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COMPUTING ACRONYMS & TERMS' SMORGASBORD
Copyright © 1994-2003, Daniel Frankl, Ph.D. |
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COMPUTING ACRONYMS & TERMS' SMORGASBORD
Copyright © 1994-2003, Daniel Frankl, Ph.D. |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | J+K | L | M | N | O | P | Q |
| R | S | T | U | V | W | X+Y+Z |
| D AC |
Digital-to-Analog Converter
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| DAD |
Desktop Applications Director (PerfectOfficeR)
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| daemons |
Unix based applications that are activated during set intervals by
certain system operations. Once activated they run their course and
return to their initial dormant state.
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| DAO |
Data Access Object (VB 4.0 Prof. Ed. Client
server application)
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| DARPA |
Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (new name for ARPA [Advanced Research
Projects Agency] US government agency responsible for the
inception of the Internet)
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| .dat |
Data File Extension
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| Data
Com- pression |
A hardware or software driven method to slim down the quantity of
data transmitted without compromising the amount or integrity of the
original information. Data compression speeds up significantly data
transfer rate in modems.
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| Data Mode |
A modem condition during which data is either sent or received
from a remote apparatus. For the data mode to be activated a connection
between the two interacting devices needs to be first established.
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| DAVIC |
Digital Audio-Visual Council
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| DBCS |
Double-Byte Character Set
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| DBF |
Database File
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| DBMS |
Database Management Systems (e.g.,
dBASE, RBase, Access)
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| DC |
(1) Data Compression protocol (software function for
modems; see Data Compression) (2) Direct Current (Electric current that flows in one direction only. Electric cells or batteries are a source of direct current; also see AC [Alternating Current]).
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| DCC |
Direct Cable Connection (feature available in
MS Win '95 that when combined with a Direct Parallel Universal
cable will allow file transfers, data synchronization, and guest
network access [by Parallel Technologies 800/789-47840]).
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| DCE |
(1) Data Communications Equipment (e.g.,
fax, modem...) (2) Distributed Computing Environment
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| DCI |
Display Control Interface (makes it possible for
WinG & Video for Windows to access video hardware).
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| DCOM |
Distributed COM [Component or Common
Object Model; also see OLE (allows the distribution
of parts of applications across a network)
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| DCT |
Discrete Cosine Transformation (technoloy used
in JPEG [Joint Photographic Expert Group])
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| DDC |
Digital Data Channel (a system designed to facilitate
proper monitor configuration and thus eliminate flicker and other
configuration related distortions).
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| DDE |
Dynamic Data Exchange (Data exchange links between
Windows & OS/2 programs)
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| DDos |
Distributed Denial-of-Service (attacks that overwhelm servers
with traffic and block access to the services that are provided by that server)
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| deCSS |
decode Content Scramble System (Perl [Practical extraction and
recording language)
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| DDI |
Device Driver Interface is an API
(Application Programming Interface) that communicates
with the GDI [Windows Graphics Device Interface]
and the hardware driver. It helps coordinate information regarding the
location of an object [PC MAGAZINE, July 1994, p. 177].
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| Debugging |
The process of elimination or correction of errors (bugs)
in a software program's code.
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| Decibel |
One tenth of one bel (standard unit for the evaluation of sound
intensity; the higher the decibel on a PC sound system the clearer the sound
at higher power levels).
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| Desktop Publishing |
A computer application that allows the user to generate typeset-quality
text and graphics.
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| Device | Any hardware unit that is either part of, or is connected to, your PC (e.g., hard drive, sound card, graphics accelerator card, fax/modem etc...). |
| DFC | Digital Future Coalition (group formed in 1995 whose mission is to ensure free flow of information on the Internet; for more info. See: http://www.ari.net.dfc") |
| DHCP | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DIP [Dynamic Internet Protocol] address provider on an NTS [Network server]). |
| DHS | Digital High School |
| DHTML | Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language |
| Dial up | or dialup, is a telephone call from one PC to another through the use of a Modem [Modulator Demodulator]). |
| .dib | Windows DIB [Device-Independent Bitmap] graphics file format extension. |
| DIDDS | Dynamic Information Data Delivery System |
| DIF | Digital Interface Format |
| digital | The representation of data in a non-continuous signal; voltages represent on/off signals of 1s and 0s (each signal represents 1 data bit). Digital transmission lines offer faster speeds, more accuracy, and better flexibility than analog lines. |
| digital certificate | A cryptographic digital representation of an individual's identity on the Internet. |
| Dim | A command or option in Windows which appears in a light gray shade instead of black. Dimmed commands can't be used under the current conditions. As you make changes to a document, different commands become dimmed and new ones available. Commands and options appearing in black are available. |
| DIN | Deutsche Industrie Norm (German Industry Norms for "male" & "female" electrical connectors). |
| DIP | (1) Dual In-Line Package (also see SIP & SIMM). |
| DIP | (2) Dynamic Internet Protocol |
| DirectDraw | Improved DCI [Display Control Interface] that manages video memory in MS-WIN and makes the interface appear like Apple's QuickDraw 3D. |
| Directory Tree | A flow chart like graphical display of the directory structure on a disk. |
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Disinter- mediation | The elimination of the mediators in the distribution and sales of products. Computer technology, for example, makes publishers less and less essential to individual authors since "Intellectual Property" may be now published directly on the Internet via home pages. |
| Display Bits | The number of bits of display memory required to hold the display image. |
| Dithering | Is the process used by Windows to simulate, as closely as possible, a color that is not available in the output device (monitor or printer). |
| DJCP | DeskJet Control Panel |
| DLC | Datalink Control protocol (communications protocol with networked printers) |
| DLL | Dynamic Link Library (MS Windows system files with the extension .dll contain discrete sections of code and data that can be used by Windows, various applications, and other DLLs to perform a specific task. The same DLL loaded into memory can be used by two or more applications running at the same time. |
| DLP |
Digital Light Processing (Texas Instruments' monitor technology that utilizes microscopic mirrors on a chip to deflect light. DLP micro-panel technology is applied in image projectors) |
| DLS |
Data Link Switching |
| DMA |
(1) Designated Market Areas (also see GIS [Geographical Information System] & ADI [Areas of Dominant Influence]) DMA (2) Direct Memory Address |
| DMCA | Digital Millennium Copyright Act (Initiated in 1998, the DMCA provides recourse for owners of copyrighted material who believe that their rights under U.S. copyright law have been infringed on the Internet.) |
| DMD |
Digital Micromirror Device (earlier version of DLP technology applied in image projectors) |
| DMI | Desktop Management Interface (technology that defines a standard mechanism for accessing and configuring data in any piece of hardware or software). |
| DMTF | Desktop Management Task Force |
| DMZ | Demilitarized Zone (enables internet access to one PC in a network) |
| DNS | Domain, Name, Service (NT connection to NET through TCP/IP [Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol]). |
| .doc | text document file extension (MS Word, WordPerfect, etc.) |
| DoD | Department of Defense (when DoD is aquiring commercial computer software it has limited use of this product as defined in Clause 252.227-7013 (C)(1) of the DFARS. |
| DOM | Document Object Model ("An interface that defines the mechanisms for accessing data in a document.") |
| Domain | A unique name of one PC or a server on the Internet, such as dfrankl@calstatela.edu (address or domain name of office PC) or danyf@adelphia.net (address or domain name of home PC). |
| DOS | Disk Operating System (Microsoft's non-visual early version disk operating software platform that supports hardware and software applications on a PC; With its Windows NT OS Microsoft has abandoned DOS) |
| "Down" | A whole system or a system component is not operational (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, access to data bases...) |
| Download | The process of bringing data (from software, another PC or the Internet) into the user's PC (also see "upload") |
| "Download Credits" | Number of allowed bytes for download from an MP3 site based on the site's ratio. In case of a 1:4 ratio, each uploaded byte is "worth" 4 one byte credits (4 bytes) for download. |
| DP |
(1) Desktop Projector
(2) Digital Photographic images |
| dp | dot pitch (the smaller the dp [e.g., .35 mm, .28 mm, .26 mm, .25 mm] the sharper is a monior's display at maximum resolution) |
| DPA | Distributed Password Authentication |
| dpi | dots per inch (the larger the number of dpi, the higher the resolution of the output; thus, the printed image looks sharper). |
| DPMI | DOS Protected Mode Interface |
| DPMS | Display Power Management Signaling (a DPMS compliant monitor can, with software or firmware, power down in three stages: Standby, Suspend, and Off). |
| DPP | Digital Color Photo Printer |
| DRAM | Dynamic or Data Random-Access Memory (single ported fast memory, runs at approx. 50-60 nanoseconds ; also see VRAM) |
| Driver | A software program that tells Windows how to interact with a piece of hardware, such as video display or a peripheral storage or input device. The driver's file extension is often written as .drv. |
| .drv | Driver file extension (also see driver) |
| .drw | Micrografx Designer/Draw graphics file extension. |
| DSig | Digital Signature Initiative ((W3C's [World Wide Web Consortium] effort to define and implement a standard to be used by the Internet community for a unique digital finger print). |
| DSL | Digital Subscriber Line [Loop] modem (also see ADSL [Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line]) |
| DSP | Digital Signal Processor (Programmable DSPs are currently used in computing, sound, and video applications. For example, TI [Texas Instruments] has developed a new DSP that can execute up to 1.6 billion instructions per second at 200 MHz. Current Intel Pentium processors can execute only 1/8 of that per second; ISDN [Integrated Services Digital Network] adapter that includes a DSP design transfers some of the workload from the system's processor to the ISDN adapter card. What we currently refer to as CPU [Central Processing Unit] may be labeled SDP in the near future) |
| DSR |
Data Set Ready (AT command for modems)
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| DSS | Desktop Security Suite (McAfee's bundled data encryption, virus protection, and secure data backups software) |
| DSSO | Domain Suffix Search Order (DNS [Domain, Name, Service] configuration box software feature). |
| DSSS | Direct Sequencing Standard Specification (radio based standard for splitting bandwidth; DSSS performs better than FHSS [Frequency Hopping Standard Specification] but experiences more noise) |
| DSVD | Digital Simultaneous Voice & Data (modem feature that allows for simultaneous transfer of talk and data over a single connection). |
| DTA | Direct Tape Access (a tape drive that emulates a disk drive so that it may be read through MS Windows) |
| DTC | Discrete Cosign Transform (technology use in JPEG [Joint Photographic Expert Group]) |
| DTD | Document Type Definition (the formal specification of a markup language, written using SGML [Standard Generalized Markup Language]). |
| DTE | Data Terminal Equipment (PC, Printer, Fax or any other storage or output apparatus of a communications network). |
| DTMF | Dual Tone Multi Frequency (The dialing method utilizes tones instead of numbers for the dialing procedure). |
| DTP | Desk-Top Publishing |
| DTVI | Distributed Tutored Video Instruction |
| DVD | Digital Versatile Disk (stores 4.7 GB of data) |
| DVMRP | Distance-Vector Multicast Routing Protocol |
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Dynamic Reasoning Engine | Software that enables computers to analyze text in different languages by teaching the computer to recognize the ending of one word and the beginning of the next word. The program then "looks at the idea contained in a text as the outcomes of probabilities derived from the clustering of a certain symbol." |
| .dxf | AutoCAD Format Z-D graphics file extension. |
| DX2 | a representation of Intel's earlier 486 CPU with a 25mhz clock multiplied by two = 50mhz clock speed or Intel's 486 DX2 66 which actually was a 33mhz clock multiplied by two. |
| DX4 | a representation of Intel's 486 CPU with a 25mhz clock multiplied by three = 75mhz clock speed or Intel's 486 DX4 100 which actually was a 33mhz clock multiplied by three (Intel chose DX4 for marketing reasons). |
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Comments, corrections, additions, and questions are welcome:
Page updated: Jan. 08, 2003 |
