Glossary
Other Technical Dictionaries/Glossaries
Acronym Glossary CNET Internet Glossary ILC Glossary of Internet Terms OneLook Dictionaries
Facsimile (fax) The transferring of images, usually of hard-copy documents, via telephone lines to another device that can receive and interpret the images.
FAQ A frequently asked question.
Fault tolerant Referring to a computer system or network that is resistant to software errors and hardware problems.
Fax modem A modem that enables a PC to emulate a facsimile machine. (See also modem.)
Fax See facsimile.
Feedback loop A closed loop in which a computer-controlled process generates data that become input to the computer.
Fetch instruction That part of the instruction cycle in which the control unit retrieves a program instruction from RAM and loads it to the processor.
Fiber optic cable A data transmission medium that carries data in the form of light in very thin transparent fibers.
Field The smallest logical unit of data. Examples are employee number, first name, and price. (Compare with data item.)
File (1) A collection of related records. (2) A named area on a secondary storage device that contains a program or digitized information (text, image, sound, and so on).
File allocation table (FAT) MS-DOS's method of storing and keeping track of files on a disk.
File compression A technique by which file size can be reduced. Compressed files are decompressed for use.
File format The manner in which a file is stored on secondary storage.
File server A dedicated computer system with high-capacity disk for storing the data and programs shared by the users on a local area network.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) A communications protocol that is used to transmit files over the Internet.
Filtering The process of selecting and presenting only that information appropriate to support a particular decision.
Firewall Software that is designed to restrict access to an organization's network or its Intranet.
Fixed disk Seehard disk.
Flaming A barrage of scathing messages from irate Internet users sent to somebody who posts messages out of phase with the societal norms.
Flash memory A type nonvolatile memory that can be altered easily by the user.
Flat files A file that does not point to or physically link with another file.
Flat-panel monitor A monitor, thin from front to back, that uses liquid crystal and gas plasma technology.
Floating menu A special-function menu that can be positioned anywhere on the work area until you no longer need it.
Floppy disk See diskette.
Floppy disk driveA disk drive that accepts either the 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch diskette.
FLOPS [Floating point operations per second] A measure of speed for supercomputers.
Flowchart A diagram that illustrates data, information, and work flow via specialized symbols which, when connected by flow lines, portray the logic of a system or program.
Flowcharting The act of creating a flowchart.
Font A typeface that is described by its letter style, its height in points, and its presentation attribute.
Footprint (1) The evidence of unlawful entry or use of a computer system. (2) The floor or desktop space require for a hardware component.
Foreground (1) That part of RAM that contains the highest priority program. (2) In Windows, the area of the display containing the active window. (Contrast with background.)
Formatted disk A disk that has been initialized with the recording format for a specific operating system.
FORTRAN[FORmula TRANslator] A high-level programming language designed primarily for scientific applications.
Fourth-generation language (FOURTH GENERATION LANGUAGE)A programming language that uses high-level English-like instructions to retrieve and format data for inquiries and reporting.
Frame A rectangular area in a desktop publishing-produced document into which elements, such as text and images, are placed.
Frames (web page) The display of more than one independently controllable sections on a single Web page.
Front-end applications software Client software that performs processing associated with the user interface and applications processing that can be done locally.
Front-end processor A processor used to offload certain data communications tasks from the host processor.
Full-duplex line A communications channel that transmits data in both directions at the same time. (Contrast with half-duplex line.)
Full-screen editing This word processing feature permits the user to move the cursor to any position in the document to insert or replace text.
Function A predefined operation that performs mathematical, logical, statistical, financial, and character-string operations on data in a spreadsheet or a database.
Function key A special-function key on the keyboard that can be used to instruct the computer to perform a specific operation.
Function-based information system An information system designed for the exclusive support of a specific application area, such as inventory management or accounting.
Functional specifications Specifications that describe the logic of an information system from the user's perspective.