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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 |
| S ALT | Speech Application Language Tags [enable people to use speech to navigate and interact with the Web using PCs, notebooks, tablets, cell phones, and wireless PDAs] (Source: www.intel.com/home/trends/future/ Jan. 04, 2003.) |
| SALSA | Simple Actor Language, System, and Architecture (An actor programming language, to support the specialized needs of mobile computing. Developed by Dr. Carlos Varela, and his colleagues at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Jan. 06, 2004). |
| S AM | Security Account Manager (Win NT registry key that holds the user & group account database) |
| SANS | System Administration Networking & Security |
| SAP | Service Advertising Protocol |
| SCAM | SCSI [Small Computer System Interface] Configuration Auto Magically |
| ScanDisk | Typing "ScanDisk" at the C:>\ prompt in Windows (DOS) loads a program that can discover and fix minor file & disk damage. In addition, ScanDisk points out and isolates damaged sectors on your hard drive. Since most users are no longer (2003) DOS users the MS Windows ScanDisk function may be achieved by right clicking on the hard drive icon in "My Computer" (e.g., C:\ or D:\ etc. if you have slave drives) and from "Properties" select "Tools" and then check for errors or defragment your drive. |
| Scanner | Image transmitting device that transforms text & photographs into digital format and stores it on the hard drive. |
| SCC | Screen Color Calibration (Feature available in WINTURBO that yields acceptable color tone variances between the real color value and the actual color displayed by the monitor. This feature becomes very practical at 24 bpp applications that require a true color representation). |
| SCCS | Sourse Code Control System (Feature available in WINTURBO |
| SCM | Software Configuration Management system |
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Screen Saver | Graphics software that creates dynamic images on the monitor's screen if no key or mouse action occured for a specified period of time. A static image that is left on the screen for an excessively long time can burn itself into the monitor phosphors and cause irreversible damage. |
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Scripting Support | Scripting languages, such as, Perl [Practical Extraction and Recording Language] and ASP [Active Server Pages] that are supported by the server that hosts a web page. |
| SCSI | Small Computer System Interface (Very fast and versatile Hook-up for HD or CD ROM, pronounced "skazee"; also see IDE [Integrated Drive Electronics] & EIDE [Extended IDE]). |
| SDDE | Spyglass Dynamic Data Exchange |
| SDE | Spatial Database Engine (function for working with computerized geographic data) |
| SDK | Software Development Kit (MS Games SDK; also see WinG) |
| SDMI | Secure Digital Music Initiative consortium |
| SED | Secure Encryption Device (Device that enables the safe transfer of funds through credit & debit cards over regular telephone lines.) |
| SED | Surface-conduction Emitter Display |
| Serifs | Tiny extensions at the edges of straight lines that compose a character. The letter F, e.g., is composed of three strokes and four serifs. A typeface composed of consistent strokes with no serifs added is labeled as "Sans (without in French) serif." |
| SET | Secure Electronic Transaction protocol (an emerging standard for commercial online transactions) |
| SFF | Small Forms Factors (Commission that oversees the standardization of where, for example, should hard drive makers put screw holes and connectors in drives) |
| SGFS | Special Group on Functional Standardization |
| SGML | Standard Generalized Markup Language (focuses on the logical elements rather than the actual ones in a document; SGML's standard building blocks paved the way to the development of HTML [Hyper Text Markup Language] |
| Shading | The process of adding color to underlying polygons (also see Texture mapping) |
| Shareware | A computer program that you can try for free before deciding to purchase it; also see Freeware. |
| S-HTTP | Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (supported by Netscape browsers) |
| SIC | Standard Industrial Classification (code by which type of business may be identified) |
| SID | Security ID (Identification) |
| SIDF | System Independent Data Format |
| SIMMs | Single In-line Memory Modules (Small circuit boards that contain the actual RAM [Random Access Memory] chips; also see DIP [Dual In-Line Packages] & SIP [Single In-Line Packages]). |
| SIN | Serial In (serial port connector) |
| SIP | Single In-Line Packages |
| SIRC/CDS | Sport Information Resource Center/Centre de Documentation pour le Sport (The Canadian Sport Discuss--A world of sport information...) |
| SLIC | Subscriber LIne Charge (together with PICC [Presubscribed Interchange Carrier Charge] make up the additional monthly charges for one ($4.54) or two ($13.00) home telephone lines). |
| SLIP | Serial Line Internet Protocol (A protocol that allows a computer to use TCP/IP [Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol] over a telephone line or other serial communication device. |
| SMB | System Management Bus |
| SMPTE | Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers |
| SMTP | Simple Mail Transfer Protocol |
| SMS |
(1) Storage Management Services
(2) Systems Management Server (distribution tool for the administering of large 1,000+ users network by Microsoft) |
| SNA | Switched Network Architecture |
| SNMP | Simple Network Management Protocol (interface to help menage ADSL [Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line] devices) |
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S/N ratio | Signal-to-Noise ratio in decibels (noise generated by board circuity vs. maximum undistorted output). The larger the number, the better (quieter) the board (a score below 75 dBr is unacceptable). |
| SOHO | Small-Office/Home-Office |
| SOM | System Object Model support |
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Sound Card | A circuit board installed inside a computer to add sound capabilities to the system (8 bit, 16 bit [the general standard for 1995-97] & 32 bit [standard for 1997-99] and 64 bit for digital music professionals). |
| SOUT | Serial Out (serial port connection) |
| Spam | Describes the abnoxious practice of posting the same message or ad on numerous unrelated newsgroups' bulletin boards (originated from the Monty Python Spam skit-- "spam, spam, spam, spam, eggs and spam..") |
| SPDIF | Sony-Phillips Digital Interface Format |
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Speech Synthe- sizer | A device that allows the computer to produce spoken words, either by putting together prerecorded words, or by having the computer actually produce the sounds that make up spoken words. |
| SPOOL | Simultaneous Peripheral Operations On-Line (LAN [Local Area Network]). |
| SQL | Structured Query Language (syntax used in a wide variety of software applications' code that allows the manipulation and extraction of data from a data base). |
| SRAM | Static Random Access Memory |
| SSC | Shared Services Center (Information services group) |
| SSD | Intel's Super Computer System Division |
| SSDBA | Social Science DataBase Archive; (also see ICPSR [Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research ] and SSRIC [Social Science Research and Instructional Council ) |
| SSI | Secure Sockets Include directive that is used when a web page file extension is "SHTML" as compared to the static "HTM" and "HTML" file extensions |
| SSL | Server Side Layer (Netscape supported security protocol) |
| SSRP | Simple Server Redundancy Protocol |
| SSTP | Student Scholar Training Program (CSLA) |
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Star Network | A network topology that consists of a host computer or a file server that is connected to several small computers or devices (e.g., printer). The central unit in a star network controls all connected PCs and devices by polling or by soliciting requests and in turn allowing information flow from and to the PCs and devices. |
| STP | Secure Transaction Protocol |
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String Expression | Any expression that evaluates to a sequence of contiguous (adjacent) characters. Elements of the expression may include a function that returns a string, a string literal, a string constant, or a string variable. |
| Strokes | Single lines that when combined create a type character. The letter "A," for example, may be constructed of three or more strokes. |
| SUA | Single User Account |
| Super CD | CD [Compact Disk 5 GB standard developed by Toshiba. |
| SVD | Simultaneous Voice & Data (concurrent transfer of talk and data through a modem's single connection) |
| SVGA | Super Video Graphics Array or Super Vector Graphics Adapter (PC monitor display standard that allows resolution above 640 by 480 pixels and up to 16.2 million colors). |
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Swap File | Virtual memory is set aside by Windows on the HD [Hard Drive) for short-term memory storage needs. When RAM [Random Access Memory] is insufficient to contain the application loaded from the HD, portions of the program are stored in virtual memory or swap files. |
| SWE | Scholar's Workstation Environment (aging interface to the CSLA network and its resources). |
| SWE-DOS | Scholar's Workstation Environment for the MS Disk Operating System (CSLA phased out...) |
| SWE-WIN | Scholar's Workstation Environment for the MS Windows (CSLA) |
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Sync- Burst RAM | Also called "pipline burst cache memory" SyncBurst RAM is an extremely fast secondary cache memory (developed by Micron and used by Intel on the 1995-96 Pentium CPUs). |
| .SYS | SYStem (Device driver -- DOS [Disk Operating System] file extension that opens communication channels between the PC & hardware services, e.g., CONFIG.SYS). |
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Comments, corrections, additions, and questions are welcome:
Page updated: May 03, 2004 |
