1.Active desktop New Windows 98 technology: makes your wallpaper interactive- links can be made in the wallpaper, news / information can be displayed and updated as wallpaper
2.Active Partition The primary partition that is setup to be read and used by the computer / MBR to boot. The file system is read, and this becomes your 'boot up' partition
3.ActiveX New technology that improves video and audio output.
4.Ada Programming Language
5.Add-on Hardware added to a computer after purchase to enhance ability.
6Agent Part of a program or system that prepares information to be "exchanged" with another program, printer, computer, server, etc.
7.Alais Mac term that refers to a shortcut, or pointer to a program or file..
8.All elbows TSR programs that steal resources without checking other programs in memory
9.B&D language Very disciplined language (Pascal, Ada - used for teaching structure in pgms.)
10.Backdoor A hidden or undocumented login account or access level to a program or system - often left by programmers so they can get back in to a system at an administrative level in case of an emergency, or system lock-up.
11.Backend The communication or programmer level of working with data (example. dBase language to sort data; or VB to change how a form looks on screen)
12.Backplane Type of system that has slots to plug CPU's, and chip sets into (ie. not hardwired)
13.Backward compatible New systems designed to accept older hardware and software
14.Backbone Primary or main system used by a network.
15.Bagbiter person or program that has shortcomings (ie. limited in functionality)
16.Banana problem code that doesn't know when to stop (endless loop) from the spelling of banana ... not knowing where the "ananana" stops
17.Bandwidth Network / Internet phrase referring to how much information can be moved across the network at one time. Means volume rather than speed.
18.Bang out To really test a piece of hardware (running long hours) or software (try everything)
19.Bang the board To do alot of typing. (Can be data entry, or writing program code)
20.barf To fail or lockup (often displaying unreadable characters, or fatal error messages.)
21.Batch - or Batch File Multiple commands, or procedures run at one time. A batch file is a special DOS file that will execute multiple commands by running 1 file.
22.Battlefield On the Internet - or software / hardware made public.
23.Baud Way of measuring modem speed (ie. 9600 baud rate)
24.Baud barf When you get scrambled characters on screen (or corrupted downloads) because the 2 modems don't get the communications, protocols, or handshakes correct
25.Beam To transfer (upload or download) files (from Star Trek "beam me up Scotty")
26.Beige Toaster Slang for the Mac computers
27.Bells and Whistles The little extras on a computer or program: (spell checkers, scanners, etc.)
28.Berkeley Quality System (or BQS) Program written for 1 purpose, no documentation (Berkeley hackers who often
29.Beta Program or system that has been written, and is in the process of being tested and fine tuned, but not ready for sale yet.
30.Beta Tester Person or group who test software (and hardware) in various environments and circumstances before it's released to public
31.Big Grey Wall The documentation that comes with mainframes/VMS
32.Big Red Switch The on / off switch of a computer
33.Bind Process to combining configurations / protocols to a hardware device. Also Berkley Internet Name Domain - method of addressing devices by a unique name.
34.Blog A blog is a 'snippet' of information. In the Internet world, many webmasters (and regular folks too) do a lot of blogging, meaning they keep a little diary of information. Normally a blog will list a date, and what someone did, saw, or noticed on that date. Also known as a "weB LOG"
35.Blue bomb The blue screen windows jumps to during a real 'heavy' crash or lock up
36.Blue glue poor or messy work (IBM's first SNA protocols that connected IBM computers)
37.Blue Screen of Death The blue "DOS" screen windows dumps to at bad, unrecoverable crash or lock up
38.Boot (Re-Boot) To start up a computer (or restart)
39.Bootable A hard drive (or floppy disk) that has the special system files on it that allows a computer to start an operating system from that disk.
40.Cache (Memory) Special area of 47.that stores recent commands so they can be executed faster than calling the information back from the Hard Drive again
41.Cache (Disk) There is also disk cache that is more software related, it basically hold information in memory as it is writing to the disk, and allows the user to continue without waiting until the writing is done.
42.CD writer Hardware that will put information / files on to a CD-ROM disk
43.Cell Single block of information in spreadsheet programs (spreadsheets often are math oriented applications)
44.Channel Sites on the internet that carry news and information. (Also networking terminology)
45.Database Computer program used to store information in "Records" and "Fields" containing information. (ex. Names and phone numbers; items and serial numbers; etc.)
46.Fdisk Special program used to set up 'partitions' on a hard drive.
47.Icon Little picture on a computer screen or window linked to a program or command.
48.Lan Wan Type of networks (Local and Wide area)
49.Mother Board The "Main" board inside a computer case that connects all the other components.
50.Ram Part of the computer that remembers (while the computer is running), however, it must be saved to a disk before the computer is turned off or it gone. Also where programs are loaded when you start particular program.
