software Instructions that tell the hardware what to do to transform input into output.
shareware Software that is free for the trying, with a send-payment if-you-keep-it honor system.
public domain Creative work or intellectual property that is freely usable by anyone, either because the copyright has expired or because the creator obtained a Creative Commons license for the work.
Freeware: computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee.
e-commerce software Programs on a Web server that provide the commercial services to consumers and business partners on the Web site.
Integrated software is software for personal computers that combines the most commonly used functions of many productivity software programs into one application.
A user guide or user's guide, also commonly known as a manual, is a technical communication document intended to give assistance to people using a particular system.
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies
warranty In commercial and consumer transactions, a warranty is a collateral assurance or guarantee that certain facets of an article or service sold is as factually stated or legally implied by the seller
copyright A type of law that traditionally protects forms of literary expression.
site license License for multiple copies or removing restrictions on software copying and use at a network site.
compression Making files smaller using special encoding schemes. File compression saves storage space on disks and saves transmission time when files are transferred through networks.
file decompression The process of restoring a compressed file back to its original state.
backup The process of saving data—especially for data recovery. Many systems automatically back up data and software onto disks or tapes.
A backdoor is a method of bypassing normal authentication, securing remote access to a computer
upload To post software or documents to an online source so they’re available for others.
download To copy software from an online source to a local computer. wizard A software help agent that walks the user through a Online complex processing (OLCP) is a class of realtime data processing involving complex queries, lengthy queries and/or simultaneous reads and writes to the same records.
templates In desktop publishing, professionally designed empty documents that can be adapted to specific user needs. In spreadsheet software, worksheets that contain labels and formulas but no data values. The template produces instant answers when you fill in the blanks.
graphical user interface (GUI) A user interface based on graphical displays. With a mouse, the user points to icons that represent files, folders, and disks. Documents are displayed in windows. The user selects commands from menus.
command-line interface User interface that requires the user to type text commands on a command-line to communicate with the operating system.
speech recognition The identification of spoken words and sentences by a computer, making it possible for voice input to be converted into text files.
cell The intersection of a row and a column on the grid of a spreadsheet.
numeric field A field containing only numbers.
value The numbers that are the raw material used by spreadsheet software to perform calculations.
function A predefined set of calculations, such as SUM and AVERAGE, in spreadsheet software.
automatic recalculation A spreadsheet capability that allows for easy correction of errors and makes it easy to try out different values while searching for solutions.
date field A field containing only dates.
table A grid of rows and columns; on many Web pages tables with hidden grids are used to align graphical images.
columns Along with rows, comprise the grid of a spreadsheet.
label In a spreadsheet, a text entry that provides information on what macro Custom-designed embedded procedure program that automates tasks in application programs.
worksheet A spreadsheet document that appears on the screen as a grid of numbered rows and columns.
“what if?” questions A feature of spreadsheet software that allows speculation by providing instant answers to hypothetical questions.
0.automatic formatting A word-processing feature that applies formatting to the text.
0.spelling checker (batch or interactive) A built-in component of a word processor or a separate program that compares words in a document with words in a disk-based dictionary and flags words not found in the dictionary. May operate in batch mode, checking all the words at once, or interactive mode, checking one word at a time.
0.grammar and style checker Component of word-processing software that analyzes each word in context, checking for content errors, common grammatical errors, and stylistic problems.
0.ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a code that represents characters as 8-bit codes. Allows the binary computer to work with letters, digits, and special characters.
0.PDF (portable document format) Allows documents of all types to be stored, viewed, or modified on any Windows or Macintosh computer, making it possible for many organizations to reduce paper flow.
text-to-speech The creation of synthetic speech by converting text files into phonetic sounds.
clip art A collection of redrawn images that you can cut out and paste into your own documents.
computer-aided design (CAD) The use of computers to draw products or process designs on the screen.
hypermedia The combination of text, numbers, graphics, animation, sound effects, music, and other media in hyperlinked documents.
hypertext An interactive cross-referenced system that allows textual information to be linked in nonsequential ways. A hypertext document contains links that lead quickly to other parts of the document or to related documents.
pixel A picture element (dot) on a computer screen or printout. Groups of pixels compose the images on the monitor and the output of a printout.
resolution Density of pixels, measured by the number of dots per inch.
MP3 A method of compression that can squeeze a music file to a fraction of its original CD file size with only slight loss of quality.
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a standard interface that allows electronic instruments and computers to communicate with each other and work together.
morph Video clip in which one image metamorphoses into another.
moral dilemma A predicament for which rules and ethics don’t seem to apply, or to contradict one another.
