abort, retry, fail - error message indicating some sort of problem with a device, such as a disk drive or printer. Press "A" to abort, "R" to retry, or "F" to allow the command to fail.

 

accelerated graphics port [AGP] - a bus specification from Intel that gives graphics cards faster access to main memory than the PCI bus, thus greatly speeding up graphics display and texture rendering, especially virtual reality and 3D rendering.

 

access time - amount of time it takes for a storage peripheral to transfer data to the CPU, measured from the instant the request is made until the instant the data are received.

 

active desktop - Microsoft's integration of Windows desktop for Windows 95/98/Me and Windows NT/2000 with Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser (4.0 and later) where users can access local and remote information from a single location.

 

active-matrix display - liquid crystal display (LCD) technology used to produce high-quality flat panel color displays, often used in laptop and notebook computers.Active matrix displays use one thin film transistor (TFT) per cell, producing brighter and sharper diplays viewable from wider angles than those produced by passive-matrix displays.

 

ActiveX - model for writing programs so that other programs and the operating system can call them. ActiveX technology is used with Microsoft Internet Explorer to make interactive Web pages that look and behave like computer programs, rather than static pages. With ActiveX, users can ask or answer questions, use push buttons, and interact in other ways with the Web page.

 

address toolbar - on the Windows Taskbar, it enables you to type a Web page address (URL) without first opening the Internet Explorer browser.

 

ADSL [Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line] - digital subscriber line (DSL) technology in which the transmission of data from server to client is much faster than from client to server.

 

adware – software that brings targeted ads to your computer, after you provide initial consent for this task. Some adware may hijack the ads of other companies, replacing them with its own. Adware typically will track your browsing habits and report this info to a central ad server.

 

aliasing - in computer graphics, the stairstepped appearance of diagonal or curved lines.

 

alphanumeric character - any character using alphabetic letters, numbers, or special characters.

 

ALT key - keyboard key that gives alternate meanings to other keys, thus expanding the keyboard's capability. The Alt key is held down like a Shift key, and another key is pressed.

 

annoyance – any Trojan that does not cause damage other than to annoy a user, such as by turning the text on the screen upside down, or making mouse motions erratic. It can cause an excessive number of popups/popunders, is designed to force advertising even when not connected to the Internet, can cause noticeable system and/or bandwidth slowdowns, and in general is intrusive to the point of frustrating the system user.

 

anti-aliasing - smoothing the jaggies in a bitmapped image. When diagonal or curved lines are put in bitmapped form, these shapes must be made with square pixels; any lines that are not vertical or horizontal have a stair-stepped appearance.Anti-aliasing changes the pixels along the edges of the line into varying shades of gray or in-between color, in order to make the edge appear smoother.

 

antivirus killer – any hacker tool intended to disable a user's anti-virus software to help elude detection. Some will also disable personal firewalls.

 

antivirus software – program used to detect and remove computer viruses.

 

anti-antivirus virus – another term for a retro-virus.

 

aperture - The size of a camera lens opening, which regulates how much light passes through the lens to hit the CCD. Aperture is measured in f-stops. A higher number equals a smaller amount of light. Some digital cameras (such as digital SLR cameras) allow a user to manually adjust the aperture setting.

 

application - a program, such as accounting, and word processing.

 

ASCII {AS-kee} [American Standard Code for Information Interchange] - text format that uses only the first 128 codes for letters, symbols and characters.

 

ASCII File {AS-kee} - plain text file, containing no formatting. (compare "binary file")

 

asynchronous [ASYNC] - not synchronized by a common timing signal. In asynchronous communication, each character can be transmitted at any time and is distinguished by a start bit and stop bit; in synchronous communication the start and stop bits are not needed as there is a regular time interval between transmissions. With asynchronous terminals, a transmission can be initiated at either end.

 

AT {ay-tee} [Advanced Technology] - an IBM PC introduced in 1984 that was the most advanced PC at that time, with an Intel 80286 processor, 16-bit bus, and 1.2MB floppy drive.

 

ATA {ay-tee-ay} [Advanced Technology Attachment] - the specification for the IDE interface.

 

ATAPI {uh-TAP-ee} [Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface] - interface used to connect CD-ROMs, tape drives, and optical disks with the computer.

 

AT Command Set {ay-tee} - standard Hayes-compatible modem commands that start with the letters AT.

 

authentication - use of a password, certificate, personal identification number (PIN), or other information to validate an identity over a computer network.

 

avatar - an Internet user's representation of himself or herself, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games or a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on Internet forums and other communities. The term avatar can also refer to the personality connected with the screen name, or handle, of an Internet user.

In Hindu philosophy, an avatar (also spelt as avatara) most commonly refers to the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of a higher being (deva), or the Supreme Being (God) onto planet Earth. The Sanskrit word avatara- literally means "descent" (avatarati) and usually implies a deliberate descent into lower realms of existence for special purposes.