To make a spare copy of a file or program to use if the original version fails or is destroyed. Home computer users typically make backup copies on cd rom disks. Larger files can be backed up on external storage devices or to a slaved/secondary hard drive.
backup (n. and adj.)
A spare copy of a file or program, the result of "backing up." See back up.
The tendency of printers to reproduce images marred by darker and lighter swaths -- or bands -- across the page.
A measurement of the amount of data per second that can be sent through a communications circuit; this is usually measured in megahertz or kilohertz. Bandwidth has become a buzzword because it relates to the speed at which information travels over the Internet. T1 connections and ISDN lines are high-bandwidth conduits to the Internet, while 2,400-bps modems are decidedly low-bandwidth.
Colloquial use: "Until some of the bandwidth issues are solved, downloading video from the World Wide Web will remain a waiting game."
A pre-release, potentially unreliable piece of software made available for the purpose of testing. You can typically download beta versions of programs for free, but the benefit of using free software may be offset by undetected bugs in the program. Said bugs can range from slight quirks in the program's operation to catastrophic corruption of unrelated data, applications or your operating system. You use beta software at your own risk.
Of course, if "gold" software causes you problems, you're pretty much on your own anyway, especially if you downloaded it from the Web, a process for which few software companies will assume liability. (Good luck facing off against a major software company.) Note that serious problems are rare, and you can be comfortable downloading software from the Internet, providing that you regularly back up important data from your hard disk drive -- which you should be doing anyway.
Literally means "base two," a number system consisting solely of ones and zeros, upon which almost all computer machine language is based. "Bit," the most basic unit in computing, stands for BInary digiT. The term "digital" corresponds with "binary."
Basic input/output system, a set of instructions carried in the ROM of most computer components that controls the passage of data in and out. The BIOS has traditionally been an unsung hero (like many reliable computer components and functions); it is only now garnering attention because new EEPROM or Flash ROM technology allows users to upgrade the BIOS stored on a ROM chip easily, possibly improving performance. In reality, the practice of these upgrades gets far less action than the promise does.
The number of bits of data that can be moved at the same time. Bit-width and transmission speed are the two factors determining how much data gets through a data bus.
A binary digit, the basic unit of information used for digital data. The fabled ones and zeros of binary computer language represent bits. Casual computer users needn't think much about bits, except in terms of bits per second, the speed at which modems transfer data. Also see byte, nibble and chomp.
A measurement of data transmission speed, most often used to classify modem speed.
An HTML format that causes a block of text to blink or flash. Before the popularization of the Internet, only large publishing companies with great resources could annoy large numbers of people with their blinking propaganda. Now the World Wide Web allows virtually anyone, with few resources, to annoy the masses. To annoy the most people possible, use the blink command liberally on your Web page.
The slowest point of data transfer within a computer or computer network. If you have a swift component or CPU connected to a slow data bus, performance will suffer. Likewise, in a network, data transfer is only as fast as the slowest modem, port, hub or other conduit between Point A and Point B.
Sometimes referred to as a wideband transmission, broadband refers to telecommunications that provide a variety of channels and data over a single communication medium (wire). Today there are a wide variety of broadband technologies available in most areas. Two of the more commonly used technologies are cable and DSL broadband.
The term also applies to networks having bandwidths significantly greater than that found in telephony networks. Broadband systems are capable of carrying a large number of moving images or a vast quantity of data simultaneously. Broadband techniques usually depend on coaxial or optical cable.
browser
See Web browser.
Software that comes with a new computer, sometimes already loaded onto the hard disk drive. The drawback to pre-loaded software is that the user must make backup copies of the applications on secondary storage devices, or risk losing them to a hard drive failure.
A flaw in a program that can cause it to operate improperly, possibly rendering it unusable. Computer ailments can also be caused by viruses. The difference between a bug and a virus is that bugs are usually unintended errors in the programmer's source code. Viruses are written intentionally to cause trouble. Hardware flaws are called "glitches," not bugs. The term bug is fabled to have originated when an actual insect caused an early computer to fail.
To record a CD-R disk. The data is "burned" onto the disk because, unlike traditional floppy and hard disks, it can't be erased once it's there.
In general electronics terms, a bus is a set of electrical conductors (in the form of wires or traces on a circuit board), or a point at which many circuits converge. In computers, buses are conduits for data transmission, both inside and outside the box. For example, the Macintosh "ADB port" stands for Apple Desktop Bus, a system of connectors and cables that link the keyboard and pointing device to the rest of the Mac.
For casual computer users, buses are important only because their width determines the number of bits they can transmit at once -- a factor that affects the computer or peripheral's speed and overall performance. See data bus. Bus is often misspelled "buss," which is another word for kiss. A quick buss isn't all that bad, but a quick bus means your computer is meeting its potential.
The basic unit of measure for data storage. In personal computers, a byte is made up of eight bits and is equivalent to one text character. RAM and data storage capacities are most often measured in kilobytes (Kb) and megabytes (Mb), though many hard disk drive capacities are well into gigabytes (G).
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