Are you new to Windows
10 or just not sure about all things technology? You're not alone. There's so
much to remember and keep track of. However, when dealing with computers and
technology, some terms pop up so frequently that you'll find it worthwhile to
memorize them or at least understand where they come from.
Here are some of the
more common terms that it would be good to be familiar with:
General Terms
1.
Windows 10 - is the
operating system.
2.
Programs - are computer
games. For example, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Word, Google Chrome, Xbox
Video, and those nasty viruses you've heard about.
3.
Software -
is programs and apps.
4.
Install - means to add
an app or program on your computer or to set it up so that it works.
5.
Started/Ran/Executed - are all terms for cranking up or opening a program on
your computer.
6.
Stopped/Finished/Exited - all mean you closed the program in the manner in which
it was to be done.
7.
Crashed means a program
stopped running with a weird error message.
8.
Froze/Stopped Responding - means the program just sits there, and you can't get it
to do anything, no matter how you click your mouse or poke the screen.
9.
A bug - is something
that doesn't work right. (A bug is not a virus! Viruses work as intended far
too often.)
10. Uploading something means you're
sending something from your computer to the Internet.
11. Downloading - something
means taking it off the Internet and putting it on your computer.
12. The Cloud - is just a
marketing term for the Internet. Saying that you put your data "in the
cloud" means you copied it to storage on the Internet.
13. Network - means linking
computers together.
14. A Wi-Fi network - doesn't use wires when you network computers together.
15. Hub/Router - are terms for
the box that sits at the heart of a network that computers can plug into. If
the hub has rabbit ears on top for wireless connections, it's usually called
a Wi-Fi router. (Some Wi-Fi routers may not have antennae
outside.)
16. Wired -
means that to look up information on the Internet you must plug
into a wall.
17. Wireless - means you
don't have to plug into a wall and falls into two categories: Wi-Fi
connections, as you'll find in many homes, coffee shops, airports, and some
exceptionally enlightened cities' common areas; and cellular (mobile phone)
wireless connections.
18. Broadband -
is what you have if you plug your Internet connection into the
wall.
19. Viruses/Worm/Trojans - in general, are programs that replicate and can be harmful.
20. Spyware - gathers
information about you and then phones home with all the juicy details.
21. Adware - gets in your
face, all too frequently installing itself on your computer without your
knowledge or consent.
.
Key
Board Functions
1. Control key - This key, labeled Ctrl on most keyboards, is used in
conjunction with other keys to cause the computer to perform
some action. (Ctrl & P) is Print.
2. Esc (ape) key - This key, on the upper left corner of the
keyboard, is the “When All Else Fails” key. If you have taken
some action that you realize was not a correct one, and you
don’t see any command on the screen that will let you
correct it, try pressing Esc. Often the program will go back to your
previous action and give you a chance to correct the mistake.
3. Movement keys - The arrow keys control movement of items
on the screen as well as other functions. It is easier to use these keys
to control movement of the insertion point.
Mouse
1. The Mouse - is a pointing device. It is also a selecting device. When you move the mouse around on your mouse pad, you cause a pointeron your monitor to move in the same direction. When the pointer rests on an item on the screen, you can select (highlight) that item by clicking a button on the mouse.
2. Mouse pointer - The mouse pointer takes on different shapes depending on the software program you are using and where you position the pointer on the computer screen.
3. Arrow – This is the most common pointer shape and is the standard. Some programs use a hand with the index finger extended. The arrow is used to point to items.
4. Busy (Moving Circle) - A circle appears when the computer is busy
doing tasks like opening or saving a large document. The computer will not respond to any commands while this symbol is present on the screen.
5. I-bard - When the pointer moves within an area where text can be typed or edited, it appears in the shape of an I-bar. When you click the mouse button, an insertion point appears where you can begin to type or edit text.
1. The Mouse - is a pointing device. It is also a selecting device. When you move the mouse around on your mouse pad, you cause a pointeron your monitor to move in the same direction. When the pointer rests on an item on the screen, you can select (highlight) that item by clicking a button on the mouse.
2. Mouse pointer - The mouse pointer takes on different shapes depending on the software program you are using and where you position the pointer on the computer screen.
3. Arrow – This is the most common pointer shape and is the standard. Some programs use a hand with the index finger extended. The arrow is used to point to items.
4. Busy (Moving Circle) - A circle appears when the computer is busy
doing tasks like opening or saving a large document. The computer will not respond to any commands while this symbol is present on the screen.
5. I-bard - When the pointer moves within an area where text can be typed or edited, it appears in the shape of an I-bar. When you click the mouse button, an insertion point appears where you can begin to type or edit text.
Removable Disks
1. CDs – Most Compact Disks used by computers can hold almost 700 MB of data. CDs are usually for computer storage record of music.
1. CDs – Most Compact Disks used by computers can hold almost 700 MB of data. CDs are usually for computer storage record of music.
2. DVDs – These disks are similar to CDs
in appearance and in their uses, but they can hold much more
information than a CD. Most DVDs can hold about 4.7 gigs of
information—about as much as 7 CDs.
3. USB Drive – Sometimes
the word Flash, Jump or Key is added to description.
May contain 2G to 32G Storage space.
Glossary
of Terms and Acronyms
1. Active - Refers to the state of the window that that is currently selected.
2. Application - A software program used for a particular task, such as word processing or database management. This term is used nterchangeably with the word “program.”
3. Arrow keys - On your computer keyboard, the keys you use to navigate around your screen. Each key is marked with an arrow and is referred to by the direction in which the arrow points. There is an up arrow, down arrow, left arrow and right arrow key.
4. Back up (verb) - The process of making copies of programs or data files. You back up all of your work on a portable storage device in case the main copy is accidentally deleted or damaged. You can restore the main copy from the back up copy.
5. Backup (adj.) - A copy of a program or data file. bitmap A file format for digital images that can be processed by Windows applications.
6. Browser - A program (Edge, Fire Fox and Google Chrome ) to find, read,
and print information from the World Wide Web.
7. Button - A graphic element resembling a button that, when activated, performs a specified command (for example, open or print). The user activates a button by clicking on it with a mouse or, if the button is the focus, by pressing the Enter key.
8. CD-ROM - Compact Disc-Read Only Memory is a five-inch round disk that contains up to 650 million bytes of text, video and sound information. CDs are inserted into the CD-ROM drive in the computer. You cannot make changes to the disk if "Burned to Disk".
9. CD-RW - Stands for Compact Disk-Read Write. These CDs can be used to copy and store data or other types of files.
10. Character - Any letter, number, or symbol such as a punctuation mark.
Computers are very literal. They will “read” each character, including letters, punctuation and even the spaces between them.
11. Click - To press and immediately release the mouse button. To left click on something means to position the pointer on it and press and release the mouse button. Double click both selects and starts a function.
12. Clipboard - A temporary storage location used to transfer data between
documents and between applications. Typically, you transfer data to the
clipboard by using an application’s Copy or Cut command and you insert
data from the clipboard by using the application’s- Paste command.
13. Close - To deactivate a program or document. Remove the program or
document from temporary storage memory (RAM).
14. Column- Vertical line of consecutive cells in a spreadsheet, usually labeled by letters of the alphabet.
15. Database - A collection of data; a file or group of files, made up of records and fields.
16. Default - The settings that are applied to your computer, the operating
system, a program, a document or a file before you configure them to your preferences are the default settings.
17. Dialog box - A window displayed by the system or program application. It contains options (such as command buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, list boxes, etc.) that the user may select.
18. Digital image - An image (picture or graphic) that has been converted to binary format so that it can be processed by a computer.
19. Disk - A medium for storing information. Information saved on a disk remains there even when you turn your computer off, unlike information temporarily stored in memory (RAM). A hard disk is permanently mounted inside its drive. A CD or DVD disk can be inserted and removed from the drive.
1. Active - Refers to the state of the window that that is currently selected.
2. Application - A software program used for a particular task, such as word processing or database management. This term is used nterchangeably with the word “program.”
3. Arrow keys - On your computer keyboard, the keys you use to navigate around your screen. Each key is marked with an arrow and is referred to by the direction in which the arrow points. There is an up arrow, down arrow, left arrow and right arrow key.
4. Back up (verb) - The process of making copies of programs or data files. You back up all of your work on a portable storage device in case the main copy is accidentally deleted or damaged. You can restore the main copy from the back up copy.
5. Backup (adj.) - A copy of a program or data file. bitmap A file format for digital images that can be processed by Windows applications.
6. Browser - A program (Edge, Fire Fox and Google Chrome ) to find, read,
and print information from the World Wide Web.
7. Button - A graphic element resembling a button that, when activated, performs a specified command (for example, open or print). The user activates a button by clicking on it with a mouse or, if the button is the focus, by pressing the Enter key.
8. CD-ROM - Compact Disc-Read Only Memory is a five-inch round disk that contains up to 650 million bytes of text, video and sound information. CDs are inserted into the CD-ROM drive in the computer. You cannot make changes to the disk if "Burned to Disk".
9. CD-RW - Stands for Compact Disk-Read Write. These CDs can be used to copy and store data or other types of files.
10. Character - Any letter, number, or symbol such as a punctuation mark.
Computers are very literal. They will “read” each character, including letters, punctuation and even the spaces between them.
11. Click - To press and immediately release the mouse button. To left click on something means to position the pointer on it and press and release the mouse button. Double click both selects and starts a function.
12. Clipboard - A temporary storage location used to transfer data between
documents and between applications. Typically, you transfer data to the
clipboard by using an application’s Copy or Cut command and you insert
data from the clipboard by using the application’s- Paste command.
13. Close - To deactivate a program or document. Remove the program or
document from temporary storage memory (RAM).
14. Column- Vertical line of consecutive cells in a spreadsheet, usually labeled by letters of the alphabet.
15. Database - A collection of data; a file or group of files, made up of records and fields.
16. Default - The settings that are applied to your computer, the operating
system, a program, a document or a file before you configure them to your preferences are the default settings.
17. Dialog box - A window displayed by the system or program application. It contains options (such as command buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, list boxes, etc.) that the user may select.
18. Digital image - An image (picture or graphic) that has been converted to binary format so that it can be processed by a computer.
19. Disk - A medium for storing information. Information saved on a disk remains there even when you turn your computer off, unlike information temporarily stored in memory (RAM). A hard disk is permanently mounted inside its drive. A CD or DVD disk can be inserted and removed from the drive.
20. Disk drive - A device used for storing and retrieving information on disks.
21. Document - Data that is created using an application, including information that is typed, edited, copied or pasted.. A document may be a business report, a spreadsheet, a picture or a letter. It is stored as a file on a disk.
22. Driver - A program that serves as an interface between a computer’s hardware and its operating system.
23. Email (verb) - To exchange electronic messages and computer files over a communications network, such as the Internet.
24. Exit - To terminate operation of a program, application or function.
25. Extension - Part of a file name. The extension is a period followed by up to three or more characters. For example, the extension for a Word document is .doc. or .docx.
26. FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions. Acronym often seen on web sites to explain features.
27. File - A collection of saved information or data (e.g., a document), or a
collection of commands or instructions (e.g., a program).
28. Filename - The name of a file. Windows allows up to 256 characters, including spaces, for the file name plus a period and an up to three-character extension. The application program often assigns the extension to the file name to identify what program it was created in.
29. Folder - Folders can be created to contain files in logical groupings.
30. Font - The term applied to styles of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols. For example, the font used in this document is called Times New Roman.
31. Footer - Information that appears at the bottom of every page in a document.
32. Graphics - Pictures or images created using a computer program or by other means.
33. Header - Information that appears at the top of every page of a printed document.
34. Home Page - The main page for a web site, usually seen first when the web site is accessed. Also, the page you select as the opening page for your browser.
35. HTML - Hypertext Mark-up Language, the programming language used to create web pages.
36. Hyperlink (link) - A highlighted, colored, or underlined word, phrase or other object on a web page that when clicked will cause a new page to be
displayed.
37. Icon - A small image displayed on the screen to represent some item (such as a folder or software program), action or command (such as print or copy) that can be activated by the user. Icons allow the user to control computer actions without having to remember and type commands.
38. Insert - To add new information between existing information. Example: insert a word in a sentence, or insert a row in a spreadsheet.
39. Insertion point - The vertical line that marks where information can be
entered.
40. Internet - A vast, world-wide communications network between computers.
41. Menu - A list of command options displayed on a software window or dialog box.
42. Menu bar - A rectangular bar at the top of the application’s window that
displays available menus. Clicking on the menu name displays a list of
options or commands.
43. Modem - Modem stands for modulator/demodulator and is the device in
or attached to the computer that permits data transmission over telephone or cable lines.
44. Open - To copy a program or data file from permanent to temporary storage (RAM) so it can be used or modified.
45. Page - The text and display elements to be printed on one side of a sheet of paper subject to formatting specifications such as margin size. (See also web page.)
46. Permanent - As applied to programs or data, something that retains its values after power is turned off. For example, a file is considered permanently stored if it is saved on a hard drive or CD disk.
47. Point size - The height of a printed character is specified in units called points. Also known as font size.
48. Pointer - The symbol (I-bar, arrow or other) directed by moving the mouse.
49. Program - A sequence of instructions for a computer to follow
50. Radio Button (sometimes called an option button) - A small circle that contains a dot when it is selected. Only one button in a category may be selected. Clicking a radio button activates or deactivates a function.
51. Readme - A file on a program’s install disk that presents new and/or important information about the program.
52. Record - A set of information related to one item, person or entity in a
database. For example, in a computer-generated address book database,
John Jones plus his personal information would be one record in that
database.
53. Row - Horizontal line of consecutive cells on a spreadsheet, usually labeled by numbers.
54. Save - To copy a file from temporary storage (RAM) to permanent storage (a hard disk or other disk). If a file with the same name already exists in the same location, it will be replaced with the current one.
55. Server - For computers connected on a network, the server processes requests for specific data or files.
56. Scroll - To move through text or graphics (up, down, left or right) in a
window in order to see parts of a document or list that cannot fit on the
screen.
57. Sub-folder - A folder within another folder on a disk or hard disk.
58. Tab - Some dialog boxes display tabs that, when clicked with the mouse, display dialog boxes with further options. The tabs are similar to tabbed pages in a loose leaf notebook.
59. Temporary - Applied to programs or data that lose their value after power is turned off or a program finishes processing.
60. Toolbar - A row, column or block of buttons or icons. When the user clicks on these buttons or icons, certain functions of the application are activated. The bottom toolbar displays the open programs in minimizes status.
61. URL - (Uniform Resource Locator)The address of a Web page on the
Internet.
62. Web - (World Wide Web) Part of the Internet.
63. Web Site - A group of related web pages.
64. Window - A rectangular area on the screen in which an application or
document is viewed. A window can be opened, closed, moved and the size can be changed. Several windows may be open at one time.
65. Word-Wrap - A feature that automatically continues to wrap text from the end of a line to the beginning of a new line as you type. With wordwrap, you do not need to press the Enter key at the end of each line of text.
