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Glossary of
computer terms
an electronic document such as a Word file that is sent along with an
email message
Block – to mark (or select) a section of text for a later action
Bold – a text style where the letters are darker and thicker than normal, as in
the title and headings here
Browser - A Browser is a piece of software that take HTML text files plus all the
graphics, animations and sound effects and assembles them into an easy to read web page
Caps Lock – a key that locks all typing into upper-case (capitals)
Chat - A chat room is an online space where two or more people can ''meet'' and type
real-time messages. They range from simple 2-D text pages to complex 3-D virtual worlds
(left/right) Click – one press of either the left or right mouse button
Copy – to make a copy of original text while leaving the original untouched
Cursor – an on-screen visual indication of your active position within a screen
(in Word, a blinking vertical bar)
Cursor keys – 4 keys with arrows that move the cursor’s position
Cut – to permanently remove a section of text from a document (in Word, a copy
is held in the computer’s memory until something new is cut, or you exit the program)
Click - to press a mouse button. Unless specified otherwise, in the Turbocharger
this always means one click
Delete – to permanently remove a section of text from a document without
leaving a copy in the computer’s memory
Directory - a list of the files on any given disk
Disk drive – the part of your computer that writes information on floppy disks (diskettes)
or a (fixed) hard drive
Diskette – a removable magnetic storage device which is contained within a 2.5
inch plastic case (usually 1.44 Mgb if ‘high density’)
Double click – to press the mouse button twice in quick succession (usually the
left button is the only one that performs a double-click function)
Download - to copy a file of any kind from the internet onto your own computer
Drag and Drop – a way of moving text where blocked text is pulled to a new
location by holding a mouse button down (in Word the left-button)
Enter (or Return) – a large key on the main part of the keyboard that can be
used to accept an option given by a program; i.e. to enter a yes/no decision. It can also
be used to insert a line-break (or ‘hard-return’) in a word processing program.
It has been used in this document every time we have finished writing a definition
File – A file is the output of a program; these can be of several types: text,
graphic, sound, video, etc.
File name – is the name assigned to an individual file (the first time you save
a new Word file you will be prompted for a name)
Font – is the style, or look of the letters in your text. It includes specific
font-types, such as ‘Arial’ and general
characteristics like Italics.
Form (1) - an HTML form is a graphical user interface (GUI) that
allows website visitors to enter data via checklists and text fields (in the turbocharger
the unit evaluations are HTML forms)
Form (2) - a Word form is a Word document (often protected) accessed
through a website which can be manipulated by the end user in exactly the same way as a
normal Word file (in the turbocharger there are lots of these, such as the "Peer
feedback form")
Format (1) – to prepare a disk to be used with a particular
operating system; say, ‘Windows’ or ‘Macintosh’(For most of you this
will usually mean your diskettes as your notepad’s hard disks are
already formatted when you receive them)
Format (2) - to change the appearance of a text document; covers
things like indentation, font style and headings
Function keys – are the keys that perform an action when pressed. Sometimes one
key on its own will perform the action; pressing F1 in Word will open its help function.
Sometimes you have to use a combination of keys; in Word, pressing Ctrl + S will save a
document. Word also allows you to customize some of your keys.
Grammar checker – is a part of a Word Processor program that checks the grammar
of your text. (You should note that these, like spell checkers, are not
infallible).
Hard drive – is the non-removable disk built into your computer; always
designated as your C: drive and also known as a ‘fixed-drive’.
High density – not the Hong Kong pollution index; it simply means a diskette
that can store more information than ‘standard’ types.
Homepage - The first page in a website. Rather like a magazine cover in that it
gives the visitor an idea of the site's contents and organization. Usually a URL will take
you to a site's Homepage
Hyperlink - is a word, phrase, or image that, when clicked, takes you to another
place either within or outside a website. These are usually underlined and coloured
(except for images)
Icon - is a picture representation of something else. On your computer's desktop for
example, you have an electronic image (picture) of a computer
Insert – to put text or some other file into the middle of another file without
erasing or overwriting the original
Invisible writing – writing on your computer with the monitor switched off, or
the screen dimmed so that you can’t read it
Justification – the different ways of lining up the edges of text. The title of
this page is ‘centred’ while all the other text is ‘left-justified’.
Margin – is the white space on a page around the text
Merge – to combine two files
Paste – to position previously copied text into a new location
Replace – a command to tell the program to search for a string of letter (e.g.,
a word or an abbreviation) and when found, to replace it with another
Sans Serif – font styles where the letters do not have small decorative lines
Scrollbar - is the bar to the far right of this screen which has two arrows at
either end. There are many ways to use this to move up and down a document. In many
websites you'll see scrollbars underneath the screen as well. Some will have scrollbars
all over the place if they use 'frames'
Search – in Word, a command to find a particular word or string of letters
Serif – font with small decorative lines, which many say, are easier to read
than sans serif (‘sans’ is French for ‘without’)
Spell checker – is the part of your word processor that searches through your
text comparing each word with words it has stored in its memory (it is possible to
customize your spellchecker)
Template – a file that gives a model for the layout and style of your document
Thesaurus – is a part of your Word Processor that will give you a list of antonyms
or synonyms for chosen words
URL - Everything on the web has a distinct address or location which is known as its
URL (uniform resource locator). Often begins with "http://"
Window - Opening a program or document within a system such as Office 98 opens a
user-friendly graphical interface known as a window. You can have as many windows open as
your computer allows and you can move them or resize them as you like
Word wrap – the property of a word processor that automatically starts a new
line of text for you when you reach the end of a line
You can check your knowledge of these terms by doing the Turbocharger Quiz
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