color bits-through-communications satellite
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
color bits
n. A predetermined number of bits assigned to each displayable pixel that determine its color when it is displayed on a monitor. For example, two color bits are required for four colors; eight color bits are required for 256 colors. See also pixel image. Compare bit plane.
color box
n. In the Microsoft NT and Windows 95 Paint accessory, a graphic screen element in the form of a paint box that is used to select foreground and background colors.
color management
n. In printing, the process of producing accurate, consistent color using any of a variety of output devices. Color management includes accurate conversion of RGB input from a scanner, camera, or monitor to CMYK output for a printer; application of a device profile for the printer or other output device on which the image will be reproduced; and allowance for environmental variations such as humidity and barometric pressure. See also CMYK, RGB.
color management system
n. A technology developed by Kodak and licensed to many other software vendors that is designed to calibrate and match colors that appear on video monitors and computer monitors and those that appear in any printed form. Acronym: CMS.
color printer
n. A computer printer that can print full-color output. Most color printers can also produce black-and-white output.
color saturation
n. The amount of a hue contained in a color; the more saturation, the more intense the color. See also color model, HSB.
color scanner
n. A scanner that converts images to a digitized format and is able to interpret color. Depth of color depends on the scanner's bit depth--its ability to transform color into 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits. High-end color scanners, commonly used when output is to be printed, are able to encode information at a high resolution or number of dots per inch (dpi). Low-end color scanners encode information at a resolution of 72 dpi and are commonly used for computer screen images not intended for printing. See also resolution (definition 1), scanner.
column
n. 1. A series of items arranged vertically within some type of framework--for example, a continuous series of cells running from top to bottom in a spreadsheet, a set of lines of specified width on a printed page, a vertical line of pixels on a video screen, or a set of values aligned vertically in a table or matrix. Compare row. 2. In a relational database management system, the name for an attribute. The collection of column values that form the description of a particular entity is called a tuple or row. A column is equivalent to a field in a record in a nonrelational file system. See also entity, field (definition 1), row, table (definition 2).
column chart
n. A bar chart in which values are displayed and printed as vertical bars. See also bar chart.
COM
n. 1. A name reserved by the MS-DOS operating system for serial communications ports. For example, if a modem is connected to one serial port and a serial printer to another, the devices are identified as COM1 and COM2 by the operating system. 2. Acronym for Component Object Model. A specification developed by Microsoft for building software components that can be assembled into programs or add functionality to existing programs running on Microsoft Windows platforms. COM components can be written in a variety of languages, although most are written in C++, and can be unplugged from a program at run time without having to recompile the program. COM is the foundation of the OLE (object linking and embedding), ActiveX, and DirectX specifications. See also ActiveX, component (definition 2), DirectX, OLE. 3. The extension reserved by MS-DOS for a type of executable binary (program) file limited to a single 64-kilobyte (KB) segment. COM files are often used for utility programs and short routines. They are not supported in OS/2. 4. Acronym for computer-output microfilm. Microfilm that can record data from a computer.
COM1
n. A serial communications port in Wintel systems. COM1 is usually specified by the I/O range 03F8H, is usually associated with interrupt request line IRQ4, and in many systems is used to connect an RS232 serial mouse. See also IRQ.
COM2
n. A serial communications port in Wintel systems. COM2 is usually specified by the I/O range 02F8H, is usually associated with interrupt request line IRQ3, and in many systems is used to connect a modem. See also IRQ.
COM3
n. A serial communications port in Wintel systems. COM3 is usually specified by the I/O range 03E8H, is usually associated with interrupt request line IRQ4, and in many systems is used as an alternative to COM1 or COM2 if the latter is being used by some other peripheral. See also IRQ.
COMDEX
n. Any of a series of annual computer trade shows operated by Softbank COMDEX,Inc. One of these shows takes place in Las Vegas each November and is the largest computer trade show in the United States. Comité Consultatif International Télégraphique et Téléphonique n. Also called International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative. See CCITT.
comma-delimited file
n. A data file consisting of fields and records, stored as text, in which the fields are separated from each other by commas. Use of comma-delimited files allows communication between database systems that use different formats. If the data in a field contains a comma, the field is further surrounded with quotation marks.
command
n. An instruction to a computer program that, when issued by the user, causes an action to be carried out. Commands are usually either typed at the keyboard or chosen from a menu.
COMMAND.COM
n. The command interpreter for MS-DOS. See also command interpreter.
command-driven
adj. Accepting commands in the form of code words or letters, which the user must learn. Compare menu-driven.
command interpreter
n. A program, usually part of the operating system, that accepts typed commands from the keyboard and performs tasks as directed. The command interpreter is responsible for loading applications and directing the flow of information between applications. In OS/2 and MS-DOS, the command interpreter also handles simple functions, such as moving and copying files and displaying disk directory information. See also shell1.
Command key
n. On the original Macintosh keyboard, a key labeled with the special symbol, sometimes called the propeller or puppy foot. This key is found on one or both sides of the Spacebar, depending on the version of the Apple keyboard. The key serves some of the same functions as the Control key on IBM keyboards. See also Control key.
command line
n. A string of text written in the command language and passed to the command interpreter for execution. See also command language.
comment
n. Text embedded in a program for documentation purposes. Comments usually describe what the program does, who wrote it, why it was changed, and so on. Most programming languages have a syntax for creating comments so that they can be recognized and ignored by the compiler or assembler. Also called remark. See also comment out.
comment out
vb. To disable one or more lines of code from a program temporarily by enclosing them within a comment statement. See also comment, conditional compilation, nest.
commerce server
n. An HTTP server designed for conducting online business transactions. Data is transferred between the server and Web browser in an encrypted form to keep information such as credit card numbers reasonably secure. Commerce servers are typically used by online stores and companies that are set up for mail order business. The wares or services offered by the store or company are described and displayed in photographs on the store or company Web site, and users can order directly from the site, using their Web browser. A number of companies market commerce servers, including Netscape, Microsoft, and Quarterdeck. See also HTTP server (definition 1), Secure Sockets Layer, Web browser.
Commercial Internet Exchange
n. A non-profit trade organization of public Internet service providers. In addition to the usual representational and social activities, CIX also operates an Internet backbone router that is accessible to its members. See also backbone (definition 1), ISP, router. Acronym: CIX.
Common Access Method
n. A standard developed by Future Domain and other SCSI vendors allowing SCSI adapters to communicate with SCSI peripherals regardless of the particular hardware used. See also SCSI.
common carrier
n. A communications company (e.g., a telephone company) that provides service to the public and is regulated by governmental organizations.
Common Hardware Reference Platform
n. A specification describing a family of machines, based on the PowerPC processor, that are capable of booting multiple operating systems, including Mac OS, Windows NT, AIX, and Solaris. See also PowerPC. Acronym: CHRP.
Common Internet File System
n. A standard proposed by Microsoft that would compete directly with Sun Microsystems' Web Network File System. A system of file sharing of Internet or intranet files. Acronym: CIFS.
communications
n. The vast discipline encompassing the methods, mechanisms, and media involved in information transfer. In computer-related areas, communications involves data transfer from one computer to another through a communications medium, such as a telephone, microwave relay, satellite link, or physical cable. Two primary methods of computer communications exist: temporary connection of two computers through a switched network, such as the public telephone system, and permanent or semipermanent linking of multiple workstations or computers in a network. The line between the two is indistinct, however, because microcomputers equipped with modems are often used to access both privately owned and public-access network computers. See also asynchronous transmission, CCITT, channel (definition 2), communications protocol, IEEE, ISDN, ISO/OSI model, LAN, modem, network, synchronous transmission. Compare data transmission, telecommunications, teleprocess.
communications controller
n. A device used as an intermediary in transferring communications to and from the host computer to which it is connected. By relieving the host computer of the actual tasks of sending, receiving, deciphering, and checking transmissions for errors, a communications controller helps to make efficient use of the host computer's processing time--time that might be better used for noncommunications tasks. A communications controller can be either a programmable machine in its own right or a nonprogrammable device designed to follow certain communications protocols. See also front-end processor (definition 2).
communications link
n. The connection between computers that enables data transfer.
communications program
n. A software program that enables a computer to connect with another computer and to exchange information. For initiating communications, communications programs perform such tasks as maintaining communications parameters, storing and dialing phone numbers automatically, recording and executing logon procedures, and repeatedly dialing busy lines. Once a connection is made, communications programs can also be instructed to save incoming messages on disk or to find and transmit disk files. During communication, these types of programs perform the major, and usually invisible, tasks of encoding data, coordinating transmissions to and from the distant computer, and checking incoming data for transmission errors.
communications protocol
n. A set of rules or standards designed to enable computers to connect with one another and to exchange information with as little error as possible. The protocol generally accepted for standardizing overall computer communications is a seven-layer set of hardware and software guidelines known as the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model. A somewhat different standard, widely used before the OSI model was developed, is IBM's SNA (Systems Network Architecture). The word protocol is often used, sometimes confusingly, in reference to a multitude of standards affecting different aspects of communication, such as file transfer (for example, XMODEM and ZMODEM), handshaking (for example, XON/XOFF), and network transmissions (for example, CSMA/CD). See also ISO/OSI model, SNA.
communications satellite
n. A satellite stationed in geosynchronous orbit that acts as a microwave relay station, receiving signals sent from a ground-based station (earth station), amplifying them, and retransmitting them on a different frequency to another ground-based station. Initially used for telephone and television signals, communications satellites can also be used for high-speed transmission of computer data. Two factors affecting the use of satellites with computers, however, are propagation delay (the time lag caused by the distance traveled by the signal) and security concerns. See also downlink, uplink.
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