Personal computing

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

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.
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 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 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 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 AMD Ryzen? - AMD Ryzen is the brand name for Advanced Micro Devices' line of desktop and mobile processors.
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 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 email spam and how to fight it? - Email spam, also known as 'junk email,' refers to unsolicited email messages, usually sent in bulk to a large list of recipients.
What is FTP? - File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a network protocol for transmitting files between computers over TCP/IP connections.
What is geolocation? Explaining how geolocation data works - Geolocation technology identifies physical locations of devices and individuals based on information such as geographic coordinates and internet protocol addresses (IP address).
What is Google Glass? - Google Glass was a wearable, voice and motion-controlled Android device that resembled a pair of eyeglasses and displayed information directly in the user's field of vision.
What is Group Policy Object (GPO) and why is it important? - Microsoft’s Group Policy Object (GPO) is a collection of Group Policy settings that defines what a system will look like and how it will behave for a defined group of users.
What is image metadata and how is it used? - Image metadata is text information pertaining to an image file that is embedded into the file or saved to a separate file that is associated with the image file.
What is IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6)? - Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a set of specifications from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) that is responsible for identifying network devices and routing traffic across the internet.
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 mixed reality? - Mixed reality refers to advanced technology that combines both virtual reality (VR), a fully immersive computer-generated experience, and augmented reality (AR), which integrates digital elements into the physical world.
What is National Electrical Code (NEC)? - National Electrical Code (NEC) is a set of regularly updated standards for the safe installation of electric wiring in the Americas.
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 remote desktop protocol (RDP)? - Remote desktop protocol (RDP) is a secure network communications protocol developed by Microsoft.
What is SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)? - SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a TCP/IP protocol used in sending and receiving emails over a network such as 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's 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.
What is voice recognition and how does it work? - Voice or speaker recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation or to understand and perform spoken commands.
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.