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Please find below the most common terms/jargon used in this industry should there be words we have not covered please click on the link www.webopedia.com for a complete jargon busting dictionary
10/100 LAN or Ethernet 802.3
This is a network interface card or NIC, that supports two kinds of network speeds: 10 megabits per second or 100 megabits per second. Most cards support Full duplex (send & receive at once)
10/100/1000 LAN or gigabit Ethernet 802.3
This is a network interface card or NIC, that supports two kinds of network speeds: 10 megabits per second, 100 megabits per second & 1000 megabits per second. Most cards support Full duplex (send & receive at once)
Adware
This is a form of intrusive software that installs itself on a computer when a user browses culprit web pages. When a rogue web page is opened the HTML code forces an installation of software which is either a nuisance or harmful to the trouble free action of the computer. Common adware effects are pop-ups, home page hijacking, misdirection of searches through common search engines. To avoid adware users are advised to avoid free screensavers & desktop themes, pornographics websites & fileshare programs ie kazaa, bearshare, ares etc. This is because many of these "free" programs are AD - Supported.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth - this is a form of wireless technology generally used in laptops for communication between mobile phones, some printers, mobile phone headsets, PDAs, camcorders(not often used for networking) there are now many types including: Class1 (up to 100 metres), Class 2 (up to 20 metres) & Class 3 (up to 10 metres).
Broadband
Term given to high speed internet access - speeds generally start at 250kbps. There are 3 main types just to make things a bit more fun: 1. ADSL or Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line - this service is received over a normal telephone line (copper wire) and is only available a few kilometres away from a telephone exchange. An ADSL "Annexe A" modem is required to utilise this service in the UK. 2. DSL Digital Subscriber Line - this service is usually supplied by a companies such as Telewest & NTL. It is normally more reliable than copper wire services and suffers less service interruption - however be prepared for your walls to be drilled - requires cable modem for operation. These suppliers will generally supply you wired (but not Wireless) equipment. 3. Satellite Broadband - as it sounds needs a satellite dish - costly and less commonly used - only for customers in remote areas as the distance the signal must travel results in a 1400ms delay from the click of a button. This means the technology is not suitable for web browsing, although constant download speeds are sometimes better than terrestrial broadband.
Cache Memory
This is costly high speed memory built into: computer motherboards, hard drives motherboards, processors, CD Drives etc it is used as a high speed data buffer to accelerate the speed of each device. A typical example of how useful cache is - Intel has produced a range of processors called Celeron - these generally have 16kb of Cache memory and are noticeably slower than the same GHZ processor in the Pentium 4 Range which has 256kb cache. Cache is good stuff!
CD Burning/Writing
Term used for recording data onto a CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW discs. Laptops that are equipped with CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW drives allow users to record data, images, music or video files onto blank discs. Users new to burning CDs/DVDs are advised to buy 'Roxio CD Creator' or 'Nero CD Burning' to make life easier and to prevent mistakes such as not closing sessions or fixing disks from occurring.
CD-R/RW Drive
Compact Disc Recordable or Rewritable drive. A CD-R/RW drive can record data, images or music/video files onto blank CDR(can be written to once) or CDRW(can be written to many times) Disks. Capacity of disks 600 - 800Mb
Centrino (Intel)
This is Pentium-M processor + the Intel 855PM chipset + Intel Pro wireless chipset, only laptops that use all of these together can use the Centrino logo. This processor runs cooler and uses considerably less power than PI PII PIII P4 Celeron Athlon & Duron it has at least 1Mb of Cache and is more costly than its predecessors. The end user should expect battery lives of approx 5 hours(depending on make), cooling fans will run less therefore quieter. Laptops with Centrino processors are generally lighter as less cooling equipment is needed.
CPU
Central Processing Unit or processor. Speed Generally measured in Ghz. Be careful, the bigger the number of Ghz doesn't always mean faster processor. Processors with less cache will run significantly slower. Processors in order of Cache size starting with largest cache:Xeon, Centrino, PentiumM, Pentium4, Athlon, Duron, Celeron. AMD athlon processors have a lower core speed however are quicker than their P4 equivalents through clever architecture.
DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. DHCP is a means of automatically getting an IP address and connecting to a network. Due to the limitations of the TCP/IP (internet) protocol, most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) use DHCP to allocate addresses to their users as they come online, and others disconnect.
Docking Station
A docking station is a separate device that laptop PCs can be plugged into when at home or office.. Normally doc stations will charge the laptop batteries when 'docked' & allow connection to external devices such as monitors, keyboards, mice, network modem etc
DVD R/RW Drive
Digital Versatile Disc or DVD recorder come in various flavours as listed below . A DVD R/RW drive can record data, images or music/video files onto blank DVDR(can be written to once) or DVDRW(can be written to many times) Disks.
- DVD-R : This format and is the most compatible of all the DVD formats withPC DVD ROMs and home DVD players format & hold upto 4.7GB of data. It is the cheapest of the recordable DVD discs but can be written to only once
- DVD-RW : As DVD-R but also re-writable. Disk needs formatting before re-use. DVD-RW's are not compatible with some older DVD players and DVD ROM drives.
- DVD+R : Newer standard than DVD-R. DVD+R has a defect management system, which improves the performance of the disc and reduced writing times over DVD-R. It is also compatible with most of the newer DVD ROM drives and home DVD players.
- DVD+RW : As DVD+R but also re-writeable. However DVD+RW's are not compatible with some PC DVD players and DVD ROM drives.
Ethernet
Ethernet is a term used to describe 10, 100, 1000mb/s copper wire networks. Devices are usually connected via a Hub, Switch, or crossed network lead.
Firewire™ or IEEE1394
A very fast port that supports data transfer rates of up to 400Mb/sec (in 1394a) and 800Mbps (in 1394b).A single 1394 port can be used to connect up 63 external devices. In addition to its high speed it can also deliver data at a guaranteed rate, this makes it ideal for real time video editing.
Floppy Drive - Fdd
A slot that takes a 3.5 inch square diskette that is able to store 1.44Mb
GB (gigabyte)
A gigabyte is a measurement of data storage that equals 1,024 megabytes. In order to understand storage better:- an average document written in Microsoft Word (2-3 pages of text) is 30Kb or (0.03Mb) If you have a 1Gb hard drive you will be able to store around 102,400 such documents or 10,000 photographs (standard jpegs of 100K) or 300 MP3s (approx 3Mb in size).
GHz (gigahertz)
Abbreviation for gigahertz. Describes the speed of a computer's processor. One gigahertz equals one billion cycles per second; each computer task requires a certain amount of cycles to run. Be careful, the bigger the Ghz number doesn't always mean faster processor. Processors with less cache will run significantly slower. Processors in order of Cache size starting with largest cache: Xeon, Centrino, Pentium M, Pentium4, Athlon, Duron, Celeron. AMD Athlon processors are not named in terms of the Ghz but are named by their equivalent performance.
Hard drive or HDD
The hard drive is your laptop's storage area for files & programs. The computer's hard drive serves as the main data storage area for the operating system (e.g. Windows XP), programs (e.g. Microsoft Word) and documents (e.g. your letters) and is measured in Gb (gigabytes)
Hot Spot
Hot spots are locations where you can log onto the Internet via a public wireless access point. All you need is a Wi-Fi networking card, which is currently sold as an add-on option or intergrated on some laptops. Many airports, railway stations, hotels, even coffee bars are now equipped with Hot spots.
IEEE 1394 Connection or Firewire or iLink
IEEE 1394 is a high-speed port that is used to connect external devices such as camcorders, external hard drives to your computer. Same technology as Firewire, and thus can be used to provide a cheap and fast network between two machines or devices, using only an inexpensive cable.
Infrared (IRDA)
This is a port on your laptop that uses infra red light as means of communication. The device is generally used as a means of data transfer between laptops mobile phones and printers. The infra red ports on both devices have to be lined and no more than a few metres apart for this to work. This can be somewhat slow & often difficult to setup. The maximum speed supported by an IRDA device is currently 4mbps
IP address
Internet Protocol - a series of four numbers separated by dots (e.g. 192.168.0.1) that identify computers on a network & the internet. Three types of IP network exist currently, with more in the pipeline. Class A networks are usually between Name Servers, Web Servers & Routers at major country to country backbones, Class B Network ranges are for Wide area corporate organisations and groups of servers, Class C ranges are for private networks and are used the world over in offices and homes. A Typical Class C Address Range would be 10.0.0.1 - 10.0.0.255, or 192.168.0.1 - 192.168.0.255. These networks can accommodate up to 254 devices without a bridge or router.
ISDN
Integrated Service Digital Network - is a standard established by ITU (International Telecommunication Union). enables digital traffic over existing copper wires. This means that a household can have two telephone numbers the same connection. ISDN internet speeds are on average twice as fast as with an ordinary telephone line and a 56k modem. Users need an ISDN Terminal Adapter installed to use the service - although some telecoms suppliers provide this via USB.
ISP
Internet Service Provider. A company that provides Internet access to individual or corporate customers over dial-up, DSL, cable, satellite, and increasingly WI-FI Hotspot.
LAN
Local Area Network or LAN is a group of linked computers that share files & common resources such as a high-speed link to the Internet and printers. A LAN may also connect computers to a file server. A LAN may serve as few as two or three users in a home network, or many thousand users in a building. Can be wired using BNC, Cat5, Cat6, Fibre Optic Cable or Wireless by means of WI-FI products.
Laptop PC
A laptop or laptop is a portable computer that is small enough to be easily carried. Laptops are powered by mains and rechargeable battery. Laptops also come with a built-in flat screen monitor, mouse a keyboard. Average weight of a laptop is approx 3kg.
Li-ion or Lithium-ion
Almost all laptops now use Lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are geared to last approximately 1000 charge cycles or 3-5 years average use. Most warranties on batteries are shorter than the laptop itself as the product is disposable. It is best practice to charge & discharge your battery at least once a month to keep your battery in good condition. Leaving a battery uncharged for long periods of time will destroy your battery's ability to hold charge.
MAC address
Stands for Media Access Control address. It's a string of numbers and letters (e.g. 00-C0-4F-68-89-D6) that uniquely identifies a network device, such as a network interface card or a wireless network card. To find your mac address you need to open a dos prompt window (in some operating systems you may have to type 'cmd' or 'command' in your run bar) - then type 'ipconfig /all'. This will list all the network cards in your system and their MAC addresses. Cable internet service providers use MAC addresses to restrict internet access from unauthorised computers.
Malware
Derived from malicious software - which has been deliberately designed to damage or disrupt your computers function. These could be viruses browser hijackers etc
MB (megabyte)
A megabyte is one million bytes a measurement of data storage. 1,024 megabytes is equal to one gigabyte. A computer's RAM and hard disk space is typically measured in megabytes. In terms of measure of storage typically 1 megabyte will store 40 3 page word documents, 10 average resolution photographs, 2 high resolution photos & 1/3rd of an MP3 file. A standard 3.5" floppy disk drive will store 1.44Mb of data
MHz (megahertz)
Abbreviation for megahertz. Describes the speed of a computer's processor, the taskmaster of the computer. 1000Mhz = 1Ghz. The speed is a great indicator of how quick the computer will perform certain tasks. Although this is not really equivalent to miles per hour but rather the engine size. AMD athlon processors have a lower core MHZ speed but will in tests outperform their P4 equivalents (An AMD Athlon 2500+ would only have a core speed of 1.7Ghz but would outperform its P4 2.5 equivalent - therefore for marketing reasons the manufacturer has chosen to name its processors differently rather than quote the mhz/ghz speed. To gain speed do not just look at the processor speed also look at hard drive spindle speed, motherboard bus speed - all of these are major contributors in overall performance
Mobile IntelŪ PentiumŪ 4 Processor-M
The "M" in Mobile IntelŪ PentiumŪ 4 Processor-M indicates that the processor was specifically designed for use in a laptop. It includes low power technologies -- not included in the desktop versions that helps to extend battery life. When purchasing a laptop, consumers should look for the "M" for low power consumption, lower heat generation and enhanced battery life. Users of this kind of technology will also notice that cooling fans will work less frequently and internal components are less likely to be heat-stressed.
Network Interface Card or NIC
Also known as an ethernet card an NIC is an upgrade card that allows a computer to connect to a network.
OEM
An Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) - Generally OEM Equipment can only be supplied with a new PC or a hardware device which is essential to the running of a PC.
Operation System or OS
This is the software that allows your laptop to function, the most common being Microsoft Windows, Linux and the Apple MAC OS. They generally include a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that acts as an interpreter between the user and the machine code language that make the computer function.
Outlook
A Microsoft e-mail/calendar program for Windows and Macs. Outlook Express is calendar-less version provided free with most Microsoft operating systems
PCMCIA card (or PC card)
A credit-card sized module that provides a huge choice of upgrades to a portable computer. Examples of these are wireless LAN cards, USB 2.0 adapters, firewire adapters, external CDROMs & modems. PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (or, more humorously, People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms). PCMCIA is a nonprofit trade association founded to standardize the connection of peripherals to portable computers.
PDA
Personal Digital Assistant. a small handheld computer that can serve as: an address book, calendar, sometimes a phone, or email and Internet access device. Popular PDAs include Compaq iPaq & Palm. PDA's increasingly include Wi-Fi & Bluetooth devices to provide easy connectivity to PCs or laptops. PDA's are now also widely used as personal Satellite Navigation devices. These devices do not run hard drives or CD drives and are not easily serviceable.
Peripheral
An external device such as a printer or scanner.
Pixels
The dots that make up the picture on a computer screen, the more pixels the display has the finer the detail that can be displayed.
POP (Post Office Protocol)
POP is an e-mail retrieval method that allows you to download local copies of your e-mail from the mail server to your computer.
Popup
These are highly annoying windows that appear out of the blue whilst the user browses web sites that try do destruct the user with advertising material To avoid popups users are advised to avoid free screensavers & desktop themes, pornographics websites & fileshare programs ie kazaa, bearshare, ares etc. Also associated with adware.
Ports
These are the sockets on the back of your laptop that allow connection to other devices such as printers, monitors, scanners, cameras etc.
Processor or CPU
The processor is basically a very powerful calculator that is able to perform millions of calculations per second (speed depends on Ghz & processor architecture). Intel and AMD are currently market leaders in manufacturing processor chips. AMD do not use the clock(ghz) speed as the true rating of the CPU's speed, they use the name of the processor i.e Athlon 2400+, Athlon 2600+ etc. to indicate the expected performance.
PS/2
A port used to connect either an external keyboard or mouse to your laptop. It can also be used to power other small external devices such as external hard drives.
RAM (Random Access Memory)
RAM is the memory available to run computer programs. Upgrading (or increasing) your computer's RAM can boost computer performance.
RJ-45 cable
Also known as a network cable or Ethernet cable. Normally used to connect 2 computers together - network card to network card - (crossover wiring) or many computers to a network hub.
Screen Resolution Standard Screens 4:3 aspect ratio displays:
- VGA Video Graphics Array 640 x 480
- SVGA Super Video Graphics Array 800 x 600
- XGA Extended Graphics Array 1024 x 768
- SXGA Super Extended Graphics Array 1280 x 1024
- SXGA+ Super Extended Graphics Array 1400 x 1050
- UXGA Ultra Extended Graphics Array 1600 x 1200
- QXGA Quad Extended Graphics Array 2048 x 1536
- QSXGA Quad Super Extended Graphics Array 2560 x 2048
- QUXGA Quad Ultra Extended Graphics Array 3200 x 2400
Screen Resolutions Wide Screens 16:9 Displays, 16:10 Displays:
- WXGA Wide Extended Graphics Array 1366 x 768
- WSXGA Wide Super Extended Graphics Array 1600 x 1024
- WSXGA+ Wide Super Extended Graphics Array 1680 x 1050
- WUXGA Wide Ultra Extended Graphics Array 1920 x 1200
- WQSXGA Wide Quad Super Extended Graphics Array 3200 x 2048
- WQUXGA Wide Quad Ultra Extended Graphics Array 3840 x 2400
Serial Port
A small rectangular port about 2cm long with 9 pins sticking out mainly used for programming devices - data capture/transfer & controlling external devices such as robots.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
A means of sending e-mail from an e-mail program to a mail server which then relays your message to recipients.
Software
Software is the general term for programs that make PCs and other electronic devices function & /or perform a particular task. Eg. Microsoft Word is software that allows a user to perform word processing tasks.
SpeedStep™ Intel Technology
SpeedStep™ technology is a power saving feature supported in both the Mobile Intel Pentium IIIM the Mobile Intel Pentium 4M. The technology is smart enough to know how much performance you need to run a specific application. When maximum performance is required, the processor runs at the highest speed. When maximum performance is not needed, the processor speed and power is reduced. This reduction in power helps to extend battery life.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. A set of standards for how computers and other devices communicate with each other over networks. Developed in the 1960's by the United States government, originally intended solely to network government agencies. TCP/IP allowed computers from different manufacturers to talk to each other in a common way for the first time, and it became the foundation of the Internet.
TFT Display
Thin Film Transistor or 'active' displays are now the main type of screen used in a laptop. These are brighter & clearer displays that have wider viewing angles and faster redrawing speeds than the older passive or dual-scan (DSTN) displays.
Touchpad Mouse
This is a rectangular square that some laptop manufacturers build into the palmrest to act as a pointer or a mouse. This device is touch sensitive and the pointer is controlled by simple finger movements over the touchpad. Avoid greasy hands or cold environments to maintain reliable action.
Trackstick or Trackpoint mouse
This is another type of mouse used by laptop manufacturers and it is normally built in the centre of a keyboard (looks a bit like a pencil rubber). It works a bit like a joystick and it is sensitive to small finger pressure. Customers new to laptops may find trackpoints may take slightly longer to learn to use than touchpads. Trackpoint mice are unaffected by grease/dirt or cold.
URL or Uniform Resource Locator
This is a web address that you would type in the search or address area of your browser eg. www.google.co.uk or www.notebooksuk.com
USB or Universal Serial Bus
Universal Serial Bus is the standardized connection technology for most PC peripherals today. The USB allows the use of one common connector to link various types of products (such as digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs & printers) into one plug. A single socket can support up to 127 devices at a maximum speed of 12Mb/sec via use of USB splitters called 'USB hubs'. Most laptop PCs come with at least one USB connection. There are now 2 standards USB 1.0 & USB 2.0. USB 2.0 supports data transfer rates of up to 480Mb/second.
Video or graphics chipset
These are graphics chips that determine how quickly your computer will perform graphics/video task. The performance of these chips is measured by benchmark software and the graphics speed is stated by RAMDAC speed. Top chipsets for CAD & games currently are ATI Mobility Radeon 9000, 9200 and 9800 and nVidia Geforce Go5200, 5600 and 5700. A graphics chip needs Video Ram to do its job. Some laptop manufacturers may "share" part of the system memory for graphics usage in order to lower manufacturing costs. This is fine for most business tasks, but will result in poor performance on 3D Games.
Video RAM or VRAM
This is the memory that the laptop's graphics chipset uses to display video/graphics on the screen. The more memory the laptop has the higher the resolution and more colours can be viewed on the display. It is important to mention that a laptop running any version of windows /linux can only use a limited amount of this ram for normal windows applications. For example a laptop with an xga screen) 1024x768 & 4Mb of Video Ram and another of the same spec but with 32Mb of video would both have a maximum capability of running 32bit colour(16 Million colours). All windows/linux applications would run at the same speed on both machines. However users running CAD & Games would use the advantage of any Ram in excess 4Mb for spinning objects in 3D, simulated walks though buildings, fast shoot them up & racing games etc. A laptop running 1600x1200 screen would use 16Mb of Video RAM to display 32bit colour any memory provided in excess of this could be used for games/CAD. So the amount of video ram required is proportional to screen resolution & colour depth that can be displayed.
Virus
"A parasitic program written intentionally to enter a computer without the users permission or knowledge. The word parasite is used because a virus attaches to files or boot sectors and replicates itself, thus continuing to spread. Though some virus's do little but replicate others can cause serious damage or effect program and system performance. A virus should never be assumed harmless and left on a system." -Symantec
WAP
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a set of standardised communications rules used to allow mobile appliances such as mobile phones to access special Web sites and e-mail. WAP also enables Internet access and a range of different services from a mobile phone.
WAN
Wide Area Network, a WAN is a large network in which computers are connected to each other over a long distance, using telephone lines and satellite communications. For example; a global company could have a WAN network to connect all offices in different cities and countries together, while each office would operate from its own internal LAN
WEP
Wireless Encryption Protocol is method of securing wireless traffic by encrypring wireless signal
WIFI 11b
This is a wireless network card that supports 11Mbps (sometimes referred to as 802.11b).
WIFI 11g
This is a wireless network card that supports 54Mbps (sometimes referred to as 802.11g) and is backwardly compatible with the 11Mbps 802.11b.
Wi-Fi / WLAN
Wireless Fidelity or Wireless LAN. Basically this is wire free networking with a typical range of 100-300 feet. With high speed internet access on the increase many users now choose wireless networking to share files & internet access both at home & the office. More powerful products are now available to increase the range of your wireless LAN. Users are advised to secure Wireless Access Points & Routers with WEP or MAC address restriction to prevent unauthorised access.
Windows 95
Microsoft Windows 95 - Basic operating system works well with most software - win95b release was more stable less crashes - tip is not to overload this OS with too much software or will become unstable another tip is to backup your system files & registry. Users of this operating system may find it difficult to install modern internet service providers disks as only Internet Explorer versions 5.5 or lower are supported
Windows 98
Microsoft Windows 98 This is an excellent Operating system for the beginner - it is easy to use & stable and has an automatic registry backup feature so if the user loads something that disagrees with the Operating System, the fault can be easily rectified the by running the Microsoft 'scanreg' utility. Microsoft have also launched Windows 98SE which is a bit more resistant to crashes and may be better suited to heavier use.
Windows Me
Microsoft Windows Me - (Millenium edition) This operating system is OK for users who do not expect too much as there is very little driver support for plug-in devices such as modems printers etc - we found it to be less stable than Windows 98 but OK for general home use.
Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows 2000 - this operating system is widely used & accepted in business today - its know for its stability & security. Virtually all modern business software will run in this operating system apart from games. User are advised to make full backup of this OS as there is no automatic backup of the registry for security reasons. Virtually no crashes.
Windows XP Home
Microsoft Windows XP Home - a good operating system for general use - very stable. Driver support is good - may be slightly daunting to new users however it is modern & full of useful features. On a negative - you have to register the operating system every time you install it and by default the operating system will try to speak to mother ship every time you connect to the internet to check for updates & service packs - in principle this is a good idea - but we have found that many times this can make a perfectly stable system unstable so our advice is to turn automatic updates off in your services area - update windows manually and backup beforehand.
Windows XP Pro
Microsoft Windows XP Pro - a good operating system for general use & office networking - very stable. Driver support is good - may be slightly daunting to new users however it is modern & full of useful features. On a negative - you have to register the operating system every time you install it and by default the operating system will try to speak to mother ship every time you connect to the internet to check for updates & service packs - in principle this is a good idea - but we have found that many times this can make a perfectly stable system unstable so our advice is to turn automatic updates off in your services area - update windows manually and backup beforehand.
Wireless Access Point
Sometimes referred to as AP/wireless hub or base station. This device transmits and receives Wi-Fi wireless signal (range approx 100M in open air and approx 25m in buildings depending on wall density. Some APs allow extended aerials to be fitted to increase range). Access points require a medium level of computer knowledge to set up correctly. Users are advised to secure Wireless Access Points with WEP or MAC address restriction to prevent unauthorised access.
Worm
Computer Worms are viruses that reside in the active memory of a computer and duplicate themselves. They may send copies of themselves to other computers, such as through email or Internet Relay Chat (IRC) - to avoid these problems users are advised to use a firewall & up to date antivirus software.