A Gathering Place: Microsoft Glossary of Terms 8

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carrier system-through-certification

A/B Switch box ~ America On-line AMI BIOS ~ Arithmetic Operation ARP ~ AVI Backbone ~ Bit Image Bit Map ~ Boot Disk Boot Drive ~ Bytes Per Inch C++ ~ Carrier Frequency carrier system ~ certification CGI ~ Chooser extension cipher ~ Clipper Chip clock ~ color color bits ~ communications satellite communications server ~ computer security CON ~ copy copy program ~ cycle time daemon ~ defragmentation demand paging ~ digitize DikuMUD ~ disk disk buffer ~ Document Style Semantics and Specification Language document window ~ dynamic Web page Easter egg ~ erase erase head ~ ezine F2F ~ finger2 firewall ~ font suitcase footer ~ FYI Game Control Adapter ~ GUI HAL ~ hot key1 hot key2 ~ Hz i486DX ~ internal modem internet ~ ISO 9660 ISO/OSI model ~ just-in-time K1 ~ knowledge base L1 cache ~ LU luggable computer ~ LZW compression MAC ~ MILNET mime ~ msec MTBF ~ MYOB named anchor ~ network drive Network File System ~ number crunching object ~ overwrite mode P5 ~ PC/XT keyboard PDA ~ pipeline processing piracy ~ preventive maintenance preview ~ pwd quasi-language ~ QWERTY keyboard R&D ~ registration marks Registry ~ RFI RF shielding ~ run-time library SAA ~ server error server push-pull ~ soft return software ~ style sheet stylus ~ System T1 ~ ToggleKeys token ~ typography UART ~ uupc V.120 ~ view2 viewer ~ VxD w3 ~ WinG WINS ~ WWW X.25 ~ X Windows Yahoo! ~ yotta- Z39.50 standard ~ Zulu time

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carrier system

n. A communications method that uses different carrier frequencies to transfer information along multiple channels of a single path. Transmission involves modulating the signal on each frequency at the originating station and demodulating the signal at the receiving station.

cartridge

n. Any of various container devices that usually consist of some form of plastic housing. See also disk cartridge, ink cartridge, memory cartridge, ribbon cartridge, ROM cartridge, tape cartridge, toner cartridge.

cartridge font

n. A font contained in a plug-in cartridge and used to add fonts to laser, ink-jet, or high-end dot-matrix printers. Cartridge fonts are distinguished both from internal fonts, which are contained in ROM in the printer and are always available, and from downloadable (soft) fonts, which reside on disk and which can be sent to the printer as needed. See also font cartridge. Compare internal font.

cascade

n. 1. Additional elements displayed by a menu item or list box from which the user can choose in order to interact with other screen elements. 2. In newsgroup articles, the accumulation of quotation marks (often angle brackets) added by newsgroup readers each time an article is replied to. Most newsgroup readers will copy the original article in the body of the reply; after several replies, the original material will have several quotation marks. See also article, newsgroup, newsreader.

cascading menu

n. A hierarchical graphical menu system in which a side menu of subcategories is displayed when the pointer is placed on the main category.

cascading style sheets

n. A Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) specification developed by The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that allows authors of HTML documents and users to attach style sheets to HTML documents. The style sheets include typographical information on how the page should appear, such as the font of the text in the page. This specification also directs the way in which the style sheets of the HTML document and the user's style will blend. Cascading style sheets have been proposed for the HTML 3.2 standard. Also called Cascading Style Sheet mechanism, CSS1. See also HTML, style sheet.

case

n. In text processing, an indication of whether one or more alphabetic characters are capitalized (uppercase) or not (lowercase). A case-sensitive program or routine distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters and treats the word cat as totally distinct from either Cat or CAT. A case-sensitive program that also separates capitalized and lowercased words would list Arkansas before aardvark or antimony, even though its alphabetic position follows both lowercased words.

CASE

n. Acronym for computer-aided software engineering. A comprehensive label for software designed to use computers in all phases of computer program development, from planning and modeling through coding and documentation. CASE represents a working environment consisting of programs and other development tools that help managers, systems analysts, programmers, and others to automate the design and implementation of programs and procedures for business, engineering, and scientific computer systems.

case-sensitive search

n. A search in a database in which capitalization of key words must exactly match the capitalization of words in the database. A case-sensitive search for "north and south" would fail to find a database entry for "North and South."

cassette

n. The unit consisting of both the plastic case and the magnetic tape it contains. Cassette tapes are used for backing up large amounts of computer data.

cassette tape

n. 1. The tape within a cassette. 2. The unit consisting of both the plastic cassette case and the tape it contains.

CAT

n. 1. Acronym for computer-aided testing. A procedure used by engineers for checking or analyzing designs, especially those created with CAD programs. Computer-aided testing is also used by software developers for automated regression testing. 2. Acronym for computer-assisted teaching. 3. Acronym for computerized axial tomography. A medical procedure in which a computer is used to generate a three-dimensional image of a body part from a series of X rays taken as cross sections along a single axis. See CAI.

catalog

n. 1. In a computer, a list containing specific information, such as name, length, type, and location of files or of storage space. 2. In a database, the data dictionary. See also data dictionary.

CBT

n. Acronym for computer-based training. The use of computers and specially developed tutorial programs for teaching. CBT uses color, graphics, and other attention-getting aids to help maintain interest, and it has both simple and sophisticated applications. A software developer, for example, might include a series of CBT lessons with an application to give new users a hands-on feel for the program; a consultant might use a longer and more detailed CBT program as a tool in a management-training seminar.

n. Acronym for courtesy copy. A directive to an e-mail program to send a complete copy of a given piece of mail to another individual. The use of cc mail addressing, as opposed to directly addressing the mail to a person, generally implies that the recipient is not required to take any action; the message is for informational purposes only. In a cc directive, the fact that this recipient received the mail is printed in the mail header and is thus known to all other recipients. Also called carbon copy. See also e-mail, header. Compare bcc.

CCITT

n. Acronym for Comité Consultatif International Télégraphique et Téléphonique. Also known as the International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee. An organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and established as part of the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Its functions have been taken over by the ITU. The ITU recommends use of communications standards that are recognized throughout the world. Protocols established by the ITU are applied to modems, networks, and facsimile transmission. See also CCITT Groups 1-4, CCITT V series, CCITT X series.

CCITT Groups 1-4

n. A set of four standards recommended by the Comité Consultatif International Télégraphique et Téléphonique (International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee) for the encoding and transmission of images over fax machines. Groups 1 and 2 relate to analog devices and are generally out of use. Groups 3 and 4, which deal with digital devices, are outlined below. Group 3 is a widespread standard that supports standard images of 203 horizontal dots per inch (dpi) by 98 vertical dpi and fine images of 203 horizontal dpi by 198 vertical dpi; supports two methods of data compression, one (based on the Huffman code) reducing an image to 10 to 20 percent of the original, the second (READ, for relative element address designate) compressing images to 6 to 12 percent of the original; and provides for password protection and for polling so that a receiving machine can request transmission as appropriate. Group 4, a newer standard, supports images of up to 400 dpi; data compression based on a beginning row of white pixels (dots), with each succeeding line encoded as a series of changes from the line before, compressing images to 3 to 10 percent of the original; does not include error-correction information in the transmission; and requires an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) phone line rather than a dial-up line.

CCITT V series

n. A set of recommendations developed by the Comité Consultatif International Télégraphique et Téléphonique (International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee) for standardizing modem design and operations. The complete series includes a number of recommendations covering signaling, coding, and circuit characteristics, as well as modems. Those most relevant to computer users are briefly described below in terms of the modems they standardize: k:\compdict\database\3764.doc

CCITT X series

n. A set of recommendations adopted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T), formerly the CCITT, and ISO for standardizing equipment and protocols used in both public-access and private computer networks. Some of the recommendations in the X series include the following: k:\compdict\database\2468.doc

n. Acronym for change directory. In MS-DOS, UNIX, and FTP client programs, the command that changes the current directory to the directory whose path follows cd in the command. See also directory, path.

1. Acronym for Carrier Detect, a signal sent from a modem to the attached computer to indicate that the modem is on line. See also DCD. 2. Acronym for compact disc. See also CD-I, CD-ROM, compact disc.

CDFS

n. 1. Acronym for CD-ROM File System. A 32-bit protected-mode file system that controls access to the contents of CD-ROM drives in Windows 95. See also protected mode. 2. A designation used with UNIX computers to indicate that a file system resides on a read-only removable medium (that is a CD-ROM). This usually implies that the compact disc is compliant with the ISO 9660 standard. CDFS is also used as a part of commands that mount media (hard drives, tape drives, remote networked drives, and CD-ROMs) for use on a computer. See also CD-ROM, ISO 9660.

CD Plus

n. A compact disc encoding format that allows mixing of audio recordings and computer data on the same CD, without the possibility of audio equipment becoming damaged by attempting to play the data sections.

CD recorder

n. A device used to write CD-ROMs. Because a disc can be written only once on these machines, they are used most commonly to create CD-ROMs for data archival or to produce CD-ROM masters that can be duplicated for mass distribution. Also called CD-R machine, CD-ROM burner. See also CD-ROM.

CD-ROM

n. 1. Acronym for compact disc read-only memory. A form of storage characterized by high capacity (roughly 650 megabytes) and the use of laser optics rather than magnetic means for reading data. Although CD-ROM drives are strictly read-only, they are similar to CD-R drives (write once, read many), optical WORM devices, and optical read- write drives. See also CD-I, CD-R, WORM. 2. An individual compact disc designed for use with a computer and capable of storing up to 650 megabytes of data. See also compact disc, disc.

CD-ROM drive

n. A disk storage device that uses compact disc technology. See also CD-ROM, compact disc.

CD-ROM jukebox

n. A CD-ROM player that can contain up to 200 CD-ROMs and is connected to a CD-ROM drive in a personal computer or workstation. A user can request data from any of the CD-ROMs in the jukebox, and the device will locate and play the disk that contains the data. While only one CD-ROM can be played at a time, if multiple CD-ROM jukeboxes are each connected to separate CD-ROM drives that are daisy-chained together to the computer, more than one CD-ROM can be used at a time. See also CD-ROM, CD-ROM drive, daisy chain.

CDV

n. 1. Acronym for compressed digital video. The compression of video images for high-speed transmission. 2. Acronym for compact disc video. A 5-inch videodisc. See also videodisc.

cell

n. 1. The intersection of a row and a column in a spreadsheet. Each row and column in a spreadsheet is unique, so each cell can be uniquely identified--for example, cell B17, at the intersection of column B and row 17. Each cell is displayed as a rectangular space that can hold text, a value, or a formula. 2. An addressable (named or numbered) storage unit for information. A binary cell, for example, is a storage unit that can hold 1 bit of information--that is, it can be either on or off.

Cellular Digital Packet Data

n. A wireless standard providing two-way, 19.2-Kbps packet data transmission over existing cellular telephone channels. See also packet, wireless. Acronym: CDPD.

censorship

n. The action of preventing material that a party considers objectionable from circulating within a system of communication over which that party has some power. The Internet as a whole is not censored, but some parts of it come under varying degrees of control. A news server, for example, often is set to exclude any or all of the alt. newsgroups, such as alt.sex.* or alt.music.white-power, which are unmoderated and tend to be controversial. A moderated newsgroup or mailing list may be considered to be "censored" because the moderator will usually delete highly controversial and obscene content or content that is on a different topic from that followed by the newsgroup. Online services have identifiable owners, who often take some share of responsibility for what reaches their users' computer screens. In some countries, censorship of certain political or cultural Web sites is a matter of national policy.

center

vb. To align characters around a point located in the middle of a line, page, or other defined area; in effect, to place text an equal distance from each margin or border. See also align.

centi-

prefix 1. One hundred. 2. One hundredth, as in centimeter--one hundredth of a meter.

centralized processing

n. The location of computer processing facilities and operations in a single (centralized) place. Compare decentralized processing, distributed processing.

central processing unit

n. The computational and control unit of a computer. The central processing unit is the device that interprets and executes instructions. Mainframes and early minicomputers contained circuit boards full of integrated circuits that implemented the central processing unit. Single-chip central processing units, called microprocessors, made possible personal computers and workstations. Examples of single-chip central processing units are the Motorola 68000, 68020, and 68030 chips and the Intel 8080, 8086, 80286, 80386, and i486 chips. The central processing unit--or microprocessor, in the case of a microcomputer--has the ability to fetch, decode, and execute instructions and to transfer information to and from other resources over the computer's main data-transfer path, the bus. By definition, the central processing unit is the chip that functions as the "brain" of a computer. In some instances, however, the term encompasses both the processor and the computer's memory or, even more broadly, the main computer console (as opposed to peripheral equipment). See also microprocessor. Acronym: CPU.

CERN

n. Acronym for Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (the European Laboratory for Particle Physics). CERN, a physics research center located in Geneva, Switzerland, is where the original development of the World Wide Web took place by Tim Berners- Lee in 1989 as a method to facilitate communication among members of the scientific community. See also NCSA (definition 1).

CERN server

n. One of the first Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servers, developed at CERN by Tim Berners-Lee. The CERN server is still in wide use and is free of charge. See also CERN, HTTP server.

CERT

n. Acronym for Computer Emergency Response Team. An organization that provides a round-the-clock security consultation service for Internet users and provides advisories whenever new virus programs and other computer security threats are discovered.

certification

n. 1. The act of awarding a document to demonstrate a computer professional's competence in a particular field. Some hardware and software suppliers, such as Microsoft and Novell, offer certification in the use of their products; other organizations, such as the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP) and the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), offer more general certification. 2. The act of awarding a document to demonstrate that a hardware or software product meets some specification, such as being able to work with a certain other hardware or software product. 3. The issuance of a notice that a user or site is trusted for the purpose of security and computer authentication. Often certification is used with Web sites.

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