Amiga Collections: MegaDisc/MegaDisc 04 (1988)(MegaDisc Digital Publishing)(AU)[WB].zip/MegaDisc 04 (1988)(MegaDisc Digital Publishing)(AU)[WB].adf/Articles/Glossary

Text File | 2007-12-01 | 12KB | 295 lines

            GLOSSARY OF AMIGA TERMS

                                                 by Tim Strachan
        When you see a * after a word, it means there's an entry
        for that word in the glossary.


    AMIGADOS
    The Amiga's Disk Operating System, or simply Operating
System. An umbrella term covering all the routines/programs which
allow the computer to function, including the CLI and Workbench
user interfaces. Handles all the hardware devices, such as the
screen and the drives as well. Derived from TRIPOS at Cambridge
University.

    AUTOCONFIG
    The ability of the system to automatically recognise
external devices, such as hard disks and RAM expansion units.

    BIT-MAP
    A rectangular array of pixels* which represents an area
of memory and which is the basis of the screen graphics.

    BLITTER
From "BLT" or "BLock Transfer", part of the Agnes chip* which can
manipulate lines and rectangular parts of graphic images. Moves
BOBS* or Blitter Objects.

    BOBS (see SPRITES)
A graphic element which is moved as a unit by the Blitter*, and
is not limited in size like sprites. They are slower to move
because they are not independent of the background.

    BOOT
    Or "boot up": coming from the expression "to pull yourself
up by the bootstraps" in some twisted way, it means to start up
the computer from scratch. The computer needs to find a particular
program to run to tell itself how to get going. A COLD BOOT means
starting from turning on the computer itself, while a WARM BOOT
is what you do when you press CTRL-A-A - the computer is already
idling. An OLD BOOT is what you stick your foot in.

    BUS
    Hardware which lets various components of the system
exchange data - in the case of the Amiga, it connects the CPU, the
memory, the co-processors, the disk drives and other devices.

    CLI - see articles in Megadisc.

    CO-PROCESSOR
    A separate processor chip which takes a load off the main
CPU by doing some specific task. Eg, the 6881 Motorola Maths
Co-processor handles complex mathematical calculations and thus
speeds up the computer. The Amiga has 3 custom Co-processors:
    Agnes = Animation Co-processor chip, contains
        the Blitter* and the Copper* and handles many
        of the Amiga's graphic functions.
    Denise = Video Co-processor chip, helps in screen
        control functions.
    Paula = Audio Co-processor chip, handles the
        digital to analog sound conversion for up to four
        voices in the Amiga, as well as many of the input/
        output tasks such as disk and interrupt control,
        the mouse, joystick and serial ports.

    CPU
    The heart and nerve centre of the computer, in this case
the 68000* chip, which decodes and executes instructions.

    DMA
    Direct Memory Access - a description of the method by
the various chips use the memory they require by writing or
reading it directly, rather than through CPU intervention.
Devices that use this are faster than those that don't.

    DRAWERS/DIRECTORIES
CLI/Workbench names for ways to organise your disks.

    EXEC
    Routines of the Operating System which control multi-
tasking, input/output and interrupt management.

       *FILE/FILENAME/PATHNAME
        Very important terms for anyone using the Amiga.  A file
refers to any collection of data with its own name, so a file
is any document you type on your WordProcessor, a graphics image,
a song you compose, or any program that allows you to create
these things.
        A Filename, as it implies is any legal name you give
to a file, and in the CLI for example, can consist of up to
thirty characters except slash (/) and colon (:) which mean
a lot to AmigaDOS.  To keep life simple, it's a good idea to
avoid spaces in filenames (though it can be done by enclosing
the full pathname/filename in double-quotes), and to
make filenames sufficiently informative so that you can
recognise what  they mean at a later time.
        Filename extensions or suffixes, such as  .ltr (for
a letter), or .hr (for a DPaint hi-res image), are useful,
and in certain programs they are essential, such as  .doc
(for a document in Scribble).  You can put as many full stops
as you like in a filename.
        Pathnames are described elsewhere so suffice to say that
if you're in a directory of the CLI, and you want to operate
on a file in another directory (type, or copy, or whatever)
then you have to include the PATH to the file so that the
system knows where to go.  So if you are in   Workbench:system
and you want to delete the note  Novel.notes  that is sitting
in the directory   Workbench:utilities, you'd have to enter:
         1> delete df0:utilities/novel.notes

    FONT
    All the characters in a typeface, which can come in a
variety of Point Sizes. The default system font of the Amiga is
Topaz 8, but this can be changed by running the program SetFont.

        FREEWARE/SHAREWARE/VAPOURWARE
        The Amiga has its fair share of all three.  Freeware is
Public Domain software which for various reasons (no interest
or profit in trying to market it, a spirit of generosity, etc)
the author has made available to anyone who wishes to use it.
Shareware is similar, except that the  author tends to keep
the copyright and lays a moral obligation on you to send him
a donation if you use the software. The AMIGA LIBRARY DISKS,
of which there are 102 available in Australia at this writing, are
a wonderful resource of such software, and more are becoming
available all the time.  Much of it is oriented towards the
software development  community in the spirit of "let's not
all re-invent the wheel", but there is plenty on them to interest
everybody.
         Vapourware is the name given to software which is as
substantial as steam - that is, claims are made by authors, or
publishers, of its imminent appearance and revolutionary features,
while it suffers from the serious disadvantage of not existing, yet.

    GADGET
Graphic control devices, such as the Back-to-Front, Close, Drag
gadgets, which let the user control programs via the mouse.

    GENLOCK
    A device to combine and synchronise the graphics of the
Amiga with those from an external video source like a video camera
or a TV.

    GIGABYTE
    A thousand Megabytes. A lot of bytes, stacks of bits.

    HOLD-AND-MODIFY (HAM)
    Graphics display in which all 4096 possible colours can
be present on screen simultaneously. Digi-Paint by New-Tek is a
Paint program which allows this facility.

    ICON
    A graphic element which represents some device or object
such as a disk, program, drawer, etc. The workbench uses these
to manipulate and organise data.

    IFF
    Interchange File Format - a file standard developed mainly
by Electronic Arts to facilitate the interchange of graphic and
sound files among programs from different sources (thus you can
load a graphic from Aegis Images into Deluxe Paint). Part of the
reason that the Amiga is such a versatile machine.

    ILBM (INTERLEAVED BIT MAP)
    One of the formats supported by the IFF standard*, a
2-dimensional raster or bit-mapped image in colour, allowing
transfer of images from one program to another.

    INTERLACE
    The trick of turning a 640X200 screen into a 640X400, it
doubles the number of horizontal lines by scanning each second
line in two passes of the screen. Gives rise to "flicker", which
can be greatly reduced by choice of colours and contrast, and by
fitting a plastic screen over the monitor.

    INTUITION
    A part of the Operating system which provides the graphic
elements which the user can manipulate the system. It is a set of
software routines which can be used by any Amiga program to show
gadgets*, menus, requestors, icons* and to handle keyboard input.
Use of Intuition allows for a consistent interface for the user
across the range of Amiga applications.

    KICKSTART
    The part of the Operating system which is required to
boot the computer, these routines sit in ROM*, and we couldn't
do without them.

    KILOBYTE
    A thousand bytes.

    MEGABYTE
    A million bytes. One or two Megabytes of RAM are desirable.

    MEMORY
        FAST
        Any expansion memory beyond the first 512K, referred
to as fast because it is not accessed by the co-processors and so
so is not shared by the CPU.
        CHIP
        The first 512K of memory, which is shared by both
the CPU and the 3 co-processors.

    MIDI
    Musical Instrument Digital Interface - a standard for
connecting electronic instruments digitally, developed in 1982
rapidly established as the only real standard for linking up
synthesisers, drum machines, etc. The Audio chip can drive a
MIDI interface but the MIDI hardware is not built in.

    MODEM
    A device for communicating with other computers over the
phone lines. Name derives from MOdulator/DEModulator. See articles
on Megadisc.

    MOUSE
    Hardware rodent, to be pushed around on the desk to
manipulate the pointer on screen. Should be cleaned regularly with
cotton swabs and alcohol.

    PIXEL
    Picture Element - the screen is made up of these, and
the normal screen has 640X200 of them.

    PORT
    An outlet on the computer which allows for communication
between the computer and external devices. Eg, the SERIAL PORT
is a 25-pin outlet (RS-232 standard) which allows bytes of data
to be sent asynchronously & serially (one after another at no
fixed time), for modem* communication and some printers.

    PROJECTS
    Any files created by programs/tools, such as a Notepad note.

    RAM
    Random Access Memory - Memory used by the computer to store
data and execute instructions. Can be read or written in a random
order, unlike the sequential access of say an audio tape. The
Amiga can have up to about 8.5 Megabytes of RAM. See MEMORY.

    RASTER IMAGE
    A picture comprised of pixels*, such as the Amiga produces
on its monitor. VECTOR images are made up from lines.

    RGB MONITOR
    The 1081 is an RGB analog monitor which is able to display
an unlimited number of colours, as distinct from a digital RGB
which can display only 16 colours.

    RJ11
    The kind of jack or connector used for the Amiga keyboard.

    RESOLUTION
    Defined by the number of horizontal and vertical pixels*
on screen at any time. Possibilities are 320X200; 320X400; 640X200;
640X400 and HAM*.

    ROM
    Read Only Memory - like RAM*, memory storage, which however
cannot be "written to", but only "read". Usually used to store
unchanging data, such as Kickstart*.

    68000/68020 CHIPS
    Two classics of the Motorola Family of chips. Your Amiga
uses a 68000 as do the Mac and Atari families. The "Turbo Amiga"
is a heavyweight add-on which turns your Amiga into a ravening
monster, with a 68020 chip & Maths co-processor. Computerists talk
about "sixers" and "eighters" referring to those who program for
the 68K family and those who do so for the 80xxx family (IBM's and
INTEL'S stable). See CPU.

    SPRITE
    A graphic element which is independent of the background
it lies on, unlike a BOB*. An example is the Amiga's pointer.

        TOGGLE
        Means "if it's on, turn it off; and if it's off, turn it on".
Very common device in computers, especially toggle keys in programs
such as wordprocessors which might turn "underline" on then off, for
example.

        VDU = CRT = Monitor
        Video Display Unit or Cathode Ray Tube : the screen you look
at, with which you can Monitor what is going on, sometimes.  Makes
possible human interaction with the computer, and works by shooting
streams of electrons precisely and rapidly at the phosphor on the
inner surface of  the screen, causing it to emit light briefly.

    WORKBENCH - see articles on Megadisc.


                        END OF GLOSSARY