Division Multiple Access and Time Division Multiple Access dual-mode cellular telephones that aid in the receiving of fax and computer network data on computers and PDAs. (See also Wireless Glossary of Terms, CDPD, Networks and PDA) 3. control digital management access 4. control density media attention See CD-R

CD-PD CD Phase Change Dual (See Phase Change Dual) CD RECORDING See CD-R and CD-DVD CD32 The 32-bit multimedia CD system that plays on Amiga Computers from Commodore Corporation. These CDs are used for CD movies, games, and educational material on Amiga Computers. The future of the CD32 is clouded by the 1994 declaration of bankruptcy by Commodore Corporation. (See also Amiga) CD-3DO A type of compact disc designed originally to compete against CD-I and CD-MM for interactive television set entertainment and, possibly, education. A promoter named Trip Hawkins put together an impressive grouping of Hollywood movie studios and other developers of interactive videos using MPEG compression. Large companies such as Panasonic, Sanyo, and others produced playback machines for TV sets. The 3DO video games lost out completely to competitors like Matsushita, Philips, Sony, and Victor who agreed upon a competing CD-Karaoke standard. Prospects once seemed high that this would emerge a winner. In 1993, 3DO stock soared in price. Time Magazine, January 3, 1994, p. 76, ranked the Panasonic CD-3DO Multiplayer as Number 1 in a listing and discussion of the top ten "best" new products of 1993. However, in 1994, sales of 3DO players fell far short of expectations (except in Japan) and the 3DO stock price fell from a high of over $45 per share to less than $15. (See also Games, CD-VIS, CD-I, CD-MM, CD-R, and CD-Karaoke) CD-AUDIO A CD that contains only audio playback. These were invented by Philips and Sony and have become extremely popular in the music recording industry. In order for these discs to be compatible with consumer playback machines, most discs are recorded according to the CD-Digital Audio "Reebok" standard. CDBUS See Bus CD-DVD CD-Digital Versatile Disc; CD-Digital Video Disc

DVD combines the best features of CD-ROM size and data storage with capacity for video storage beyond that of videodiscs. DVD was so revolutionary that in it replaced VHS videotapes, CD-ROMs and videodiscs. Unfortunately, the major vendors were divided between the DVD-RAM Type 1 and 2 standards (Panasonic, Toshiba, Hitachi) versus the DVD+RW standard (Sony, Philips, HP). DVD-RAM was first on the market. DVD-RAM and DVD+RW discs are incompatible with each other and require different technology capabilities to use them. CD-ERASABLE CDF See CD-R

1. Channel Definition Format: CDF is an XML vocabulary, or XML-based data format, that can be used to organize a set of related Web documents into a logical hierarchy. CDF enables developers to describe the structure and logically present various structured views of their HTML-based sites. Individual Web pages can be described by a CDF file to specify a hierarchy of associated Web pages. 2. Compound Document Format: A Compound Document is the W3C term for a document that combines multiple formats, such as XHTML, SVG, SMIL and XForms. The W3C Compound Document Formats (CDF) Working Group will specify the behaviour of some format combinations, addressing the needs for an extensible and interoperable Web. 3. cumulative distribution function: In probability theory, the CDF completely describes the probability distribution of a real-valued random variable X. CD+G Audio CD plus still-image graphics such as with Photo CD. Although these are commonly displayed on television screens, they are less interactive than CD-I, CD-VIS, CD-R, CD-Karaoke, CD-3DO, CD-MM, and CD-TV. For a more technical definition see http://www.soatusa.com/Cambda/NFProduc.htm .(See also Photo CD and CD-Karaoke) CD-I Compact Disc-Interactive

CD-I compact disc (developed by the Philips electronics conglomerate headquartered in The Netherlands) that will play back visual as well as audio CD entertainment and learning materials in a hypermedia format on a television set. These discs require special players for CD-Karaoke that connect to a television much like a VCR machine. The future of CD-I and CD-MM is seriously in doubt. (See also CD-DVD, CD-VIS, CD-R, CD-Karaoke, CD-3DO, CD-MM, CD-TV, Games, and Photo CD) CD-KARAOKE The video CD format that JVC and Philips initially agreed upon that eventually became the standard Video CD format agreed upon by major vendors such as Matushita, Philips, Sony, and Victor of Japan. Initially, vendors were trying to develop CDs for television sets that each had a different standard analogous to having different track gauges for different railroads. The agreed upon video standard in 1993 at last makes it possible to cross platforms in CDs for television. The announcement is reported in Videography, September 1993, p. 10. (See CD for market share data. See also CD-R, CD-I, CD-3DO, CDMM, Games, and Photo CD) CD-MM Older Sony CDs that compete with CD-VIS, CD-I, and CD-3DO discs that also play back visual as well has audio entertainment and learning materials in a hypermedia format on a television set. These will be replaced with newer players for CD-DVD. CD-MM discs required special players that connected to a television much like a VCR machine. They compete with CD-I discs but are not the same size and will not play on CD-I players. Only discs developed by Sony Corporation will run on CD-MM players. Various CD-

MM games, encyclopedias, hypermedia art books, and other consumer products are available on CD-I discs in department stores and video stores. Whereas CD-I and CD-ROM discs may be recorded on CD-R blanks in home recording devices, it is less likely that CD-MM discs will ever be produced outside professional studios. Users will thus be limited by what Sony develops and promotes. In 1993, Sony agreed to a new CD-format that is more in line with other players in the market. With the initial market shock of CD-3DO, the future of CD-I and CD-MM is seriously in doubt. (See also CD-DVD, CD-3DO, CDKaraoke, CD-VIS, and CD-I) CD-PD CD- Phase Change CDPD Cellular Digital Packet Data CDPD technology that facilitates more traffic on existing cellular networks. CDPD hardware is required for sending e-mail to PDAs. (See also Wireless Glossary of Terms and PDA) CD-PHOTO See Photo CD

CD-R / CD-RW CD-Recordable / CD-ReWritable A term used for machines (drives) that will record CD laser discs that will read on standard CD-ROM drives. CD "encoding" depicts the recording (burning or transfer of files) to a CD, whereas CD "decoding" depicts the reading of those files. The term CD-Erasable in the early 1990s depicted recording of erasable CDs that could not be read only in special drives rather than CD-ROM drives. The first CD-RW drive on the market (in March 1997) was from RICOH for $595. In times past, CD-R depicted a recordable CD blank disc also known as a CD-WORM disc. Recording CDs of any type is often referred to as "burning" or "baking." A CD recorder will not necessarily record every type of CD. CD-DVD recording requires more expensive hardware. Some record CD-Karaoke with appropriate software. Some CDs such as CD-MM and CD-3DO cannot usually be recorded on home recorders. CD-ROM and other types of CDs can be reproduced for less than $1 per disc. (See also CD-DVD, CD-Erasable, WORM, CD-I, CD-3DO, CDMM, Phase Change Dual (PD), Games, and Photo CD) CD-R2 See CD-DVD CD-ROM CD-ROM TITLES Books and games available on CD-ROM discs. CD-ROM XA See CD-ROM Compact Disc-Read Only Memory

CD-STAND ALONE Reference to audio/video players that stand alone in the sense of not needing a computer. The term generally refers to set-top video boxes for network television or to CD players such as CD-3DO, CD-I, CDMM, CD-TV, CD-VIS, etc. (See also Set-top box and CD)

CD-STANDARDS See http://www.soatusa.com/Cambda/NFProduc.htm CD-TV Commodore Dynamic-Total Vision Player manufactured by Commodore Corporation to compete with CD-I, CD-MM, CD-VIS, and CD-3DO CD players for television sets. CD-TV discs are viewed in television sets from a CD-TV player or on Amiga video computers. They may not, however, be played on CD-ROM players. See CD for market share data. The market share of CD-TV is so small that its future is quite uncertain and is clouded by the 1994 declaration of bankruptcy by Commodore Corporation. (See also CD-I, CD-3DO, CD-MM, CD-VIS, Games, and Photo CD) CD-VIS The Memorex MD-2500 Visual Information System CD player marketed by Radio Shack that competes with CD-MM, CD-I, and CD-3DO discs that also play back visual as well has audio interactive entertainment on television sets. The Memorex MD-2500 requires no host computer to perform interactive operations from a remote control. Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia disc and some other discs are available, but the market share of CD-VIS never became great enough to attract widespread authorship of VIS discs. At present there are very few titles and interest in CD-VIS relative to CD-I and CD-3DO is waning. CD-WORM CERT See CD-R

Computer Emergency Response Team

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) used this term to describe the first computer emergency response team, founded in December 1988 at Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute in Pittsburgh. The official term is now CERT/CC, which stands for CERT Coordination Center (http://www.cert.org/). CETA Center for Educational Technology in Accounting

CETA is no longer operational. CETA once served as a clearinghouse of information on use of technology in accounting education and research. CFML Cold Fusion Markup Language

Language for creation of dynamic and interactive Web pages. Along with the usual Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags that determine page layout and appearance, the page creator uses CFML tags to bring in content based on the results of a database query or user input. CMFL is a proprietary language developed for use with ColdFusion, a product from Allaire. See also Database and HTML. CGA CGI See Graphics adapter Common Gateway Interface

CGI is a standard for running external programs from a World-Wide Web HTTP server. CGI specifies how to pass dynamic components to the executing program as part of the HTTP request. For example, it will allow answers typed into an HTML form on the client computer to be tabulated and stored in a database on the server-side computer. Commonly, the server-side CGI program will generate some HTML which will be passed back to the client's browser. For example, it might report to the client user that the form is not filled out properly or report the invoice total of an order. CGI allows the returned HTML (or other document type) to depend in any arbitrary way on the request. The CGI program can, for example, access information in a database and format the results as HTML. CGI is not a programming language. There are various "CGI" scripting programs. Perl is a common choice for writing CGI scripts in UNIX code. Some HTTP servers require CGI programs to reside in a special directory, often "/cgi-bin" but better servers provide ways to distinguish CGI programs so they can be kept in the same directories as the HTML files to which they are related. CGI was one of the most popular UNIX-based programs/devices that supply interfaces between browsers and servers on the Internet. In order to improve performance, Netscape devised NSAPI and Microsoft developed the ISAPI standard which allow CGI-like tasks to run as part of the host server process, thus avoiding the overhead of creating a new process to handle each CGI invocation. CGM Computer Graphics Metafile

International standard for 16-bit color graphics. CGM files cross platforms between PCs and Macs and can be generated in most graphics, paintbrush, and draw software. (See also Graphics and Crossplatform) CHANNEL 1. Transmission line that can carry the sound of a separate MIDI instrument. Each MIDI port allows up to 16 separate channels for sending or receiving data. Each channel can function as a separate instrument in an ensemble, each using its own patch and responding independently to continuous controllers. (See also MIDI). 2. Channel Definition Format (CDF) 3. Channel Casting/Surfing = See Webcasting 4. Another name for frequencies, especially within a defined band. CHAT LINES / CHAT ROOMS real time internet conversations (written or oral) that transpire in real (synchronous) time as opposed to conferencing (e.g., message board posting and topic classification." There are many sources for free chat software downloads. One such source is at http://www.chat.yahoo.com/. Comparisons with bulletin boards, email groups, chat rooms, etc. are made in the e-mail definition of this glossary. See e-mail definition, IRC, Listserv, USENet, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, webcasting, andtelephony. CHERNOBYL PACKET An information packet that introduces a broadcast storm and network meltdown.

CHIPPING

See Security

CHRP Common Hardware Reference Platform Architecture in processors for Power PCs. This term has been replaced by "PowerPC Reference Platform" and is IBM's open system standard intended to ensure compatibility among PowerPC-based systems built by different companies. CIAC Computer Incident Advisory Capability

Plans for establishing this team were prepared before November 1988. It was founded as a secondincident response team in the spring of 1989. Its constituencies are sites within the DOE. CIAO Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office

Created in May 1998 to assist in the coordination of the U.S. Federal Government's initiatives on critical infrastructure protection (http://www.ciao.gov/). CISC Complex Instruction Set Computing

Architecture for chipsets such as the Intel 386, 486, and Pentium and the Motorola 680x0 family in Mac computers. These were the most popular processors until the RISC alternatives entered the market. As of the Intel 686 and later, the CISC architecture has waned in favor of RISC. CISCO IP/TV A comprehensive network video-streaming system for businesses, schools and governmental organizations. Using network-efficient multicast technology it delivers TV-quality live video programming. CLICK FRAUD The act of purposely clicking ad listings without intending to buy from the advertiser. In online advertising, click fraud involves sending fraudulent clicks to Cost Per Click (CPC) advertisers. The clicks can be artificially generated via automated technology methods (such as hitbots) or via manual clicking for the purpose of debiting CPC advertiser accounts or increasing CPC network partner/affiliate commission revenues. CLIENT A computer that has access to services over a computer network. The computer providing the services is a server. Note: in an X-11 environment, the meanings of client and server are reversed. See Database. CLIENT -SERVER A corporate computing trend that is gradually replacing the old way of conducting business--large mainframe computers connected to terminals. In the new arrangement, company software applications

run on a midrange computer (the server) that is connected over networks to PCs (clients). (See also Server) CLIENT -SERVER ARCHITECTURE An information-passing scheme that works as follows: a client program, such as Mosaic, sends a request to a server. The server takes the request, disconnects from the client and processes the request. When the request is processed, the server reconnects to the client program and the information is transferred to the client. This architecture differs from traditional Internet databases where the client connects to the server and runs the program from the remote site. Note: in an X-11 environment, the meanings of client and server are reversed. CLIPBOARD A holding device that contains the most recently copied or cut text or image such that contents of the clipboard can be pasted one or more times into other parts of the document at hand or other documents. It is usually possible to cross between different software options such as between Windows programs. CLIPPER CHIP The Clipper Chip is a cryptographic device promoted by the U.S. government. Its purported advantage is that it provides a standard for securing private voice communication. With Clipper, however, the government has the opportunity to obtain decryption keys that are held in escrow by two government agencies. Although the Clipper proposal requires legal authorization to obtain these keys, the history of illegal domestic surveillance by Federal agencies makes the existence of this "back-door" decryption channel a cause for concern. (Also see security) CLOCK SPEED The speed of the processor is measured with the clock frequency. The processor consistently works internally at the same clock frequency. The early IBM PC had a clock frequency of 4.77 MHz (Megahertz). Clock speeds now are generally measured in Ghz (Gigahertz). CLV Constant Linear Velocity

Playback in magnetic and laser discs where the disc rotates at varying speeds. Relative to CAV constant speeds, the CAV approach results in constant data retrieval times that do not depend upon where the read/write head is located relative to the disc spindle. CLV videodiscs hold up to 60 minutes of video per side of a 12-inch disc. However, CLV discs cannot be searched for individual frames as effectively as CAV discs. (See also CAV) CMC Computer Mediated Communication

A very broad term that encompasses chat lines, virtual communities, and other forms of communication. See IRC, Collaboration, and Virtual. See also Groupware.

CMS 1. Content Mangement System: Software system for the management of digital content such as documents, images or other files. (See also Document Management System) 2. Course Management Systems: That subset of CAL that entails CMS. Chief among theattributes of CMS are utilities that allow instructors to keep student records, call up examination templates and questions, administer examinations, track student learning in course modules, and randomly access lecture and case materials. (See also Runtime, Hypertext and Hypermedia) COAX Coaxial cable

A cable consisting of a single metal wire surrounded by insulation, which is itself surrounded by a braided or foil outer conductor.

CODEC Encode/Decode Hardware and software for compressing and decompressing large volumes of data. The term generally applies to multimedia. COLLABRASHARE Collaboration groupware from Netscape Corporation. Netscape Collabra provides enterprise group discussions based on Internet standards, letting the groups share and track information efficiently. Collabra makes it easy to share information and create a knowledge base that people can access at any time. COLLABORATION A joint effort that network technology has facilitated with email, FTP, and more advanced means of sharing ideas, documents, and data. Writing has become more of a collaborative effort since the dawn of the WWW. The WWW takes authors beyond the telephone by enabling them to speak to one another (audio), see one another (videoconferencing), and visualize documents and data. See also CMC, CollabraShare, IRC, Videoconferencing, Groupware, and Virtual. COLLAR A derivative instruments investing term where an investor puts a "collar" around investment risk, usually by selling a put option (an option to purchase) and purchasing a call option (an option to sell) around an investment. Amgen and Oracle sold put warrants on their own common stock and then used the proceeds to purchase calls on the same stock. This process is called a "costless collar" and is used to express a bullish view of the stock by management. COMPACT DISC See CD COMPANDING See dbx

COMPRESSION 1. Algorithms for shrinking the storage space required for files stored on discs. In those instances, nothing is usually sacrificed in the compression, although files may have to be decompressed before they can be utilized later on. 2. The storage of graphics or video files in such a way that they can be stored and/or processed more efficiently on computers. Something (e.g., color depth, resolution, image sharpness, etc.) is usually lost in the process. (See also GIF, JPEG, Indeo, and MPEG) COMPUTER An electronic system that can store and process information under program control. COMPUTER BASED TRAINING COMPUTER VIRUS COMSEC See CBT

See Virus

Communications Security

Measures taken to deny unauthorized persons information derived from the telecommunications of an entity involved in national or organizational security and to ensure the authenticity of such telecommunications. Communications security includes crypto security, transmission security, emission security, and physical security of communications security material and information. CONCURRENCY CONTROL Concurrency control deals with the issues involved with allowing multiple people simultaneous access to shared entities, be they objects, data records, or some other representation. It is very important to have a recovery system such that if bad data is entered in a shared environment the databases can be recovered. It is important understand transactions, which are collections of actions that potentially modify records. More than one record may be involved, especially in double entry bookkeeping. An example of a transaction is a transfer of funds between two bank accounts. Concurrency controls are related to transactions controls, but they are not the same since transactions controls apply to singleperson as well as multiple-person access. Transactions controls are intended to assure that updated transactions are allowable and orderly. Transactions in relational databases are often commands in a two phase commit system. A "two phase commit" transactions control is the process by which a relational database ensures that distributed transactions are performed in an orderly manner. In this system, transactions may be terminated by either committing them or rolling them back. Also see Database. CONFIGURATION This is a general-purpose computer term that can refer to the way you have your computer set up. It is also used to describe the total combination of hardware components that make up a computer system

and the software settings that allow various hardware components of a computer system to communicate with one another. CONFIGURE The act of changing software or hardware actions by changing the settings. CONSOLE A character-based interface to an operating system. Windows NT uses the Command Prompt tool as the console CONTROL CODE Special nonprinting codes that cause electronic equipment to perform specific actions. CONVENTIONAL MEMORY See RAM COOKIES Web Browsers set aside a small amount of space on the user's hard drive to record detected preferences. Cookies perform storage on the client side that might otherwise have to be stored in a generic-state or database server on the server side. Cookies can be used to collect information for consumer profile databases. Browsers can be set to refuse cookies. Many times when you browse a website, your browser checks to see if you have any pre-defined preferences (cookie) for that server if you do it sends the cookie to the server along with the request for a web page. Sometimes cookies are used to collect items of an order as the user places things in a shopping cart and has not yet submitted the full order. A cookie allows WWW customers to fill their orders (shopping carts) and then be billed based upon the cookie payment information. Cookies retain information about a users browsing patterns at a web site. This creates all sorts of privacy risks since information obtained from cookies by vendors or any persons who put cookies on your computer might be disclosed in ways that are harmful to you. Browsers will let you refuse cookies with a set up that warns you when someone is about to deliver a cookie, but this really disrupts Web surfing and may block you from gaining access to many sites. It is probably better to accept cookies for a current session and then dispose of unwanted cookies as soon as possible so that cookie senders do not obtain repeated access to your private information. (See also Finger, Security, and World Wide Web) COPELAND The name given to Apple's troubled operating OS 8 System 8.0 for Mac and PowerPC computers. COPERNICUS The codename under which the Navy reformulated its command and control structures in the age of Information Warfare. Copernicus enables those in the field to get the information they need to make tactical decisions.

COPROCESSOR Electronic component that relieves the microprocessor of some important tasks. Increased performance can often be achieved through the use of coprocessors. For example, a math coprocessor performs many of the math operations outside the microprocessor. A coprocessor may also speed graphics computations. COPYING See VCR, CD-R, Wide-screen TV, and SCMS

CORBA Common Object Request Broker Architecture CORBA evolved out of TCP/IP. Both CORBA and OLE/DCOM are designed to distribute objects or assembly of appplications from discreet, self-contained components. Both are appealing in the fast growing technology of "object middleware." Object middleware has corporate appeal due to the ability to provide highly abstracted object-oriented programming interfaces. Microsoft added new terminology in this area. see Distributed Network Computing. CORE LEAK A programming error that causes the program to fail to reclaim discarded memory, leading to eventual collapse due to memory exhaustion. Not as critical a problem as it was before the advent of virtual memory. CPU Central Processing Unit

Hardware that encompasses a computer's RAM, processing, and control circuitry, including the arithmetic-logic (ALU) unit. Both the ALU and the control units are wholly contained on the microprocessing chip whereas the primary storage is on the mother board or the expansion bus. For test comparisons of Intel Pentium, PowerPC, and Mips R4X00, and DEC Alpha, see Montgomery (1994). Montgomery ranks Pentium and Mips highest in terms of file servers. He ranks Pentium higher on most graphics and business applications criteria except for price since PowerPC is a cheaper alternative. There are, of course, other considerations. The PowerPC currently performs better than Pentium in terms of temperature, speed, and price, but all these advantages are expected to disappear when Intel introduces its upgrade versions of the Pentium. The PowerPC, however, will not perform as well using DOS and Windows operating systems. (See also Alpha processor, Pentium, MIPS, PowerPC, CISC, RISC, Operating system, and Motherboard) CRACKER Like a hacker, a cracker is someone who breaks into secure systems. A crackers primary aim is to break into secure systems, while hackers want to gain knowledge about computer systems and use this knowledge for pranks or to cause damage. The terms "hack" and "crack" are often used interchangeably. CRM Customer Relationship Management

CRM system based upon information technology. Central to CRM are databases customer relationships in sufficient detail so that management, salespeople, people providing service, and perhaps the customer directly could access information, match customer needs with product plans and offerings, remind customers of service requirements, know what other products a customer had purchased, and so forth. See Database and SAP.

CROSS-PLATFORM The ability of a software package or an electronic "book" to run in more than one operating system such as Icon Author and TIE crossings between Windows, Unix, and DOS operating systems. Rosenthal (1995) compares hypermedia authoring software having cross-platform capabilities. Some will only play back on cross-platforms but cannot be used to author in the platform of choice. Apple Media Kit and ScriptX authoring will run in DOS, Mac, Unix, and other operating systems, but neither option can be used for authoring in DOS or Windows. CRYPTOLOPE The combination of "cryptographic" security encryption with "envelopes" of a domain. Cryptolopes enable publishers on the WWW to securely distribute content with copyright protections and security over payments for copyrighted material usage. CSRC Computer Security Response Center

Another acronym for CERTs. CWIS Campus Wide Information System

Bulletin board services that can be accessed on the Internet. These are available on most college campuses and provide bulletin board information on campus calendars, e-mail directories on the campus, employment opportunities, campus events, course catalogs, etc. CYBERMALL A term commonly used to describe an electronic site shared by a number of commercial interests. CYBERSPACE A term coined by William Gibson in his fantasy novel "Neuromancer" to refer to a near-future computer network where users mentally travel through matrices of data. The term is now used to describe the Internet and the other computer networks. CYBERWAR Actions taken to achieve information superiority over an adversaryto deny, exploit, corrupt, or destroy an enemys information while protecting your own. See Information Warfare.

CYBERIAN WINTER The theoretical aftermath of an all-out cyberwar, characterized by cold disabled computer systems and businesses.CLIENT / SERVER

A term denoting the technology relationship between two types of computers, the client (normally your Mac or PC) and the server (a computer that stores and delivers information or files to you). When surfing the Internet, you are the client, and the pages you are reading come from the server, such as the www4teachers server. CC Courtesy Copy; Carbon Copy

A way to send an e-mail message to a person other than the main recipient or recipients. The CC'ed party can see that they are not the main recipient of the letter.COMMAND KEY

A key on Mac keyboards only that is used to access commands through the keyboard rather than the menus. commands are commonly shortcuts. CTRL control key

A key used to access commands through the keyboard rather than the menus. CTRL commands are commonly shortcuts.CONTROL PANEL

A window you can open to adjust various aspects of your computer, such as the volume, fonts, desktop background, mouse speed, and clock. CPU Central Processing Unit

The CPU is the hardware that most people consider the "brain" of the computer. It takes instructions from software, makes calculations, and helps run the show! D DAB/DAR

Digital Audio Broadcast and Digital Audio Radio

Broadcasting in digital formats via satellites and fiber optic cable. (See also Networks and DCC) DAC Digital Analog Conversion

Hardware that converts digital signals into analog form. (See also ADC, Scan converter, Modem, and Video) DAEMON Disk And Execution MONitor

Pronounced "demon" or "damon," daemon is a process that runs in the background and performs a specified operation at predefined times or in response to certain events. Sometimes referred to as System Agents and services. Typical daemon processes include print spoolers, e-mail handlers, and other programs that perform administrative tasks for the operating system. The term comes from Greek mythology, where daemons were guardian spirits. Programs that are not initially executed but lie in wait for certain contingencies to occur. Daemons are extremely common in UNIX operating systems. The slightly revised form Demon refers to the program itself whereas Daemon refers to an operating system process. See also HTTPd. DARK-SIDE HACKER A malicious hacker. DARWIN See Operating System DAT Digital Audio Tape

Tape used for recording computer disc files onto a cheap backup and storage medium. DAT tapes are contained in small cartridges that are the cheapest means of storing vast amounts of data. For example, a cartridge smaller than the palm of an adult hand can hold two or more gigabyes of data. Popular manufacturers of DAT backup tape drives include Sony and Hewlett-Packard. DATABASE A computer file or system of data organized in records and fields for fast retrieval and ease of updating. Also see CFML, Concurrency Control, DTP, GainMomentum, Grid Computing, JDBC, MDA, Middleware, Relational database management, SAP, Resource Description Framework, and 4GL. Object-oriented database systems are quite different from the extremely relational database systems (e.g., MS Access, FoxPro, DBase, etc) that are extremely popular today. A critical feature unique to the OO approach is that an "object" package includes both the attributes of the object and the methods or procedures that pertain to that object. The methods might dictate how the object's attributes are modified in response to different events, or how the object causes changes in the attributes of other objects. Thus, a key difference between the database models described earlier and the OO approach is that OO models combine data (attributes) and procedures (methods) in one package, i.e., the "object." This feature of OO models is referred to as encapsulation - attributes and methods are represented together in one capsule. Another powerful feature of OO models is inheritance. OO models depict the real world as a hierarchy of object classes, with lower level classes inheriting attributes and methods from higher level classes. Thus, lower level object classes do not need to redefine attributes and methods that are common to the higher level object classes in the class hierarchy.

An OO model contains all details needed for implementation and object-oriented DBMS are powerful enough to represent all the information contained in the model. However, most organizations that have made heavy investments in RDBMS see little need to migrate to OO environments. While OO modeling methods are available, there is no consensus regarding the "best" method to use. Finally, although OODBMS are beginning to become commercially available, they have not gained much acceptance in the marketplace probably due to their relatively high cost and poor performance in comparison to RDBMS. Gemstone, ObjectStore, VBase, and O2 are some examples of OODBMS. DATA DISCMAN See Games DATA-DRIVEN ATTACK An attack form that is encoded in data that appears harmless and is executed by a user or a process, often behind a firewall. DATA MINING Data Mining is the discovery and modeling of hidden patterns in large amounts of data. It is usually casebased, in that the parameters can be statistically modeled. Technically, data mining is statistical analysis, but on a complex scale. IBM invented data mining and holds some of the patents. One of the goals of data mining is to allow the user to discover patterns and build models automatically, without knowing exactly what she's looking for. The models are both descriptive and prospective. They address why things happened and what is likely to happen next. A user can pose "what-if" questions to a data-mining model that cannot be queried directly from the database or warehouse. Examples include: "What is the expected lifetime value of every customer account," "Which customers are likely to open a second account," or "Will this customer cancel our service if we introduce higher fees?" (Questions like this assume a Natural Language front end.) Text mining is a subset of data mining which applies the same rules and logic, but is directed at gleaning information from large bodies of text rather than numerical data. The information technologies associated with making data mining a functional process are neural networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic, and rule induction. Data mining is becoming more prevalent as businesses, governments and organizations look for ways to leverage the existing mountains of information they already have. DATATEL see database

DATA WAREHOUSE A database, frequently very large, that can access all of a company's information. While the warehouse can be distributed over several computers and may contain several databases and information from numerous sources in a variety of formats, it should be accessible through a server. Thus, access to the warehouse is transparent to the user, who can use simple commands to retrieve and analyze all the information. The data warehouse also contains data about how the warehouse is organized, where the information can be found, and any connections between data. Frequently used for decision support

within an organization, the data warehouse also allows the organization to organize its data, coordinate updates, and see relationships between information gathered from different parts of the organization. DAV Digital Audio Video

DAV connectors such as those found on the Apple AV that allow the flow of digitized video to bypass the computer's main bus. (See also Bus) DB2 DBA 1. Dominant battlefield awareness Applies to own system advantage in terms of sensor, reconnaissance, and intelligence data in a particular battle space. 2. Database Administrator Person who is responsible for the administration of a database system DBK Dominant battlefield knowledge see database

The ability to recognize and understand what the user sees and to act on it decisively. DBX The "companding" compression and expansion of audio signals to reduce noise distortions of stereo television broadcasts. (See also MTS/SAP) DCC Digital Compact Cassette

Format that improves sound quality relative to traditional analog formats of audio cassettes. Analog cassettes can be played on DCC tape decks such that the purchase of a DCC tape deck does not preclude listening to analog tapes. DCOM Distributed Component Object Model DDOS Distributed Denial of Service Attack (see DOS) DEBUGGING Executing a program, one statement at a time, to identify and fix errors. DEC ALPHA DECRYPT See Alpha processor

To unscramble data that has been encrypted. Decryption is the act of unscrambling data so that it can be understood. DELTA PROJECT A European Economic Community (EEC) funded project of the Commission of European Communities. With a budget of over $100 million, this is probably the world's largest attempt to apply modern technologies to distance training and education. Partners in the project include major universities, telecommunications companies, and business firms of all sizes across the EEC. Collis and de Vries (1994) report on 27 major projects with over 300 sub-projects in network education and multimedia development. DERF The act of exploiting a terminal unwittingly left logged on. DES Data Encryption Standard

The Data Encryption Standard was the first official U.S. government cipher intended for commercial use. DES is the most widely used cryptosystem in the world. DESKTOP SEARCH Search utilities that search for words, phrases, characters, pictures, and even multimedia files on your personal computer. Popular alternatives are from Google (GDS) , Yahoo, and Microsoft. See also OCR. DEVICE DRIVER Software that controls the communications between a computer program and various hardware devices such as the sound card, the video card, the CD-ROM player, the MIDI, disk drives, etc. DHTML Dynamic HTML (See HTML) DIAL-UP CONNECTION This is a connection from your computer to a host computer over standard telephone lines using a phone modem. DIGITAL SIGNATURE A digital guarantee that a file has not been altered, as if it were carried in an electronically sealed envelope. The "signature" is an encrypted digest (one-way hash function) of the text message, executable, or other file. DIP SWITCH Dual In-line Package

Case on a computer board that contains small switches for configuring hardware components. A given board can be configured in a way that is compatible with the entire system of other peripheral hardware. (See also Board) DIRECT CONNECTION A permanent connection between your computer system and the Internet. This is sometimes referred to as a leased-line connection because the line is leased from the telephone company. DIRECT SEQUENCE SPREAD SPECTRUM (DSSS) A spread spectrum technique that uses a "chip" (redundant bit pattern for each bit to be transmitted) to encode the signal to ensure more reliable delivery; the technology employed in IEEE 802.11 implementations. DIRECT TV See DSS

DISABILITIES PRODUCTS A variety of hardware and software options for users having certain types of disabilities. See also Speech recognition and Text reading DISK-AT-ONCE RECORDING Single-session recording mode, where all the data to be included on a disk is written in one pass. You must write in this mode to have your CD mass-produced by a stamping house. (See also CD-R) DISTRIBUTED NETWORK COMPUTING Distributed Network Computing where a network computer can perform computing functions in another computer on the same network. In the early days of the Internet, Telnet could be used for remote computing. In modern times, the trend is toward database access and computing among networked computers. Development tools for data enabled frameworks are starting to emerge. New standards are also starting to emerge like CORBA's IIOP, Sun's RMI, amd Microsoft's DCOM. RMI is part of the Java programming language library which enables a Java program running on one computer to access the objects and methods of another Java program running on a different computer. Some vendors are also having their own proprietary extensions as well. IIOP is built upon CORBA technology. DCOM is Microsoft Corporation's standard for distrubuted network computing. See Database, ADO, and RDS . DLL Dynamic Link Library

Bundle of coded subroutines that can be shared with different programs on the system. DNS Domain Name Server

DNS refers to a database of Internet names and addresses which translates the names to the official Internet Protocol numbers and vice versa. DOCKING STATION A platform that can be attached to portable computers giving them a variety of added options such as stereo speakers, a CD-ROM player, an SCSI port, and bays for additional components such as data tape drives and floppy disc drives. The numbers and types of options vary among vendors. Some docking stations are small and portable. Others are large and relatively heavy, especially those docking stations that provide notebook computers with added expansion slots for boards such as video capture boards. DOCUMENT When used in reference to the World Wide Web, a document is any file containing text, media or hyperlinks that can be transferred from an HTTP server to a client program. DOM Document Object Model (See HTML)

DOCUMENT TYPE DEFINITION DOCUMENT WINDOW

See DTD

This is the Web browser's scrollable window in which HTML documents can be viewed. DNR / DOLBY-NR Dolby-Noise Reduction

There are various levels of quality, which in rank order from lowest to highest quality include Dolby B (good), Dolby C (better), Dolby S (best), and Dolby SR (professional). DSB Dolby surround digital systems are even higher quality systems used in movie soundtracks and videodiscs. HDTV will also include DSD. A sound enforcement system first used in the movie THX 1138 by George Lucas is now known as the THX system. The THX-licensed speakers use a professional Dolby process for commercial and home theater systems. (See also HX-Pro) DOMINO DOS 1) Denial of Service Attack - Action against a host resulting in the target's inability to perform service(s) for other users, particularly over a network. 2) Disk Operating System a. The family of closely related operating systems which dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995. b. MS DOS Microsoft Disk Operating System introduced by Microsoft Corporation in 1981. It became the operating system standard for PCs around the world and served as the foundation of several versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The ability to operate from DOS on low-capacity PCs having only 640K of random access memory see Lotus Notes

(RAM) has become the limitation in modern times for DOS to remain a standard for higher speed and higher RAM computers. DOS has not been upgraded for newer 32-bit processors and has faded as 32-bit, 64-bit, and higher capacity PCs spread across world markets. (See also Operating system, Windows, Windows 2000, and OS/2) DOWNLOAD To transfer to your computer a copy of a file that resides on another computer. For details see Modem. DRIVER A memory resident program usually used to control a hardware device. DRY CAMERA A digital camera that records images directly to a disk or other medium that can be read directly into computers without having to develop imaging film with "wet" developer chemicals. Various vendors have relatively inexpensive dry cameras whereas these same vendors like Nikon, Kodak, Logitech, and Dycam have superior and very expensive models that have much higher imaging quality. Apple, Stormware, and other vendors have only the lower priced modes. Photographs can be scanned readers that plug into the back PCs, although the later versions will also plug directly into a PCMCIA slot for downloading into a computer. An example of the latter option is Nikon's Coolpix model. (See also Video camera and Video from digital (DV) camcorders) DSD DSL See Dolby-NR Digital Subscriber Line

DSL technology for transmitting data up to 50 times faster than present analog modem and ISDN alternatives. Telephone companies are hoping that DSL service will keep telephone lines competitive with cable modems and other competitive alternatives to present telephone transmission services. Telephone companies are considering two dominant DSL technologies: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL, ASL) and High Rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL). ADSL technology will deliver higher downstream speeds (6 Mbps) than upstream speeds (640 kbps). ADSL or ASL differs from DSL in that there is an asymmetry in transmission speeds into (download) and out of (upload) your computer. In ASL, the upload speeds are much slower than the download speeds. However, ASL connections are being pushed heavily into the huge home market, whereas DLS is being touted for the business firm market. DSP Digital Signal Processing

Manipulating an audio signal digitally to create various possible effects at the output. Often refers to artificially generat