Can't understand the lingo used in today's modern computing world?  Don't freak out, below I have included some commonly used terms and their relative explanations, set out in a way that they may be easily understood by those who don't know anything, or very little about computers.  It has been placed in alphabetical order so that you can scroll to the term you are looking for.  Anything that is not listed below, you can search for here.

3G

3G refers to the third generation of developments in wireless technology, especially mobile communications.  The third generation, as its name suggests, follows the first generation (1G) and second generation (2G) in wireless communications.  3G includes capabilities and features such as: Enhanced multimedia (voice, data, video and remote control), Usability on all popular models (cellular telephone, e-mail, paging, fax, videoconferencing and web browsing), Broad bandwidth and high speed (upwards of 2Mbps), Roaming capability throughout Europe, Japan and North America.  While 3G is generally considered applicable mainly to mobile wireless, it is also relevant to fixed wireless and portable wireless.  A 3G system should be operational from any location on, or over, the earth’s surface, including use in homes, businesses, government offices, medial establishments, the military, personal and commercial land vehicles, private and commercial watercraft and marine craft, private and commercial aircraft (except where passenger use restrictions apply), portable (pedestrians, hikers, cyclists, campers), and space stations and spacecraft.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)

A group of DSL technologies that reserve more bandwidth in one direction than the other, which is advantageous for users that do not need equal bandwidth in both directions.

 AGP vs. PCI-E

Graphics cards add the ability to play really nice looking games on your computer, as well as a few other features, like, TV-OUT.  However, as computers progress, games become more dependent on graphics cards being more and more powerful.  AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) was a system designed only for use by graphics cards and ran at 8 times the speed of normal PCI slots, which are used for things like modems and soundcards. But even that wasn’t enough and manufacturers released an update to the original PCI slot called PCI-Express, which runs at 16 times the speed of normal PCI slots. This does mean however, that these two types of graphics cards need their own special type of motherboard.  An AGP card needs a motherboard with an AGP slot, and PCI-Express cards need a motherboard with a PCI-Express slot.

Bandwidth

A measure of capacity of communications media.  Greater bandwidth allows communication of more information in a given period of time.  Bandwidth is generally described either in terms of analogue signals in units of Hertz (Hz), which describes the maximum number of cycles per second, or in terms of digital signals in units of bits per second.

BIOS

The CPU in a PC needs a way of communicating with the many different hardware devices that are installed, each hardware device has its own special Bios software which allows for this communication.  The Bios contains special software instructions that enable the CPU to communicate with and control devices.

Blog

It refers to a private webpage which is published by either an individual or a group of individuals. BLOGS are commonly personal journals / diaries and are used to comment on all sorts of topics depending on the interests of the blogger (author).

Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world’s leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson).

The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data.  The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc.  This extra capacity combined with the use of advanced video and audio codec’s will offer consumers an unprecedented HD experience.

While current optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, and DVD-RAM rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the name Blu-Ray.  Despite the different types of lasers used, Blue-Ray products can easily be made backwards compatible with CDs and DVDs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup unit.  The benefit of using a blue-violet laser (405nm) is that it has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), which makes it possible to focus the laser spot with even greater precision.

This allows data to be packed more tightly and stored in less space, so it’s possible to fit more data on the disc even though it’s the same size as a CD/DVD.  This together with the change of numerical aperture to 0.85 is what enables Blu-Ray Discs to hold 25GB/50GB.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is the name of a wireless technology standard for connecting devices, set to replace cables.  It uses radio frequencies in the 2.45GHz range to transmit information over short distances of generally 33 feet (10 meters) or less.  By embedding a Bluetooth chip and receiver into products, cables that would normally carry the signal can be eliminated.  While entertainment centres, computer systems, handheld PDAs, digital cameras and MP3 players, continue to flourish, manufacturers and end-users alike are plagued by the growing complexity of connecting devices.  Proprietary cables, protocols and cradles simply complicate things as companies seek a larger market share while buyers seek user-friendly gadgets that are compatible with other products. 

Enter the Bluetooth standard.  Idealized by a group of electronics manufacturers looking for a streamlined solution to a growing problem, it promises to uncomplicated the interconnectivity of devices, easing manufacturing woes and end-user hassles.  With embedded Bluetooth technology, all sorts of devices including cell phones, headsets and earpieces, digital cameras and computers, can easily communicate with each other without cables or setup.

Broadband

An adjective to describe large-capacity networks that are able to carry several services at the same time, such as data, voice and video.  In general, broadband refers to telecommunication in which a wide band of frequencies are available to transmit information.  Because a wide band of frequencies is available, information can be multiplexed and sent on many different frequencies or channels within the band concurrently, allowing more information to be transmitted in a given amount of time.

Browser

This is the program you use to surf the internet.  There are several internet browsers available; some of the most popular are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape Navigator and Opera.  Different browsers render web pages slightly differently, for example some sites may require a certain browser to function correctly and some sites may not function at all with some browsers.

Cache

Pronounced “cash” this usually comes in two forms, either disk cache or memory cache.  The former being a space normally on a hard disk set aside by the computer/software to store information it thinks it will need again, for instance browsers use disk cache to store information from websites such as pictures, this reduces the need for the modem to keep downloading the same data each time you visit a webpage. 

The latter can either utilise normal memory or special memory which has a faster access time that is used by the system to store information that is used frequently, it can also ‘guess’ what information the user may require next and load this into the cache memory for faster access.

Codec

An acronym for COmpresser/DECompressor and refers to a small piece of code (program) which is used to compress and decompress data, you will normally come across these when using audio and video.

Contrast Ratio

This measures the difference between the brightness in the super-bright portions of a screen vs. the super-dark portions.  1000:1 would mean that a perfectly white pixel is 1000 times brighter than a perfectly black pixel.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The “brain” of a computer, which uses a stored program to manipulate information.  Central processing unit is an older term for processor and microprocessor, the central unit in a computer containing the logic circuitry that performs the instructions of a computer’s programs.

Different types of memory

Memory, or RAM, changes often.  Demands from other components of a computer for memory to be faster and more efficient, means that it needs to constantly be improved and bettered to match the speed of the rest of the computer.  Currently, the industry standard is DDR 2 memory.  Other modules like DDR and newer, high specification DDR 3 modules are also available, but these are almost always more expensive.  Other, even older types of memory like SD-RAM are no longer available, as the manufacture of this type of memory has stopped.  The easiest way for you to tell what type of memory you need, is to look at your memory modules.  Both types of memory will have between 4 and 8 chips per side, but on DDR memory, they are all rectangular.  On DDR 2 memory, those chips are square.

DDR (Double Data Rate)

DDR refers to a specification of SDRAM memory; DDR can transfer data at double the rate of normal SDRAM.  It achieves this by transferring data twice per clock cycle, once on the rising edge and once on the falling edge of the cycle.

Dial-Up

A data communication link that is established when the communication equipment dials a phone number and negotiates a connection with the equipment on the other end of the link.

DPI (Dots per inch)

Dots per inch is a measurement of printer precision, though it is commonly applied, somewhat inappropriately, to monitors, scanners and even digital cameras.  For printers, the DPI specification indicates the number of dots per inch that the printer is capable of achieving to form text or graphics on the printed page.  The higher the DPI, the more refined the text or image will appear.  To save ink, a low DPI is often used for draft copies or routine paperwork.  This setting might be 300 or even 150 DPI.  High resolution starts at 600 DPI for standard printers, and can far exceed that for colour printers designed for turning out digital photography or other high-resolution images.

In the case of monitors, DPI refers to the number of pixels present per inch of display screen.  The technically correct term is “PPI” or pixels per inch, but DPI is commonly used instead.  A display setting of 1280 x 1024 has 1.3 million DPI, while a setting of 800 x 600 has 480 000, or less than half the resolution of the higher resolution.  With fewer dots per inch, the picture will not have the clarity that can be achieved with a higher DPI saturation. This is because displays create images by using pixels.  Each dot or dot reflects a certain colour and brightness.  The greater the DPI, the more detailed the picture will be.

Higher DPI also requires more memory and can take longer to ‘paint’ images, depending on the system’s video card, processor and other components.  Scanners also operate at different resolutions, scan time will increase with higher DPI settings, as the scanner must collect and store more data.  However, the greater the DPI, or requested resolution, the richer the resulting image will be.

Driver / Device Driver

This is a program that is written specifically to control a certain piece of hardware such as a soundcard, modem, graphics card, printer, scanner etc.

 DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)

A data communication link that is established when the communication equipment dials a phone number and negotiates a connection with the equipment on the other end of the link.

Dual Core vs. Core 2 Duo

Dual Core is Intel’s first dual-core CPU.  It’s a whole new architecture for Microsoft, using two cores on a single die, which, put simply, gives you two chips in one package.  Running at lower speeds than the old Pentium line, the Dual Core conserves substantial power vs. ratcheting up clock speed while offering what was, at the time, record-breaking performance.  Now there’s Core 2 Duo.  In many ways Core 2 is the same as Dual Core: The chips are built using the same production process and fit in the same sockets as Dual Core chips.  Putting aside Core 2 Extreme (a fancy version of the Core 2 Duo), you won’t see many spec changes: Both chips have the same frontside bus speed of 667 MHz, but Core 2 Duo is now available at somewhat faster clock speeds.
 

Firewall

Refers to a security program which protects your computer from un-authorised access through a network and/or the internet.  These are very important especially if your computer is connected directly to the internet for long periods of time.
 

Graphics Card

A graphics card (also known as a video card) is a piece of hardware installed in a computer that is responsible for rendering the image on the computer’s monitor or display screen.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

The first part of an address (URL) of a site on the internet, signifying a document written in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

HD (High Definition)

High definition (HD) is at the top of the digital television (DTV) spectrum.  The reason is simple - resolution.  The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) divided HD into three categories listed in two different forms: ‘number of lines + type of scan’ or ‘number of pixels’ (vertical by horizontal).  Basically with HDTV, there is much more information sent to describe many more individual pixels or dots which make up this picture, resulting in a much clearer picture.

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

A hard drive is nothing more than a magnetized storage area.  Your Operating System is stored on your hard drive, as well as all your software programmes, like Microsoft Word.  The hard drive is actually a few circular disks stacked one on top of the other.  A little arm moves over the disks and writes things to these circular platters, and reads them.  When you save a file or create a new folder, think of these circular platters being written to and you’ll have a basic idea of just what your hard drive is.

ISP (Internet Service Provider)

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a business or organization that offers users access to the internet and related services.  Most telecommunications operators are ISP’s.  They provide services like internet transit, domain name registration and hosting, dial-up access, leased line access and collocation. 

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

A committee formed by the International Organization of Standardization to set standards for digital compression of still images.  Also refers to the digital compression standard for still images created by this group.

LAN (Local Area Network)

A local area network (LAN) consists of two or more computers connected together in a building or home using software and hardware.  A LAN can be one of two types: wired or wireless.  A wired LAN requires Ethernet cable to physically connect all computers on the network to a main device called a switch.  A wireless LAN uses radio waves to communicate, eliminating the need for wires.  Therefore, the hardware used in a LAN should all be either the wireless or the wired type.

Laser

From the acronym for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”.  A laser usually consists of a light-amplifying medium placed between two mirrors.  Light not perfectly aligned with the mirrors escapes out the sides, but light perfectly aligned will be amplified.  One mirror is made partially transparent.  The result is an amplified beam of light that emerges through the partially transparent mirror.

Megapixel

A Megapixel refers to one million pixels, and is commonly used in reference to digital cameras as an indication of resolution capability.  A pixel is a tiny square on a computerized display that is so small it appears as a dot.  The display screen is a solid grid of these squares or dots, which can easily be seen with a magnifying glass.  The more pixels or dots that make up the display screen, the clearer the resolution or image will be.  Greater numbers of dots or pixels allow for more refinement of the image, which results in a higher, truer image replication.

When it comes to digital cameras, the picture quality capability is measured in megapixels.  For example, a 3.1 megapixel camera can take pictures with a resolution of 2048 x 1536, which equals 3.145,728 pixels.  That is, the resulting image will be made up of 3.1 megapixels, or over 3 million dots.

Printers measure quality in DPI (dots per inch).  A printer capable of only 300 DPI will not print the 3.1 megapixel image in its native high quality.  It’s simply not capable of reproducing the fine detail.  Instead the image may appear grainy.  If you with to print photos, be sure the printer is well suited to the capabilities of your digital camera.

Modem

A modem, short for modulator-demodulator, is an electronic device that converts a computer’s digital signals into specific frequencies to travel over telephone or cable television lines.  At the destination, the receiving modem demodulates the frequencies back into digital data.  Computers use modems to communicate with one another over a network.

Motherboard

If you open your computer’s case, the motherboard is the flat, rectangular piece of circuit board to which everything seems to connect to for one reason or another.  It contains the following key components: A microprocessor “socket” which defines what kind of central processing unit (CPU) the motherboard uses and a chipset which forms the computer’s logic system.  It is usually composed of two parts called bridges (a “north” bridge and it’s opposite, “south bridge”), which connects the CPU to the rest of the system.  A Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) chip which controls the most basic function of a computer, and how to repair it and a real-time clock which is a battery-operated chip which maintains the systems time, and other basic functions.

Network

A system to allow 2 or more computers to connect to each other and share files or peripherals.  Typical types of networks are LAN, WAN and on a wider scale the internet.

Operating System (OS)

Refers to the main software of a computer system, for instance Windows ®, all installed programs run under the control of the operating system.

Optical Drive

In the real world, “optical” refers to vision, or the ability to see.  In the computer world, however, “optical” refers to lasers, which can “see” and read data on optical discs.  These discs include CDs and DVDs, which are made up of millions of small bumps and dips.  Optical drives have lasers that read these bumps and dips as ones and zeros, which the computer can understand.

Some common types of optical drives include CD-Rom, CD-RW, DVD-Rom, DVD+/-RW, and Blu-Ray drives. CD and DVD writers, such as CD-R and DVD-R drives use a laser to both read and write data on the discs.  The laser used for writing the data is much more powerful than the laser that reads the data, as it “burns” the bumps and dips into the disc.  While optical drives can spin discs at very high speeds, they are significantly slower than hard drives, which store data magnetically.  However, because optical media is inexpensive and removable, it is the common format used for distributing computer software.

Quad Core

A Quad Core processor is the same as a Dual Core processor but has four cores on a single die instead of two.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

RAM commonly known as “memory” is an acronym for Random Access Memory.  People sometimes confuse “memory” with the “Hard Disk” (a magnetic disk used for storing the Operating System, programs, data etc).  Current hard disks store information known as Gigabytes (GB).  The amount of memory in the computer is crucial in that it determines how many programmes can be running, and how much data is available for each program.  Memory is generally available as Megabytes (MB) or Gigabytes (GB). A simple distinction of RAM vs. Hard Disk.  RAM doesn’t retain information when the power to your computer is turned off.  Whereas, the Hard Disk does retain information when the power to the computer is turned off.

Resolution

Resolution is the term used to describe the number of dots, or pixels, used to display an image.  Higher resolutions mean that more pixels are used to create the image, resulting in a sharper picture.  The display, or resolution on a monitor, is composed of thousands of pixels or dots.  This display is indicated by a number combination, such as 800 x 600.  This indicates that there are 800 dots horizontally across the monitor, by 600 dots vertically, equalling 480 000 dots that make up the image you see.

Router

A router is a device that forwards data packets along networks.  A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANS or WANS or a LAN and its ISP’s network.  Routers are located at gateways, the places where two or more networks connect, and are the critical device that keeps data flowing between networks and keeps the networks connected to the internet. 

When data is sent between locations on one network or from one network to a second network the data is always seen and directed to the correct location by the router.  They accomplish this by using headers and forwarding tables to determine the best route between any two hosts.  The internet itself is a global network connecting millions of computers and smaller networks.  So you can see how crucial the role of the router is to our way of communicating and computing.

SATA vs. IDE

Hard drives have become bigger and bigger over the years, as the need for more data storage increased.  But until recently, they’ve never been made faster to compensate for the extra enormous amounts of data.  IDE is the older type of hard drive, it connects using a big, wide cable, and two drives can connect to each cable.  It runs at about 100mb/s and uses a normal Molex power connector.

SATA is the newer type of hard drive.  It connects with its own different cable, which is much smaller and a new SATA power connector.  This type of connector runs faster than IDE as well as cutting down on cable clutter inside the computer by allowing more airflow inside the case.

Server

A server is a computer running software that allows it to control the sharing resources between many computers.

Terabyte / Gigabyte / Megabyte / Kilobyte

Terabyte = 1000 Gigabytes

Gigabyte = 1000 Megabytes

Megabyte = 1000 Kilobytes

Kilobyte = 1000 bytes

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

A computer interface with a maximum bandwidth of 1.5 Megabytes per second, used for connecting computer peripherals such as printers, keyboards and scanners.

Viruses

A program that runs on your computer without your knowledge and can cause damage to your files.  It usually attaches itself to other programs; a common way to receive a virus is through an attachment via e-mail.

Windows vs. Office

Many people confuse Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office.  In fact, Office is so commonplace, that a lot of people even think that it is a part of Windows.  They are in fact, two completely separate software packages.  Microsoft Windows is an operating system.  If your computer was a car, Windows would be the driver.  It knows how to operate all of the pieces that make up the computer, so that when you click on something, or run a program, Windows tells the hardware what to do to make that happen. Microsoft Office is a separate suite of software applications, and as such, is sold separately to Windows.  It includes programs like Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Word.  All designed for designing projects or business spreadsheets and presentations.