Computers - Senior Phase - basic terminology

Computers - Senior Phase - basic terminology

by Ronnie Hayes

​Aa

ACTIVE WINDOW - the window that you are currently working on.

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ANTIVIRUS - software to prevent, find and destroy viruses on a computer eg: Webroot, NOD32, Kaspersky, etc.

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​APPLICATION - a program that you can run an a computer to do something specific eg: Word, Excel, Google Docs, etc

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​​AUX - auxiliary connector or port. Used for sound devices like speakers, microphones, and headsets.

​Bb

​BACKUP - means making a copy of your data to keep in case something happens to the original data. Backups can be made online or offline.

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​BINARY - The only language understood by computers. Bi means TWO (Binary). The two numbers in binary are 0 and 1

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​​BIT - smallest data/storage unit (b)

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​BYTE - 8 bits make 1 Byte (B)

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​BROWSER - a program used to go onto the Internet and browse. eg: Chrome, Edge or Firefox

​Cc

​CALCULATE - means to work something out.

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​CAPTURE - means to take a picture of something or to put information into a computer.

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CAPTCHA - these are checks on some websites to make sure you are a human to prevent spam. You would normally be asked to type in the letters that show on an image.

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​CURSOR - the small arrow on the screen when you move the mouse.

​Dd

​DATA -- any information stored by a computer eg: email, songs, videos, documents, etc.

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DELETE - means to erase or remove something.

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​DESKTOP - the screen that appears once you have logged into your computer.

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DOWNLOAD​ - getting something from another computer, flash drive or Internet and saving it on your computer.

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​DUPLICATE - means to make an exact copy of something

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​Ee

EDIT - to change or modify something.​

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EMAIL - sending or receiving electronic messages (electronic mail)

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​EMOTICONS - symbols or pictures that help show our emotions.

​Ff

FILE - information or data stored on a computer. Files are stored in FOLDERS. They can be music files, photographs, documents, etc.

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​FOLDER - a folder is a place where we can save FILES or DOCUMENTS. Folders are also used to sort data/files in groups.

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​FILENAME - a name we give to a file or document in order to be able to identify it later.

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​FONT - the style or writing that we choose when we are typing.

Gg

GOOGLE - one of the favorite search engines.

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​GIGABYTE - 1000 million bytes

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​GRAPHICS - any pictures displayed by a computer

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​GPU (graphics processing unit) - needed by gamers to be able to run games like Fortnite, etc.

Hh

HARDWARE - anything that you can see or touch that is connected to a computer

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HARD COPY - something that is printed or a print-out.​

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​HARD DRIVE - permanent storage for your files, documents, etc. once you have saved them.

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​HIGHLIGHT - to select something in a document/file or folder.

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Ii

ICONS - little pictures that represent a file or other computer functions.

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​INPUT - any means of putting information into a computer eg: keyboard, mouse, scanner, camera, etc

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​INSTALL - to load a program/software onto your computer.

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​IP ADDRESS - an address for a computer when it is part of a network.

Kk

KEYBOARD - used to type information into a computer. It is an INPUT device.

Ll

LAN - Local Area Network - a group of computers connected together to form a network. Usually limited to a room or a building.

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​LANDSCAPE - when a page is sideways

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​LEFT-CLICK - when you click the left mouse button.

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​LOG OFF - usually done when you are finished using the computer and it used by other people.

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​LOG ON - when you are wanting to use a computer, you have to type in your username and password to get into it. This is called logging on.

Mm

MAIL - another word for email

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​MEMORY (RAM) - Random Access Memory, temporary storage that is used to keep your data until you save.

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​MENU - a list of options within a program. Usually found at the top of the window.

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​MINIMISE/MAXIMISE - make a window drop down into the taskbar or make it fill the screen.

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​MONITOR - a computer screen

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​MOUSE - a pointing device for a computer. It can be wired or wireless

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​MULTIMEDIA - more than one media eg: video and sound

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Nn

NET - short for the Internet.​

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NETIQUETTE - good manners that guide ​the use of the Internet.

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NETWORK - More than one computer joined together with cables or wifi in order to share information, data, or devices.

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​NUBIE - someone (a user) who is new at something

Oo

OFFLINE - when you are NOT connected to the Internet.

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​ONLINE - when you ARE connected to the Internet

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​O.S. - Operating System eg: Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, etc.

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​OUTPUT - getting the information OUT of the computer eg: printer, speakers, projector, screen, headphones, etc.

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Pp

PASSWORD - a secret word that you must remember so that you can access your data or computer.

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​PASTE - placing whatever is in memory into another location.

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​PERIPHERAL - any device that connects outside your computer that enhances or improves operation.

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​PLUG & PLAY - ready out the box to connect to your computer with no extra software drivers needed.

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​PORT - a socket on your computer where external devices can be plugged in.

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​PROMPT - also known as the text cursor or insertion point.

Rr

RAM - Random Access Memory - a temporary storage area for your data. It relies on electricity (volatile) so if your power goes, so does any data stored in it.

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​READ-ONLY - cannot be changed by a user, only read.

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​RENAME - to change the name of an object or file/document

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​RESOLUTION - the number of pixels that can be shown. The higher the number, the clearer the picture.

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​RESTORE - bring back to a previous state.

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​RIGHT-CLICK - to click once with the right-hand button of the mouse.

Ss

SAVE - to keep something for later.

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​SCANNER - an input device that acts as a camera and sends the information to the computer.

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​SCREEN SAVER - a small program that appears on your screen after the computer hasn't been used in a while. It protects the screen from image burn.

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​SCROLL - if there is too much information and it doesn't fit on your screen, then you have to move the page up as you read further down. This is called scrolling.

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​SCROLL BAR - this is usually a bar on the right side of your window that you can drag up and down to read long documents or view large pictures. You might also find one at the bottom of the window

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​SELECT - to choose something by clicking on it.

Ss - continued

SHORTCUT - an icon or picture that normally appears on the Desktop that you can double-click on to open a program or file/document.

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​SOCIAL NETWORKING - websites or programs that allow people to connect and communicate with other people.

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​SOFTWARE - all written instructions for a computer that tell it how to work. eg: Microsoft Word

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​SPAM - unwanted emails

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Ss - continued

STORAGE - devices where information/files/data is stored eg: hard drive, cloud, flash drive, etc.

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​STREAMING - listening or watching something straight off the Internet

Tt

TASK BAR - the row of icons at the bottom of the desktop screen. Includes the start button and the time.

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​TEXT - the letters and words on the screen or in a document.

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​TITLE BAR - appears at the top of a window telling you the name of the program or document.

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​TOOLBAR - displays shortcut icons for easy access to certain tools in a program. eg: cut, copy and paste.

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​TOUCHPAD - found on laptops where you move your finger to move the pointer.

Uu

UNDO - to reverse the last action you performed (Ctrl Z)

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​UPLOAD - to take information from your computer and put it into another location, normally the Internet.

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​URL - Uniform Resource Locator - another way of saying "web address"

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​USB - Universal Serial Bus - a way of connecting devices to other devices or computers

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​USER - anyone that uses a computer

Vv

VIRUS - a man-made file (code) that intentionally infects a computer to make it "sick." It can be an email that is sent to you, it could be something that you download off the Internet. Always be aware of what and where you download from.

Ww

WEBCAM - a camera that usually sits on the screen of your computer that you use for video conferencing or chatting in chat rooms.

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​WINDOW - when you open or start a program, it will usually open up a "window" on your screen where you can start working.

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​WWW - World Wide Web - usually called the Internet. The www.********.*** is the web address, and this usually starts with www. This address is also called the URL.