by Mitch Lemus
But what do they mean? In this column, computer jargon is defined two ways:
What it is: An old-fashioned modem device, whereby you'd attach the telephone receiver to a pair of rubber cups in order to relay data.
What it is: A Computer Aided Design program marketed by Autodesk, Inc. CAD programs are used for architectural and engineering design work and to make blueprints.
What it's not: Instructions inside packages of party balloons: "1. Put open end to lips.
2. Blow until fully expanded. 3. Tie knot."
What it is: A tiny help window that looks like a comic strip balloon. When you turn balloon help on and place your cursor over an icon, a little balloon pops up with a help tip.
What it is: Email that's returned to you when your intended recipient can't be reached. Reasons might include a nonexistent or misspelled username or down relay site. (Ken Krill).
What it's not: The dossier The Joker, The Riddler and Catwoman have on Batman.
What it is: A batch file, or collection of commands executed in sequence. When the user types the name of the batch file, the commands are executed one at a time. All batch files end in .BAT.
What it is: Computer files based on a system of numbers expressed entirely in terms of 0 and 1. Many Internet Newsgroups contain binary image files that must be decoded before viewing.
What it is: A transmission medium that carries more than one "channel" of information.
What it is: Pertaining to upper and lower case letters. For instance, when conducting a word search, the search is often case sensitive, giving you the option to search for upper or lower case spellings.
What it is: Like the "literati," the intellectual set conversant in literature, "digerati" are an emerging societal class highly skilled in all things digital. Worshiping anything with a keyboard and monitor, their diets consist primarily of pizza and Jolt cola. (Tom Bolt)
What it is: The blinking light on your computer screen that indicates where you can begin typing. (Chuck & Joy Degraff)
What it's not: A keyboard with a sticky slash key.
What it is: OJ Simpson's URL.
What it is: Files from one application that are brought into another application. For instance, you might import a chart created in a spreadsheet application into a document in a word processing application.
What it's not: Baby jaguars. "They showed the mother jaguar nursing her jaggies on TV's "Wild Kingdom."
What it is: Jagged edges that appear on some curved images or letters.
What it is: Any device that is connected to a network. For example, computers, servers, modems and printers are all considered nodes when connected to a computer network.
What it is: A formatting code used in word processing programs that indicates the length of a page to be printed.
What it's not: The opposite of a dominatrix.
What it is: A type of laptop computer screen which uses a backlit liquid crystal display (LCD). Passive matrix displays are less expensive, but not as sharp as active matrix displays.
What it is: An encryption freeware application that allows users to exchange files or messages with privacy and authentication.
What it is: A software program that controls how your computer and printer interact. Printers from various manufacturers may need their own printer driver in order to print documents properly.
What it's not: Escargot shipped from France.
What it is: Conventional paper mail delivered by the post office, which takes eons to deliver compared to email.
What it is: The adjoining neighborhoods of Soho, Tribeca and Greenwich Village in NYC, where an influx of new media companies are opening up shop. A takeoff of the phrase "Silicon Valley" -- a part of California known for its high concentration of computer hardware and software manufacturers. (Andy Austin)
What it's not: A tax on sinful products such as cigarettes, liquor and anything hedonistic.
What it is: The order in which commands are typed at a prompt.
What it is: A person whose job it is to keep computer systems up and running.
What it's not: A phoney who says he'll call you back but never does. (A guy).
What it is: Having to do with voice telecommunications.
(Pronounced tel-EF-o-nee).
What it is: A pre-formatted layout. For instance, you can create a newsletter using a template which has the size and placement of headlines, body copy and graphics already set in placeholders.
What it is: A continuous chain of bulletin board postings on a single topic.
What it's not: A crew of gangsters who illegally peddle subway tokens.
What it is: A type of local area network (LAN) in which conflicts in the transmission of messages are avoided by the granting of "tokens" which give permission to send.
What it is: A pointing device that works and looks like an upside-down mouse. Rolling the ball with your fingers moves the cursor on the screen. Track balls are commonly built into laptop computers for user's whose space is limited.
What it is: Telephone-type wiring used in some local area networks that reduces radio frequency noise within the circuits.
What it is: An operating system developed by Bell laboratories for mainframes and minicomputers, but now gaining increasing acceptance in the microcomputer world. Among its advantages is its ability to multitask -- that is, to handle more than one application at the same time.
What it is: Someone proficient in using and navigating the Web.
