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Bandwidth
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Baud
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Beta Software
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Binary
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BIOS
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Bit |
Blog
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Bluetooth
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Bookmark
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Boolean
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Bot
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bps
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Broadband
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Browser
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Buffer
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Burn
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Byte
Bandwidth
This refers to how
much data you can send through a network or modem connection. It
is usually measured in bits per second, or "bps." A good analogy
for bandwidth is a highway with cars traveling on it. The
highway is the network connection and the cars are the data. The
wider the highway, the more cars can travel on it at one time.
Therefore more cars can get to their destinations faster. It's
the same principle with computer data -- the more bandwidth, the
more information that can be transferred at one time.
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Baud
Contrary to popular belief, baud is not a direct measurement
of data transfer speed, but instead it measures how many
electrical signals are sent per second. Baud is used to measure
the rate of electrical signals, or "signaling elements," for
modems, networks, serial cables, and other data transfer
mediums.
Some people think that baud and bits per second are equal. For
example, they'll say a 28,800 bps modem transmits at 28,800
baud, and act like they know everything. But the fact is, most
modems transmit multiple bits of data per baud, so while the the
two values are related, they are typically not equal. So the
next time your friend says his 56K v.90 modem can transfer data
at 56,000 baud, you can kindly tell him that he is incorrect and
explain to him the difference between baud and bps.
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Beta Software
Before a commercial software program is released to the public,
it usually goes through a "beta" phase. During this stage, the
software is tested for bugs, crashes, errors, inconsistencies,
and any other problems. Though beta versions of software used to
be made available only to developers, they are now sometimes
made available for the general public to test, usually through
the software company's Web site. However, because beta software
is free, the programs usually expire after a period of time. If
you choose to test a beta software program, don't be surprised
if it has multiple problems and causes your computer to
repeatedly crash. After all, it is the beta version. You can
tell if a program is still in beta by checking the program's
properties. If there is a "b" in the version number (i.e.
Version: 1.2 b3) that means it's a beta version.
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Binary
Binary is a two-digit (Base-2) numerical system, which computers
use to store data and compute functions. The reason computers
use the binary system is because digital switches inside the
computer can only be set to either on or off, which are
represented by a 1 or 0. Though the binary system consists of
only ones and zeros, the two digits can be used to represent any
number.
For example:
A single 0 in binary represents zero.
A single 1 represents (2^0) or 1.
10 represents (2^1) or 2.
11 represents (2^1 + 2^0) or 3.
100 represents (2^2) or 4.
101 represents (2^2 + 2^0) or 5.
110 represents (2^2 + 2^1) or 6.
111 represents (2^2 + 2^1 + 2^0) or 7.
1000 represents (2^3) or 8, and so on.
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BIOS
Stands for "Basic Input/Output System." Most people don't need
to ever mess with the BIOS on a computer, but it can be helpful
to know what it is. The BIOS is a program pre-installed on
Windows-based computers (not on Macs) that the computer uses to
start up. The CPU accesses the BIOS even before the operating
system is loaded. The BIOS then checks all your hardware
connections and locates all your devices. If everything is OK,
the BIOS loads the operating system into the computer's memory
and finishes the boot-up process.
Since the BIOS manages the hard drives, it can't reside on one,
and since it is available before the computer boots up, it can't
live in the RAM. So where can this amazing, yet elusive BIOS be
found? It is actually located in the ROM (Read-Only Memory) of
the computer. More specifically, it resides in an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM) chip. So, as soon as you
turn your computer on, the CPU accesses the EPROM and gives
control to the BIOS.
The BIOS also is used after the computer has booted up. It acts
as an intermediary between the CPU and the I/O (input/output)
devices. Because of the BIOS, your programs and your operating
system don't have to know exact details (like hardware
addresses) about the I/O devices attached to your PC. When
device details change, only the BIOS needs to be updated. You
can make these changes by entering the BIOS when your system
starts up. To access the BIOS, hold down the key as soon as your
computer begins to start up.
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Bit
The computer term "bit" comes from the phrase "Binary DigIT",
which is different than that thing you put around a horse's
mouth. A bit is a single digit number in base-2 (a zero or a
one) and is the smallest unit of computer data. A full page of
text is composed of about 16,000 bits. It is important not to
confuse bits with bytes. Both are used to measure amounts of
data, but it takes eight bits to make one byte. The most common
area where bits are used instead of bytes is in measuring
bandwidth (in bits per second). Why? Probably because it makes
your Internet connection sound faster than it really is.
Abbreviation: "b".
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Blog
Short for "Web Log," this term refers to a list of journal
entries posted on a Web page. Anybody who knows how to create
and publish a Web page can publish their own blog. Some Web
hosts have made it even easier by creating an interface where
users can simply type a text entry and hit "publish" to publish
their blog.
Because of the simplicity of creating a blog, many people (often
young kids and adults) have found a new presence on the Web.
Instead of writing confidential entries in a book that no one is
supposed to see, people now can share their personal feelings
and experiences with thousands of people around the world. Blogs
are typically updated daily, monthly, or anywhere in between.
"Blog" may also be used as a verb, as in "Wow, Matt sure blogged
a lot last week."
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Bluetooth
This is a technology that enables wireless communication between
Bluetooth-compatible devices. It is used for short-range
connections between desktop and laptop computers, PDAs (like the
Palm Pilot or Handspring Visor), digital cameras, scanners,
cellular phones, and printers.
Infrared once served the same purpose as Bluetooth, but it had a
number of drawbacks. For example, if there was an object placed
between the two communicating devices, the transmission would be
interrupted. (You may have noticed this limitation when using a
television remote control). Also, the Infrared-based
communication was slow and devices were often incompatible with
each other.
Bluetooth takes care of all these limitations. Because the
technology is based on radio waves, there can be objects or even
walls placed between the communicating devices and the
connection won't be disrupted. Also, Bluetooth uses a standard
2.4 GHz frequency so that all Bluetooth-enabled devices will be
compatible with each other. The only drawback of Bluetooth is
that, because of its high frequency, its range is limited to 30
feet. While this is easily enough for transferring data within
the same room, if you are walking in your back yard and want to
transfer the address book from your cell phone to your computer
in your basement, you might be out of luck. However, the short
range can be seen as a positive aspect as well, since it adds to
the security of Bluetooth communication.
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BookMark
Similar to a real-life bookmark, an Internet bookmark acts as a
marker for a Web site. (In Internet Explorer, they're called
"Favorites".) When using a Web browser, you can simply select a
bookmark from the browser's Bookmarks menu to go to a certain
site. This way, you don't have to go through the redundant
process of typing in the Internet address each time you visit
one of your favorite sites. Also, who remembers those
200-character addresses anyway? In most browsers, to create a
bookmark, you simply choose "Add Bookmark" from the Bookmarks
menu when you're at a page that you'd like to bookmark. Woah,
four "bookmarks" in one sentence. That's what happens with words
that serve as both nouns and verb. So, now that you know how to
create a bookmark, be sure to bookmark ptv.com.pk. =).
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Boolean
This is the logic that computers use to determine if a statement
is true or false. There are 4 main Boolean operators: AND, NOT,
OR, and XOR. Below are some examples of how the 4 operators
work:
x AND y retuns True if both x and y are true, otherwise the
expression returns False.
NOT x returns True if x is false (or null) and False if x is
true.
x OR y returns True if either x or y or both are true; only if
they are both false will it return False.
x XOR y returns True if either x or y are true, but not both. If
x and y are both true or false, the statement will return False.
While Boolean expressions are what drive the CPUs in computers,
they can also be used by computer users. For example, when
searching for information on the Web, many search engines accept
Boolean operators in the search phrases (i.e. "Yamaha AND piano
NOT motorcycle"). Programmers often use Boolean expressions in
software development to control loops and variables as well.
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Bot
This is an automated software program that can execute certain
commands when it receives a specific input (like a ro-"bot").
Bots are most often seen at work in the Internet-related areas
of online chat and Web searching. The online chat bots do things
like greet people when they enter a chat room, advertise Web
sites, and kick people out of chat rooms when they violate the
chat room rules. Web searching bots, also known as spiders and
crawlers, search the Web and retrieve millions of HTML
documents, then record the information and links found on the
pages. From there, they generate electronic catalogs of the
sites that have been "spidered." These catalogs make up the
index of sites that are used for search engine results.
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bps
Stands for "Bits Per Second." (The "b" is lowercase because it
stands for bits, not bytes.) Bits per second is the standard way
of measuring how fast data moves across a network or phone
system. For example, a 56K modem can hypothetically transfer
data at 56,700 bits per second.
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Broadband
This refers to high-speed data transmission in which a single
cable can carry a large amount of data at once. The most common
types of Internet broadband connections are cable modems (which
use the same connection as cable TV) and DSL modems (which use
your existing phone line). Because of its multiple channel
capacity, broadband has started to replace baseband, the
single-channel technology originally used in most computer
networks. So now when you see companies like AT&T and SBC
pushing those fancy "broadband" ads in your face, you'll at
least know what they are talking about.
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Browser
It's what you're probably using to read this right now. A Web
browser, often just called a "browser," is the program people
use to access the World Wide Web. It interprets HTML code
including text, images, hypertext links, Javascript, and Java
applets. After rendering the HTML code, the browser displays a
nicely formatted page. Some common browsers are Microsoft
Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, and Apple Safari.
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Buffer
This is a small amount of data that is stored for a short
amount of time, typically in the computer's memory (RAM). The
purpose of a buffer is to hold data right before it is used. For
example, when you download an audio or video file from the
Internet, it may load the first 20% of it into a buffer and then
begin to play. While the clip plays back, the computer
continually downloads the rest of the clip and stores it in the
buffer. Because the clip is being played from the buffer, not
directly from the Internet, there is less of a chance that the
audio or video will stall or skip when there is network
congestion.
Buffering is used to improve many other areas of computer
performance as well. Most hard disks use a buffer to enable more
efficient access to the data on the disk. Video cards send
images to a buffer before they are displayed on the screen
(known as a screen buffer). Computer programs use buffers to
store data while they are running. If it were not for buffers,
computers would run a lot less efficiently and we would be
waiting around a lot more. It's just another aspect of computer
design that we take for granted.
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Burn
This term is used to describe
writing data to a CD or DVD. If you were taking an SAT test, the
analogy would look something like this:
Hard Disk : Write ::
CD/DVD : Burn
The reason the term "burn" is used is because the CD-writer, or
burner, literally burns the data onto a writable CD. The laser
in a CD-writer can be cranked up to a more powerful level than
an ordinary CD-ROM laser. This enables it to engrave thousands
of 1's and 0's onto a CD.
So that is why people talk about "burning" songs or files to
CDs. They could just say they are "writing" the data to a CD,
and it would make sense, but people seem to think "burning"
sounds cooler.
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Byte
This is a set of 8 bits that
represent a single character in the computer's memory. Do not
confuse this term with "bite", as in taking a bite of a cookie,
because that is totally different. Bytes are typically used to
measure hard disk storage and computer memory (megabytes,
gigabytes, terabytes, etc.)
Abbreviation: "B".
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