On these pages are explanations of the most frequently used 'techno-babble'.

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LAN Local Area Network        Describes two or more computers connected, either physically or wirelessly, with the ability to share resources, such as printers

Laser printer        The printer laser beam builds up characters and images as tiny dots on a rotating drum. The drum then attracts ink powder (toner) to these dots. This is then transferred and heat-fused to paper

LCD (liquid-crystal display)        Technology used to create low-power, slim display panels. Used in everything from digital watches to flat-screen monitors.

LED        Light Emitting Diode. A low-power electronic device that emits light when an electric current is passed through it.

Link (or hyperlink)        An object on a web page that, when clicked, takes you to another web page. Both text and graphics can be links.

Linux        An operating system for a variety of computers that can be modified and distributed by its users. Developed by Linus Torvalds.

Mailbox (or inbox)        The folder in your email application that stores your incoming messages.

Mailing list        A service provided by special interest groups that sends regular email updates to its (usually free) subscribers.

Mail-merge        A useful tool included in most word-processing applications that allows you to create multiple documents based on data from another source, usually a database program.

Malware        A generic term for software designed to perform harmful or surreptitious acts.

Mb (megabyte)        A measurement of memory capacity, 1Mb = 1,024Kb (kilobytes).

Mb/s        Megabytes per second, a measure of data transfer speed.

Mbit/s (megabits per second)        A measure of data-transfer speed. A megabit is one million bits.

MBR        Master Boot Record. Part of a hard disk read by a computer as soon as it is switched on, it chooses which hard disk to boot from.

Megapixel        A measure of the level of detail recorded by digital cameras, one megapixel is an image made from one million pixels.

Memory (or RAM)        Random Access Memory is the computer's temporary storage area, measured in megabytes (Mb). Anything written to memory will be lost when the power is switched off.

Memory cards        Small cards that can store many megabytes (Mb) of computer data or documents. Often used as a removable storage medium in digital cameras and palmtop computers.

Memory stick        A type of memory card designed by Sony. Used to provide slot in, removable storage, for devices such as digital cameras.

Message board        An internet-based equivalent of an actual message board, where people can post and reply to messages 'posted' by other people.

MHz (Megahertz)        A measure of how fast the processor in your PC works, 800MHz Pentium III, for example. As a rule of thumb, the higher the number the faster a PC will be.

MIDI        Stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which is a standard for controlling electronic musical instruments by computer.

Modem        A device that enables two computers to communicate with each other over a telephone line. A modem is usually needed to connect to the internet.

Moderator        User who controls who can speak in a moderated chat room.

Motherboard        The main circuit board inside any PC into which every other component connects to and communicates through.

MP3        A standard for compressing digital audio. The sound quality of an MP3 file is close to that CD audio but requires only a fraction of the storage space.

MPEG        Abbr. Motion Picture Experts Group. Describes a method of compressing digital video. MPEG-1 gives VHS-quality, while MPEG-2 compression gives high-quality video used for DVD movies.

Network        A way of connecting several computers and printers so that they can share data over a network adapter ot interface card.

Newsgroups        Discussion areas on the internet, where you can post a message and read replies from other people, like an office noticeboard.

Notebook / Laptop        A portable computer, around the size of an A4 to foolscap notebook.

NTFS        NT File System. A more secure and reliable file system used by Windows NT and XP.

OEM        Original Equipment Manufacturer, refers to components sold to manufacturers purely for incorporation in complete systems.

Offline        Working with internet software, like an email program, without being connected to the internet.

Onboard        Already fitted to your PC as part of the main circuitry on the motherboard.

Online        "Being connected to the internet / The time you spend on the internet.

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Operating system        A crucial piece of software which loads automatically when you switch on a computer I,e Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, and Palm OS5.

Overclocked processor        A processor that has had its operating speed improperly increased.

Palmtop / Pocket PC        A PDA or small computer about the size of a pocket calculator. Sometimes with a keyboard, usually with a touch-sensitive screen.

Parallel cable & port        Usually used to connect a PC to a printer, but can also link two PC's to allow data to be swapped at a higher speed than serial cables.

Parity error        Some types of computer memory have a built-in 'parity checking' to warn of memory errors.

Partition        A large hard disk can be divided into two or more partitions or 'virtual' drives. Once partitioned, each section is treated by Windows as though it were a completely separate, smaller hard disk.

PC Card        A credit card-size device for adding anything from a modem to a hard drive to a notebook PC. Requires a PC Card slot (standard on almost all notebooks).

PCI        Peripheral Component Interconnect. A high-performance expansion slot for desktop PCs, allowing simple installation of PCI components like sound cards and modems.

PDF        Portable Document Format, developed by Adobe, allows pages of text and graphics to be viewed on a variety of machines.

Peer-to-peer        A network connecting two or more computers without a central file server.

Plug and play        A standard for Windows PCs that allows peripherals to be connected and used in a matter of moments. Windows will automatically detect the new device and install any drivers.

Plug-in        A small program that adds extra features such as streaming video to your web browser or to other applications, and is loaded only when it's needed to display information

POP3        Post Office Protocol 3. A protocol for  accessing and retrieving email, most email applications and ISPs use POP3.

Port        A socket, which is located at the back of the computer's base, where you plug in items like the printer and keyboard.

Port scanning        Using a computer to search for weak spots in other computers connected to the internet, usually for unlawful purposes.

Portal        A website that offers a variety of services, such as news, weather reports, stock information, email and so on.

Print head        The part of the printer that actually prints onto the paper. With an inkjet printer, this is the part that squirts ink, in strips, onto the page.

Processor        The chip that is the 'brain' of the computer. The faster the processor, the better a computer will perform.

PS Receiver        A small (usually handheld) device with a screen that's capable of receiving GPS satellite location information.

PS/2 & port        A set of standards for such things as mouse and keyboard interfaces, originally used by IBM, 6 pin connector.

Quicktime        A video file format invented by Apple, used on PCs and Macs.

QWERTY keyboard        The standard English keyboard layout, so called because the first six letters on the top row of the keyboard are QWERTY.

RAM        Random Access Memory. Used for data storage while the PC is switched on so the more MB's of memory your PC has, the faster it will seem.

RDRAM        Rambus DRAM.  High performance memory at a high price. Found in Pentium III and Pentium 4 systems, developed by RAMBUS.

Readme file        A file created during an application installation that contains useful information.

Reboot        To restart a computer.

Recycle Bin        Where all files deleted in Windows are sent. Shown as a rubbish bin icon on the Desktop, it must be emptied regularly.

Refresh rate        Measured in Hertz (Hz) the number of times per second that the image on your monitor is redrawn.

Registry        A database integrated into Windows which stores information on all hardware and software installed on your PC.

Removable storage device        Disk drives that use high-capacity disks which can be removed and stored remotely.

Resolution        The amount of detail shown in an image. For a monitor, it is the number of pixels it can display (I,e 1024 x 768 pixels).

Rip        To digitally extract the music data from a CD-ROM or audio CD. Ripping a track from an audio CD is the first stage of compressing it as an MP3 file.

ROM        Read Only Memory. Any memory that can be read but not written to.

RTF        Rich Text Format. A common file format used to transfer files between different word-processing programs.