Network Chico Computer
terms glossary
Some definitions from the Sharpened Glossary
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=G=
Gateway: A gateway is
either hardware or software that acts as a bridge between two
networks so that data can be transferred between a number of
computers. For example, when you send an e-mail to a friend or
when you log in to a web site, there is a gateway that allows
the connection take place. Often your connection to a web site
will involve many smaller connections to other servers along
the way. In these cases, a number of gateways are used. A gateway
can also translate information between different protocols.
GIF: The letters "GIF"
actually stand for "Graphics Interchange Format," but
you don't need to remember that. GIFs are compressed image files
that use a compression formula originally developed by CompuServe.
(This is why you see the term "CompuServe GIF" in Phototshop)
GIFs are based on indexed colors, which is a palette of at most
256 colors. This helps greatly reduce their file size. These
compressed image files can be quickly transmitted over a network
or the Internet which is why you often see them on web pages.
GIF files are great for small icons and animated images but they
lack the color range to be used for high-quality photos.
Gigabit Ethernet: An IEEE
standard (802.3z) that allows for 1000-Mbps transmission using
CSMA/CD and Ethernet frames.
Gigabyte: A gigabyte consists
of roughly 1 billion bytes. To be exact there are 1024 megabytes,
or 1,073,741,824 bytes in a gigabyte but 1 billion is a much
easier number to remember. Because of the large size of today's
hard disks storage capacity is usually measured in gigabytes.
Abbreviation: "GB".
GIGO: "Garbage In,
Garbage Out" It means that if invalid data is entered in
a computer program the resulting output will also be invalid.
So if a program asked you to enter a letter of the alphabet and
you decided to be funny and enter "3.14159", there's
a good chance the results you would get back would be pretty
messed up, or "garbage." Because we computer users
aren't always smart enough to enter valid data programmers have
to take extensive mesaures to prevent GIGO errors.
GIS: "Geographic Information
Systems" This term refers to tools that are used to gather
and analyze data about the surface of the earth. The data can
be used to create charts, maps, and 3D models of the earth's
surface. This includes hills, mountains, trees, buildings, streets,
rivers, and pretty much anything else. Organizations such as
the police and fire department can use the data to develop emergency
routes. The government can use the data to measure the growth
and expansion of cities or the depletion of forests. Most importantly,
however, GIS can assist with special effects by simulating landscapes
and terrain in action movies.
Global group: A group
meant to be used in more than one Windows domain.
GNU/Linux: Linux is a
free computer operating system for a large variety of architectures.
GNU-software is a free collection of applications and system
utilities which provides, together with the Linux kernel, a fully
featured software environment for computers, usually in the form
of an installable distribution.
GPS: "Global Positioning
System" GPS is a satellite navigation system used to determine
ground position and velocity (location, speed, and direction).
Though it was created and originally used by the U.S. military,
GPS is now available to the general public all over the world.
GPS navigation systems are currently installed in a number of
luxury cars complete with an LCD map that shows the driver exactly
where in the world he is. Advanced car GPS units can actually
speak the directions to a certain destination and tell the driver
when to turn.
GPU: "Graphics Processing
Unit" Like the CPU (Central Processing
Unit) it is a single-chip processor. However the GPU is used
primarily for computing 3D functions. This includes things such
as lighting effects, object transformations, and 3D motion. Because
these types of calculations are rather taxing on the CPU the
GPU can help the computer run more effienciently. The first company
to develop the GPU was NVidia, Inc. Its GeForce 256 GPU can process
10 million polygons per second and has over 22 million transistors.
Compare that to the 9 million transistors found on the Pentium
III chip. There is also a workstation version of the chip called
the Quadro designed for CAD applications. This chip can process
over 200 billion operations a second and deliver up to 17 million
polygons per second.
Group: A named collection
of user accounts, usually created for some specific purpose and
to grant them a predetermined set of rights. For example, the
Accounting group might be the only named entity permitted to
use a bookkeeping application.
Groupware: A type of network
application in which multiple users can simultaneously interact
with each other and data files.
GUI: "Graphical User
Interface" GUI is pronounced "gooey." It refers
to the graphical interface of a computer that allows users to
click and drag objects with a mouse instead of entering text
at a command line. Two of the most popular operating systems,
Windows and the Mac OS, are GUI-based. The graphical user interface
was first introduced to the public by Apple with the Macintosh
in 1984. However, the idea was actually taken from an earlier
user interface developed by Xerox. Linux also has several popular
GUIs available such as KDE and Gnome.
Network Chico Computer
terms glossary
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