Street Tech Glossary

STREET TECH is:

This is not a comprehensive glossary, but a build-as-we-go listing of terms used in our reviews. If you come here looking for a term and can't find it, please let us know. We've tried to make the definitions as user-friendly as possible, but if you can't figure out what something means, or if we got our technical info wrong (hey, it happens on *occassion*), please let us know. Several other computer/Net dictionaries you may want to consult are Ziff-Davis' unfortunately named Webopedia, The Free Online Dictionary of Computing and WhatIs?Com. For hacker jargon and slang, check out the classic Jargon File (a.k.a. The Hacker's Dictionary).

active matrix display: A type of flat-panel display found on most of today's laptop computers. Active matrix technology differs from "passive matrix" only in that the screen is refreshed more frequently, creating much better picture quality with better viewing angles. The most common type of active matrix screen is called TFT (or "thin film transfer"). The two terms are often used synonymously.
AGP: (abbreviation for "Accelerated Graphics Port") A new type of dedicated PC graphics bus designed by Intel Corp to more efficiently render 3D graphics. The AGP can transfer data at a rate up to 528MB/sec. By comparison, the more common PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus, used in Pentium and Mac machines, has a maximum transfer rate of 132MB/sec. AGP's big bandwidth allows games and 3D apps to use more realistically-rendered textures and faster frame rates and to store this data in system, instead of video, memory. This reduces the performance hit to the system as graphics are presented. See also bus and PCI.
all-in-one: Increasingly popular office machines that combine a printer, scanner, photocopier and fax machine in one unit.
Alpha Channel: In computer graphics, a portion of each pixel's data that is reserved for transparency information. 32-bit graphics systems contain four channels -- three 8-bit channels for red, green, and blue (RGB) and one 8-bit alpha channel. The alpha channel is really a mask -- it specifies how the pixel's colors should be merged with another pixel when the two are overlaid, one on top of the other.
AMR: [Abbreviation for "Audio Modem Riser"] An Intel specification for analog I/O (Input/Output) functions on motherboards. An AMR card removes analog I/O functions from the motherboard, relegating them to a plug-in "riser card" (a.k.a. a "daughter board"). By doing this, motherboard manufacturing is not restrained by the FCC and International Telecom certification processes which can often get bogged down in red tape.
AMPS: [Abbreviated as "Advanced Mobile Phone Service"] The analog celluar phone standard first introduced by AT&T in 1983. AMPS phones operate in the 800 to 900 Megahertz (MHz) radio spectrum. The term is "cell" phone because the signals are sent from radio transmitters that cover a broadcast area known as a cell.
API: [abbreviation for "Application Program Interface"] A series of software routines and development tools that comprise an interface between a computer application and lower-level services and functions (e.g. the operating system, device drivers, and other low-level software). APIs serve as building blocks for programmers putting together software applications. Sometimes "Application Programming Interface."
ASP: [Abbreviation for "Application Service Provider"] A growing number of "apps-on-tap" websites where applications are available for rent. ASPs allow small businesses to have access to programs and services that they might not otherwise be able to afford on their local area network.
ATA: [Abbreviation for "for "Advanced Technology Attachment"] ATA is the common disk drive technology that puts the drive controller right on the drive itself. The are a number of ATA versions, from the original a.k.a. IDE) to the 33MBps ATA-33 (a.k.a. Ultra-ATA) to the newest standard, ATA-66 which operates at 66MBps.
Athlon: The name of AMD's new chip intended to compete with Intel's Pentium III. The Athlon was formerly referred to as the K7. The September '99 issue of PC World claims that the 600MHz Athlon is on average 9% faster than a 600MHz PIII. In graphics tests, the Athlon was 21% faster running 3D modeling software. For comparisons and benchmarks, see AMD's Athlon page.
ATVEF: [Abbreviation for "Advanced Television Enhancement Forum"] A consortium of computer, cable and television companies that are developing an HTML-like standard for the delivery of computer data via TV signals. Right now, services like IBM's Intercast use the "Vertical Blanking Interval" on an analog TV signal. This is the part of the signal that's used to transmit closed captioning and emergency data. VBI has proven too limited for all but the most basic Internet content delivery. ATVEF hopes to develop a more high-bandwidth solution.
audio homesteading: Using a free audio website (such as www.live365.com) and webcasting tools to set up your own Net radio station.
backhoe-induced Deep Fade: [Slang] One of many terms used in the wired world to refer to a day when the network is down (think: digital age snow day). Other terms are "backhoe day" and the verb "backhoed" (as in "the network has been backhoed.") Probably based on one or more real situtauions where a backhoe sliced through a network trunk.
backplane: A backplane is a printed circuit board in an electronics device with sockets into which other circuit boards can be plugged. In your PC, the backplane is the large board that contains the ISA, PCI and other sockets for modem, video, sound and other expansion cards. Sometimes used synonymously with motherboard.
bid shielding: [slang] On an online auction, when two bidders pull the following scam: one bids low, the other very high, which discourages other bidders. Seconds before the auction ends, the high bid is retracted and the low bidder wins by default.
BIOS: [Abbreviation for "Basic Input/Output System"] The BIOS is the root software in a PC that contains all of the basic code for controlling drives, keyboard, monitor, mouse, comm ports, etc. The BIOS acts as a bridge between the hardware and the operating system. The BIOS resides on a ROM chip so that your computer can continue to function even after a disk failure. To learn more, see PC Guide's BIOS reference page.
blog: [slang] Short for "WeBLOG." A Weblog is a type of website that uses a dated log format for the building its content. Weblogs (or blogs) are usually moderated by a single person who creates the material themselves, edits submissions from contributors, gleans material from elsewhere on the Net, or a combination of all three. One of the most common blog sites is the news for nerds mecca Slash Dot.
Bluetooth: Bluetooth is an open standard for short-range wireless communications being developed by a cooperative of mobile phone, computer and PDA manufacturers. The standard would allow all of your (Bluetooth-compliant) personal tech devices to talk to each other. The first Bluetooth-compliant products are supposed to make their appearance by the end of 1999. For more info, see the Bluetooth website.
brain fart: [Slang] 1. The result of mental indigestion (a "braino" in hacker slang) when switching from one activity to another that causes one to make an embarrassing mistake. Trying to fast-forward a real-time TV program after watching a videotape would be an example of a brain fart. 2. A burst of useful information that's the byproduct of a bloated mind. "Can you give me a brain fart on the theory of the Big Crunch?"
browser safe colors: There are only 216 colors in the common 256-color display palette that are rendered the exact same way on both Mac and PC operating systems. These are called "browser safe colors" (or the "browser safe palatte"). You need to use these colors if you want your Web graphics and colored elements to look consistent on both platforms. Read a Street Tech review on a cool browser safe palette mousepad.
bus: Think of a computer bus as sort of a highway (to mix a metaphor) through your computer on which data travels. Buses carry data between the microrocessor, disk drive controllers, memory and peripheral ports. Buses have several sets of "lanes" (if you will), one for carrying data, another for carrying memory addresses on where to find the data, and another for carrying control signals for regulating the the devices and processes connected to the bus.
B2B: [Abbreviation for "Business to Business"] The term "B2B" is showing up a lot these says, as business to business ecommerce is touted as the next great Net revolution. "B2C" stands for "business to consumers."
cache: [pronounced "cash"] A form of high-speed storage that can be either a section of main memory (as in "memory caching") or an independent storage device ("disk caching"). Memory caching is effective because most programs access the same data or instructions over and over again. By storing this information in cache memory, overall data processing speed is improved. Level 2 (L2) cache, which is common in many of today's computers, is usually located on a second chip between the main computer processor and the DRAM.
CDPD: [abbreviation for "Cellular Digital Packet Data"] A wireless radio frequency (RF) communication service that can deliver data packets over existing cellular phone networks that have been upgrading for CDPD. CDPD is capable of transfer speeds of up to 19.2 kbps. The CDPD packets are actually sent between pauses in the cellular phone conversations. CDPD cellular modem service is currently available in about 65 US cities.
chatterbot: A chatterbot is a software program that runs in a chat room or on a Web page and is designed to simulate a human conversant. Chatterbots are common in the online text-based gaming environments known as Tinymuds. A nice chatterbot fan page can be found here.
Circuit-Switched Cellular: A system for transfering modem data over a conventional analog cellular network that has not been updated for CDPD communication. See CDPD.
ClearType: ClearType is a new font technology that Microsoft is developing. Mr. Bill and Bill Hill (the creator of ClearType) claim that it will make future screens as easy to read as print books and will spark a revolution in e-books. ClearType works by using complicated algorithms to render characters more sharpely by adding red, green and blue subelements. For more info see MS's ClearType page
CLEC: [Abbreviation for "Competitive Local Exchange Carrier"] A telecom company that is in competition with the local Bell (or other) telephone company. The term was coined after the 1996 Telecommunications Act which deregulated the telecom industry. CLECS include cable companies, ISPs, cellular providers and others.
coaxial cable: Type of cable used for cable TV, UHF/VHF TV antennas, ham and scanner radio hook-ups. Coax was also the standard for data networks such as Ethernet and IBM's 3270 terminals (now being replaced by fiber optics). Coax is a round two-conductor cable with a single solid center wire (or stranded conductor) surrounded by a braided or foil conductor (which is usually grounded). Both conductors share the same axis, thus the name coaxial. Coax has a characteristic impedance (expressed in Ohms). Coax cable is rate with an RG prefix (old military jargon for "Radio Guide" and followed by the cable type (expressed in a number) and the suffix "/U" if it's a general ultility cable (as opposed to special application coax made of different material, designed for shorter runs, etc.). RG-6/U coax is a 75 Ohms cable designed for internal wiring of cable and antenna television. RG-59/U coax is a 75 Ohms cable commonly used in video transmission, and CB, Ham radio and TV antennas.
CompactFlash Card: Compact Flash cards are smaller, more durable and can hold more data than other types of flash memory cards. CompactFlash cards are also about one-third the size of a PC card and can be used ub Type I & II PC card slots with an adapter. One thing that distinguishes CompactFlash cards is that they have their own controller onboard so that cameras, PDAs and other devices that use the cards are not burdened with the controller software. CompactFlash cards comes is sizes from 2MB to 64MB. See PC Card and SmartMedia Card.
content-aware switches: A new generation of network switching technology that can actually make decisions about prioritizing net traffic. This technology, also called "smart switches," are especially useful on intranets and extranets where real-time decisions can be made about getting mission-critical apps and data through the pipeline faster.
convergence networks: Internet-based networks that deliver voice, data and video over the same network. Cisco's Voice, Video and Integrated Data system (AVVID) is already on the market, but so far, adoption is slow (given some industry reluctance and the money alreay invested in separate voice and data nets).
copyleft: One of the backbone concepts of the open source software movement is the idea of copyleft. Coined by the Free Software Foundation, copyleft stipulates that a piece of software can be freely distributed and modified as long as a copyleft statement travels with it that tells others they can freely distribute and modify the software code as long as they keep it open to distribution and modification (and keep the copyleft statement on it).
culprit zero: The person responsible for initiating an online media prank, phony virus warning or email chain letter. As you might imagine, tracking down culprit zero can be next to impossible.
data coolie: [Slang] A third world programmer who will work for much less money than an equivalent US programmer.
daughter window: A smaller browser window that pops up when you hit a Web page. Daughter windows are used to present ads, news, special promotions and site indexes. They first became popular with adult websites, but can now be found everywhere.
dead media: Cyberpunk hero Bruce Sterling began the Dead Media Project in 1995 to catalog all of media's dodo birds, those technologies that have fallen by the wayside. He and fellow sci-fi author Richard Kadrey moderate a mailing list of "dead media necronauts" who collective research and catalog lost but not forgotten media tech. Sterling is writing a book on his findings. Check one of the Dead Media archives.
deep linking: The practice of hyperlinking to pages on a site other than the front page of a site. Deep linking has become a controversial practice, thanks to the hyper-greedy Ticketmaster, who says deep linking bypasses the front page advertising on their site, cutting into their ad revenue. They are pushing for the practice of "consensual linking" only.
Dell: [Slang] To beat a competitor by eliminating the middleman and selling directly to customers. "Some analysts have warned that "Delling" could spread to the car, chemicals and banking sectors."
digital video recorders: A new breed of digital recording technology that compresses and records TV programming onto a hard disk. The first two manufacturers of DVRs are TiVo and ReplayTV. One unique feature of DVRs allows you to save a show you're watching from the beginning even if you decide to record it mid-way. DVR recordings are meant to be watched and then erased or transfered to a VCR for later playback.
DIP Switches: [abbreviation for "Dual Inline Package"] Small switches found on motherboards and other computer devices. By turning the switches on or off, the user can select different operating options. See also SIMM.
DirectX: An MS Windows program that allows applications to "talk" directly to graphics and audio hardware.
dot-com: [Slang] Previously used as a way of indicating the period (.) and top level (COMmercial) domain of a Web address, "dot-com" has suddenly become a way of describing Internet-based businesses. "Did you see how the dot-com stocks are going crazy?" Please, make it stop!
DRDRAM: [abbreviation for "Direct RAMbus Dynamic Random Access Memory"] The next generation of RAM technology debuting later this year ('99). DRDRAM draws less power (almost a third less than SDRAM), has clock speeds of up to a dizzying 800MHz, allows for multiple channels of memory for up to four parallel banks of RAM, and a data path that's twice as wide as existing SDRAM (two bytes instead of one). All this translates to RAM performance that should be at least three times faster than existing memory technology.
DSP: [Abbreviation for "Digital Signal Processor"] A microprocessor that specializes in calculations related to translating analog signals into digital ones. DSPs are used in audio and video compression, voice processing, modems, hearing aids, seismic sensors, anyplace where rapid analog to digital conversion and signal clarification is required.
DVD: [abbreviation for "Digital Video (or Verastile) Disc"] An improved CD-ROM-like technology that can fit between 4.7GB to 17GB of multimedia data on a single disc. DVD is "backwards compatible" with CD-ROMs so you can play your old audio CDs and CD-ROMs on DVD drives. The latest version of DVD, called DVD-2 (or DVDII), can also read CD-R (Recordable) and CD-RW (Re-Writable) discs.
e-cinema: The next generation of cinema will be digital, not analog. E-cinema films will be delivered over high-speed data networks or via removable media to movie theaters. While e-cinema is exciting from a technical standpoint (no data loss through printing, no scratches and pops, no print costs), it raises big questions: who will pay for the new digital theaters? what does it mean for independents? etc. Geo. Lucas says that Star Wars Episode II will likely be an all-digital film.
E-Factor: What cyberpundit Michael Wolf calls the new strategy, increasingly found in all forms of business, where regardless of the product or service, you have to use entertainment and show-biz antics to get your customer's attention.
EIDE: [abbreviation for "Enhanced Integrated Device Electronics"] Refers to a type of disk drive standard where the controller for the device is part of the device itself, eliminating the need for a separate adapter card. EIDE adds features onto the older IDE standard, such as larger capacity (up to 8.4GB), faster access times, and burst transfer (large chunks of data at once).
8-second Rule: Rule-of-thumb for the maximum amount of time it should take for a site's front page to load.
EPOC: If it's not the PalmOS and not WinCE, it's probably EPOC, an operating system developed in Europe for handheld computers. First used on the popular Psion H/PC's, EPOC is being adopted by a number of developers of other handheld devices, Net phones, Net appliances.
e-speak: Hewlett-Packard's answer to Java. E-speak actually sits on top of Java and is cross-platform compatable. Unlike Java, e-speak is designed to be easy to use so that non-programming Web developers can create applications and Web services via a graphical interface. For more info, check out HP's e-speak home page.
e-Stamp: An online postage service and stamp printing device recently approved for use by the US Postal Service. Users will have a small "electric vault" that attaches to their printer. Postage is purchased online, either as needed or in an amount to be stored in the vault for later use. So far, e-Stamps only work with a few envelope printing-capable programs, most of them Microsoft products (who, surprise, is one of e-Stamp's partners!). For more details, see the e-Stamp site.
e-support: The delivery of tech support services directly to a computer over the Internet. Dell recently rolled out its OpenManage Resolution Assistant, a technology that can monitor customer's PowerEdge servers and correct problems as they arise. If the program is successful, they will begin offering it to the desktop as well. One obvious hurdle for e-support is the significant security issues.
Ethernet: A popular type of local area network (LAN) developed by Xerox in 1976 and common in many of today's office networks. Two popular Ethernet configurations are 10Base-T (carrying 10 megabits per second) and 100Base-T (at 100Mbps). Ethernet networks can be connected by coaxial, fiber optic and twisted-pair cabling.
FastWireless: The sexier name for IEEE 802.11 (see, we told you), a wireless local area network (LAN) standard being promoted by WECA. WECA, or the Wireless Ethernet Compatability Alliance, is a consortium of networking companies who are trying to promote FastWireless. Where wireless LANS in the past were slow (at 2 megabits/second), IEEE 802.11 is rated at speeds up to 11 megabits per second. WECA players include Lucent, 3COM and Nokia.
File Allocation Table: [abbreviated as "FAT"] You probably already know that the data in your computer --the files and programs-- are not all stored in one continuous block on a disk drive. Files are stored as space allows in fixed groups of bytes. Think of the file allocation table as the phone book that keeps track of where everything is. The two most common FATs are FAT16 and FAT32 for MS-DOS/Windows. FAT16 (as in 16-bits) was created back in the bad ol' days before hard drives and is therefore not very efficient (and limits drives to 2.6GB in size). FAT32 (32-bits), introduced with Win98, does a much more efficient job of file allocation and does not have the 2.6GB size restriction. Your computer always keeps two copies of the FAT in case one gets corrupted. If both become corrupted, you're in deep do-do.
firmware: Software that's stored in Read-Only Memory (ROM) and stays intact even if the device has no power. Boot routines and other low-level instructions are stored in firmware. Some firmware can be upgraded, some can't.
flash ROM: [also called "flash memory"] A type of nonvolatile (i.e. it stays intact when power is off) memory commonly used as a replacement for or supplement to a hard disk drive in a portable computer (laptop, handheld, PDA, etc.)
FPU: [abbreviation for "Floating-point Unit"] A computer circuit that performs arithmetic functions called "floating point operations." Floating point math is used whenever an operation involves fractional numbers or irrational parts used in spreadsheets and graphics rendering.
Frankenpants: Slang used in Britain for a line of pants being sold that are made out of GM (genetically-modified) cotton.
Friday night pizza maker: [Slang] Japanese term for a salaryman who gets drunk on payday and ends up leaving a puddle of vomit somewhere along his way home.
GNOME: [abbreviation for "GNU Network Object Model Environment"] The GNOME project (pronounced with a hard "G") is a collaborative software project building a complete user-friendly graphic user interface (GUI) entirely with free software components. GNOME is a GUI for GNU/Linux/Unix systems. Find out more at the GNOME project page. GNU is the open source OS project that Linux is partially built from. GNU stands for the recursive "GNU is not Unix." The "G" is hard so that the term is not confused with "new."
gopod: [Slang] The Supreme Being of cyberspace. Legend has it that gopod started out as a typo (for god) on the Well BBS and the term stuck. "I swear to gopod I'll open a topic to make fun of you!"
GPS: [abbreviation for "Global Positioning System"] GPS is a U.S. Department of Defense network of 24 low-power radio satellites that constantly broadcast their position and the time. Ground-based GPS receivers use these satellite signals to determine their location. Location accuracy for civilian use is between 100 and 10 meters depending on equipment. Accuracy of within one meter is possible with special military-approved equipment and clearance.
GUIX: [Pronounced "Gwicks"] Derogatory tech support slang for Unix/Linux newbies who are used to GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) and don't know their way around a command line interface. Hardcore Linux user are sometimes called Penguinheads.
headless clients: Term for the virtual clients used in "test load" software on ecommerce sites to make sure the site can handle high traffic numbers. Analysts say that many "e-tailers" have not done adequate load testings for the projected holiday onslaught.
HomePNA: [abbreviation for "Home Phoneline Networking Alliance"] The standard being developed by a consortium of computer companies for home networking hardware and software that uses your home's phone wiring to send data between multiple PCs.
hoteling: Hoteling ia a form of Internet service hosting where the customer houses their own server box at their ISP's physical location. Street Tech almost sent one of its Micron boxes to our provider, Virtualscape, for hoteling Shop Talk, our conferencing area (so it could have its own dedicated server).
HotSync: [and HotSyncing] The process of automatically synchronizing data between a personal digital assistant (such as the PalmPilot) and its corresponding program on a desktop computer. Changes you make on the PDA or corresponding desktop program will be reflected on both platforms after a HotSync. 3COM/US Robotics holds the trademark to the term HotSync, but the process of synchronizing between a PDA and a desktop computer is common.
ICANN: [Acronym for "Internet Corporation for Names and Numbers"] ICANN is the non-governmental, non-profit organization set up earlier this year ('99) to administrate the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS). So far, things have not been going so well. ICANN is currently dangerously low on cash, and so far, its efforts have been widely criticized.
I-commerce: [Abbreviation for "Individual Commerce"] A term coined by Interactive Week to refer to the growing meta-affiliate programs cropping up online. I-commerce sites aggregate affiliate programs offered by such sites as Amazon, CDNOW, Reel.Com and Magazine Mall. Some I-commerce sites are moving into email affiliate programs where your email messages will contain ads for products that you can get a commission on (turning us all into junior spammers).
IEEE 1394: [a.k.a. FireWire, i.LINK] A new standard for a high performance data transfer bus developed by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). IEEE 1394 connects devices to your computer via a single port on which up to 63 devices can be attached with data transfer speeds of up to 400 Mbps (megabits per second). The first products taking advantage of this technology are digital camcorders and external hard drives. Apple uses the trademarked name FireWire, Sony uses i.Link. Everyone else uses oh-so-sexy IEEE 1394. Can't we all just get along?
IPv6: [Abbreviation for "Internet Protocol version 6"] The long-awaited new version of the Internet Protocol (the Net's addressing system). IPv6 lengthens IP addresses from 32 to 128 bits. This change will allow for tremendous expansion of IP addresses -- for handheld, embedded and other next generation Internet devices -- without fear of running out of IP numbers. Also known as IPng (or "Internet Protocol next generation"]. For more info, see Yahoo's IPv6 Page.
IRQ: [abbreviation for "Interupt ReQuests"] IRQs are a means by which the computer's data bus alerts the CPU to the fact that it needs attention. The IRQ signals tell the CPU to temporarily suspend normal operation and handle the interrupt request. Devices that use hardware interrupts include modems, printers, interface cards and other add-ons and peripherals. The currently-common PCI bus allows devices to share IRQs and USB does away with them altogether.
ISA: [abbreviation for "Industry Standard Architecture"] An older bus standard that is being replaced on newer machines by PCI, although at least one ISA slot is still found on even the newest motherboards to handle legacy cards and peripherals. This will likely changed by the end of 1999.
ISDN: (abbreviation for "Integrated Services Digital Network") A digital telephone standard that provides both voice and data services over the same connection. ISDN can offer high-speed access up to 64Kbps (1 channel) and 128Kbps (2 channel).
Joule: A unit of measurement of the amount of energy delivered by one watt of power in one second. A "Joule rating" is the sum of a device's internal components' ability to absorb and dissipate a surge of energy. In surge protectors, the more important rating is the "let-through voltage," or the amount of voltage that a surge protector will actually pass to the equipment after being blasted by a 6000v spike of electricity.
jumpers: On a motherboard, jumpers are a set of pins that, by adding and subtracting little plastic connectors over them, allow the user to turn on or off certain operations.
Ku-Band: The 11.7 to 12.7 GHz (Gigahertz) frequency band used by Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) and Broadcasting Satellite Services (BSS).
logging off: [Slang] Rathering disgusting techie slang for going to the bathroom. Other terms for toiletry include the equally descriptive "downloading" and the less offensive "bio-break."
Linux: Linux (pronounced "Lee-nooks") is a freely-distributed, open operating system (OS) based on Unix, the multi-user, multi-tasking OS created by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in the late '60s. Linux was written by Linus Torvalds of Finland and has been built upon by many computer scientists and hackers from around the world. Debian (pronounced "Deb'-ian") Linux is one branch of Linux's evolutionary tree.
LCD: (abbreviation for "Liquid Crystal Display") [Warning: Gross Oversimplification Ahead:] A display technology that uses a liquid substance and an electrical field to polarize the liquid into crystalline structures that form images on the display. LCD displays are common on consumer electronic, cell phone and laptop displays.
MCD: [Abbreviation for "Multi-Communications Device"] Wireless products that combine such things as a digital cell phone, two-way radio, pager and Web access capabilities in a single device.
Memory Effect: The shortening of a battery's life by recharging it before it is fully discharged. This is a big problem with *some* Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries, less so with Nickle Metal Hydrides (NiMH) and not a problem (allegedly) with Lithium Ion (Li-ion] batteries. Everything you want to know about batteries but where afraid to ask can be found here.
microbrowser: The small, bare-bones Web browsers that can be found in many digital cellphones, PDAs and Internet appliances.
microcinema: A term used to describe low-budget desktop-produced "films," shot on digital video cameras, edited on a desktop and distributed over the Net and via mailorder videotape.
MIDI: [abbreviation for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface"] A standard developed to allow computers, synthesizers and other electronic instruments to talk to each other via a common interface. MIDI files contain information on what instruments are to be played, for how long, the sustain, etc. See also wavetable synthesis.
Moore's Law: In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore observed that transistors per square inch on integrated circuits were doubling every 12 months. This became known as Moore's Law. That pace has shifted to 18 months, which is now used as the measure of the Law. This pace is expected to stay relatively constant for another decade or two.
Motion-JPEG: [abbreviated "MJPEG"] MJPEG is a video standard created by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, the organization that created the common JPEG format for image compression. In fact, MJPEG uses JPEG compression for each of the frames in an MJPEG video. Hardware-based MJPEG allows you to capture full resolution video at 30fps (frames per second) for high quality video that is as close to the original source as possible.
ML: [Abbreviation for "Markup Language"] A generic way of referring to all of the different types of markup languages: HTML, XML, DHTML, VoxML, HDML, etc.
MP3: [abbreviation for "MPEG Layer-3"] The audio extension for the MPEG digital video standard. It has a surprisingly efficient compression rate which makes it able to deliver near CD quality audio over modem connections. MP3 is very controversial because it has led to rampant piracy of commercial audio over the Internet. The record companies say that it is this piracy which has caused them to lobby so hard against it. Supporters of the technology say that the record industry is just trying to stall MP3 development while they develop their own standard. The truth is probably somewhere in-between. See also ripping.
MPEG-2: [abbreviation for "Moving Pictures Experts Group"] The second generation of the popular video compression standard, MPEG-2 presents images at resolutions of 720 x 480 and 1280 x 720 (pixels) at frame rates of 60 frames per second and offers CD-quality audio. The quality of MPEG-2 is good enough for NTSC television signals and even HDTV (high-definition television). MPEG compression works by storing only the parts of the images that change from one frame to the next, instead of compressing the entire frame. Using MPEG-2, an entire feature length film only takes up a few gigabytes of storage space.
W32.MyPics.worm: Virus sent as a picture email attachment. When downloaded, it changes your default IE start page to a porn site and emails the picture to 50 people in your Outlook address book. A variant on the Melissa virus.
NAT: [Abbreviation for "Network Address Translator"] Corporate networks who want to have their own internal network addresses (that may conflict with external Internet address) use a NAT. The NAT intercepts outgoing communications and converts conflicting IP addresses to something that the Internet will be happy with.
OCR: [abbreviation for "Optical Character Recognition"] OCR is the means by which paper-based text is feed into a computer (via a scanner), "read" by OCR software, and translated into machine-readable text.
OEM: [Abbreviation for "Original Equipment Manufacturer"] The manufacturer of equipment that's sold by other vendors. OEM products are usually sold under the brand name of the re-seller. For example, the LCD flat-screen monitor at Street Tech Labs has the Micron name on it, but it likely was produced by an OEM and rebranded as a Micron product.
OS Persistence: OS Persistence is basically an operating system that can boot up in seconds to exactly where you left it, even if you unplugged your computer in the meantime. OS Persistence work by taking a snapshot of your RAM and writing it to a file on your hard drive. When you turn your computer on again, rather than loading everything thing up, it simply reads the file off of your hard drive and writes the contents to your RAM, and theoretically, within seconds, your computer is up and running again exactly where it left off.
P3P: [abbreviation for "Platform for Privacy Preferences Project"] A privacy and personal information standard being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3). The basic idea is to create standards and practices that will allow users to control how much personal information they share with a website. P3P technology would, for instance, alert a visitor to a site on the information gathering practices of that site. For more information, see the P3P FAQ.
portable portal (noun): The latest portal flavor of the month, "portable portal" is the name given to Internet services like AvantGo and Portal-to-Go that offer Web content and services customized for non-PC users. [10/28/99]
personal proxy server: A technology that allows users to enter their credit card and other sensitive information only once, on a remote personal profile form (on a secure server), and then use a browser plug-in to automatically send relevant info from the personal proxy server to websites as required.
PC-100 main memory bus: Introduced in the middle of 1998, most motherboard manufacturers began using a 100MHz main memory system bus in their designs, replacing the older 66MHz bus. PC-100 buses are approx. 20% faster than the older bus. To match the faster bus speed,100MHz SDRAM ("Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory") modules are required on all PCs with the PC-100 bus. Both Apple and PC makers (circa early '99) are using the PC-100 bus/100MHz SDRAM combo. See also bus and SDRAM.
PCMCIA card: (Also called a "PC Card") A removable card that fits into a PCMCIA slot on many digital devices (laptops, Personal Digital Assistants, wireless communications devices). PC cards house such things as additional memory, modems and network interfaces. PCMCIA stands for "Personal Computer Memory Card International Association," the group who developed and trademarked the technology.
PCI: (abbreviation for "Peripheral Component Interface or Interconnect") A 64-bit local bus that was introduced to meet the more demanding needs of Pentium processors. The maximum transfer rate on a PCI bus is 132 MB/sec. See also bus.
PCS: [abbreviation for "Personal Communication Services"] The FCC's term for digital cellular technologies. PCS standards include GSM ("Global System for Mobile Communications"), CDMA ("Code-Division Multiple Access") and TDMA ("Time Division Multiple Access"). PCS phones are completely digital and operate in the 1900 MHz frequency range.
PDF: PDF stands for "Portable Document Format," developed by Adobe to allow documents to be read "cross-platform," without the viewer needing the program the document was created in. To read a document saved in PDF format, you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader (available at Adobe's website).
PIP: [Abbreviation for "Personal Internet Portal"] First there were "portals," one-stop shops for news and information, then there were "vortals," or vertical portals that assembled everything related to a particular market or subject. Now comes the "PIP," or personal portal. Developers see PIPs as the virtual desktops of the future where your customized content, unified messaging (phone, pager, email, fax, etc.), and datafiles will be stored online.
POSIX: [Acronym for "Portable Operating System Interface for UNIX"] A set of standards that define the interface between computer applications and POSIX-compliant operating systems. POSIX-compliance UNIX systems allow developers to more easily port programs to run on the many flavors of UNIX, LINUX and even Windows NT.
POTS: (Abbreviation for "Plain Old Telephone Service") The combination of analog and digital, fiber optic and copper lined public phone system we have today. Slowly being converted to all-fiber/all-digital. The big stumbling block is the so-called "last mile" to your house which, in most locations, is still copper.
preparedness movement: Another term for "survivalists," likely coined to move beyond the kooky stigma of the previous term. Fears over Y2K have allowed the "preparedness movement" to enjoy mainstream attention.
prosumer: Consumer electronics gear that is too high-priced (and feature-rich) for average consumers, but not high-quality enough for most professional applications. Sony's new line of Digital 8 cameras (in the thousand dollar range) would be considered consumer fare, while the Canon near-broadcast-quality MiniDV machines (in the two thousand dollar range) could be called "prosumer."
RCA connector: Look on the back of your VCR, stereo and other audio/video equipment. Those connectors, often colored red (audio-Right), black or white (audio-Left) and yellow (video) are RCA connectors.
ripping: Ripping (or "CD Ripping") is the process of digitally extracting audio tracks from Compact Discs and converting them to MP3 (or another audio format) for storage on a hard disk or transfer over the Internet. Ripping is very controversial because people convert commercial CDs to MP3 and then trade them over the Net. See also MP3.
RISC: [Abbreviation for "Reduced Instruction Set Computer"] A microprocessor chip that evolved from the earlier CISC ("Complex Instruction Set Computer") chip. The RISC chip, developed at IBM in the early '70s, needed fewer operating instructions (hence the name), was faster than CISC processors (at least when executing simple instructions), and was even cheaper to manufacture. The Motorola PowerPC chip, used in PowerPC Macs (duh), is a RISC chip. Other RISC chips include DEC's Alpha and Sun's SPARC.
RJ-11: The most common type of telephone jack in the world is the RJ-11. It is a 6-pin male modular jack (or plug) that connects to a female jack on a wall (or an RJ-11 adapter). RJ-11 jacks are usually only wired for four pins and only two of them (usually the red and the green wires) are used for the phone signal. The second pair can be used to carry a second phone line or to run low-wattage electronics, such as lights on phones. The second twisted pair of wires are increasingly being used for phone-based home networks (to connect your home PCs through your phone wiring). "RJ" stands for Registered Jack. The numbers that follow RJ (RJ-45, RJ-61X, etc.) are designations assigned by the FCC.
RS-232: RS-232 is an industry standard for the interface that your computer uses to talk to and exchange data with your modem and other serial peripheral devices. Serial refers to the fact that the data is transfered one bit at a time. In a parallel connection (such as a parallel printer), data is sent in groups of bits over multiple wires. The current version of RS-232 is RS-232C.
RTFM: RTFM is hacker shorthand for "Read The Freaking Manual!" or...ah...words to that effect.
SCSI: (Abbreviation for "Small Computer System Interface") A high-speed parallel interface standard used to connect a computer's CPU to a peripheral device such as a printer, hard drive, or another computer.
SDMI: [Abbreviation for "Secure Digital Music Initiative] The record industry's attempt to stop MP3 piracy. When the scheme is implemented (allegedly by Q4 '99), all new commercial CDs will include a digital watermark. Playback on SDMI-compliant MP3 players (and other Internet music devices) will only be possible if the commercial releases contain the digital watermark. Copies of songs that have been pirated will not have the watermark and will therefore not work. For more info see www.sdmi.org.
SDRAM: [Abbreviation for "Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory"] A superior form of DRAM that operates at higher clock speed thanks to a "bursting" technology in the DRAM that predicts the location of the memory address likely to be accessed next.
shape memory alloy: [Abbreviated as "SMA"] A type of metal alloy that retains its shape when heated or cooled above an ambient temperature. This process of heating/cooling, expanding/contracting allows the wire to act like a biological muscle and to be used in robotics and other machine applications where a controllable force is required. A.k.a. "muscle wire" or "shape memory metal."
sideloading: The transfering of datafiles from one Internet site to another. New virtual storage sites like i-drive let you "sideload" MP3 files from MP3.com to your personal remote directory (a.k.a. an "Internet drive").
SIMM: [Abbreviation for "Single Inline Memory Module"] A plug-in circuit board that holds surface-mounted RAM memory chips. The "single inline" part refers to the fact that the pins on the module that plug into the SIMM socket on the motherboard form a single row on the bottom of the circuit board. A newer, higher bandwidth type of memory module called a DIMM ("Dual Inline Memory Module") is finding its way on to many systems.
skins: The user-created graphical interfaces for MP3 players, games like Quake and other types of software that allow the creation of such custom interfaces.
smart dust: Airborne nano-devices (individually called "motes") containing sensors and communications capabilities. Currently being developed at the University of Califoria, Berkeley. For a fascinating near-future peak at how smart dust might work, see Neal Stephenson's amazing book The Diamond Age.
smart matter: Another term for "micro-electromechanical systems" (MEMS), a technology that imbeds micro-mechanical devices such as sensors, gears and actuators into semiconductor chips. For information on MEMS, see the MEMS Clearinghouse page.
SmartMedia Card: (less commonly known as an SSFDC or "Solid State Floppy Disk Card") A form of removable Flash RAM Memory card used in digital cameras and other handheld computer devices. SmartMedia cards come in both 3.3 and 5 volt versions with storage copacity from 2MB to 16MB. SmartMedia is a registered trademark. See PC Card and Compact Flash Card.
sociomedia: Term coined by MIT writing professor and hypermedia guru Ed Barrett in the early '90s to refer to the type of socially constructed media and knowledge that can grow from computer-based interactions. Through online conferencing and collaborative websites, useful news, information and resources (along with chit-chat, fake news and flame wars) are constructed over time. Street Tech's Shop Talk area is a perfect example of sociomedia in action.
Socket 7: Name for the socket on a PC motherboard that the original Intel Pentium class processors plug into. For Pentium II and III, Intel packaged its processor in a plastic cartridge that fits into a slot (Slot 1 or Slot 2) on the motherboard. Many thought Socket 7 was dead, but chip makers like AMD and Cyrix, who continue to use the socket, have proven to be worthy competitors.
SOHO: [Abbreviation for "Small Office/Home Office"] As more people telecommute and start home businesses, the SOHO has become a desirable target market for office supply and computer companies.
S/PDIF: [Abbreviation for "Sony/Philips Digital InterFace"] A consumer-grade digital stereo transmission format. Soundcards equipped with S/PDIF co-axial jacks allow you to turn your PC into a digital recording studio.
spread spectrum: Spread spectrum radio is theoretically simple. Two radios communicate by hopping from frequency to frequency, transmitting and receiving packetized data. By spreading the radio signal over a bunch of different frequencies in sequence, it's almost impossible to intercept or jam.
spy key: A backdoor into a computer operating system left their intentionally by a manufacturer to give someone, such as a government law enforcement agency, access. Accusations against Microsoft imbedding such a key flew like fur in a cat fight last week when a crypto website published allegations to this effect.
SRAM: [Abbreviation for "Static Random Access Memory"] A form of RAM that retains its memory only as long as there is power to run the device.
stealth tower: [slang] A telecommunications antenna that's disguised as a natural object (e.g. a tree) or hidden inside a tall structure such as a church steeple or roof. Not to be confused with a stink pipe antenna which is a pirate radio antenna hidden inside a phony plumbing vent.
store-and-forward: A communications system in which messages are received at an intermediate routing point in a network, recorded (i.e. stored), and then transmitted (i.e. forwarded) to another routing point, or their final destination, at a later time. This allows messages to be sent to machines that may be offline or transferred over a net at off-peak hours when rates and/or traffic are lower.
S-Video: [Abbreviation for "Super Video"] A type of video technology that delivers a much sharper image to TV monitors than composite video (where the Red Green Blue, and often even the audio, are mixed together. S-video handles color (chrominance) and brightness (luminance) separately. Video cameras with S-Video usually have both an S-Video output jack and the more common RCA-type audio/video connections (used in composite video). You can only take advantage of S-Video playback if your TV has S-Video input.
T-1: (abbreviation for "Digital Transmission Rate 1") A leased line phone connection capable of carrying 1.544 megabits of data per second. T-1 lines are commonly used to connect networks, ISPs, Web providers and others to the Internet.
TDMA: [Abbreviation for "Time Division Multiple Access"] TDMA is a digital wireless service that uses something called "time-division multiplexing" (TDM). TDM divides a radio frequency into time slots and then allocates slots to multiple mobile callers. With TDMA, a single radio frequency can support multiple, simultaneous data transmissions. TDMA is used by the GSM digital cellular standard, which is popular in Europe and almost non-existant in the US.
Token Ring Network: A local area network configuration that forms a closed ring of machines where network traffic is managed through the passing of digital tokens. A machine on the network cannot send data unless it "has the floor" via the token. A token ring can operate at up to 4 megabits (4 million bits) per second.
truck roll: [Slang] Phone and cable company slang for a technician's visit to a customer's location. "We're looking at new ADSL technologies that can limit our truck rolls."
trust providers: Financial institutions, credit card companies and other already-established bricks and mortar businesses that do better with online financial transactions due to public perception of their reliability and trustworthiness.
TWAIN: (abbreviation for "Technology (or Toolkit) Without An Interesting Name") TWAIN is an interface standard for scanner, fax, graphics and text-reading (OCR) software. It allows images to be scanned directly into the image editing software. All good scanners come with software packages that include a TWAIN driver.
UART: [Abbreviation for "Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter"] The UART is a computer chip that handles the traffic in and out of your serial communication (comm) ports. The UART is a common source of bottlenecks in a computer/modem relationship. Newer computers use the 16550 UART chip which has a 16-bit buffer. This has helped keep pace with today's faster modems.
Ultra ATA: (a.k.a. ATA-4, Ultra DMA, ATA-33, DMA-33) Ultra ATA is the latest specification for the ATA/EIDE disk controller standard. What do all these acronyms mean? EIDE, or "Enhance Integrated Electronics Interface" is a technology that puts all of the controller electronics for disk drives onto the drives themselves. (The controllery goodness is backed right in!) Ultra ATA allows for much faster data transfers that are twice as fast as the previous ATA-2 (up to 33.3 megabits per second). More acronym fun: "ATA" stands for "Advanced Technology Attachment" and is synonymous with IDE. "DMA" stands for "Direct Memory Access" and refers to the controller's ability to talk directly between memory and the disk drive without bothering the computer's CPU. See also EIDE.
UltraSCSI: [abbreviation for "Ultra Small Computer System Interface"] A SCSI interface is used to connect a computer to SCSII peripherals (hard drives, removable drives, printers, etc.). UltraSCSI is an updated version of SCSII-2 which can transfer data at 20MBs on an 8-bit connection and 40MBs on a 16-bit connection.
USB: (abbreviation for "Universal Serial Bus") The latest generation of serial bus technology that can transfer data at up to 12 Megabits/second, can be daisy chained (with up to 127 devices on a single port) and can provide power from the computer's power supply to peripherals (so that peripherals do not need their own AC power). USB "hubs," boxes that provide multiple USB ports and a power boost to the USB chain are usually needed if you have more than a few USB devices on your machine. USB also allows hot-plugging so that you can plug and unplug peripheral devices without having to shut down your computer.
UUCP: [Abbreviation for "Unix-to-Unix Copy"] A suite of software programs that allow information to be passed between Unix machines using serial connections. UUCP was invented at Bell Labs in the late '70s to allow for the transfer of programs, datafiles and email between Unix machines over standard telephone lines. The Usenet newsgroups grew out of UUCP.
V.90: The finally agreed-upon standard for 56Kbps analog modems. Earlier competing standards, Rockwell's K56Flex and 3COM's X2, are still widespread as consumers and service providers upgrade to the new standard. Most 56K modems sold before the standard approval can be software upgraded to V.90. The V.90 is likely to be the last analog modem standard, with cable modems, DSL and other high-bandwidth connectivity schemes from here on out.
vi Editor: A powerful line-mode text editor commonly used in Unix (and Linux) systems. vi is noted for its powerful and numerous keyboard commands. vi is used in programming and for writing and editing files and documents. There is some debate over what "vi" stands for. Some claim it means "visual interface," while others say it simply comes from the first two letters in "visual."
VoADSL: [abbreviation for "Voice over Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line"] What network equipment vendors such as Cisco, Lucent and Nortel are touting as the next tech wave after DSL delivers high-speed data access over existing copper lines. VoDSL is simply the delivery of voice communications via the same DSL pipe that carries Internet traffic.
VoiceXML: [Abbreviation for "Voice Extensible Markup Language"] A new type of Web specification being developed by a consortium of media and technology companies, VoiceXML would allow for voice access of Web content over a telephone.
WAP: [Abbreviation for "Wireless Access Protocol"] WAP is a specification for wireless communication protocols. The idea is to standardize the technology by which cellphones, radio devices, wireless modems, and other similar devices access the Internet so that these devices can interoperate. Gee, what a concept! For more info, ckeck out the WAP Forum.
wavetable synthesis: Wavetable synthesis is a sound technology that uses samples of real instruments to create more realistic music playback. If a MIDI file calls for say a trombone to play a C note, the computer (or MIDI instrument) accesses the wavetable and chooses the appropriate note, pitch, etc. It's hard to imagine that this works and can sound good, but it does (with varying results depending on the quality of the wavetable, the hardware, etc.) Wavetable synthesis is, in most cases, much better than FM synthesis, its predecessor.
Web clipping service: A limited Web service provided for wireless devices where service partners provide content tailored to wireless market and microbrowsers. 3COM's new Palm VII employs such a clipping service. Although 3COM already has an impressive list of partners, a Web clipping service is only as good as its content, and so far, that content is limited.
Week 1K Problem: A bug in the GPS (Global Position System) that could cause problems starting on Aug. 22, 1999 and could hint at what's to come with Y2K. GPS sats communicate time via a 29-bit binary number. Ten of those bits communicate the week number. On the August date (the thousandth week), the number will get too large for the 10-bit sequence. Afflicted GPS sats will reset to zero. The military says it's ready, but civilian GPS receivers (esp. older ones), may not be.
whack a mole: [slang] In the wild and wooly world of e-porn, the process of trying to close all of the pop-up windows that abnoxiously appear every time you attempt to close previous browser windows. Name comes from the popular carnival game.
Word turd: [Slang] 1. The words in a word-processed document that are left over from a previous construction of a sentence (.e.g. [from the Creatures manual] ...the balance of which changes affects Norn behavior.). 2. All the bits and pieces of software that Microsoft Office, and other similarly bloated programs, spray all over your PC during a typical install.
XGA: [Abbreviation for "Extended Graphics Array"] A high-res computer display standard developed by IBM in 1990. XGA supports 65,536 colors at a screen resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and 256 colors at 1,024 x 768 pixels. The latest XGA-2 offers 1,024 by 768 resolution in high color and a higher-refresh rate than XGA.
XJACK: A type of phone jack built into laptop PC-card modems. PC-cards are too thin to accept a conventional RJ-11 phone plug. An XJACK is a horizontal jack that pops out from the modem card, letting you vertically insert the RJ-11 plug.
XML: [Abbreviation for "Extensible Markup Lamguage"] A new form of Web markup language (like HTML) that not only tells the browser how to display the content on a page, but what type of content. For example, a tag could be used to say that a paragraph contains information on widgets for sale. A shopping bot could then scour the XML pages on the Web and find who has the cheapest widgets available. XML can be used to aggregate any type of information on the Web. For more info, see the WC3's page on XML.
yagi antenna: A highly directional antenna containing parallel antenna elements that reflect and direct the incoming signals to the driven element (the part that is electrically connected to the transmission line).
ZIF Socket: [abbreviated "Zero Insertion Force Socket"] A type of socket that allows a computer chip to be installed without the use of physical force (which can damage the pins on a chip). A lever is used to press the chip into place. ZIF sockets are found on most pre-Pentium II motherboards, allowing average users to do processor upgrades.