http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/computing.htm Note: PC = Personal Computer
Computer Vocabulary
anti-virus software - A program that finds and removes viruses from a computer. backup - A copy of files from a computer's hard disk, usually made on some external medium such as CDROM or flash drive. A backup is made in case the hard disk file(s) are erased or damaged. bit, bytes - A bit is the smallest piece of information that computers use. For simplicity, a PC uses bits in groups of 8 called bytes (8 bits = 1 byte). Bluetooth - a way of communicating wirelessly over short distances between electronic devices (for example computer and mobile telephone) boot, boot up, boot disk - You boot (or boot up) your computer when you switch it on and wait while it prepares itself. Instructions for startup are given to the
computer from the boot disk, which is usually the hard disk. browser, to browse - A browser is a program like Firefox or Internet Explorer. You use it to view or browse the Internet. bug - A (small) defect or fault in a program. cache - A kind of memory used to make a computer work faster. CD-ROM - A disk for storing computer information. It looks like an audio CD. CPU - Central Processing Unit. This is a PC's heart or "brains". data - usually means the information (text, pictures, audio etc) that you create or share on a computer, as opposed to the programs that manipulate the data. DOS - Disk Operating System. The original system used for PCs, where you typed in commands instead of pointing and clicking. driver - A small program that tells a PC how a peripheral works. ebook - an electronic book that can be downloaded and read on a computer or other device. electronic mail (email, e-mail) - Messages sent from one computer to another. You can see email on the screen or print it out. file - a specific computer record; it could contain data such as text (eg essay.doc), or a program such as paint.exe. floppy disk - A cheap, removable disk used for storing or transferring information. It is floppy (soft) because it is plastic. (Now virtually obsolete.) See hard disk. floppy drive - The device used to run a floppy disk (usually drive "A".) (Now virtually obsolete.) folder (directory) - A sub-division of a computer's hard disk into which you put files. font - A particular sort of lettering (on the screen or on paper). Arial is a font. Times New Roman is another.
format - All hard disks and floppy disks have to be electronically prepared for use by a process called formatting. Hard disks are pre-formatted by the computer manufacturer. If you buy a floppy disk that is not pre-formatted, you format it yourself, using a program that comes with your PC. graphics card - The equipment inside a computer that creates the image on the screen. hard disk - The main disk inside a computer used for storing programsand information. It is hard because it is metal. See floppy disk. hotspot - an area that has an available wireless signal for Internet access (usually public). icon - A small image or picture on a computer screen that is a symbol for folders, disks, peripherals, programs etc. Internet - International network of computers that you connect to by telephone line. Two popular services of the Internet are the World Wide Web and electronic mail. iPad - a tablet computer created by Apple. Kb, Mb, Gb - kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes. Used to measure computer memory and storage. Kindle - a device for downloading and reading ebooks, developed by Amazon.com. memory - Memory is for the temporary storing of information while a computer is being used. See RAM, ROM and Cache. MHz - Megahertz. This describes the speed of computer equipment. The higher the MHz the better the performance. modem - Equipment connected to a computer for sending/receiving digital information by telephone line. You may need a modem to connect to the Internet, to send electronic mail and to fax. notebook - a notebook computer; a laptop computer; a folding, portable computer.
operating system (OS) - The basic software that manages a computer (for example, Windows 7, OS X, Unix, iOS). OCR - Optical Character Recognition. OCR lets a PC read a fax or scanned image and convert it to actual lettering. palmtop - a computer that is small enough to sit on the palm of the hand. parallel port - A socket at the back of a computer for connecting external equipment or peripherals, especially printers. PC card - A device that is the same size as a thick credit card, for plugging into a slot on notebook computers. You can buy memory,modems and hard disks as PC cards. PDA - abbreviation of "personal digital assistant". peripheral - Any equipment that is connected externally to a computer. For example, printers, scanners and modems are peripherals. pixel - The image that you see on the screen is made of thousands of tiny dots, points or pixels. program Software that operates a PC and does various things, such as writing text (word-processing program), keeping accounts (accounts program) and drawing pictures (graphics program). QWERTY - The first 6 letters on English-language keyboards are Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The first 6 letters on French-language keyboards are A-Z-E-R-T-Y. RAM, ROM - Two types of memory. RAM (Random Access Memory) is the main memory used while the PC is working. RAM is temporary. ROM (Read Only Memory) is for information needed by the PC and cannot be changed. resolution - The number of dots or pixels per inch (sometimes per centimetre) used to create the screen image.
scanner - Equipment for converting paper documents to electronic documents that can be used by a computer. serial port - Socket at the back of a PC for connecting peripherals(obsolescent). smartphone - a mobile phone that includes a palmtop computer or PDAand also gives access to Internet and email. tablet - a tablet computer; a mobile computer consisting of a screen only, and controlled by touching the screen. TFT - Thin Film Transistor, a type of high quality screen for notebook computers. USB - abbreviation of "universal serial bus"; a standardized connection for attaching devices to computers etc. USB flash drive - a small, external device for storing data; it connects through the USB socket. virus - A small, unauthorized program that can damage a PC. Wi-Fi - a system for communicating without wires over a computer network. Windows - An operating system used by the majority of PCs. World Wide Web, WWW, the Web - WWW are initials that stand for World Wide Web. The Web is one of the services available on theInternet. It lets you access millions of pages through a system of links. Because it is "world-wide", it was originally called the World Wide Web or WWW. WYSIWIG - "What You See Is What You Get." With a WYSIWIGprogram, if you print a document it looks the same on paper as it looks on the screen. A algorithm analog
D (cont.) domain domain name
K kernel key
Q queue QWERTY
T table tag
app dot application dot matrix array download B drag backup DVD (digital bandwidth versatile disc) binary dynamic bit E bitmap email bite emoticon blog encrypt blogger encryption bookmark enter boot exabyte broadband F browser FAQ (frequently buffer asked questions) bug file bus finder byte firewall C firmware cache flaming caps lock flash captcha flash drive CD floppy disk CD-ROM flowchart client folder clip art font clip board format cloud computing frame command freeware compile G compress gigabyte computer graphics computer H program hack configure hacker cookie hardware copy home page CPU (central host processing unit) html cybercrime hyperlink cyberspace hypertext D I dashboard icon data inbox database integer data mining interface debug Internet decompress IP address
keyboard keyword L laptop laser printer link login log out logic lurking M mainframe macro malware media memory mirror modem monitor motherboard mouse multimedia N net network node notebook computer O offline online open source operating system option output P page password paste path phishing piracy pirate platform plug-in podcast pop-up portal print
R template RAM (random terabyte access memory) teminal real-time text editor reboot thread resolution toolbar restore trash ROM (read only Trojan horse memory) typeface root U router undo runtime Unix S upload save user interface scan username scanner URL screen user screenshot utility script V scroll version scroll bar virtual search engine virtual security memory server virus shareware W shell web shift web host shift key webmaster snapshot website social networking widget software window spam wireless spammer wiki spreadsheet word status bar processor storage workstation spyware World Wide supercomputer Web surf worm syntax WWW X XML Z zip
delete desktop development digital disk DNS (domain name system) document
iteration J Java joystick junk mail
La D (cont.) algoritmo dominio analógico de nombres de aplicación dominio aplicación dot array dot matrix B descarga copia de seguridad arrastre de ancho de banda DVD (disco binario versátil digital) bits dinámico de mapa de bits E bocado email blog de emoticon blogger cifrar favorito cifrado arranque entrar de banda ancha Exabyte navegador F búfer FAQ (preguntas bug más bus frecuentes) byte file C finder caché firewall caps lock firmware Captcha flameante CD flash de CD-ROM la impulsión cliente del flash prediseñada disquete clip bordo organigrama cloud computing carpeta comando de fuente de compilación formato compresa marco equipo del freeware de programa de T
printer privacy process program programmer protocol
K Q T núcleo cola mesa de clave QWERTY etiqueta de teclado R plantilla de palabras RAM (memoria de terabyte clave acceso aleatorio) teminal L en tiempo real editor de laptop reinicio texto laser resolución thread impresora restaurar barra de enlace ROM (memoria de herramientas de inicio de sólo lectura) de sesión de la raíz basura Cierre de del router troyano sesión runtime tipo de letra lógica S U acecho guardar deshacer M exploración Unix mainframe escáner carga de de pantalla la interfaz de macro de pantalla usuario de malware de la escritura Nombre de de medios de desplazamiento usuario de memoria barra de URL Espejo desplazamiento de usuario modem del motor de utilidad monitor de búsqueda V la placa de seguridad versión madre del servidor virtual de del ratón shareware la memoria multimedia shell virtual N cambio virus neto cambio clave W red instantánea web nodo redes sociales de alojamiento ordenador de software web portátil de spam webmaster O spammer website
ordenador gigabyte sin conexión configure gráficos en línea cookies H de código copia hackear abierto CPU (unidad central hacker de del sistema de procesamiento) hardware operativo ciberdelincuencia página la opción ciberespacio principal de salida D anfitrión P tablero HTML page de datos hipervínculo password de base de datos hipertexto paste de minería de datos Yo path de depuración icono de phishing descomprimir la bandeja de piracy borrar entrada pirate escritorio de enteros platform el desarrollo interfaz de plug-in digital de Internet podcast disco la dirección IP pop-up DNS (sistema de iteración portal nombres de J print dominio) Java printer documento joystick de privacy correo basura process program programmer protocol
SUMMARY:
hoja de cálculo barra de estado de almacenamiento spyware superordenador de surf sintaxis
widget de ventana inalámbrico wiki procesador de textos estación de trabajo World Wide Web gusano WWW X XML Z cremallera