Personal computing

Terms related to personal computers, including definitions about computers sold as consumer products and words and phrases about laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Rich Internet Application (RIA) - A rich Internet application (RIA) is a Web application designed to deliver the same features and functions normally associated with deskop applications.
rich presence technology (RPT) - Rich presence is an enhanced form of presence awareness in which participants can determine if other users are online and if so, observe to a limited extent what they are doing and how they are doing it.
Rich Text Format (RTF) - Rich Text Format (RTF) is a file format that lets you exchange text files between different word processors in different operating systems.
RickRoll - On the Internet, a RickRoll is a prank where a visitor who clicks on a specific link is intentionally misdirected to a video of pop star Rick Astley's hit "Never Gonna Give You Up.
Robert Metcalfe - Robert 'Bob' Melancton Metcalfe, born April 7, 1946, is an American engineer, entrepreneur, professor, writer and venture capitalist.
role-playing game (RPG) - A role-playing game (RPG) is a game in which each participant assumes the role of a character that can interact within the game's imaginary world.
room-scale virtual reality (VR) - Room-scale (or roomscale) virtual reality (VR) is the use of clear space to allow movement for someone using a VR application such as a VR game.
route summarization (route aggregation) - Route summarization -- also known as route aggregation -- is a method to minimize the number of routing tables in an Internet Protocol (IP) network.
Routing Information Protocol (RIP) - Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is a distance vector protocol that uses hop count as its primary metric.
routing table - A routing table is a set of rules, often viewed in table format, that's used to determine where data packets traveling over an Internet Protocol (IP) network will be directed.
RPC over HTTP - Remote Procedure Call over HTTP (RPC over HTTP) is a Microsoft protocol that enables Microsoft Outlook clients to access Microsoft Exchange servers over HTTP.
Samsung Galaxy - Samsung Galaxy is a product line of Android smartphones, tablets and internet of things devices manufactured by Samsung Electronics.
scanner - A scanner is a device that captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages and similar sources for computer editing and display.
scareware - Scareware is a type of malware tactic used to manipulate victims into downloading or buying potentially malware-infested software.
screen door effect - The screen door effect is the occurrence of thin, dark lines or a mesh appearance caused by the gaps between pixels on a screen or projected image.
script kiddie - Script kiddie is a derogative term that computer hackers coined to refer to immature, but often just as dangerous, exploiters of internet security weaknesses.
SDP (Session Description Protocol) - SDP (Session Description Protocol) is a set of rules that defines how multimedia sessions can be set up to allow all end points to effectively participate in the session.
search operator - A search operator -- sometimes referred to as a search parameter -- is a character or string of characters used in a search engine query to narrow the focus of the search.
search string - A search string is the combination of text, numbers and sometimes special characters that a user enters into an application's search form to find specific types of information.
Secure Digital Extended Capacity card (SDXC) - A Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC) card is a very small flash memory card that has greater storage capacity than the original SD (Secure Digital) memory cards.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) - Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a protocol designed to restrict who can use an organization's domain as the source of an email message.
Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) - Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a command and transport protocol that defines how data is transferred between a computer's motherboard and mass storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), optical drives and solid-state drives (SSDs).
shadow banning (shadowban) - Shadow banning, in discussion forums and social media, is the practice of making a particular user's posts visible only to that user.
Short Message Service (SMS) - SMS (Short Message Service), commonly referred to as 'text messaging,' is a service for sending short messages of up to 160 characters (224 character limit if using a 5-bit mode) to mobile devices, including cellular phones, smartphones and tablets.
short message service center (SMSC) - The short message service center (SMSC) is the portion of a mobile phone network that handles text message operations.
Siri - Siri is Apple's virtual assistant for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS devices that uses voice recognition and is powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
skeuomorphism - Skeuomorphism is when something is designed with extra ornamentation to make it resemble another object so it is more familiar.
smartphone - A smartphone is a cellular telephone with an integrated computer and other features not originally associated with telephones, such as an operating system (OS), web browsing and the ability to run software applications.
smartphone addiction (cellphone addiction) - Smartphone addiction (cellphone addiction) is a disorder involving compulsive overuse of mobile devices, usually quantified as the number of times users access their devices and/or the total amount of time they are online over a specified period.
smartwatch - A smartwatch is a wearable computing device that closely resembles a wristwatch or other time-keeping device.
SMS gateway - An SMS gateway is a website that allows users to send SMS messages from a web browser to people within the cell served by that gateway.
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 computing - Social computing is the collaborative and interactive nature of online behavior.
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.
social networking - Social networks are websites and apps that allow users and organizations to connect, communicate, share information and form relationships.
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.
spam trap - A spam trap is an email address that is used to identify and monitor spam email.
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).
Squid proxy server - Squid is a Unix-based proxy server that caches Internet content closer to a requestor than its original point of origin.
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.
Sun Microsystems - Sun Microsystems (often just called "Sun"), the leading company in computers used as Web servers, also makes servers designed for use as engineering workstations, data storage products, and related software.
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.
TrueView ad - TrueView is a video ad format that gives the viewer options, typically the ability to skip the advertisement after five seconds.
Tumblr - Tumblr is a free microblogging site.
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.
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) - Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, or UEFI, specifies how a software program connects a computer's firmware to its operating system and attached computing hardware.
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.