Putting the Personal in Personal Computing
Home Virus Info PC Repairs Backups Disaster Recovery Packages Contact Us Hints/Tips Testimonials About Us Links Legal *Glossary	Glossary The Information Technology (IT) Industry is full of acronyms and abbreviations. Even the Industry name is an abbreviation! On this page we list an explanation for the most common Acronyms and Abbreviations. ACPI Advanced Configuration Power Interface ...an industry standard that defines a flexible hardware interface for the system motherboard It is used to integrate power management throughout a computer, using hardware, software and the operating system. APM Advanced Power Management The forerunner to ACPI. ATA AT Attachment - An HDD interface standard. Now known as PATA, due to the introduction of SATA SEE IDE, SATA b bit NB:- Case-dependent SEE bit, Byte, kb, Mb, Gb B Byte NB:- Case-dependent SEE Byte, kB, MB, GB, TB BIOS Basic Input-Output System. Upgradeable firmware located in an EEPROM on the motherboard. SEE EEPROM BIT Smallest unit of storage. Comes from Binary digIT => 1 or 0 SEE Byte, kb, Mb, Gb BROADBAND A type of high-bandwidth communication. ADSL & Cable Internet are examples of Broadband communications. BYTE A grouped collection of bits. 1 Byte usually = 8 bits CARTS Tape Cartridges DOS Disk Operating System A non-GUI (command line) OS, used as the underpinnings for Windows 95, 98 and ME. DPI Dots Per Inch - Used as a measurement of resolution for monitors, scanners and printers. In general, the larger the better. When used as a decimal fraction, for measuring the size of the dots, the smaller the better. DR Disaster Recovery SEE Disaster Recovery Disaster Recovery Disaster Recovery - The methods by which data is kept safe, due to multiple and scheduled backups and the appropriate storage of these backups. True Disaster Recovery also involves a documented Plan, to be put into effect in the event of a Disaster. [E]EPROM/EPROM [Electrically] Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory - A ROM that can be erased to allow re-programming. EXTNL External FDD Floppy Disk Drive - Sometimes used (incorrectly) to refer to the individual diskettes used in FDDs. These days diskettes are 3.5 inches in diameter and contain 1.44MB of data. In times past, these diskettes were 5.25 inches and even 8 inches in diameter. They are known as "floppies", as they are made from polyester covered with a magnetic oxide coating and hence are flexible, although they are encased in a fairly stiff, plastic case. FIREWIRE Firewire Interface, used extensively (& made popular) by Apple Macs. Now becoming popular on Windows-based PC's. It now comes in 2 variants; Firewire400, operating at a maximum speed of 400 Mb/s and Firewire800, operating at a maximum speed of 800 Mb/s. FIRMWARE ...is the software for an item of hardware, contained in ROM within the hardware. BIOS is a special form of firmware. SEE Software, Hardware, ROM, BIOS Gb Gigabit = 1 billion bits = > 1,073,741,824 (230) bits NB:- Case-dependent GB Gigabyte = 1 billion Bytes = > 1,073,741,824 (230) Bytes NB:- Case-dependent GHz Gigahertz = 1 billion Hertz NB:- Case-dependent GUI Graphical User Interface - A non-command line interface, using a graphical approach to providing information and control. Windows 3.1 through Windows XP are Graphical User Interfaces, as opposed to DOS, which is a command line interface. Hacker A person or persons who attempt to breach the security of a computer system. Hardware ...are the physical items making up a computer system, or peripherals to a computer. HDD Hard Disk Drive - HDDs for desktops and servers are usually 3.5 inches in diameter and contain from 20GB to 400GB (2004) of data. HDDs for laptops (notebooks) are usually 2.5 inches in diameter and contain from 4GB to 60GB (2004) of data. Unlike "floppies", HDDs are NOT flexible and are made from aluminium covered with a magnetic oxide coating. They are encased in a steel case and because of the fine tolerances involved, are extremely fragile. HTS HolTech Services HW Hardware SEE Hardware Hz Hertz => unit of frequency. 1 Hz = 1 time per second NB:- Case-dependent SEE kHz, MHz, GHz IDE Integrated Drive Electronics - A type of HDD controller bus SEE ATA, SATA INTNL Internal IT Information Technology. Previously known as DP (Data Processing) kb kilobit = 1 thousand bits = > 1,024 (210) bits NB:- Case-dependent kB kiloByte = 1 thousand Bytes = > 1,024 (210) Bytes NB:- Case-dependent kHz 1 kHz = 1 thousand times per second NB:- Case-dependent SEE Hz, MHz, GHz MAC(S) Apple Macintosh(es) M/F Mainframe - any large, non-distributed, computer system Mb kilobit = 1 million bits = > 1,048,576 (220) bits NB:- Case-dependent MB kiloByte = 1 million Bytes = > 1,048,576 (220) Bytes NB:- Case-dependent MHz 1 MHz = 1 million times per second NB:- Case-dependent SEE Hz, kHz, GHz Operating System ...is a collection of software products that control a computer's resources and allow it to run other programs (applications). OS (or O/S) Operating System SEE Operating System PC Personal Computer - Actually refers to an IBM-compatible personal computer, as IBM coined the term "PC" for it's range of Personal Computers, in the 1980's. However, the term is now used generically to refer to any small, personal computer. POA Price On Application. PSU Power Supply Unit - Hardware that supplies electrical power to the computer. RAM Random Access Memory - The main memory of a computer. ROM Read Only Memory - Memory that cannot be written. SATA Serial ATA SEE ATA, IDE SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface - a standard way of connecting devices to a small- or medium-sized computer. In most versions of SCSI (there are currently SCSI-1, SCSI-2 and SCSI-3 plus variants of each), 7 peripherals and one computer can be connected through 1 interface. Not so prevalent these days except for HDDs, it was once used for such devices as HDDs, CD-ROMs, CD-RWs and scanners. SOHO Small Office/Home Office Software ...are the intangible, non-physical items making up a computer system. It usually refers to the Programs executed on a computer. SW Software SEE Software TB TeraByte = 1 million million Bytes = > 1,099,511,627,776 (240) Bytes NB:- Case-dependent USB Universal Serial Bus - a standard devised by Microsoft to connect devices to a personal computer. It currently comes in 2 variants; USB1.1, operating at a maximum speed of 12 Mb/s and USB2.0, operating at a maximum speed of 480 Mb/s. Win2K/Windows 2K Windows 2000 Professional, Server and Advanced Server. Win9x/Windows 9x Windows 95, 98 and ME. BIBLIOGRAPHY HolTech Services extends its thanks and gratitude to the authors of the following, articles, Websites and books, for their knowledge provision, extracts and help. Microsoft - Windows 2000 Professional Help Oxford - Dictionary of Computing (4th Edition) www.dansdata.com For contact details, please Refer to the "Contact Us" Web page
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