Here you find explanation for computer terms.

Our dictionary is sorted alphabetically so you can easily find the words you are looking for.




Cache
Temporary storage. The processor cache is a fast storage unit where frequently used commands are stored rather than in the slower RAM. The browser cache saves parts of websites on the hard drive in order to load them faster at the next visit.


CAD
Computer Aided Design. The use of computers for the development and construction of industrial products and buildings.


Captcha
Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart - A combination of hard to read characters that in most cases cannot be read out by machines or software. Captchas are mostly used to prevent programs from entering data on websites.




CC
Carbon Copy, a copy of an e-mail. The other recipients are able to see the address.


ccTLD
Country Code Top Level Domain. Please read domain.


CD I
Compact Disk Interactive, (also known as Green Book) is more than a usual CD format: It is a complete specification for an interactive format, which consists out of hard- and software. CD-I players are based on the Motorola 68000 processor just like Amiga systems and CISC-Apple computer. The player uses a Microware OS/9 Realtime operating system. Next to interactive CD-I games or learning software, the player is able to play also audio CDs, Kodak-photo-CDs and, with the FMV-Modul (Full Motion Video) even videoCDs.


CD ROM
Compact Disk - Read Only Memory. An enhancement of the CD standard for computers. While the original specifications of a CD feature a speed of 150 kb per second (1x), new drives are able to read with a speed of several MegaByte (MB) per second. more...


CD R
Compact Disk Recordable. A CD-ROM which can be written by a CD burner one time. CD-Rs can be read by almost all CD-ROM drives and CD players. But some DVD players are not able to read CD-Rs. CD-R are appropriate to save data and also to create individual audio CDs.


CD RW
Compact Disk - Rewritable, a CD, which can be rewritten with special CD-RW burners up to 1000 times. The medium is able to hold the same amount of data as a CD-R, but is more expensive and can be read by less CD players.


Central Memory
Please read RAM.


CEPS
Abbreviation for Colour Electronic Page Setting, it describes the additional retouching or correction of images with the help of the computer.


CGA
Abbreviation for Color Graphics Adapter, an outdated graphic standard. In the text modus 80 characters per line can be pictured, in the graphic modus up to 320 x 200 points in 2 colours or 640 x 200 points in 4 colours.


CGI
Common Gateway Interface, an Interface which is used by webpages in order to exchange data with programs on a webserver.


CIM
Abbreviation for Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Notion for a computer supported production process including development and construction.


CISC
Complex Instruction Set Computer. These processors are controlled by numerous complex commands, but few of these are commonly used. Therefor, also the frequently required commands have to be executed in a complex way and this takes more computing time. Opposite: RISC.


Classic Environment
With the classic environment it is possible to use older OS 9 software under OS X. The emulator provides seamles integration.


Client Server Network
Network, in which all data is stored on a central computer and connected computers are able to work with this data.


Clock Frequency
Please read clock rate


Clock Rate
The clock rate describes the speed of the processor. It is indicated in Mhz and describes the speed the processor quartz swings per second. more...


Cluster
Mapping unit on a data carrier. 2, 4 or 8 sectors of a hard drive or floppy disc are mapped into one cluster. This way, data access is simplified and the speed of access accelerates. A cluster is the smallest storage unit on a data carrier. Nevertheless, smaller files require at least one entire cluster.


CMOS
Complementare Metal Oxid Semiconductor, a semiconductor component with low power consumption and high speed. It is for example used in some digital cameras instead of CCD chips for picture processing.


CMYK
Abbreviation for the four print colours cyan, magenta, yellow und key (black). Out of the first three primary colours all desired colourings can be created with the subtractive process.


Colour Depth
The number of bits a graphic card or graphic controller has at disposal per pixel of one colour for the classification of the colour value into red, green and blue. With 8 bit it is for example possible to differentiate between 256 colour tones for each of the three primary colours. Out of the primary colours, 16,7 million of shades can be mixed.


COM Port
Communication Port. Serial Interface on PCs which serve to connect accessories like mouse or modem. A PC usually posesses at least two: COM1 and COM2.


Commodore
The company Commodore produced the personal computers C16, C64, C128 and the Amiga series. These were the most widespread computers in the 1980's.


Compiler
The compiler translates source programs in a certain programming language into executable files.


Composing
Notion out of the area of image processing, collage out of several images. Very often, the number of the integrated elements cannot be recognized anymore, because the designer pays close attention on transitions, shades and light reflections.


Compress
Also called packing, the downsizing of digital data. Similar or same areas are being combined in order to save storage space, especially for the transmission to the internet.


Compression
Reduction of the file size with the help of mathematical procedures. These allow the coding of the data in a way which needs considerably less storage space and still contains all information.


Computer
Please read PC.


Controller
Neccessary to address devices such as the hard drive. A controller can be a plug-in card or part of the mainboard.


Cookie
The Cookie function was invented by Netscape, in order to give web developers the possibility to save small data packages (containing the name or password of the user) on the computer of the user. more...


Copy
A copy is a second version of the original. In contrast to an analog copy, for example a video tape, a digital copy does not lose data and is exactly identical to its original.


Copy Protection
Games, software, DVDs and some audio CDs are equipped with copy protection in order not to be copied illegally. more...


CPU
Please read processor


CRT
Cathode Ray Tube. Monitor tube in traditional monitors.


Cursor
The Cursor is a blinking rectangle or an arrow which indicates the current position on the screen. A keyboard entry is always carried out at the position of the cursor.


Cyberspace
Simulated reality within the computer. The notion goes back to the american science-fiction author William Gibson, who used it in his novel "Neuromancer".