Glossary
Other Technical Dictionaries/Glossaries
Acronym Glossary CNET Internet Glossary ILC Glossary of Internet Terms OneLook Dictionaries
T-1 line A high-speed digital link to the Internet (1.544 M bps)
T-3 line A high-speed digital link to the Internet (44.736 M bps)
Tape backup unit (TBU) A magnetic tape drive design to provide backup for data and programs.
Tape drive, magnetic The hardware device that contains the read/write mechanism for the magnetic tape storage medium. (Compare with disk drive, magnetic.)
Tape, magnetic A secondary storage medium for sequential data storage and back up.
Target system A proposed information system that is the object of a systems development effort.
Task The basic unit of work for a processor.
TCP/IP[Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol] A set of communications protocols developed by the Department of Defense to link dissimilar computers across many kinds of networks.
Telecommunications The collection and distribution of the electronic representation of information between two points.
Telecommuting "Commuting" via a communications link between home and office.
Telemedicine Describes any type of health care administered remotely over communication links.
Telephone Access Server (TAS) A system that permits users to access their electronic mailboxes remotely via a touch-tone telephone.
Telephony The integration of computers and telephones.
Telnet A terminal emulation protocol that allows users to work from a PC as if it were a terminal linked directly to a host computer.
Template A model for a particular microcomputer software application.
Terabyte (TB) About one trillion bytes.
Terminal Any device capable of sending and receiving data over a communications channel.
Terminal emulation mode The software transformation of a PC so that its keyboard, monitor, and data interface emulate that of a terminal.
Text mode One of two modes of operation for PC monitors. (Contrast with graphics mode.)
TFLOPS A trillion FLOPS. (See FLOPS).
Thesaurus, online See online thesaurus.
Third-generation language (3GL) A procedure-oriented programming language that can be used to model almost any scientific or business procedure. (Related to procedure-oriented language.)
Thread (newsgroup) An original Internet newsgroup message and any posted replies to that message.
Throughput A measure of computer system efficiency; the rate at which work can be performed by a computer system.
Throwaway system An information system developed to support information for a one-time decision, then discarded.
Tiled windows Two or more windows displayed on the screen in a non-overlapping manner.
Tiny area network (TAN) A term coined to refer to very small local area networks, typically installed in the home or small office.
Title bar A narrow Windows screen object at the top of each window that runs the width of the window.
Toggle The action of pressing a single key on a keyboard to switch between two or more modes of operation, such as insert and replace.
Total connectivity The networking of all hardware, software, and databases in an organization.
Touch-screen monitors Monitors with touch-sensitive screens that enable users to choose from available options by simply touching the desired icon or menu item with their finger.
Tower PC A PC that includes a system unit that is design to rest vertically. (Contrast with laptop PCand desktop PC.)
Track, disk That portion of a magnetic disk-face surface that can be accessed in any given setting of a single read/write head. Tracks are configured in concentric circles.
Track, tape That portion of a magnetic tape that can be accessed by any one of the tape drives read/write heads. A track runs the length of the tape.
Trackball A ball mounted in a box that, when moved, results in a similar movement of the cursor on a display screen.
TrackpadA point-and-draw device with no moving parts that includes a touch-sensitive pad to move the graphics cursor.
Tracks per inch (TPI) A measure of the recording density, or spacing, of tracks on a magnetic disk.
Transaction A procedural event in a system that prompts manual or computer-based activity.
Transaction file A file containing records of data activity (transactions); used to update the master file.
Transaction-oriented processing Transactions are recorded and entered as they occur.
Transmission medium The central cable along which terminals, peripheral devices, and microcomputers are connected in a bus topology.
Transparent A reference to a procedure or activity that occurs automatically and does not have to be considered by the user.
TSR [terminate-and-stay-resident] Programs that remain in memory so they can be instantly popped up over the current application by pressing a hotkey.
Turnaround document A computer-produced output that is ultimately returned to a computer system as a machine-readable input.
Twisted-pair wire A pair of insulated copper wires twisted around each other for use in transmission of telephone conversations and for cabling in local area networks.
Typeface A set of characters that are of the same type style.
Typeover mode A data entry mode in which the character entered overstrikes the character at the cursor position.