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CHAPTER 9 Words, Words, Words 386 - This refers to computers that have a 80386 or 80486 or higher "86" number microprocessor in them. 80286 - This is the number for a microprocessor in an AT or 286 computer. It is less sophistocatedthan 386 and a little better than an 8086. 80386 - This refers to the microprocessor in all 80386 computers. There are two types of 386's: the SX and the DX: the SX is a cheaper version of the DX. 80486 - This refers to the microprocessor found in a 80486 computer. It is a bit better than a 386, and costs a bit more, too. 8086/8088 - These numbers refer to the first microprocessors found in the personal computers to come out in the early 1980's. A: - This refers to the "A" "Drive" on the computer. Usually a floppy disk drive. It is the mechanism which operates using external, removable floppy disks, rather than the fixed hard drive. Programs run slower when run from a floppy drive. alt-key - A key labeled ALT which is used in combination with other keys in order to carry out specified functions in a program. ALT-C means that first the ALT key is depressed, then the letter "C" is depressed while holding the alt down in position. applications - A term which applies to computer programs, general- ly of a similar type. There are word processing applica- tions, or database applications. arrow keys - These are keys on the keyboard which move the cursor around on the screen - they have little arrows on them one for U p arrow, D own arrow, L eft arrow, R ight arrow. ansi - Pronounced AN-SEE. Generally refers to a type of color graphic screen, which is relatively easy to draw and which is used for color menus, etc. ascii - Pronounced ASK-EE It is generally referred to as a plain text file. Nothing fancy! Just like typing on a type- writer. A lot of word processors use ascii text as their standard. backslash - This is the "\" character. It is a backwards slanting slash. In DOS the backslash is used to symbolize the root directory. It also helps to separate several items in a path name. eg. C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM backup - A method of copying your files from the Hard Drive to a safe place - like on floppy disks, or a tape drive. This is totally for safekeeping ... in case something happens and the HD "crashes" (all of the data is lost)! baud - Actually refers to a signal change in computereze. But it has come to be known as BPS or bytes per second - the speed at which a modem transfers information. eg. 2400bps. bit - Meaning "binary-digit". This refers to a single micro- scopic switch inside the computer, which contains the value of 0 or 1. Millions of these can be found in a computer system. They go into making up memory and disk storage. boot - This is how you turn the computer on - you "boot it up"! Resetting the computer is the same as "re-booting" or giving it a "warm boot"! byte - This is a group of eight bytes clustered together to form one unit of information. It is one single character stored inside the computer. "Byte" requires four bytes of storage inside the computer. Bytes also measure the capa- city of storage space, either filled, or unfilled: eg. kilobyte, megabyte. C: - This is what the main root drive of a hard disk is called. The "C" drive. The ":" after the letter defines it as a "drive". capacity - This is the amount of storage space that is possible on a given drive. Some hard disks can store up to 500meg of information or more, while a floppy disk can only hold 360K, 720K, or 1.2m or 1.4m ... depending on which type you have on hand. CD-ROM - Means: COMPACT DISK - READ ONLY MEMORY. THis means that a disk can hold information to be "read" only and not "written" to. One disk can hold several million bytes of information. It is like a musical CD disk, only it stores electronic information in the form of files, rather than songs. CGA - Color Graphics Adapter - This was the first video system for a personal computer which allowed you to see color text and graphics. Not very sophisticated. Cartoonlike graphics. clone - This means an imitation of the original. Most all computers are clones of the first IBM models. chkdsk /f - When you type this at a dos prompt it will "check" your "disk" to see if there is any internal file structures that are damaged in anyway, due to use. The "/f" switch means that it will fix the damage for you. CMOS - THis has to do with the special memory inside the computer. This type of memory stores information about the computers configuration and hard drive. It also keeps track of the date and time. This requires a battery to run. compatible - This term refers to a computer that can run DOS soft- ware. Mostly all computers are DOS compatible these days. control key - This is a key-combination which uses the Ctrl or CONTROL key plus another key depressed while still holding down the control key... It provides an additional level of function keys. conventional memory - This is the basic type of memory in a PC, where DOS runs and all your are located. There can be a maximum of 640K of conventional memory. CPU - This means central processing unit.... this is the brains of the computer. ctrl - This is the name of the Control Key as it appears on the keyboard. cursor keys - There are the arrow keys which moves the cursor around the screen. cursor - The blinking underline on the screen. This marks your position on the screen, showing you where any new text will appear. data - Information. This is what is created and changed by using the computer. It can be anything at all. A word proces- sing document, a spreadsheet, a database. database - default - This means the standard choice, option, or selection automatically taken when you don't choose something else. directory - This is the place where a collection of files is kept! Every disk has one main directory. This is called the root directory. Usually attached to this directory are related or subdirectories. When you save a file to the disk ... it is saved to a particular directory. You can view the files in a given directory be using the DIR command...which means DIRECTORY. disk - This is the place on the computer where information is stored. There are two kinds of disks: hard and floppy. Hard disks are permanent and attached to the insides of the computer. Floppy disks are portable and come in two width sizes: 3.5" and 5.25". display - This is another term for the computer screen or monitor. However, it means more precisely: what is actually displayed on the screen rather than the monitor itself which is the hardware which produces the display. document - This is a file created by a word procesor which contains formatting information, text styles, fonts and the like. This is opposed to a regular text file which just contains textual content and can be viewed by typing the TYPE command. DOS - This means Disk Operating System. THis is the central program which controls all of the computer, the program it runs and anything that saves information to or loads it from disk. DOS memory - This is another term for conventional memory, which is the basic 640K of memory in a computer. dot matrix - This is a type of printer which uses a series of pins to create an image on paper. Dot matrix printers are the most economical way to print information. dump - This is a computer term which means to wash out one thing and dump it into another. Eg. a screen dump takes the information displayed on the screen and literally dumps it out to the printer. EGA - This means Enhanced Graphic Adapter. The standard came after the CGA. It gave more colors than the CGA and easier to read text. This standard has been superceded by the VGA. EMS - This means expanded memory specification. It is a standard for accessing extra memory on all types of computers. This memory is used by DOS and most DOS applications. escape key - This is a key on the keyboard with ESC on it. It is used by many programs as a way to cancel or exit out of the program. expanded memory - This is extra memory in the computer which is needed for DOS and lots of DOS applications. You must add this kind of memory by buying hardware and software for it. expansion card - This is a piece of hardware that is plugged into the main (mother)board of the computer. It expands the capability of your computer, and allows you to add new devices. You can add modems, sound cards, and stuff like that ! expansion slot - This is the location on the motherboard where the expansion card "sits" in. Typical computers have eight expansion slots. extended memory - This is extra memory in an 80286 or 80386 com- outer. It is not expanded memory. It can be conver- ted to more usable expanded memory with special software. file - This is where all the action takes place in a computer. It is an electronic piece of paper on which you write. You can write words, figures, or graphics (pictures). floppy disk - A removable disk in a computer fitting into a 3.5" or 5.25" drive. font - This is a typsetting term used in desktop publishing for computers. It is a specific style of text, like ROMAN. format - To prepare a disk to be used by DOS. Unformatted disks are unable to accept information. The FORMAT command can accomplish this. Just BE VERY CAREFUL not to format C: or D: or any of your fixed drives! Saves tears that way! function keys - These are those keys on the keyboard on the top row with the letter/numbers F1 thru F10 or 12. They perform different special functions depending on the pro- gram. The F1 key, for example, in most programs is the on-line HELP key! Sometimes these are used in combination with other keys such as SHIFT, CTRL or ALT (which then actually means there are 36 possibilities)! gigabyte - This is 1,000 megabytes or 1,000 million which means 1 billion characters: a LOT of characters! graphics adapter - This piece of hardware controls the monitor. The three basic types of graphics adapters are: CGA, EGA and VGA. hard disk - This is a high speed long-term storage device for a personal computer. They have a much greater speed and capacity than a floppy disk! hardware - This is the physical components of a computer system. It is controlled by the software. It is like driving a car: the hardware is the car itself; the software is the actual driving or instructions given the car by the driver to take it to where the driver wants to go. I/O - This means Input/Output. This is the way the computer actually works. They take in information, process it then, give it back out! i 486 - This means the Intel '486 computer. keyboard - This is what you use to type with on the computer system. It has the standard typewriter keys plus function and arrow keys, and a numeric key-pad. kilobyte - This means 1,00 bytes. THis is about 1/2 page of text. It is abbreviated K. 15K then equals 15,000bytes (more or less)! (Actually 1K = 1024 bytes so... you figure it out!) laptop - This is a compact type of computer that can run on batteries that is entirely portable. And they are quite expensive. laser printer - A special kind of printer that uses a laser beam create the image on paper. They produce really good graphics. And of course, they are more expensive than the traditional dot matrix printer. LCD - This means liquid crystal display - applies mostly to lap- top computers. They are akin to the desktop computers VGA display. load - This means to move information from the disk into the computer's memory. You have to load a program in order to work with it! MB - This is an abbreviation for Megabyte or 1,000 kilobytes.... which is actually 1024 k-bytes technically speaking. macro - This is a program within a program which can carry out a preset complex function with the stroke of one or two keys. You can preset your name and address, for example, and then every time you need to use it, in a particular program, just hit the macro key that you already preset as your name and address, and it will be all printed out for you. Saves time! math coprocessor - This is a companion to a computer's CPU, which is designed to perform complex arithmetic processes quickly. 486 computers have the co-processor built in, while it must be added to a 386. megabyte - One million bytes...or 1,000 kilobytes.... which is actually 1024 kbs. Drive storage space is usually referred to in terms of "megs" or "megabytes" - eg. a typical hard drive these days can store about 120MB of information. memory - This is where the computer stores information as it is working on it. It is temporary storage usually in the form of RAM chips. The computer only works on information in its memory. When it is done, it can be stored to disk. memory-resident-program - These are the kind of programs that "hide" in memory and work only when you call on them. Hitting ALT-C sometimes can cause a "POPUP" calculator to appear on the screen, right on top of the program you were already running. menu - This is a list of commands or options in a program. Sometimes menus are displayed across the top of the screen, or they may appear at the bottom. They give you one word commands or choices. MHZ - This is an abbreviation for "megahertz". This has to do with how fast the computer can compute. A typical CPU can perk along at 33 or 40 MHZ these days. microprocessor - This is the computer system's main "brain" or control center. This is where all of the calculations take place. Microprocessors are also called "pro- cessors" or "CPUs". This is what is given the number '286 or '386 etc. modem - This actually means "modulator-demodulator". It is a device that can take electronic information from your computer and translates it into sounds that can be transmitted over the phone lines. These sounds then are converted back into electronic information by the other computer's modem. monitor - This is the computer's video display screen. It is the TV set looking part of the system. It however is only half of the video system of the computer. The other half is the graphics card that is plugged into the motherboard of the computer. monochrome - This is a kind of computer dislpay that shows only two colors: black and white or green and white. Some black and white systems can display various shades of gray as well. mouse - This is a small hand-held pointing device that is used mostly in graphics programs to manipulate what is on the screen. The mouse has two parts: what you can feel and touch (usually having a body and two "buttons"); and the software which is the program that controls the mouse and allows your applications to access it. MS-DOS - This is one of the official names of DOS ... MS-DOS or Microsoft DOS .... a version of DOS put out by the Micro- soft Corporation. network - This refers to several computers being "hooked together". This way you can share printers, while other computers send files back and forth to each other, or run programs, or ac- cess files on other computers. This sounds like fun! But they are a pain to set up and maintain. on-line - This means that the computer is turned on and ready to compute! option - An item typed after a DOS command that is not required for the running of the program. It is sometimes called a "switch" as it switches on additional instructions for the computer. A way to customize the running of a program. parallel port - see printer port. pathname - This is the full, exact name of a file or directory on a disk. It includes the drive letter, a colon, a directory name, and a filename. Being EXACTING is the key to locating any file on a system. PC - This means Personal Computer. Before the first IBM PC, personal computers were called "microcomputers" after the microprocessor. Now all personal computers, even non-DOS computers are called PCs. PC-DOS - This is the original IBM version of DOS. You can run PC-DOS on non-IBM computers. peripheral - This refers to any device attached to the outside of the computer, such as the printer, the modem, or even the monitor and keyboard. pixel - This is the individual dot on a computer's display screen used to show graphics. A graphic image is made up of hundreds of dots or pixels. Each pixel can be a different color and in a different position. This creates the image that you see on the screen. The number of horizontal and vertical pixels determined the resolution of the graphic. port - This is a connection on the back of the computer to which you can attach peripherals, or external items. There are two primary ports: a serial port and a printer port. How- ever, what the keyboard and mouse plug into can also be called ports. printer - This is a device which attaches to the computer and prints information. This is necessary to give you a "hard copy" or printed out-put of the information on your files in the computer. printer port - This is the connection at the back of the computer into which you plug the printer cable. This attaches the printer to the computer. The printer port is also called the parallel port. program - This is the file which runs a program. It has the instructions for the computer. The programs are stored in files with extensions on them of .EXE, .BAT, .COM. To run the program you need only type the first part of the filename (leaving off the extension). prompt - It looks like this : C> or whatever other directory you may be in eg C:\GAMES> . It is at this point, where the cursor is blinking that you may type DOS commands to operate programs etc. If someone tells you to go to a DOS prompt: escape or exit out of the program and go to DOS... which just a blank black screen with one of these prompts on it with a blinking cursor just waiting for your further instructions. RAM - This means Random Access Memory. This is the primary type of memory storage. In a personal computer RAM = memory. reset - When all else fails in a program and it is locked solid... no commands work, the keyboard is dead..... hit the RESET button on the computer .... It is usually RED! but don't do this unless you absolutely have to !!!! resolution - This refers to the number of dots (pixels) on the screen. The higher the resolution the greater the number of dots in a concentrated area, and the finer the graphics image can be displayed. RGB - This means Red Green Blue. The three primary colors. The colors are used in all computer displays to show all colors of the rainbow, from which graphics are created. ROM - This means Read Only Memory. These are special chips in the computer that contain instructions. BIOS are stored here. These are read-only files and the information cannot be changed. root directory - This is the primary directory on every DOS disk. Other directories or subdirectories branch off of this one: like on a "family tree"! The symbol for the root directory is (\) : the backslash! save - The process of transferring information from memory onto a disk: either hard or floppy or both for long-term storage. screen dump - This means taking the information on the screen and sending a copy of it to your printer. You can press the PRINT SCREEN key to activate this process. SCSI - This means Small Computer System Interface. It is a very fast and versatile serial port. It is pronounced "scuzzy"! serial port - This is a port into which a variety of devices can be plugged. The most common is the modem. You can also plug in a mouse, printer or scanner. Most computers have one or two serial ports. shareware - This relates to a category of software that is not free. You can try the programs out before buying them. But in conscience if you are going to keep and use the program then you should send the author the required donation. This book for example is Shareware. If you are going to keep it, then send the author the $10! software - This is the collection of programs that you have in your possession to make life easier for you. Software controls the computer hardware. There are all kinds of software (word processing, databasing, spreadsheeting etc) to help you organize your life. source - This is the original from which a copy is made. When you copy a file or duplicate a disk the original is called the source. The source drive is the drive from which you are making the copy. The destination, or location to which you are copying is referred to as the target. spreadsheet - A specific type of database program made up of rows and columns. This is used as an electronic spread- sheet or bookkeeper. Spreadsheet programs have mathematical functions built in to manipulate the figures after you have entered them. Eg. SUM (adding a row or column)! string - This refers to any group of characters. A string of text is a line of text. subdirectory - This is a directory that has a relation to another directory. All directories on a disk are subdirector- ies of the root directory. syntax - The is the format of a DOS command. This is what you type, the command, the options, the order in which they come. If you make a mistake a "syntax error" will flash up on the screen .... then you get to enter it all again .. hopefully correctly this time! target - This is the location of a copy, or duplicate of an original file. A target can be a filename, a subdirectory, or a disk drive. It is the final destination of the file. text editor - A specific kind of word processor that creates of edits text files only. It is often called ASCII, and creates unformatted, non-document files. It is not a fancy word processor. user - The person who operates a computer or runs a program. The computer then would be the usee. VGA - This means Video Graphic Array. This is the current top of the line graphic system. It offers you stunning color graphics, great resolution and crisp text. SVGA or Super VGA expands the abilities of the VGA! window - This is an area on the screen where special information appears. It can be a graphic window like in the Microsoft Windows program, or it can be a text window, outlined with special graphic text characters. word processor - This is a "typewriting" program. It creates documents, but much better than any typewriter. Special fonts or type sets can be set and grpahics can be inserted .... the results can even be printed in color! word wrap - The ability of a word processor to move a word from the end of one line to the beginning of the next while you are typing. This means the ability to type an entire paragraph without hitting ENTER at the end of a line! write-protect - This is a way of protecting information on disk from being accidentally changed or erased. This is done by putting a write protect tab on a 5.25" disk, or by sliding the little tile off the hole of a 3/5" disk. WYSIWYG - This means What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get. This has to do with a programs ability to display on the screen exactly what will be printed on the printer. Most of the time this feature comes pretty close to actually working!