| Name |
Full Name |
Description |
| AAL5 |
ATM Adaption Layer |
|
| AC Link |
Audio Codec Link |
Audio and telephony protocol in PC Southbridge chip |
| ACPI |
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface |
Power management specification (succeeds APM, Intel's name IAPC= Instantly Available PC) |
| ADSL |
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line |
High speed digital line. Used for internet connections and high speed data transmission lines. Called "asymmetrical" because the download speed is higher than the upload speed. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is basically a high speed data pipe that can be used to transmit. |
| AeA |
American Electronics Association |
US electronics industry association. Counterpart of EICTA and JEITA. Link: www.aeanet.org |
| AGP |
Advanced Graphics Protocol |
bus interface protocol between CPU, Northbridge and graphics processor |
| ANSI |
American National Standard Institute |
Used with projectors: ANSI-Lumen |
| APM |
Advanced Power Management |
Power management specification (preceeded ACPI) |
| ASIC |
Application Specific Integrated Circuit |
A chip designed for a special program or application |
| ATA |
Advanced Technology Attachment |
Interface design to connect (internal) hard drives and optical drives, using the IDE protocol. |
| ATM |
Asynchronous Transfer Mode |
Dedicated connection switching technology. ATM is one of the main technologies behind ISDN. |
| ATM |
Automated Teller Machine |
|
| BAN |
Body Area Network (connects miscellaneous medical monitoring devices, area = 1.5 m) |
|
| BatteryMark |
|
Business Winstone BatteryMark by Ziff Davies: benchmark for testing battery life of a notebook. Simulates real-life office use with Windows Office applications (www.etestinglabs.com) |
| baud |
|
a measurement of transmission speed, defined as one electronic state change per second (bit per second). |
| BIOS |
Basic Input Output System |
All computer hardware has to work with software through an interface. The BIOS gives the computer a little built-in starter kit to run the rest of softwareïs from floppy disks (FDD) and hard disks (HDD). |
| Bluetooth |
|
wireless protocol for peripherals and input devices |
| BW |
Business Winstone |
Business Winstone is a system-level, application-based benchmark that measures a PCs overall performance when running today's top-selling Windows-based 32-bit applications on Windows 98 SE, Windows NT 4.0 (SP6 or later), Windows 2000, Windows Me, or Windows XP. Business Winstone doesn't mimic what these packages do; it runs real applications through a series of scripted activities and uses the time a PC takes to complete those activities to produce its performance scores. (www.etestinglabs.com) |
| CAN |
Campus / Controller / Complete / Customer / Car Area Network |
|
| CCD |
Charge Coupled Device |
An electronic memory which is able to be charged by light. CCDs can hold a variable charge, and this is why they are used in cameras and scanners to save variable shades of light. CCDs are analog, not digital. |
| CD |
Compact Disc |
Compact disc for audio. Sometimes called CD-A to distinguish from other types of CDs. |
| CD-A |
Conpact Disc Audio |
|
| CD-R |
Compact Disc - Recordable |
|
| CD-ROM |
Compact Disk - Read Only Media |
A compact disc format used to hold digital computer-readable information. Sometimes spelled CDROM. |
| CD-RW |
Compact Disc - Rewritable |
|
| CMOS |
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor |
A transistor technology used by most of todays computer microchips. |
| CPU |
Central Processing Unit |
Main processing chip of a computer. |
| CRT |
Cathode Ray Tube |
|
| DDR-DRAM |
Double Data Rate - DRAM |
Type of DRAM with double data transfer channels. |
| DIMM |
Dual In-line Memory Module |
Plug-in modules for DRAM except RDDRAM. |
| DLP |
Digital Light Projection |
Screen technology using light projection on a small chip with mirrors (MEMS). |
| DMA |
Direct Memory Access |
Specialized circuitry or a dedicated microprocessor to transfers data from memory to memory without using the CPU. Although DMA may periodically steal cycles from the CPU, data is transferred faster than using the CPU to process every single byte. |
| DMD |
Digital Mirror Display |
Projection display technology (Texas Instruments patent). |
| DNS |
Domain Name System |
DNS is a naming service that maps TCP/IP addresses to computer names. |
| dpi |
dots per inch |
Resolution standard, mostly used for printers (e.g. 600, 1200, 2400 dpi) . |
| DRAM |
Dynamic Random Access Memory |
Memory-chip on motherboard. |
| DSL |
Digital Subscriber Line |
High speed digital line. Used for internet connections and high speed data transmission lines. Upload and download speeds are equal. |
| DSLAM |
DSL Access Multiplier |
|
| DVB |
Digital Video Broadcasting |
An international digital broadcast standard for TV, audio and data. |
| DVD |
Digital Versatile Disc |
Successor of the CD (in its various formats) with enough storage space needed for a movie. |
| EACEM |
European Association of Consumer Electronics Manufacturers |
Now merged with computer manufacturers in the new EICTA. |
| ECP |
Extended Capabilities Port |
Faster Parallel Port standard (>1 Mbps max. transfer rate). |
| E-Commerce |
Electronic Commerce |
|
| EIA |
Electronic Industries Association |
|
| EIDE |
Enhanced IDE |
Commercial name for an interface for HDD, DVD, CD drive. |
| EICTA |
European Information, Communications and Consumer Technology Industry Association |
Previously EU computer manufacturers,. Since 1 Oct. 2001 merged with consumer electronics manufacturers EACEM, but retaining the old acronym EICTA. |
| EMR |
Electro Magnetic Radiation |
|
| EPP |
Enhanced Parallel Port |
Faster Parallel Port standard. |
| eSATA |
External SATA |
A serial version of the ATA (IDE) interface for external hard disk drives and optical drives, providing an external, hot swappable drive solution similar to USB. |
| FDD |
Floppy Disk Drive |
|
| FSB |
Frontside Bus |
|
| GNIUS-MOM |
Message Oriented Middleware |
Developed by the EU for M-Commerce (GNIUS project). |
| GPRS |
General Packet Radio Service |
Additional data service for GSM 144 kb/s. |
| GSM |
Global System for Mobile communication |
Digital mobile communication network system. |
| HAVi |
Home Audio Video Interoperability |
Protocol for home networking, promoted by audio-visual electronics industry. |
| HDD |
Hard Disk Drive |
|
| HiperACCESS |
High Performance Radio Access |
40.5 - 43.5 GHz band ETSI protocol for point-to-multipoint communications of large buildings and residential areas. |
| HiperLAN2 |
High Performance Radio LAN |
New ETSI communication protocol for wireless communication (5GHz band, 54 Mbit/s, 200-500 m range). |
| HiperMAN |
High Performance Radio Metropolitan Area Networks |
Frequency between 2 and 11 GHz: connects HiperLAN2 and HiperACCESS. |
| HiSwan |
High Speed Wireless Access |
Japanese (ARIB) version of HiperLAN2 (5GHz band). |
| HomeRF |
|
Protocol for wireless LAN and Connected Appliances. |
| HomePNA |
Home Phoneline Networking Alliance |
Protocol for phoneline based LAN and Connected Appliances. |
| HTML |
Hyper Text Mark-up Language |
Simple script language used to generate internet sites. |
| ICQ |
"I seek you" |
Popular instant messaging software for direct SMS, e-mail, VoIP, etc. over the Internet (other types: MS Windows Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Instant Messenger). |
| IDE |
Integrated Drive Electronics |
Bus protocol for Hard Disk Drives, CD-ROMs and DVDs. |
| IEEE |
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers |
|
| IEEE1284 |
|
Describes ECP and EPP (fast parallel ports). |
| IEEE1394 |
Firewire/iLink |
High-speed serial bus developed by Apple and Texas Instruments that allows for the connection of up to 63 devices. |
| IEEE802.11a |
|
Wireless communications protocol. |
| IEEE802.11b |
|
Wireless communications protocol. |
| IEEE802.3 |
|
Ethernet communications protocol. |
| IMAP |
Internet Message Access Protocol |
Alternative to POP3. |
| IP |
Internet Protocol |
|
| IR |
Infrared |
|
| ISA |
Industry Standard Architecture |
Standard I/O bus defined by IBM in 1984. Capable of 16 bit data transfer (originally 8 bit). |
| ISDN |
Integrated Service Digital Network |
A digital communication line. |
| JEITA |
Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association |
www.jeita.or.jp |
| LAN |
Local Area Network |
|
| LCD |
Liquid Crystal Display |
Display technology (flat screens). |
| LEP |
Light Emitting Polymer |
Screen technology (now used for smaller displays). |
| LPC |
Low Pin Count |
Controller protocol for legacy devices in a PC. Connects to Super I/O chip. |
| LPT |
Line PrinTer |
Other name for 'parallel' port in PC (150 kbps max. transfer rate). |
| LSI |
Large Scale Integration |
A chip design technology where many, components are combined on one single micro-chip. (e.g. RF on LSI for Bluetooth). |
| MAN |
Metropolitan Area Network |
|
| M-Commerce |
Mobile Commerce |
|
| MiniDV |
Miniature Digital Video |
Small format video tape for digital camcorders. |
| MMS |
Multimedia Messaging Service |
Messaging protocol based on WAP, also compatible with SMS (new in 2002). |
| MOSFET |
Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field |
|
| MP3 |
|
File extension for MPEG audio layer 3 files.
MP3 is a 'lossy' compression technology for compressing sound into very small files. The file size is about 1/10 (depending on compression rate) of the original file, with practically no audible loss. |
| NVRAM |
Non Volatile RAndom Access Memory |
RAM memory, e.g. used in CMOS chip in a PC, together with the RTC to hold basic system configuration. |
| OpenGL |
OPEN Graphics Language |
3D graphics language developed by SGI, which has become the standard endorsed by many vendors. |
| PAL |
Phase Alternate Line |
Transmission standard for analogue TV (in EU). |
| PC |
Personal Computer |
|
| PCMCIA |
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association |
PC Card, mostly found on notebooks. Available in types I, II, III and IV. |
| PDA |
Personal Digital Assistant |
|
| PDP |
Plasma Discharge Panel |
|
| pixel |
|
A word invented from "picture element". Is the basic unit of programmable color on a computer display or in a computer image. The physical size of a pixel depends on how you've set the resolution for the display screen. |
| PLC |
Programmable Logic Controller |
A computer used in process control applications. PLC microprocessors are normally RISC-based and are designed for high-speed and realtime. |
| POP3 |
Post Office Protocol |
E-mail protocol. |
| POTS |
Plain Old Telephone System |
|
| PPP |
Point to Point Protocol. |
PPP enables you to connect your computer directly to the Internet using an ordinary telephone line. |
| PPPoA |
PPP over ATM |
|
| PPPoE |
Point-to-Point Protocol Over Ethernet |
|
| PSTN |
Public Switched Telephone Network |
Analogue telephone 56 kb/s. |
| PWM |
Pulse Width Modulation |
Control procedure (alternative is e.g. voltage regulation). |
| RAM |
Random Access Memory |
The working area in a computers memory. RAM is also present on several other devices like graphic adapters. |
| RDRAM |
Rambus DRAM |
Fast type of RAM, also called DirectRambus-DRAM. Modules are usually called RIMM. |
| RF |
Radio Frequency |
|
| RIMM |
Rambus In-line Memory Modules |
Memory modules for RDRAM. |
| RISC |
Reduced Instruction Set Computing |
CPU type. The typical UNIX machine is a RISC. |
| RS-232 |
|
Serial port in PC. Standard serial connector interface approved by by EIA (newer, backward compatible standard is RS-422). |
| RTC |
Real Time Clock |
System clock in a CMOS chip. |
| S0, S1.S5 |
|
Various standby-levels defined by ACPI. |
| SAN |
Storage Area Network |
|
| SATA |
Serial ATA |
A serial version of the ATA (IDE) interface for (internal) hard disk drives and optical drives. |
| SDSL |
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line |
DSL intended for business. |
| SMS |
Short Message Services |
Messaging service commonly used on GSM networks. |
| SRAM |
Static RAM |
Quicker than DRAM because no need of refereshing. Typically used for Cache memory. |
| SVGA |
Super Video Graphics Array |
Screen resolution of 800x600 pixels. Later (inaccurately) also used to refer to 1024x768 (and higher) pixel displays. |
| S-Video |
Super Video |
Analogue video signal type in which luminance and colour signals are sent separately. |
| TCP/IP |
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol |
|
| UMTS |
Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems |
3rd generation mobile telephone, up to 2 Mb/s. |
| UNIX |
|
UNIX (pronounced "yu-niks") is an operating system that originated at Bell Labs in 1969. The name was originally spelled "UNICS" (a pun on Multics), which stands for UNiplexed Information and Computing System. |
| UPS |
Uninterruptable Power Supply |
Battery device between power mains and PC that protects PC from power problems (blackout, surges). |
| USB |
Universal Serial Bus |
New universal port for computers and peripherals. Supported by Mac OS, Mac OS X, Windows 95 / Windows 98 / Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Comes in versions 1.1 and 2.0. |
| VCR |
Video Casette Recorder |
|
| VDSL |
Very high data rate Digital Subscriber Line |
Very fast internet at 52 Mbit/s. |
| VGA |
Video Graphics Array |
A video adapter that duplicates all the video modes of the EGA (Enhanced Graphics Adapter) and adds several more. (usually refers to 640x480 pixel resolution). |
| VoIP |
Voice over IP |
Telephoning using the Internet. |
| VPN |
Virtual Private Network |
|
| WAN |
Wide Area Network |
A communications network that covers a wide geographic area, such as state or country. |
| WAP |
Wireless Application Protocol |
Language that makes it possible to access the Internet from a mobile phone. |
| WECA |
Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance |
Alliance to promote the Wi-Fi. |
| Wi-Fi |
Wireless Fidelity |
Wireless LAN standard (IEEE 802.11). |
| WLAN |
Wireless Local Area Network |
|
| WLL |
Wireless Local Loop |
Radio telephone comparable with PSTN and ISDN. |
| WOL |
Wake-up On-Line |
Protocol to wake up Ethernet card. |
| XML |
Extensible Markup Languange |
|
| XVGA |
Extended Video Graphics Array |
Screen resolution of 1024x768 pixels. |
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