Technology / Computers Glossary

Clock Speed: The clock speed is the frequency which determines how fast devices that are connected to the system bus operate. The speed is measured in millions of cycles per second (MHz or megahertz) and . . . View Full Definition

Clone: An imitation or copy of the original. Usually refers to building a computer system that is based on and compatible with another computer company's system.

Cluster: In a Windows environment, Cluster refers to the allocated space within files measured in units. A cluster is part of a group of a logical disk sector. Depending on the disk size, a typical c . . . View Full Definition

Clustering: This is a way of connecting two (or more) computers together using clustering hardware so that they share the processing load. If ten computers of equal processing speed are clustered togeth . . . View Full Definition

CMOS: Most commonly, CMOS refers to a battery powered chip that resides on the Motherboard and is responsible for retaining certain system information (date, time and some system setup parameters) . . . View Full Definition

Coaxial Cable: A data transmission cable praised for its high bandwidth, immunity to interference (eg: EMI) and cursed for its high cost. The inner conductor is shielded in insulating material as well as a . . . View Full Definition

COder-DECoder (Codec): 1) Short for Compressor/Decompressor. This technology is used for compressing and decompressing data. Codecs are widely used in both hardware and software. A few examples of codecs are: Cine . . . View Full Definition

Cold Boot: A cold reboot also referred to as a hard boot. This occurs when a computer user must switch the computer system off from the main power switch. This process bypasses the normal shut down pro . . . View Full Definition

Collision: This is a problem that is a result from two or more device attempting to send a signal along the same channel. The usual result of a collision is a garbled message. All computer networks hav . . . View Full Definition

Color Graphics Adapter (CGA): Stands for Color Graphics Adapter. Introduced by IBM as their first microcomputer color standard. This graphics card allowed a maximum of four colors at a resolution of 320 x 200 or two colo . . . View Full Definition

Command: An instruction that is issued to the computer from a command line or prompt.

Command Line: Commands you type to run an application. You can type commands at an MS-DOS prompt or in the Run dialog box in the Program Manager of Windows. Interfaces in which you type commands rather th . . . View Full Definition

Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL): A computer programming language invented during the second generation of computers and designed to meet the needs of business. Although less often used today, it was well-suited for writing . . . View Full Definition

Common Gateway Interface (CGI): The 'Common Gateway Interface'. CGI provides a gateway for HTML pages to interact with other applications.

Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM): A durable and low cost circular optical storage device widely used to store large amounts of information on a personal computer.

Compact Disk (CD): A 12cm optical disk that contains digitally encoded information.

Compact Disk Recordable (CD-R): A CD that can have information written to it one time by a CD recording device. May have multisession capabilities, allowing it to be written to during different sessions, but not overwritten.

Compact Disk Rewritable (CD-RW): A rewritable CD or a recording device that handles them. Can be rewritten by a CD recording device at least 1,000 times. CD-RW drives can also be used to write CD-Rs and read CD-ROMs.

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38