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A:
Drive see disk drive.
Accessories
built in components on
the computers hard drive. To
access click one time on the Start button, move your cursor up to
Programs in the menu that pops up and click on Accessories.
Address
window - identifies which
object you are viewing. Also known
as Address Bar.
Alignment
- when
used to describe text, alignment is the arrangement of text or graphics
relative to a margin. Flush left
alignment means that text is lined up along the left margin.
Flush right alignment lines up text along the right
margin. Centered alignment means
that text is aligned around a midpoint. Justified
alignment means that text lines up along both margins.
Arrow
keys - most
keyboards contain four arrow keys for moving the cursor or insertion point
right, left, up, or down. When
combined with the Shift key, Function, Control, or ALT keys, the arrow keys can
have different meanings. For
example, pressing Shift +Up-arrow might move the cursor or pointer up an entire
page. The exact manner in which the
arrow keys function depends on which program is running.
Attachment
- a
file
attached to an e-mail
message. Many e-mail systems only
support sending text
files as e-mail. If the attachment is a binary file or formatted
text file (such as an MS-Word document), it must be encoded before it is sent
and decoded once it is received. There are a number of encoding schemes, the two
most prevalent being Uuencode
and MIME.
Back
button a button on the
Web browser toolbar that when clicked with the left side of the mouse
button causes you to go back to the page that you were looking at before you
followed the link to take you to the current page.
The down arrow just to the right of the Back button brings up a
list of the sites you have visited using this browser window.
Backspace
- a
character that causes the cursor to move backward one character space, possibly
deleting the preceding character.
Backspace
key - a key that moves the
cursor or insertion point backward one character space.
In addition to moving the cursor backward, the Backspace key usually
deletes the character to the left of the cursor or insertion point. It is
particularly useful, therefore, for correcting typos.
Bold
a font
that is darker than the regular face. For example: normal font, boldface
font.
Brochure
a small pamphlet or
booklet.
Browser
- see Web browser.
Business
letter a written
communication dealing with business. Most
business letters have a formal tone. You should write a business letter whenever
you need a permanent record that you sent the information enclosed.
Because you generally send business letters to other professionals,
always include a formal salutation and closing.
A business letter has four main
parts with a variety of features. The
main parts (with standard features) include heading (letterhead or return
address and date line), opening (inside address and salutation), body (message),
and closing (complimentary closing, writers name and title and reference
initials.
Cables
- the collections of wires twined together to connect peripherals to the
computer system unit.
CD-ROM
- pronounced
see-dee-rom. Short for Compact
Disc-Read-Only Memory, a type of optical disk
capable of storing large amounts of data --
up to 1GB, although the most common size is 650MB (megabytes).
A single CD-ROM has the storage capacity of 700 floppy disks, enough
memory to store about 300,000 text pages. Unlike
diskettes, CD-ROM disks can be read by any type of computer with a CD-ROM drive.
CD-ROM
drive a device that
reads the information contained on a CD-Rom.
The computer will contain a slot for entering the CD-Rom from outside the
computer.
Cell
a box in which you can
enter a single piece of data. The
data is usually text or a numeric value.
Central
processing unit (CPU) - the
brain of the computer that processes instructions and manages the flow of
information through a computer system.
Click
- to
tap on a mouse button, pressing it down and then immediately releasing it. Clicking a mouse button is different from pressing
(or dragging) a mouse button, which implies that you hold the button down
without releasing it. The phrase to
click on means to select (a screen object) by moving the mouse pointer to
the object's position and clicking a mouse button.
Click
and drag -
drag refers to moving an icon or other image on a
display screen. To drag an object
across a display screen, you usually select the object with a button
"grab" it and then move the mouse while keeping the mouse button
pressed down. The term drag
is also used more generally to refer to any operation in which the mouse button
is held down while the mouse is moved. For
example, you would drag the mouse to select a block of text.
Clip
art - electronic
illustrations that can be inserted into a document.
Many clip-art packages are available, some general and others specialized for a
particular field. Most clip-art
packages provide the illustrations in several file
formats so that you can insert
them into various word-processing systems.
Closing
letter - the words (as sincerely yours) that conventionally
come immediately before the signature of a letter and express the sender's
regard for the receiver. Also
called complimentary closing.
Close
- to close a window means to
exit an application or file, thereby removing the window from the display
screen. Also, to finish work on a
data file and save it.
Column
in a table, a column is
a vertical row of cells.
Computer
- an electronic device that stores, retrieves, and processes data, and can be
programmed with instructions. A
computer is composed of hardware and software, and can exist in a variety of
sizes and configurations.
Computer
case - the unit that
contains the components of the computer system that enables data to be processed
according to a series of instructions. It
is also known as the system unit or console.
Computer
tower the unit that
contains the Central Processing Unit (CPU).
Connect
- a physical link via wire,
radio, fiber-optic cable, or other medium between two or more communications
devices. See connectivity.
Connectivity
- the nature of the connection between a user's computer and another computer,
such as a server or a host computer on the Internet or a network.
Also the ability of hardware devices, software packages, or a computer
itself to work with network devices or with other hardware devices, software
packages, or a computer over a network connection.
Copies
plural for copy.
Copy
a reproduction of a
written record; to copy a piece of data to a temporary location.
Copying refers to duplicating a section of a document and placing
it in a buffer (sometimes called a clipboard).
After copying, you can move the contents of the buffer by pasting
it somewhere else.
Correct
to remove the errors or
mistakes from.
Cover
sheet a document to
accompany transmitted information. The
process by which fixed graphic
material including pictures, text, or images is scanned and the information
converted into electrical signals that are transmitted via telephone to produce
a paper copy of the graphics on the receiving fax machine.
Cursor
-
a special symbol,
usually a solid rectangle or a blinking underline character, that signifies
where the next character will be displayed on the display screen.
To type in different areas of the screen, you need to move the cursor.
You can do this with the arrow keys, or with a mouse if your program
supports it. If you are running a
graphics based program, the cursor may appear as a small arrow, called a
pointer. (The terms cursor
and pointer are often used interchangeably). In text processing, a cursor sometimes appears as an I-beam
pointer, a special type of pointer that always appears between two characters.
Cut
- to remove an object from a
document and place it in a buffer. In
word processing, cut means to move a section of text from a document to a
temporary buffer. This is one way
to delete text. However, because
the text is transferred to a buffer, it is not lost forever. You can copy the buffer somewhere else in the document or in
another document, which is called pasting. To move a section of text from one place to another,
therefore, you need to first cut it and then paste it. This is often called cut-and-paste.
Default
- a
value or setting that a device or program automatically selects if you do not
specify a substitute. For example,
word processors have default margins and default page lengths that you can
override or reset.
Delete
- to remove or erase.
Deleting a character means removing it from a file or erasing it from the
display screen. Deleting a file
means erasing it from a disk. Unlike cut, deleting does not necessarily place the
removed object in a buffer from where it can be recovered.
Desktop
- a desktop is the
metaphor used to portray file systems. Such
a desktop consists of pictures, called icons, that show cabinets, files,
folders, and various types of documents (letters, reports, pictures). You can
arrange the icons on the electronic desktop just as you can arrange real objects
on a real desktop -- moving them around, putting one on top of another,
reshuffling them, and throwing them away.
Dialogue
box a box
that appears on a display screen to present information or request input.
Typically, dialog boxes are temporary -- they disappear once you have
entered the requested information.
Disk
drive - a device that reads
the information contained on a disk. The
drive may be permanently installed inside the computer (hard disk drive) or
contain a slot for entering the disk from outside the computer (floppy disk
drive or compact disk drive).
Diskette
see floppy disk.
Display
screen -
the display part of a monitor.
Document
- the term was originally
used for a file created with a word processor.
In addition to text, documents can contain graphics, charts, and other
objects. The term document
is used more and more to describe any file produced by an application.
Document
window - an
on-screen window (enclosed work area) in which the user can create, view, or
work on a document.
Double
click -
tapping a
mouse button twice in rapid succession. The
second click must immediately follow the first click, otherwise the program will
interpret them as two separate clicks rather than one double click.
In Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh interface, you can use a double
click to open files and applications. Both
systems let you set the double-click speed (the longest acceptable interval
between each click).
Double
space to type (text) leaving alternate lines blank.
To type on every other line.
Down
arrow one of the arrow
keys on the keyboard that moves the cursor down one line.
Drive
see disk drive.
Drop-down
box see drop-down menu.
Drop-down
menu A
menu in a graphical user interface, whose title is normally visible but whose
contents are revealed only when the user activates it, normally by pressing the
mouse button while the pointer is over the title, whereupon the menu items
appear below the title. The user
may then select an item from the menu or click elsewhere, in either case the
menu contents are hidden again. A
menu item is selected either by dragging the mouse from the menu title to the
item and releasing or by clicking the title and then the item. When a pull-down menu appears in the main area of a window,
as opposed to the menu bar, it may have a small, downward-pointing triangle to
the right.
E-mail
- electronic messages, typically addressed as person to person correspondence,
that are transmitted between computers and across networks.
E-mail
address - an identifying
address for a user's mailbox; characters identifying the user are followed by
the @ symbol and the address of the mailbox's computer.
Edit
- to make a change to an
existing file or document. Changes
to the existing document are saved in memory or in a temporary file but are not
added to the document until the program is instructed to save them.
Editing programs typically provide safeguards against inadvertent
changes, such as by requesting confirmation before saving under an existing
filename, by allowing the user to assign a password to a file, or by giving the
option of setting the file to read-only status.
Existing
document a document
previously created.
Exit
to close an application.
In a program, to move from the called routine back to the calling
routine. A routine can have more than one exit point, thus allowing termination
based on various conditions.
FAX
machine - abbreviation
of facsimile machine, a fax machine is a device that can
send or receive pictures and text over a telephone line.
FAX
Wizard a series of
fill-in-the blank dialog boxes that lead you through the process of creating a
custom FAX document, enabling you to specify design preference and enter chunks
of text.
File
- a
collection of data or information that has a name, called the filename. Almost all information stored in a computer must be in a
file. There are many different
types of files: data files, text files, program files, directory
files, etc. Different types of
files store different types of information.
For example, program files store programs, whereas text files store text.
File
menu located on the Menu
bar. Click on the word file
to display the contents of the menu.
Floppy
disk - a
soft magnetic disk. It is called floppy
because the old 5 1/4 inch variety flopped if you waved it.
Unlike most hard disks, floppy disks (often called floppies or diskettes)
are portable, because you can remove them from a disk drive.
Disk drives for floppy disks are called floppy drives.
Floppy disks are slower to access than hard disks and have less storage
capacity, but they are much less expensive.
And most importantly, they are portable.
Floppy
drive short
for floppy disk drive (FDD), a drive that can read and write to a floppy disk.
See disk drive.
Folder
- an object that can contain
multiple documents. Folders are
used to organize information.
Font
- a
design for a set of characters. A
font is the combination of typeface and other qualities, such as size, pitch,
and spacing. For example, Times
Roman is a typeface that defines the shape of each character.
Within Times Roman, however, there are many fonts to choose from --
different sizes, italic, boldface, and so on.
(The term font is often used incorrectly as a synonym for typeface.)
Formatting
to
specify the properties, particularly visible properties, of an object.
Word processing applications allow you to format text, which involves
specifying the font, alignment, margins, and other properties.
Forward
button -
a button on the Web
browser toolbar that will not be available unless you have used the Back
button at least once. If you have used the back button, and the forward button
is not grayed out, clicking one time on the Forward button will take you
to the page you just left when you clicked on the Back button.
The down arrow to the right of the Forward button brings up a list
of the sites you have visited and then used the Back button to return
from using this browser window.
Grammar
the study of the classes of words, their inflections, and their
functions and relations in the sentence.
Grammar
checker - a software
accessory that checks text for errors in grammatical construction.
Hard
drive (a.k.a. hard disk drive)
- a device used to "permanently" store information within a computer,
such as programs and data.
Hardware
- refers
to objects that you can actually touch, i.e. disks, disk drives, display
screens, keyboards, and printers. Books
provide a useful analogy. The pages
and the ink are the hardware, while the words, sentences, paragraphs, and the
overall meaning are the software.
Headphone
electro-acoustic
transducer for converting electric signals into sounds; it is held over or
inserted into the ear.
Highlight
- to make an object on a
display screen stand out by displaying it in a different mode from other
objects. Typical highlighted
objects include menu options, command buttons, and selected blocks of text.
Home
button a button on the
Web browser toolbar that when clicked you can instantly get back to that
first page, no matter how many pages you have visited in your Internet session.
Home
key - a key, found on most
keyboards, whose function usually involves sending the cursor to some type of
home position in an application.
Home
page - the introductory page
on a Web site that usually contains a table of contents for the site and hot
links to other pages.
Hyperlink
- an
element in an electronic document that links to another place in the same
document or to an entirely different document.
Typically, you click on the hyperlink to follow the link.
Hyperlinks are the most essential ingredient of all hypertext systems,
including the World Wide Web.
Hypertext
- text that contains links to other parts of a document, or to documents held on
another computer.
Icon
- a
small picture that represents an object or program.
Ignore
to disregard.
Index
finger the finger next
to the thumb. The finger used to left click on the mouse.
Inside
address the written
indication on a business letter indicating destination.
The inside address is located in the opening of a business letter.
Internet
- a world-wide network of computer networks through which people can exchange
data and communications.
Internet
Explorer (IE) - is the most
widely used World Wide Web browser. It comes with the Microsoft Windows
operating system and can also be downloaded from Microsoft's Web site.
Italic
- fonts
with characters slanted to the right.
Italicize
-
to print in italics or underscore with a single line.
Keyboard
- a device similar to a typewriter that is used to enter information and
instructions into the computer. In
addition to letter keys, most keyboards have number pads and function keys that
make the computer software easier to use.
Keys
- buttons
on a keyboard.
Letterhead
a sheet of stationery printed or engraved usually with the name
and address of an organization.
Line
spacing the space
between lines of text within a paragraph.
Line spacing is selected by clicking Format and Paragraph on the Menu
bar.
Look-in
location the area in the
open dialog box that directs you to the drive, folder or file you want to
locate. If the file is not
displayed in the window, you must click on the drop-down list arrow in the
Look-in box and select the appropriate folder or drive.
The contents of the folder or drive that you select will appear in the
window.
Login
name the username or
password you enter before the computer system allows you to execute programs.
See log on.
Log
on - to
make a computer system or network recognize you so that you can begin a computer
session. Most personal computers
have no log-on procedure - you just turn the machine on and begin working.
For larger systems and networks, however, you usually need to enter a
username and password before the computer system will allow you to execute
programs.
Margin
the strips of white space
around the edge of the paper. The
wider the left and right margins, the narrower the page.
The wider the top and bottom margins, the shorter the page.
Maximize
to enlarge a window to fill the entire screen; to make as big or large
as possible.
Memorandum
an informal record or a written reminder.
An informal written note of a transaction or proposed instrument.
Menu
- a list of commands or options
from which you can choose. Most applications now have a menu driven component.
You can choose an item from the menu by highlighting it and then pressing
the Enter or Return key, or by simply pointing to the item with a mouse and
click one of the mouse buttons.
Menu
bar - a horizontal strip at the top of a window that shows the menus
available in a program. Each
menu option is generally associated with another pull-down menu that appears
when you make a selection.
Middle
finger -
rests on the right button of the mouse.
Minimize
to reduce a window to the smallest size or degree.
Monitor
- a device similar to a television screen that receives video signals from the
computer and displays the information for the user.
Mouse
- a hand-held pointing device (used on top of a desk) that gives directions to
the computer and moves information around on a monitor screen.
Mouse
button
the button on a mouse that
you click to perform various functions, such as selecting an object.
Mouse
pad a
pad over which you can move a mouse. Mouse
pads provide more traction than smooth surfaces such as glass and wood, so they
make it easier to move a mouse accurately.
Mouse
pointer - a small arrow or
other symbol on the display screen that moves as you move the mouse. You can
select commands and options by positioning the tip of the arrow over the desired
choice and click a button.
Name
- a sequence of one or more
characters that uniquely identifies a file, variable, account, or other entity.
Computer systems impose various rules about naming objects.
For example, there is often a limit to the number of characters you can
use, and not all characters are allowed.
Open
- to make an object accessible. Whenever
you access a file (that is, you edit a text file or run a program file), the
operating system opens the file. Opening
a file can be simple or complex depending on the operating system.
Page
range a location in the
Print dialog box which allows you to print either all or only specified pages of
your document. The default is set
to All. To print specified pages,
chose Pages and type the numbers of the pages you want to print.
Paragraph
alignment see alignment.
Password
- a secret sequence of letters and numbers that will enable users to log on to a
computer and prevent unauthorized use. Passwords
may be established by a system administrator or by the individual user.
Paste
to copy an object from a buffer
(or clipboard) to a file. In word
processing, blocks of text are moved from one place to another by cutting and
pasting. When you cut a block of
text, the word processor removes the block from your file and places it in a
temporary holding area (a buffer). You
can then paste the material in the buffer somewhere else.
Presentation
a visual representation or display of something.
Print
a command located on the
File menu. Click Print to print the
active file or selected items.
Printer
- a device that translates signals from a computer into words and images onto
paper in black and white or color. Printer types include dot matrix, ink jet,
laser, impact, fax, and pen and ink devices.
Print
preview in
word processing, previewing refers to formatting a document for the
printer, but then displaying it on the display screen instead of printing it.
Previewing allows you to see exactly how the document will appear when printed.
Program
- an organized list
of instructions that, when executed, causes the computer to behave in a
predetermined manner. Without
programs, computers are useless. A
program is like a recipe. It
contains a list of ingredients (called variables) and a list of directions
(called statements) that tell the computer what to do with the variables. The variables can represent numeric data, text, or graphical
images.
Program menu - located within the Start menu and is the common way to get to any program or application stored on the computer.
Programs
list a list with
the programs and application stored on the computer. You can access the list from the Start menu.
Prompt
- in command-driven systems,
one or more symbols that indicate where users are to enter commands.
For instance, in MS-DOS, the prompt is generally a drive letter followed
by a "greater than" symbol (C>).
Displayed text indicating that a computer program is waiting for input
from the user.
Pull
down menu - a list of options that "pulls down" when you select a
menu at the top of a window. For
example, the File menu in most programs is a pull down menu that reveals
commands such as open, new, and save.
Research
a systematic
investigation to establish facts; a search for knowledge.
Resize
change the size of; make the size more appropriate.
Return
key
the Return
key moves the cursor (or insertion point) to the beginning of the next line. But
more importantly, it returns control to whatever program is currently running.
After a program requests information from you (by displaying a prompt),
it will usually not respond to your input until you have pressed the Return key.
This allows you to correct typing mistakes or to reconsider your entry before it
is too late. In many applications,
pressing the Return key moves the cursor to the next field.
In word-processing programs, pressing the Return key inserts a hard
return into a document. Almost all computer
keyboards have a key marked Return or Enter; the two names are
synonymous.
Row
- a series of items arranged
horizontally within some type of framework--for example, a continuous series of
cells running from left to right in a spreadsheet; a horizontal line of pixels
on a video screen; or a set of data values aligned horizontally in a table.
Salutation
the word or phrase of greeting (as Gentlemen or Dear
Sir or Madam) that conventionally comes immediately before the body
of a letter.
Save
- to copy data from a
temporary area to a more permanent storage medium. When you edit a file with a word processor, for example, the
word processor copies the entire file, or portions of the file, into an area of
main memory called a buffer. Any
changes you make to the file are made to the copy in the buffer, not to the real
file on the disk. The buffer is
temporary -- as soon as you exit the program or turn off the computer, the
buffer disappears. To record your
modifications to the file on the disk, you must save the file.
When you do this, the word processor copies the contents of the buffer
back to the file on the disk, replacing the previous version of the file.
Screen
prompts see prompt.
Search
engine - software that
searches for specific information or files on the World Wide Web using search
criteria that you enter. A
search engine works by sending out a spider to fetch as many documents as
possible.
Select
- to choose an object so
that you can manipulate it in some way. You
usually need to select an object -- an icon, file, folder, and so on -- before
you can do anything with it. To
select an object, you move the pointer to the object and click a button.
In many applications, you can select blocks of text by positioning the
pointer at an end-point of the block and then dragging the pointer over the
block.
Shift
key - A key on computer
keyboards that gives the other keys an alternate meaning.
When combined with alphabetic keys, the Shift key causes the system to
output a capital letter.
Shut
down - to
turn the power off. The normal way
to turn a computer off is to select Start>Shut Down.
Size
- to
make an object larger or smaller. You
can size windows to make them larger or smaller.
Other terms for size are resize and scale.
Slide
show the view on the
Microsoft PowerPoint program that displays your slides as they will appear in an
actual slide show presentation.
Software
- the computer programs that tell the computer what to do.
Software can be divided into two groups, operating system software and
application software. Software
exists as ideas, concepts, and symbols, but it has no substance. A computer
without software is like a book full of blank pages -- you need software to make
the computer useful just as you need words to make a book meaningful.
Spacebar
- a
long key occupying much of the bottom row of most keyboards that sends a space
character to the computer.
Speakers
the part of the
computer, which allows one to hear audio.
Spelling
see Spell checker.
Spell
checker - a utility that
allows you to check the spelling of words in a text document.
It will highlight any words that it does not recognize.
Spreadsheet
- a table of values arranged in rows and columns.
Each value can have a predefined relationship to the other values.
If you change one value, therefore, you may need to change other values
as well. Spreadsheet
applications (sometimes referred to simply as spreadsheets) are
computer programs that let you create and manipulate spreadsheets
electronically. In a spreadsheet
application, each value sits in a cell. You
can define what type of data is in each cell and how different cells depend on
one another. The relationships
between cells are called formulas, and the names of the cells are called labels.
Once you have defined the cells
and the formulas for linking them together, you can enter your data.
You can then modify select values to see how all the other values change
accordingly.
Start
button in Microsoft
Windows, the control on the desktop task bar that opens the main menu.
Start
menu the image that appears if you put your mouse pointer over
the Start button and gently click one time with the left mouse button.
Some of the items are clickable.
Surge
protector - a device
that shields a computer and other electronic devices from surges in electrical
power, or transient voltage, that flow from the power supply.
Standard American voltage for home and office buildings is 120 volts.
Anything over this amount is considered transient and can damage electronic
devices that are plugged into an outlet. Even
though power surges are so brief that they are measured in nanoseconds, they can
cause considerable damage to electronic equipment.
A
surge protector works by channeling the extra voltage into the outlet's
grounding wire, preventing it from flowing through the electronic devices while
at the same time allowing the normal voltage to continue along its path.
Electrical surges can damage computer equipment by burning its wires or
gradually over time wearing down the devices internal components and even
wipe out any saved data.
Tab
key a key on the
computer keyboard that inserts a tab character or moves the insertion point to
the next tab stop. In tables, the
tab key moves the cursor to the next field or cell.
Table
data arranged in rows and columns.
Tab
settings see tab stop.
Tab
stop - a stop point for
tabbing. In word processing
programs, each line contains a number of tab stops placed at regular intervals
(for example, every half inch). They
can be changed, however, and you can set tab stops wherever you want.
When you press the Tab key, the cursor or insertion point jumps to the
next tab stop, which itself is invisible. Although
tab stops do not exist in the text file, the word processor keeps track of them
so that it can react correctly to the Tab key.
Template
- in
word processing and desktop publishing, a template file or form that defines the
layout of a document. When you fill
in a template, you specify such parameters as the page size, margins, and font.
Templates are useful because you can use the same template for many
documents.
Text
- words, sentences,
paragraphs. This resource notebook,
for example, consists of text. Text
processing refers to the ability to manipulate words, lines, and pages.
Title
bar - located on top of a window.
The title bar contains the name of the file or application.
You move (drag) a window by grabbing the title bar.
Toolbar
- a
series of selectable buttons that gives the user an easy way to select desktop
applications or browser functions. Toolbars
are typically displayed as either a horizontal row or a vertical column around
the edges of the display screen where they are visible while the application is
in use. Most applications use
toolbars as they give the user another option aside from pull-down menus.
Troubleshoot
- to
isolate the source of a problem and fix it.
In the case of computer systems, the term troubleshoot is usually
used when the problem is suspected to be hardware - related.
If the problem is known to be in software, the term debug is more
commonly used.
Underline
- to format a selection of
text so that the text is printed with a line slightly below it.
URL
- acronym for Uniform
Resource Locator. An address for a
resource on the Internet. URLs are used by Web browsers to locate Internet
resources. A URL specifies the
protocol to be used in accessing the resource (such as http: for a World Wide
Web page), the name of the server on which the resource resides (such as //www.whitehouse.gov),
and, optionally, the path to a resource (such as an HTML document or a file on
that server).
User
name
- A unique name
for each user of computer services that can be accessed by several persons.
Users need to identify themselves for accounting, security, logging, and
resource management. Usually a
person must also enter a password in order to access a service.
Once the user has logged on the operating system will often use a (short)
user identifier, e.g. an integer, to refer to them rather than their user name.
View
- To cause an application to
display information on a computer screen.
Web
address see URL.
Web
browser - software that
allows a user to locate, view, and access information from World Wide Web sites
via the use of a graphical interface (e.g. Internet Explorer, Netscape).
Web
page - A
document on the World Wide Web. Every
Web page is identified by a unique URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
Window - An enclosed, rectangular area on a display screen. Most operating systems and applications have graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that let you divide your display into several windows. Within each window, you can run a different program or display different data. Windows are particularly valuable in multitasking environments, which allow you to execute several programs at once. By dividing your display into windows, you can see the outputs from all the programs at the same time. To enter inputs into a program, you simply click on the desired window to make it the foreground process.
Word
processing software -
computer programs that allow documents to be typed, revised, formatted and
printed quickly and efficiently (e.g. Word, Word Perfect).