Department for Curriculum and Quality Enhancement
Jargon Buster
A
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Adobe Acrobat Reader -Standard software for viewing, reading and annotating PDF files.
Analogue - A signal whose value varies continuously, as opposed to a digital signal which is either on or off.
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Android - An operating system for portable computers and mobile phones, based on the Linux system that is used on some PCs.
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Animated GIF - A type of simple animation found on the internet.
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App - A small program designed to run on a phone or handheld computer. Could be a game, utility or any other type of program. (Short for application.)
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Applet - A small program, often one that runs within a larger program to perform a specific task.
Avatar - A virtual representation of yourself in an online environment e.g. personalised graphic.
B
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Bandwidth - A range within a band of frequencies or wavelengths.
Bluetooth - A wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances, using short-wavelength radio transmissions, from fixed and mobile devices.
Browser - A program used to view and interact with websites. (Short for web browser.)
C
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Cache - A temporary space for storing information. Can be memory used on a computer processor, or space on a hard disk used by a web browser.
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Capture device - A peripheral used to capture analogue audio and/or video and convert it into a digital audio/video file on your computer.
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Chat room - A place for people to chat online, either via a website or using special software.
Chrome - A free web browser by Google.
CMYK - A colour system that is based on the four colours used in traditional offset printing. (Short for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black=key).
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Cookie - A small text file stored on your computer by a website. Used to store browsing preferences, website log-in details and so on.
CSS - A style sheet language used for describing the the look and formatting of a document written in a markup language. Its most common application is to style web pages written in HTML and XHTML, but the language can also be applied to any kind of XML document, including plain XML, SVG and XUL. (Short for Cascading Style Sheet.)
D
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Dialogue box - A window that pops up to display or request information.
Download - Copy (data) from one computer system to another or to a disk.
E
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Ebook - A book stored as a digital file that can be read on a computer or dedicated ebook reader.
F
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FAQs - A list of questions and answers relating to a particular subject, especially one giving basic information about a Web site.
Firefox - A free web browser by Mozilla.
Firewall - A piece of software or hardware that prevents unauthorised access to a computer over a network, such as the internet.
- Flash - An application used to display animations and video files on websites.
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Forum - A website where users can ask questions and receive replies from other users.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol, a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host or to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet.
G
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GIF – A bitmap image format supported by the World Wide Web. (Short for Graphics Interchange Format.)
GUI - A human-computer interface that uses windows, icons and menus to allow humans to interact with computers. (Short for Graphical User Interface.)
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H
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HTML - Hypertext Markup Language. The language used to write most web pages.
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HTML5 - The latest version of the Hypertext Markup Language used to create most web pages. HTML5 includes extra commands that allow for more complex designs.
I
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Internet - A vast computer network linking smaller computer networks worldwide which use the same set of communications protocols.
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Intranet - A computer network with restricted access, as within a company, that uses software and protocols developed for the internet.
iPad - A tablet computer designed and developed by Apple.
J
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Java - A programming language used to create some software and internet tools.
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Javascript - A simplified version of the Java programming language used on many websites.
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JPEG - A common type of image file created by most digital cameras. Some image quality is lost with each save. (Short for Joint Photographic Experts Group.)
K
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Knowledgebase - An online database of helpful information, often run by a software manufacturer to provide help and support.
L
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Linux – An open-source computer system available for many hardware platforms.
M
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Megabyte - A unit of information equal to 220 bytes or, loosely, one million bytes.
Memory (RAM) - Computer memory, also known as RAM (Random Access Memory), is where most information is stored while programs are running.
Metadata - A set of data that gives information about a file.
MPEG - A common type of audio or video file. (Short for Motion Picture Experts Group.)
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Multimedia - Refers to material in a mix of formats, such as sound and video.
N
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Network - A way of connecting several computers and devices so they can share information.
Notebook – A portable computer that is smaller than a laptop.
O
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Open source - Software that is developed, released to and used by the public, free, as an alternative to software from large companies.
Operating system – Software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications, and controlling peripherals.
P
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PDF – A file format that makes it possible to display text and graphics in the same fixed layout on any computer screen.
- Plug-in - A small program that adds extra features to your web browser or to other applications, and is loaded only when it's needed.
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PNG - A format for images that shrinks file sizes using compression but without discarding any data. (Sort for Portable Network Graphics.)
Podcast – A multimedia digital file made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player.
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Pop-up - A window that is displayed by a website, usually over material already on the screen.
Prezi – A web-based presentation application that uses a single canvas instead of traditional slides.
Proxy server – A server (a computer system or an application) that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers.
Q
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Quicktime - A video file format.
R
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Radio button - A type of button where only one choice can be made at any time.
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Repository - A central location where software is stored.
RGB – A colour model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colours. RGB output devices include computer screens and mobile devices.
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RSS - A simple format for automatically distributing news headlines and other content from the web. (Short for Really Simple Syndication.)
S
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Screen reader - A software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen, including text and descriptions of images, menu bars and the content of websites. Windows 7 and Vista come with screen-reading software.
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Server - A computer on a network, such as the internet, that distributes information to other PCs.
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Smart phone – A mobile phone built on a mobile operating system, with more advanced computing capability connectivity than a feature phone.
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Social networking - Websites that enable you to chat, share news and photos with friends. Facebook is an example of a social network.
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Software - Any program or group of programs that tells hardware how it should perform, including operating systems such as Windows, word processors, DTP applications and games.
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Stream - Audio or video material that can be played as it is downloaded from the internet or transferred from another computer. Broadcasts over the internet are often streamed so that you don't have to download a whole file before you start listening or watching. Streaming media sometimes stalls if the source material is received more slowly than it is played back.
T
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Tablet – A general-purpose computer contained in a single panel. Its distinguishing characteristic is the use of a touch screen.
Tag - A keyword used to describe a file or web page. Many programs use tags to organise related information quickly.
TIFF – Industry-standard method for storing scanned and other digital black-and-white, grayscale, and full-colour images. (Short for Tagged Image File Format.)
U
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Upload – To transfer (data or programs), usually from a peripheral computer or device to a central, often remote computer.
USB - A standard that allows quick and easy connection of external peripherals such as storage devices to your PC. Devices can be added or removed while your PC is switched on. (Short for Universal Serial Bus.)
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User interface - This is the face of a computer program - what it looks like to the person sitting in front of the monitor, and how it is used.
V
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Videoconferencing - Links two or more PCs to capture and display video and audio in real time so distant people can see as well as talk to each other.
W
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Webcam – A video camera that inputs to a computer connected to the internet, so that its images can be seen by internet users.
Widget - There are several different types of widget. A desktop widget is a small program such as a clock or a calendar that runs on the Desktop. A mobile widget offers the same functionality on a smartphone.
WIFI – A local area network that uses high frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet; uses ethernet protocol.
X
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XML - A versatile type of document that can store various types of information. (Short for Extensible Markup Language.)
Z
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ZIP file - A file that can contain a number of compressed documents or files.