Computer Terminology

Computer Terminology 

Some of the terms you should be familiar with include:

DCHP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, which provides IP address to computers that connect to a network. Dial-up connections use a different IP address every time you log in. If you are connected by DSL or cable or even a T1 connection, your IP address remains the same—making you more vulnerable to a hacking attack.

Gigabyte: Abbreviated GB, one GB is 1042MB, the equivalent of 694 old-fashioned floppy disks. 

IP: Internet Protocol. This provides the ability to have data transferred from one network to another as it traverses the Internet.

Malware: This describes all the nasty pieces of software designed to plague computer systems, including viruses, trojans, spyware, adware and rootkits.

Petabyte: One source states you can store the equivalent of 500,000 hours of movies on 1PB—a volume of data hard to comprehend.

RAM: This is random access memory, and NOT how much storage you have on your hard drive. RAM is access by the operating system in order to store data it needs when applications are open and running. It is never accessed directly by a user. Information on RAM is lost when the computer is shut down. It’s recommended that you have 1GB of SDR RAM at a minimum to run Windows XP, especially if you do considerable video or gaming.

Rootkit: Pieces of code or software that are covertly installed on a system to allow malware to function undetected.

Those are just some of the basic terms. I strongly suggest that you subscribe to Smart Computing magazine to learn more about how computers work and just about everything else. It’s the best computer magazine on the market and aimed at the user who isn’t a pro.

                                                                                                    Blackdog                                                                                                      

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