Personal computing

Terms related to personal computers, including definitions about computers sold as consumer products and words and phrases about laptops, tablets and smartphones.
  • soap opera effect (motion interpolation) - The soap opera effect is the colloquial name for a visual effect caused by motion interpolation on television sets that some people find undesirable.
  • social comparison - Social comparison can lead to issues caused by the fear of missing out (FOMO), including anxiety, depression and a lack of self-esteem.
  • social contract - A social contract is an agreement to adhere to acceptable behaviors and meet obligations in a particular environment, such as a nation, a business or a social media site.
  • social media - Social media is a collective term for websites and applications that focus on communication, community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration.
  • SODOTO (See One, Do One, Teach One) - SODOTO (See One, Do One, Teach One) is a methodology of teaching and learning skills and best practices through direct observation of a task, hands-on practical experience performing the task and teaching the task to another person.
  • soft copy - A soft copy (sometimes spelled 'softcopy') is an electronic copy (or e-copy) of some type of data, such as a file viewed on a computer's display or transmitted as an email attachment.
  • soft reset - A soft reset is a restart of a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop or personal computer (PC).
  • software agent - A software agent is a persistent, goal-oriented computer program that reacts to its environment and runs without continuous direct supervision to perform some function for an end user or another program.
  • solar power - Solar power is a renewable form of energy harvested from the sun for the purpose of producing electricity or thermal energy (heat).
  • sound card - A sound card is a computer component responsible for generating and recording audio.
  • spam filter - A spam filter is a program used to detect unsolicited, unwanted and virus-infected emails and prevent those messages from getting to a user's inbox.
  • spambot - A spambot is an automated system that sends unwanted, unsolicited messages to users, known as spam.
  • spear phishing - Spear phishing is a malicious email spoofing attack that targets a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information.
  • spoliation - Spoliation is the destruction, alteration, or mutilation of evidence that may pertain to legal action.
  • spool (simultaneous peripheral operations online) - To spool (which stands for "simultaneous peripheral operations online") a computer document or task list (or "job") is to read it in and store it, usually on a hard disk or larger storage medium so that it can be printed or otherwise processed at a more convenient time (for example, when a printer is finished printing its current document).
  • stablecoin - Stablecoin is a fixed-price cryptocurrency whose market value is attached to another stable asset.
  • stateful inspection - Stateful inspection, also known as dynamic packet filtering, is a firewall technology that monitors the state of active connections and uses this information to determine which network packets to allow through the firewall.
  • static IP address - A static IP address is a 32 bit number that is assigned to a computer to be its address on the internet.
  • steampunk - Steampunk is a design style inspired by Victorian-era industrialism.
  • Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) - Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) is a connection-oriented network protocol for transmitting multiple streams of data simultaneously between two endpoints that have established a connection in a network.
  • streaming media - Streaming media is video or audio content sent in compressed form over the internet and played immediately over a user's device, rather than being saved to the device hard drive or solid-state drive.
  • substrate - A substrate is a solid substance or medium to which another substance is applied and to which that second substance adheres.
  • SYN flood attack - A SYN flood attack is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on a computer server.
  • tablet (tablet PC) - A tablet is a wireless, portable personal computer with a touchscreen interface.
  • takedown request - A takedown request, also called a DMCA takedown or a notice and take down request, is a procedure for asking an internet service provider (ISP) or search engine to remove or disable access to illegal, irrelevant or outdated information.
  • technology addiction - Technology addiction is an impulse control disorder that involves the obsessive use of mobile devices, the internet or video games, despite the negative consequences to the technology user.
  • TED talk - A TED talk is a recorded public-speaking presentation that was originally given at the main TED (technology, entertainment and design) annual event or one of its many satellite events around the world.
  • telegraph - A telegraph is a communication system that sends information by making and breaking an electrical connection.
  • Text message abbreviations and acronyms - This handy fast reference will help you quickly understand hundreds of Text, Twitter and Chat abbreviations and acronyms that are popularly used in text messages and social media.
  • texture mapping - Texture mapping is a graphic design process in which a two-dimensional (2-D) surface, called a texture map, is "wrapped around" a three-dimensional (3-D)object.
  • thick client (fat client) - A thick client (sometimes called a fat client) is a form of client-server architecture.
  • thumbnail - A thumbnail is a small image representation of a larger image, usually intended to make it easier and faster to look at or manage a group of larger images.
  • TikTok - TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create, share and discover short-form videos.
  • time-to-live (TTL) - Time-to-live (TTL) is a value for the period of time that a packet, or data, should exist on a computer or network before being discarded.
  • timeline - A timeline is a visual representation of a chronological sequence of events along a drawn line that helps a viewer understand time relationships.
  • TL;DR (too long; didn't read) - TL;DR is an abbreviation for "too long; didn't read.
  • ToFu, MoFu and BoFu - ToFu, MoFu and BoFu is a method used by sales and marketing professionals to pace and cater their approach to sales leads within a sales funnel, depending on the customer’s current phase of the purchase decision.
  • Top 10 spyware threats - The top 10 spyware list describes the 10 common spyware threats behind famous spyware attacks and is frequently identified by Webroot's Spy Audit, a free spyware scanner tool.
  • Tor browser - The Tor (the onion routing) browser is a web browser designed for anonymous web surfing and protection against traffic analysis.
  • touch screen - A touch screen is an electronic display screen that is also an input device.
  • trackball - A trackball is a computer cursor control device used in many laptop computer keyboards and older versions of computer mice.
  • TrackPoint (pointing stick) - A TrackPoint, also called a pointing stick, is a cursor control device found in Lenovo ThinkPad notebook computers.
  • trolling - Trolling, in the context of the web, is the act of responding to online content or comments in a purposely disruptive fashion.
  • tweet - A tweet is a post on Twitter.
  • Twitter - Twitter is a free social networking site where users broadcast short posts known as tweets.
  • U (measurement) - A U is a standard unit of measure for designating the height in computer enclosures and server rack cabinets.
  • UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) - A UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) is the microchip with programming that controls a computer's interface to its attached serial devices.
  • UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) - UDDI, or Universal Description, Discovery and Integration, is an Extensible Language Markup (XML)-based standard to describe, publish and find information about web services.
  • Ultra High-Definition TV (UHDTV) - Ultra-high-definition (UHD) television, also abbreviated UHDTV, is a digital television display format in which the horizontal screen resolution is on the order of 4000 pixels (4K UHD) or 8000 pixels (8K UHD).
  • uncanny valley - The uncanny valley is a common unsettling feeling people experience when androids or humanoid robots and audio/visual simulations closely resemble humans in many respects but aren't quite convincingly realistic.
  • unified communications (UC) - Unified communications (UC) is an umbrella term for the integration of multiple enterprise communication tools -- such as voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging (IM), presence and content sharing -- into a single, streamlined interface, with the goal of improving user experience (UX) and productivity.
  • Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) - A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a character sequence that identifies a logical (abstract) or physical resource -- usually, but not always, connected to the internet.
  • Universal Naming Convention (UNC) - The Universal Naming Convention (UNC) is a standard for naming resources -- such as files and devices -- that are shared by computers on a network.
  • uploading - Uploading is the transmission of data from a local device to a remote device.
  • URN (Uniform Resource Name) - A URN (Uniform Resource Name) is a permanent identifier for internet resources that employs the urn scheme.
  • USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed USB) - USB 3.0 is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) data transfer standard that is backwards compatible with USB 2.
  • USB-C - USB-C, or Universal Serial Bus Type-C, is a standard connection type for mobile and portable devices.
  • User Datagram Protocol (UDP) - User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a communications protocol primarily used to establish low-latency and loss-tolerating connections between applications on the internet.
  • User Principal Name (UPN) - In Microsoft Active Directory, a User Principal Name (UPN) is a username and domain in an email address format.
  • Uuencode (Uuencode/Uudecode) - Uuencode (also called Uuencode/Uudecode) is a popular utility for encoding and decoding files exchanged between users or systems in a network.
  • vector graphics - Vector graphics are computer images created through a sequence of commands or mathematical statements that place lines and shapes in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional space.
  • Viber - Viber is a VoIP and instant messaging application with cross-platform capabilities that allows users to exchange audio and video calls, stickers, group chats, and instant voice and video messages.
  • video streaming service - A video streaming service is an on-demand online entertainment source for TV shows, movies and other streaming media.
  • Vimeo - Vimeo is a U.
  • virtual asset - A virtual asset is a digital representation of an item that has value in a specific environment.
  • virtual classroom - A virtual classroom is an online learning environment.
  • virtual reality cloud (VR cloud) - Virtual reality cloud is the application of cloud computing to create VR environments and experiences.
  • virtual reality gaming (VR gaming) - Virtual reality gaming (VR gaming) is the application of a three-dimensional (3D) artificial environment to computer games.
  • virtual reality sickness (VR motion sickness) - Virtual reality sickness (VR motion sickness) is the physical discomfort that occurs when an end user's brain receives conflicting signals about self-movement in a digital environment.
  • vishing (voice or VoIP phishing) - Vishing (voice or VoIP phishing) is a type of cyber attack that uses voice and telephony technologies to trick targeted individuals into revealing sensitive data to unauthorized entities.
  • visitor-based networking (visitor-based network) - Visitor-based networking (VBN) is a computer network with high-speed internet access provided by an organization for temporary use by visitors, guests or other users in a public area.
  • von Neumann bottleneck - The von Neumann bottleneck is a limitation on throughput caused by the standard personal computer architecture.
  • VR locomotion (virtual reality locomotion) - VR locomotion is technology that enables movement from one place to another (locomotion) within a virtual reality environment.
  • walled garden - On the internet, a walled garden is an environment that controls the user's access to network-based content and services.
  • WAN (wide area network) - A wide area network (WAN) is a geographically distributed private telecommunications network that interconnects multiple local area networks (LANs).
  • war driving (access point mapping) - War driving, also called access point mapping, is the act of locating and possibly exploiting connections to wireless local area networks (WLANs) while driving around a city or elsewhere.
  • water cooling - Water cooling, also called liquid cooling, is a method used to lower the temperature of computer processor units (CPUs), and sometimes graphics processor units (GPUs).
  • wearable computer - A wearable computer is any small technological device capable of storing and processing data that can be worn on the body.
  • wearable technology - Wearable technology is any kind of electronic device designed to be worn on the user's body.
  • Web 2.0 - Web 2.0 are websites and applications that make use of user-generated content for end users.
  • WebGL - WebGL is a graphics application programming interface (API) created for use in web applications.
  • weblog - A blog, short for weblog, is a frequently updated web page used for personal commentary or business content.
  • webOS - WebOS is an LG-owned, Linux-based operating system for smart devices, particularly smart TVs.
  • What are Internet data caps and why do providers use them? - A data cap, also known as a bandwidth cap, is a limit that service providers impose on the amount of data a user account can transfer at a specified level of throughput over a given time period, for a specified fee.
  • What is a cloud access security broker (CASB)? - A cloud access security broker (CASB) is a software tool or service that sits between an organization's on-premises infrastructure and a cloud provider's infrastructure.
  • What is a command prompt? - A command prompt is the input field in a text-based user interface screen for an operating system (OS) or program.
  • What is a Consensus Algorithm? - A consensus algorithm is a process in computer science used to achieve agreement on a single data value among distributed processes or systems.
  • What is a device driver? - A device driver, or driver, is a special kind of software program that controls a specific hardware device attached to a computer.
  • What is a drone (UAV)? - A drone is an unmanned aircraft.
  • What is a microcomputer? - A microcomputer is a complete computer on a small scale, designed for use by one person at a time.
  • What is a personal area network (PAN)? - A personal area network (PAN) is a small network that interconnects technology devices within a limited range of just a few meters.
  • What is a Request for Comments (RFC)? - A Request for Comments (RFC) is a formal document created by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) that outlines technical specifications, organizational notes and standards relevant to internet and networking technologies, including protocols such as routing, addressing and transport technologies.
  • What is a server? - A server is a computer program or device that provides a service to another computer program and its user, also known as the client.
  • What is a spam trap? - A spam trap is an email address that's used to identify and monitor spam email.
  • What is a thin client (lean client)? - A thin client (or lean client) is a virtual desktop computing model that runs on the resources stores on a central server instead of a computer's resources.
  • What is a third-party cookie? - A third-party cookie is a cookie that's placed on a user's device -- computer, cellphone or tablet -- by a website from a domain other than the one the user is visiting.
  • What is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator)? - A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a unique identifier used to locate a resource on the internet.
  • What is a web server? - A web server is software and hardware that uses HTTP and other protocols to respond to client requests made over the World Wide Web.
  • What is acceptable use policy (AUP)? - An acceptable use policy (AUP) is a document stipulating constraints and practices that a user must agree to for access to or use of a corporate network, the internet or other computing resources.
  • What is AMD Ryzen? - AMD Ryzen is the brand name for Advanced Micro Devices' line of desktop and mobile processors.