Personal computing

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

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.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a unique identifier used to locate a resource on the Internet.
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 assistant (AI assistant) - A virtual assistant, also called an AI assistant or digital assistant, is an application program that understands natural language voice commands and completes tasks for the user.
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.
voice recognition (speaker recognition) - Voice or speaker recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation or to understand and perform spoken commands.
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.
web server - A web server is software and hardware that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and other protocols to respond to client requests made over the World Wide Web.
Web texting - Web texting is two-way text messaging from the Web to a handheld mobile device, usually a cellular phone.
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 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 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 an inbound call? - An inbound call is typically initiated by a customer to a call center or contact center.
What is an operating system (OS)? - An operating system (OS) is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all of the other application programs in a computer.
What is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)? - An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that allows a computer to keep running for at least a short time when incoming power is interrupted.
What is malware? Prevention, detection and how attacks work - Malware, or malicious software, is any program or file that's intentionally harmful to a computer, network or server.
What is PaaS? Platform as a service definition and guide - Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet.
What is Software as a Service (SaaS)? - Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet.
What is the dark web (darknet)? - The dark web is an encrypted portion of the internet not visible to the general public via a traditional search engine such as Google.
What is user-generated content and why is it important? - User-generated content (UGC) is published information that an unpaid contributor provides to a website.
What is virtual reality? How it is used and how it will evolve - Virtual reality, or VR, is a simulated three-dimensional (3D) environment that lets users explore and interact with a virtual surrounding in a way that approximates reality, as it's perceived through the users' senses.
WhatsApp - WhatsApp is a free cross-platform messaging service.
whitelist (allowlist) - A whitelist (allowlist) is a cybersecurity strategy that approves a list of email addresses, IP addresses, domain names or applications, while denying all others.
wiki - A wiki is a web-based collaborative platform that enables users to store, create and modify content in an organized manner.
Windows 7 - Windows 7 is the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) released commercially in October 2009 as the successor to Windows Vista.
Windows as a service - Windows as a service is the approach Microsoft introduced with Windows 10 to deploy, update and service the operating system.
Windows event log - The Windows event log is a detailed record of system, security and application notifications stored by the Windows operating system that is used by administrators to diagnose system problems and predict future issues.
Windows key (winkey) - The Windows key (winkey) is a button on a Windows computer keyboard.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) - Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a specification for a set of communication protocols to standardize the way wireless devices, such as mobile phones and radio transceivers, can be used for internet access, including email, the web, newsgroups and instant messaging.
World Wide Web (WWW) - The World Wide Web -- also known as the web, WWW or W3 -- refers to all the public websites or pages that users can access on their local computers and other devices through the internet.
WXGA - WXGA, which stands for wide XGA, is a term used in product specifications to describe a display screen that is appropriate for business but is also suitable for watching DVDs.
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) - WYSIWYG (pronounced wiz-ee-wig) is a type of editing software that allows users to see and edit content in a form that appears as it would when displayed on an interface, webpage, slide presentation or printed document.
x and y coordinates - X and y coordinates are, respectively, the horizontal and vertical addresses of a point in any two-dimensional (2D) space, such as a sheet of paper or a computer display screen.
XACML (Extensible Access Control Markup Language) - XACML (Extensible Access Control Markup Language) is an attribute-based access control policy language (ABAC) or XML-based language, designed to express security policies and access requests to information.
XML (Extensible Markup Language) - XML (Extensible Markup Language) is used to describe data.
XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) - XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) is a family of standards that specifies how to define Extensible Markup Language (XML) document transformation and presentation.
yak shaving - Yak shaving is programming lingo for the seemingly endless series of small tasks that have to be completed before the next step in a project can move forward.
zero client - Zero client, also known as ultrathin client, is a server-based computing model in which the end user's computing device has no local storage.
Zoom fatigue (virtual meeting fatigue) - Zoom fatigue, also known as 'virtual meeting fatigue,' is the feeling of exhaustion that often occurs after attending a series of virtual video meetings.