Describes doing business - primarily buying and selling of goods and services - on the web. Also known as electronic commerce or EC. Thanks to its 24x7 availability, global reach, and interaction and information delivery capabilities, the web is rapidly becoming a multi-billion dollar source of revenue for business across the globe.
Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. EEPROMs allow you to erase read-only instructions without physically removing the chip, by running a specialized program that replaces the read-only memory (ROM) with new information. Also known as Flash ROM.
Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics. See IDE.
Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture, a type of expansion slot used in IBM-compatible desktop computers. EISA is has a bit-width of 32 and moves data at 33 Mbps. The ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slot, of which EISA is the enhancement, is an older style typically found on AT-series IBM computers, those with 80286 ("286"), 80386 ("386") and 80486 ("486") microprocessors.
A central computer that acts like an e-mail post office. When a user sends e-mail from his or her computer, it goes to an e-mail server, which reads the address on the letter and sends it off toward its destination. The destination server receives the e-mail and delivers it to the addressee. Along the way, the e-mail passes through many other e-mail servers. Unlike snail mail, e-mail theoretically travels at the speed of light, so the transfer often takes only a second or two. (Other factors such as server speed and network traffic may slow mail down.)
Also known as "smileys." Emotions are sequences of ASCII text that leaven the notoriously nuanceless world of e-mail and newsgroups. For example, : ) means happy, and : ( means sad. No matter how hard you try not to use these ridiculous tags, you will become the enemy. 8>}
Encryption is the process of scrambling information so that it is indecipherable to anyone who doesn't have the right "key" to unscramble it. Modern software encryption programs use advanced mathematics to make it very difficult to unscramble a piece of information without the correct key. Encryption is used in online communication and financial transactions to make it more difficult for an electronic thief to intercept sensitive information.
From the Greek ergo, meaning "buy," and noma, meaning "more stuff," to convey the fact that you are replacing a perfectly good keyboard, mouse or other component because you read an article about repetitive stress injuries. No, seriously: "Ergonomic" represents a design that emphasizes comfort and efficiency. Usually used in reference to keyboards, pointing devices, monitors or any (usually padded) add-on meant to make the device more comfortable to use. Some ergonomic keyboards, for instance, separate in the middle to promote a more natural typing position, according to some primates.
A local area network now recognized as the industry standard, this system, introduced by Xerox Corp., supports a very fast data transfer rate of 10 megabits per second.
A circuit board that plugs into an expansion slot on a computer's motherboard, and bears -- or provides a connection to -- a device, such as a modem, video adapter, sound card, etc.
Jacks found on the back of computers that allow the addition of peripherals. Serial and parallel ports are examples of expansion ports. See related article on expansion ports.
A thin strip that locks an expansion card in place on a computer's motherboard See related article on expansion slots.
Any secondary storage device that is outside of the computer cabinet, with its own case, cables and power supply.