Glossary

activate To make an inactive window active by clicking anywhere inside it.

active application The application with which the user is currently interacting. Its icon appears on the right end of the menu bar.

active end The point at which the user releases the mouse button when selecting a range of objects (text, arrays, and graphics) by dragging through them. Compare anchor point.

active window The frontmost window on the desktop; the window where the next action will take place. The active window is the window on the screen that has horizontal lines in its title bar.

addition method A method for extending a continuous selection of text, using Shift-click, which adds new text to a current selection. Compare fixed-point method.

additive color A model of color based
on adding the basic hues together to make additional colors.

alert A warning or report of an error in the form of an alert box, a sound from the computer's speaker called an alert sound, or both.

alert box A window that appears on the screen to warn the user or to report an error. An alert box may or may not be accompanied by an
alert sound.

alert sound An audible warning from the computer speaker that warns the user of an unusual or potentially undesirable situation.
An alert sound may or may not be accompanied by an alert box.

anchor point The point at which the user presses the mouse button to begin selecting a range of objects by dragging through them. The anchor point is at one corner of the range of objects. Compare active end.

Apple menu The menu farthest to the left in the menu bar, indicated by an Apple symbol, which contains items the user puts in the
Apple Menu Items folder.

application A program that performs a specific task, such as word processing, database management, or graphics. An application's
file type is 'APPL'.

Application menu The menu farthest to the right in the menu bar, which displays a list of the applications that are currently running on a user's computer. Allows users to change applications by choosing an item, typically the name of an application, in this menu.

array An arrangement of fields containing information (text or graphics) through which a user navigates using the Tab key.

arrow keys The four directional keys in the lower-right corner of the keyboard. The user can use the arrow keys to move around in an application.

auto-key event An event generated repeatedly when the user presses and holds down a character key on the keyboard or keypad.

auto-repeat See auto-key event.

Balloon Help An onscreen help system consisting of balloons that describe items on the screen. A help balloon appears when the user moves the pointer to an item and disappears when the user moves the pointer away from
the item.

bitmap A set of bits that represents the positions and states of a corresponding set of items, such as pixels.

bitmap-based graphics application A graphics application that creates images by turning on individual pixels on the screen. Each graphic is a collection of pixels.

brightness A measurement of the amount of black in a color--the less black, the brighter the color. Brightness is equivalent to lightness in the HLS color system, and it is equivalent to value in the HSV color system.

button An image, often resembling a push button, in dialog boxes that the user clicks to designate, confirm, or cancel an action. Compare mouse button, radio button.

Cancel button A button that appears in many dialog boxes. Clicking it closes the dialog box and returns the computer to the state it was in before the dialog box appeared.

caret A generic term for a symbol that indicates where the next text will be inserted. The caret used in Macintosh text is a vertical bar (|).

cell The intersection of a row and a column in a spreadsheet. A cell can hold a number, label, function, or formula.

character Any symbol that has a widely understood meaning and thus can convey information. Some characters--such as letters, numbers, and punctuation--can be displayed on the monitor screen and printed on a printer.

character code An integer representing
the character that a key or key combination stands for.

character key A key on a keyboard that
sends characters to the computer. Compare modifier key.

checkbox A standard Macintosh control that displays a setting, either checked (on) or unchecked (off). Clicking a checkbox or its text label reverses its setting. One or more checkboxes can be checked. Compare radio button.

Clear A command in the Edit menu that removes selected material without placing it on the Clipboard. The user can restore the material with the Undo command.

Clear key A key on the numeric keypad that has the same effect as choosing the Clear command from the Edit menu.

click (v.) To position the pointer on something, and then press and quickly release the mouse button. (n.) The act of clicking.

Clipboard The holding place for what the
user last cut or copied; a buffer area in memory. Information on the Clipboard can be pasted
into documents.

close To turn a window back into the icon that represents it by choosing the Close command or by clicking the close box on the left end of the window's title bar.

close box The square box on the left end of the title bar of an active window. Clicking it closes the window.

Close View A control panel, included with system software, for people with a visual disability. It enlarges everything on the screen
up to sixteen times the standard size and allows users who have difficulty seeing black on
white to invert screen images to white on a
black background.

collaborative computing A shared computing environment or an application that facilitates communications and teamwork among a group of people.

command An instruction that causes a device such as a computer or printer to perform some action. A command can be selected from a menu with a hand-held device (such as a mouse), typed from a keyboard, or embedded in a program.

Command key A key that, when held down while another key is pressed, causes a command to take effect. The Command key is marked with a propeller-shaped symbol. On some keyboards, the Command key has both the propeller symbol and the Apple symbol on it.

context sensitive Able to perceive the situation in which an event occurs. For example, if an application program presents help information specific to the particular task the user is performing, rather than a general list
of commands, that help is said to be
context sensitive.

control An object in a window on the Macintosh screen with which the user, by using the mouse, can cause instant action with visible results or change settings to modify a future action. The control is internally represented in a control record.

control panel A utility that lets the user change global features such as the speaker volume, the keyboard repeat speed and delay, mouse tracking, and number of colors displayed.

cursor See pointer.

database (1) A collection of information organized in a form that can be readily manipulated and sorted by a computer user.
(2) Short for database management system.

default A value, action, or setting that a computer system assumes unless the user gives an explicit instruction to the contrary.

default button In an alert box or a modal dialog box, the button whose effect occurs if the user presses Return or Enter. In an alert box, it's boldly outlined; in a modal dialog box, it's boldly outlined or it's the OK button.

delete To remove something, such as a character or word from a file, or a file from a disk. Keys such as the Delete key and the Backspace key can remove one character at a time by moving to the left (in languages that read from left to right). The Cut command removes selected text and places it on the Clipboard; the Clear command removes selected text without placing it on the Clipboard. (The Undo command can reverse the action of Clear and of the Delete or Backspace key if it is used immediately.)

Delete key A key that moves the insertion point backward, removing the previously typed character, or that removes the current selection. Its function is identical to that of the Backspace key on the original Macintosh keyboards. Compare Forward Delete key.

desk accessory A small application that provides a specific, limited capability for a particular task, for example, the Calculator, the Note Pad, and Key Caps. In versions of system software earlier than System 7, desk accessories were always in the Apple menu. In System 7, a desk accessory can be in the Apple menu or anywhere in the file system. From the user's point of view, there is little distinction between desk accessories and applications.

desktop The working environment on the computer--the background on which icons and windows are displayed (minus the menu bar).

dial See slider.

dialog box A box that appears on the screen
to solicit information from the user or to report that the computer is waiting for a process to complete. For example, a typical printing dialog box requests the user to specify such options as number of copies of a document to print. A dialog box is internally represented in a dialog record. See also modal dialog box, modeless dialog box, and movable modal dialog box.

dimmed Used to describe words or icons that appear in gray. For example, menu commands appear dimmed when they are unavailable; folder icons are dimmed when they are open.

dimmed icon An icon that represents an opened disk or folder or a disk that has
been ejected.

disabled Describes a menu item or an item in a dialog box or alert box that cannot be chosen; the item appears dimmed.

discontinuous selection A selection that consists of objects that are not adjacent to
one another.

document A file the user creates and can open, edit, and print. See also file.

document window The window that displays the content of a document.

double click (n.) Two clicks in quick succession, interpreted as a single command.
The action of a double click is different from that of a single click. For example, clicking an icon selects the icon; double-clicking an icon opens it.

double click (v.) To press and release the mouse button twice in quick succession without moving the mouse.

drag To position the pointer on something, for example, a window icon, press and hold the mouse button, move the mouse, and release the mouse button.

drag region A region in a window frame; usually the title bar. Dragging inside this region moves the window to a new location and makes it the active window. (The window doesn't become active if the Command key is down while the window is dragged.)

Easy Access A feature of system software that assists people who have difficulty typing on the keyboard or manipulating the mouse. See also Mouse Keys, Slow Keys, Sticky Keys.

edit To change or modify. For example,
to insert, remove, replace, or move text in
a document.

edition The data written to an edition container by a publisher. A publisher writes data to an edition whenever a user saves a document
that contains a publisher, and subscribers in
other documents may read the data from the edition whenever it is updated. See also publisher, subscriber.

Edit menu A menu that contains editing commands such as Copy, Cut, and Paste.

Enter key A key that notifies the application that the user is through entering information in a particular area of the document, such as a field in a database record. The user can also press the Enter key (like the Return key) to dismiss dialog boxes and alert boxes.

ergonomics The science of designing work environments that allow people and products to interact efficiently and safely. Examples include screen ergonomics and workplace ergonomics. Sometimes called human engineering.

Escape key A key that allows the user to quickly get out of a situation while working on
a computer. In many applications, pressing the Escape key allows the user to stop an operation in progress. The user can also press the Escape key as an alternate to clicking the Cancel button in a dialog box.

event-driven Describes a kind of program that responds to user input in real time by repeatedly testing for events posted by interrupt routines. An event-driven program does nothing
until it detects an event such as a click of the mouse button.

extension A software program that adds some feature to the operating system.

field A data item separated from other data
by blanks, tabs, or other specific delimiters.
A particular type or category of information
in a database.

file Any named, ordered collection of information stored on a disk. Application programs and operating systems on disks are files as well as documents that users create.
A Macintosh file consists of a data fork and a resource fork. See also document.

File menu A menu that contains commands that affect whole documents such as Open, Save, Print, and Quit.

file server A combination of controller software and a mass-storage device that allows computer users to share common files and applications through a network. A file server on an AppleTalk network system typically consists of a Macintosh computer with AppleShare software and one or more hard disks.

Finder The application that maintains the Macintosh desktop and starts up other programs at the request of the user. The user uses the Finder to manage documents and applications, and to get information to and from disks.

fixed-point method A method for extending a continuous selection of text, using Shift-click, which extends the selection on either side (but not both) of a fixed point. Compare additive method.

folder A holder of documents, applications,
or other folders on the desktop. Folders act as subdirectories, allowing users to organize information in any way they want.

font A complete set of characters in one design, size, and style. In traditional typography usage, fonts may be restricted to a particular size and style or may comprise multiple sizes, or multiple sizes and styles, of a typeface design.

Font menu A menu that contains text fonts, such as Geneva and Chicago, available on a system (residing in a user's System Folder).
See also font.

font size The size of a font of characters in points; equivalent to the distance between the ascent line and the descent line of one line of text. Examples of font size are 12 point and 18 point.

font style A set of stylistic variations other than size, such as italic, bold, and underline.

Forward Delete key A key on the Apple Extended Keyboard that causes the character
to the right of the insertion point to be deleted
in left-to-right systems. The insertion point does not move: the characters to its right are "vacuumed" in toward it as each is deleted. Compare Delete key.

graphics Information presented in the form of pictures or images. Compare text.

grow region A window region, usually within the content region, where dragging changes the size of an active window.

Help menu The menu directly to the left of the Application menu in the menu bar, indicated by a help balloon symbol, which contains on-screen help information. (Users can turn on Balloon Help from the Help menu.)

hierarchical menu A menu in which one or more individual menu items can themselves contain a submenu.

highlight To make something visually
distinct, typically when it's selected. Usually done by reversing black and white areas or by darkening colors.

hot spot The portion of the pointer that must be positioned over a screen object before mouse clicks can have an effect on that object.

hot zone The area that the pointer's hot spot much be within in order for mouse clicks to have an effect.

icon A symbol that graphically represents
an object or a concept. Screen icons represent such objects as disks, documents, tools, and application programs. Icons on the outside of the computer can be used to show where to plug cables, such as the disk drive icon on the back panel that marks the disk drive connector.

Info window The window that appears when you select an icon and choose Get Info from the File menu. It supplies information such as size, type, and date, and it includes a comment box for adding information.

input Information transferred into a computer from some external source, such as the keyboard, a disk drive, or a modem. Compare output.

input device A device that sends information to the microprocessor. The mouse and keyboard are the Macintosh computer's primary input devices. Compare output device.

insertion point The position where text
will be inserted, usually marked by a blinking vertical bar.

Installer A utility program that users can use to update system software or add resources.

invert To highlight by changing white pixels to black and vice versa.

keyboard equivalent Keystrokes that invoke a menu item from the keyboard. A keyboard equivalent is usually the combination of a modifier key and a character key.

keyboard layout Software that specifies the mapping of keys on a physical keyboard to character codes.

Keyboard menu A menu, located between
the Help menu and the Application menu icons in the menu bar, that contains script system, keyboard layout, and input method items. It appears when more than one script system is installed and enabled or when a localizable
flag is set.

keyboard shortcut A keystroke that you can use instead of a mouse action to perform a task. For example, pressing the Command and the X keys at the same time is the same as choosing the Cut command from the Edit menu.

little arrows A control, consisting of two arrows pointing in opposite directions, that allows users to increase or decrease values in a series by clicking or pressing the arrows.

localization The process of adapting software to a particular region, language, and culture. Script and language adaptations are necessary but not sufficient for this process. Localization also includes date and time formats, number formats, text behavior formats, keyboard resources, and fonts.

locked file A file whose data cannot be changed.

Macintosh Operating System The combination of ROM-based and disk-based routines that together perform basic tasks such as starting the computer, moving data to and from disks and peripheral devices, and managing memory space in RAM.

Macintosh user interface The standard conventions for interacting with Macintosh computers. The interface ensures users a consistent means of interacting with all Macintosh computers and the applications designed to run on them.

main event loop In a standard Macintosh application program, a loop that repeatedly calls the Event Manager to get events and then responds to them as appropriate.

mainstreaming programs Educational programs in which children with special needs (including those with physical disabilities) are included in "mainstream" classes with children who don't necessarily have special needs.

menu A list of choices presented by a program. In the desktop interface, menus appear when users point to and press menu titles in the menu bar. Dragging through the menu and releasing the mouse button while a command is highlighted chooses that command.

menu bar The horizontal strip at the top of the screen that contains menu titles.

menu item A choice in a menu, usually a command to the current application.

menu title A word, a phrase, or an icon in the menu bar that designates a menu. Pressing on the menu title causes the title to be highlighted and its menu to appear below it.

modal dialog box A dialog box that puts the user in the state or "mode" of being able to work only inside the dialog box. (A modal dialog box resembles an alert box.) The user cannot move a modal dialog box, and the user can dismiss it only by clicking its buttons. Compare modeless dialog box and movable modal dialog box.

modeless dialog box A dialog box that looks like a document window without a size box or scroll bars. The user can move a modeless dialog box, make it inactive and active again, and close it like any document window. Compare modal dialog box and movable modal dialog box.

modifier key A key on a keyboard that
changes the behavior or action of a character key
when pressed at the same time as the character key. A modifier key can also change or accentuate the meaning of a mouse action. Compare character key.

movable modal dialog box A modal dialog box that has a title bar (with no close box) that allows the user to move the dialog box. Compare modeless dialog box.

monitor See video monitor.

monochrome monitor A monitor capable of displaying in only one color.

mouse button The button on the top of the mouse. In general, pressing the mouse button initiates some action on whatever is under the pointer, and releasing the button confirms
the action.

Mouse Keys An Easy Access feature that lets users use keys on the numeric keypad to control the pointer.

mutually exclusive attribute group A group of attributes of which only one attribute can be in effect at any time. For example, the Left, Center, and Right commands in a graphics menu are
a set of three commands, only one of which
can be in effect at any time. (In dialog boxes, mutually exclusive attributes are represented
by radio buttons.) Compare accumulating attribute group.

network A collection of interconnected, individually controlled computers, together with the hardware and software used to connect them. A network allows users to share data and peripheral devices such as printers and storage media, to exchange electronic mail, and so on.

operating system Low-level software that controls a computer by performing basic tasks such as input/output, memory management, and interrupt handling.

Option key A modifier key that gives a different meaning or action to another key
or to a mouse action.

outline font A collection of outline glyphs in a particular typeface and style with no size restriction. The Font Manager can generate thousands of point sizes from the same TrueType font. See also TrueType font.

outline triangle A control that allows users
to view the contents of a folder without opening it. (The triangles appear when the user chooses
to view the contents of their file system in a
list view.)

output Information transferred from a computer to some external destination, such as the display screen, a disk drive, a printer, or a modem. Compare input.

output device A device that receives information from the microprocessor. The monitor is the Macintosh computer's primary output device. Compare input device.

palette The name for a tear-off menu when it's been torn off. A palette remains visible on the screen so you can use it without having to pull down the menu. A palette can also be part of a window that provides tools or choices such as colors or patterns.

password A unique word or set of characters used to ensure security. For example, a user enters a password to log on to a volume on a
file server.

paste To place the contents of the Clipboard--whatever was last cut or copied--at the
insertion point.

peripheral card A removable printed-circuit board that plugs into one of the computer's expansion slots, allowing the computer to use a peripheral device or to perform some subsidiary or peripheral function.

peripheral device A piece of hardware--such as a video monitor, disk drive, printer, or modem--used in conjunction with a computer and under the computer's control. Peripheral devices are often (but not necessarily) physically separate from the computer and connected to it by wires, cables, or some other form of interface. Such devices sometimes require peripheral cards.

pixel Short for picture element; the smallest dot you can draw on the screen. Also a location in video memory that corresponds to a point on the graphics screen when the viewing window includes that location. In the Macintosh monochrome display, each pixel can be either black or white, so it can be represented by a bit; thus, the display is said to be a bitmap. For color or gray-scale video, several bits in RAM may represent the image. Thus, the display is not a bitmap but rather a pixel map.

pixel map A set of values that represents the positions and states of the set of pixels making up an image.

point (1) A unit of measurement for type. Twelve points equal 1 pica, and 6 picas equal 1 inch; thus, 1 point equals approximately 1⁄72 inch. (2) The intersection of a horizontal grid line and a vertical grid line on the coordinate plane, defined by a horizontal and a vertical coordinate.

pointer A small shape on the screen that follows the movement of the mouse or shows where the user's next action will take place.
The pointer can be an arrow, an I-beam, a crossbar, a wristwatch, or other appropriate image. Called the cursor in Macintosh technical manuals. See also insertion point.

pop-up menu A menu not located in the menu bar, which appears when the user presses the mouse button in a particular place.

progressive disclosure A technique by
which the most common options are presented in a simple interface and additional choices or information are disclosed by activating
some control.

publisher A portion of a document that makes its data available to other documents or applications. A publisher stores its data in an edition whenever a user creates or edits the data in the publisher and then saves it. See also edition and subscriber.

pull-down menu A menu that is hidden until you move the pointer to its title and press the mouse button.

radio button A standard Macintosh control
that displays a setting, either on or off, and is part of a group in which only one button can be on at a time.

Read Me document A plain text document that is included on application and system software disks and provides late-breaking information about the product.

resource Data or code stored in a resource file and managed by the Resource Manager.

Return key A key that causes the cursor or insertion point to move to the beginning of the next line. It's also used in some cases to confirm a command and to dismiss dialog boxes and alert boxes.

RGB Abbreviation for red-green-blue; a method of displaying color video by transmitting the three primary colors as three separate signals. There are two ways of using RGB with computers: TTL RGB, which allows the color signals to take on only a few discrete values; and analog RGB, which allows the color signals to take on any values between their upper and lower limits, for a wide range of colors.

RGB monitor A type of color monitor that receives separate signals for each color (red, green, and blue).

saturation A measurement of how much white a color contains--the less white, the more saturated the color.

save To store information by transferring it from main memory to a disk. Work not saved disappears when you switch off the computer or when the power is interrupted.

screen The part of the monitor where information is displayed. Also called
display screen.

script A writing system, such as Cyrillic or Arabic. The English language uses Roman script.

script system A collection of software facilities that provides for basic differences between writing systems, such as character sets, fonts, keyboards, text collation, and word breaks. Examples of script systems are Roman, Japanese, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Hebrew, Greek, Thai, and Korean.

scroll To move a document or directory in its window so that a different part of it is visible.

scroll arrow An arrow at either end of a scroll bar. Clicking a scroll arrow moves a document or directory one line. Pressing a scroll arrow moves a document continuously.

scroll bar A rectangular bar that may be along the right or bottom of a window. Clicking or dragging in the scroll bar causes the view of the document to change.

scroll box The solid box in a scroll bar. The position of the scroll box in the scroll bar indicates the position of what's in the window relative to the entire document.

See Files The AppleShare file server access privilege that gives the right to open and copy documents and applications in a folder.

See Folders The AppleShare file server access privilege that gives the right to see folders within a folder.

select To designate where the next action will take place. To select using a mouse, you click an icon or drag across information.

selection A series of characters, or a character position, at which the next editing operation
will occur. Selected characters in the active window are inversely highlighted. Also called selection range.

shared resource A resource, such as a document, an application, or a storage medium, that is being used, often simultaneously, by a group of users on a computer network.

Shift-click To click while the Shift key is down. Shift-clicking extends or shortens a selection.

Shift-drag To drag while the Shift key is
down. Shift-dragging allows users to select multiple objects.

Shift key A key that, when held down, causes the subsequent letter typed to appear in uppercase or the top symbol on a two-character key to be produced. The Shift key can also modify mouse actions. See also Shift-click, Shift-drag.

size box A box in the lower-right corner of some active windows. Dragging the size box resizes the window.

Size menu A menu that contains sizes, measured in points, for fonts.

slider A control that graphically represents the ranges of values that a user can set or that simply displays the value, magnitude, or position of something. Also called a dial.

Slow Keys An Easy Access feature that lets the user set a delay before each keystroke is accepted by the computer.

Space bar The long, unlabeled bar along
the bottom of the keyboard that generates a
space character.

space character A text character whose printed representation is a blank space. Generated by pressing the Space bar.

split bar A control appearing in a scroll bar that allows users to split a window into separate window panes. See also split line, window pane.

split line The line, which appears when a user splits a window, that visually separates the resulting window panes. See also split bar, window pane.

stack A HyperCard document.

standard file dialog box A dialog box that allows users to perform actions (such as viewing, opening, and saving) on files residing on any type of storage media. Also allows users to view elements on their desktops.

Standard File Package A Macintosh package for presenting the standard user interface when a file is to be saved or opened.

standard state The initial size and location of a window. This state is determined by the application.

Sticky Keys An Easy Access feature that lets the user type combination keystrokes without actually pressing the keys simultaneously.

Style menu The menu that contains style attributes, such as bold, italic, and condense,
for fonts.

subscriber A portion of a document that automatically obtains current data from other documents and applications. A subscriber
reads data from an edition. See also edition
and publisher.

system font The font that the system uses
(in menus, for example). In Roman-based writing systems, the system font is 12-point Chicago.

TeachText An application that lets you open text and graphics documents, particularly if the original application that created the document is not available.

tear-off menu Any menu that you can detach from the menu bar by pressing the menu title and dragging beyond the menu's edge. The torn-off menu appears in a window or a utility window on the desktop. Once torn off, these menus are called palettes.

text Information presented in the form of readable characters. Compare graphics.

text box The place or places in a dialog box where information can be typed. Also called text entry field.

TextEdit The part of the Toolbox that supports basic text entry and editing capabilities of a standard Macintosh application.

text entry field An area, usually a rectangular box, located in a dialog box and into which the user enters text to identify something, such as the name of a document.

toggled menu item A menu item that has two states. The menu item changes from one state to the other each time a user chooses it.

tokens (1) An abbreviation of a string of characters. (2) A sequence of characters delimited so as to be indentified by a compiler.

TrueType font A type of outline font
supplied with Macintosh system software.
See also outline font.

type-ahead The process by which the computer stores keystrokes (typed faster than the computer can process) in a queue for later processing.

type selection The ability to select an item from a list of items by typing the beginning character or characters of its name.

user interface The rules and conventions by which a computer system communicates with the person operating it.

user state The size and location a user sets
for a window.

utility A type of software that helps people manage the computer environment.

utility window A type of box that has some but not all features of a regular window. A utility window has a bar at the top by which it can be dragged and a close box, but does not necessarily have a title, and is nonscrolling. Also called a miniwindow. Compare palette.

value An item of information that can be stored in a variable, such as a number or a string.

video monitor A display device that can receive video signals by direct connection and cannot receive broadcast signals such as commercial television; it can be connected directly to the computer.

window An object on the desktop that presents information such as a document or message. Each window is internally represented in a window record.

window pane A part of a window after it has been split into two or more parts

word processor An application program that provides tools for creating, editing, and formatting text.

word wrap The automatic continuation of text from the end of one line to the beginning of the next without breaking in the middle of a word.

zoom box A small box with a smaller box enclosed in it found on the right side of the title bar of some windows. Clicking the zoom box toggles the window between the standard state and the user state.