Definitions

Just the other day, my husband told me that our ATI didn't like the AGP he put into the PCI slot on my machine! He was telling me that he installed a new graphics card. Yet, I couldn't help laughing at all the acronyms and new terminology that has entered our lives since the onset of the computer. Take "virus" for instance … is your first thought human or computer?

Here are some terms that we find ourselves using everyday.

Boot - To start your computer. Boot is short for bootstrap, when your computer gets itself up and going it's lifting itself up "by its own bootstraps". A cold boot is when you turn the power on. A warm boot (or reboot) is when you reset a computer that is already on.

Cache - A bank of high-speed memory set aside for special purposes. Caching is placing information into the bank. Since we place information into our own memories via this column, I've called our column "The Computer Cache".

Cookie - technology used to identify visitors at a web site. A cookie can contain information about the user's login name, password, and preferences. The claim check you get from the dry-cleaners is a perfect example of a cookie.

Crash - A sudden, drastic failure where the computer stops working and your program ends. It is usually a fault of the operating system (Windows), however, it can also be caused by hardware. The most important part of a crash is to remember that it is not your fault.

Desktop - your computer screen. It represents an office desktop. The icons resemble objects that would be found on a real desktop, such as file folders, a clock, etc.

Hang - To wait for an event that will never occur. Typically, the computer will not respond to any input from the keyboard or mouse.

Multitasking- running two (or more) programs at the same time. The computer pretends do more than one thing at one time. Actually, it can only do one thing at a time, but if two programs are opened and you move back and forth among them, your computer appears to be doing two things at once - such as answering e-mail and surfing the web.

Nerd - a technically bright but socially inept person. The classic image of the nerd has been the thick-lensed glasses and plastic pocket protector. But, as computers become common, our portrayal of the nerd has become more pleasant.

Trojan horse - A virus attack against a computer system, which causes destruction. The term comes Homer's Iliad, in which the Greeks give a giant wooden horse the Trojan. After the Trojans drag the horse inside their city walls, Greek soldiers snuck out of the horse's hollow belly and capture Troy. That's exactly what a Trojan Horse does right inside your computer.