Do you need help making sense of all the technical jargon?

ADSL: Short for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line which is a type of broadband connection that utilises your phone line to enable voice and data communication simultaneously.

AGP: (Advanced Graphics Port) A special slot on the PC motherboard for the latest graphics cards, and the format of the cards themselves. Standard on new PCs from 1998. "AGP x 2" runs at twice the speed of the original AGP.

ASPECT RATIO: The term used to describe the relationship of height and width when talking about movie and TV screens. A traditional square TV set is 4:3; four units across and three units down. A widescreen TV is 16:9; sixteen units across and nine units down. Watching a widescreen movie on a square TV results in black bars top and bottom of the screen.

ATTACHMENT: A file that is sent with an email message over the internet. It can be a document, picture, video, music or software. The person receiving it can open the file and save the contents on their computer.

AVI: (Audio Video Interleave) A format for saving audio and/or video files which can be viewed in various media players on your computer.

BANDWIDTH: The amount of space available for data to travel in a single path. The higher the bandwidth the greater the capacity.

BOOT: Starting up your computer?s operating system. If you have to restart it, it?s called a reboot.

BROWSER: The software used to view a web page.

BUFFER: A temporary storage area for data, often used to "smooth out" incoming audio or video streams. Several seconds? worth of material is stored in the buffer and it is then played back from there, so that if there is a brief interruption in the stream your music or video doesn't stop.

BYTE: The set of bits that make up a single character.

CACHE: A temporary storage area for frequently or recently used data, either in memory, on your hard disk or the internet. For example, if you go back to a webpage you have recently visited, your PC will usually be able to display it from the internet cache on your hard disk, so it won't need to download it from the internet again.

CD-ROM: (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory) A misnomer, as strictly speaking it is not memory but storage. Identical to standard music CDs. Currently the most popular medium for releasing programs on, as it can hold literally hundreds of times as much information as a standard floppy disk, about 700 Megabytes in total. Once a CD-ROM has been created its contents cannot be changed, there are exceptions. Now starting to be replaced by DVD.

CPU: (Central Processing Unit) The heart of a computer which calculates and carries out instructions and directs the peripherals attached to it.

CONTRAST RATIO: The brightness of the white level as compared with the darkness of the black level. Higher contrast ratios make it easier to distinguish light and dark colour.

COOKIE: A small data file stored on your computer by a website, in theory to allow it to "remember" your preferences, but in practise mostly used to track which adverts you have seen. You can set most browsers to reject all cookies, or to ask your permission before storing them, but this can generate multiple error messages on some websites and is generally more hassle than it's worth - they are pretty harmless.

DOWNLOAD: Transferring data from an outside source into your own computer.

DPI: (Dots per Inch) A notation to describe the resolution of a printer or scanner. The higher the DPI value the better the image.

DTS: (Digital Theatre Systems) A form of encoding for surround sound which was first used in the Jurassic Park film in 1993. It has five speaker channels of sound plus a subwoofer channel.

DVD: (Digital Versatile Disk) A more advanced version of the standard CD which can hold far more information, now standard on most new PCs. Widely used for high-quality digital movies. DVD drives can usually also read ordinary CDs.

EMOTICON: (EMOTion ICON) A group of symbols used to indicate emotions in email or newsgroups. The most popular is the smiley :-) or :) (Look at it sideways), but there are lots of variations including the sad face :-( the wink ;-) and the astonished face :-0 .

ENCRYPTION: Method used to scramble data to make it unreadable by outsiders.

ETHERNET: Network connection allowing high speed data transfer over cables. Can be used on a local network or to connect broadband.

FAQ: (Frequently Asked Questions) A document on a website or in a newsgroup which gives answers to common problems and questions. Look for an FAQ if you have a problem with something, before you email or phone support.

FIREWALL: A security system to protect your computer or network from hackers and other intrusions.

FIREWIRE: Connection that enables very high speed data transfer which is used by digital video camera manufacturers and on Apple computers.

FLASH MEMORY: Non volatile memory that easily stores data without the need of an electrical charge. It is used in PDAs, MP3 players and some digital cameras.

FREEWARE: Software which can be downloaded and used for free.

GB: (GigaByte) A unit of measurement for memory capacity. 1GB equals 1000 Megabytes.

GHz: (GigaHertz) The speed measurement of a computer processor. A GHz is a billion cycles per second.

GPRS: (General Packet Ratio Services) A mobile phone technology which allows for the transmission of small pieces of data over the network, to send and receive information. Transmitting the information in short bursts is less consistent than maintaining a constant connection.

GPS: (Global Positioning System) A series of satellites orbiting the earth to triangulate your position. GPS Devices measure how long it takes to receive these satellite signals to verify your exact position.

GRAPHICS CARD: Circuit board that connects to a computers motherboard to enhance it graphic processing ability particularly when playing games with 3D graphics.

HARD DRIVE: The device that stores all the data on your computer. Also referred to as a hard disk.

HD: (High Definition) A digital broadcasting standard that uses as many 576,720 or 1080 scan lines for enhanced picture and resolution over a 16:9 aspect ratio.

HTML: (HyperText Markup Language) The code created for creating a documents to be read on the world wide web using a browser.

HTTP: (HyperText Transfer Protocol) The method used for transferring data in HTML format. Most web sites can be accessed with an address beginning with these letters to advise the browser of an incoming HTML document.

IMPORT: Bringing outside data into a computer program.

IT: (Information Technology) The industry which covers computers and technology.

INKJET PRINTER: Output device that uses a head to spray millions of tiny ink droplets onto paper to recreate anything from plain documents to colour pictures.

ISP: (Internet Service Provider) Company that allows you to access the internet through their servers.

JAVA: A programming language used to create small programs called Applets, often to produce special effects on web pages.

JPEG: (Joint Photographic Expert Group) A way of storing an image in a small file. JPEGs can be indentified by the ".jpg" at the end of the filename.

KBPS: (KiloBits per Second) Unit of measurement for data transfer.

LAN: (Local Area Network) Computers connected in a small area, like an office.

LAPTOP: A portable computer small enough to be used sitting on your lap. Also referred to as a Notebook.

LCD: (Liquid Crystal Display) Technology used in computer and television displays to generate an image. Liquid crystal trapped between treated glass which is supplied with an electrical current to change the phase of the liquid and therefore the colour.

LED: (Light Emitting Diode) Electronics component that emits light once it receives electrical current.

LINE IN: A port on a device to allow it to receive an audio signal.

LINE OUT: Port which allows device to send an audio signal.

LOL: (Laughing Out Loud) Online chat abbreviation.

MB: (MegaByte) 1MB equals one millions bytes.

MBPS: (MegaByte per Second) Measurement of data transfer of a million bits per second.

MEGAPIXEL: One million pixels. This term is used to describe the amount of data a digital camera can capture in its pictures. The higher the Mega pixel count on the camera the higher the picture resolution it can produce.

MFD: (Multi Function Device) A combined printer, scanner, photocopier and (sometimes) fax machine.

MODEM: (MOdulator / DEModulator) A device for allowing computers to communicate over a phone line. They may be either an expansion card, or an external device plugged into one of the serial ports.

MP3: (MPEG Audio Layer 3) A standard of audio compression for digital music.

MPEG: (Moving Picture Experts Group) A standard for video compression which is used for DVDs and computer video files.

NTSC: (National Television Standards Committee) Group which originally set the television standards for the US and Japan in 1953 which called for 525 lines of resolution at a 60 Hz refresh rate. Australia uses the PAL system.

OCR: (Optical Character Recognition) A method for computer to recognize letters, words and phrases from physical written material and convert them to editable text. This technology is used in scanners.

OEM: (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Term used to indicate technology and equipment sold to other companies to integrate into their products.

PAL: (Phase Alternation Line) Australian and European television standard to display analog signals consisting of 625 lines of resolution at a refresh rate of 50 MHz.

PATCH: A program which makes updates to computer software, usually to fix bugs which had not been detected when the software went on sale. The best place to look for a patch is on the software manufacturer's website.

PCMCIA: (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) Card interface slot found on a laptop computer which is used to connect mini hard drives, network cards and modems.

PDA: (Personal Digital Assistant) Organisers which allow you to utilize multiple functions in one device like calendars, internet and phone connectivity, contact lists and sometimes even a camera.

PERIPHERAL: External devices connected to your computer like a printer, monitor or an external hard drive or modem.

PIXEL: (Picture Cell) The smallest dot that a monitor can produce. Resolution on a computer monitor, televisions and flat panel displays is measured in pixels.

PLUGIN: An application built into a browser or added to a browser to enable it to interact with a special file type (such as a movie, sound file, Word document, etc.)

QWERTY Keyboard: Input device with the keys arranged in to the standard format.

RAM: (Random Access Memory) Memory chip that acts as your computer?s short term memory to assist running multiple applications at one time. The computer can use any part of the memory at one time which explains the ?Random Access? term.

RCA: (Radio Corporation of America) The red, white and yellow analog connection cables to connect audio visual equipment. The left audio channel uses the red cable with the right channel using the white. The video channel uses the yellow RCA cable.

RESOLUTION: Loosely speaking, the quality of an image. When printing or working with images, the resolution is usually measured in Dots per Inch (dpi) - the more dots per inch, the higher the quality of the image but the larger the file needed to store it. In Windows, the screen resolution is how many pixels fit on the desktop, the most popular being 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768 - the higher the resolution the small your icons will appear.

ROM: (Read Only Memory) A program, or data, on a memory device, most common being a CD or DVD, that can only be viewed but not edited or changed.

REBOOT: The act of restarting your computer after it has already been in operation.

REWRITABLE: Media that can be burned and then later erased or changed.

RIP: The term given to copying music CDs and converting them to MP3s or other compressed files.

ROUTER: Device that can connect a number of computers to a network. Used commonly in homes to share a broadband internet connection, either wired or wireless.

S-VIDEO: A video cable that improves the quality of the signal by splitting it in two to enhance brightness and colour.

SAFE MODE: A cut-down version of Windows which you can launch instead of the full version for troubleshooting purposes.

SEARCH ENGINE: Software used by web sites to access relevant information from the internet. Google and Yahoo are two examples of search engines which can efficiently sift through the vast amount of information on the web.

SHAREWARE: Software that can be downloaded and evaluated by the user before deciding if they want to pay for it.

SHORTCUT: In Windows (from 95 on), a type of icon which lets you launch a program quickly, without having to search for it. Often placed on the Windows desktop for convenience. Usually has a small arrow in the bottom lefthand corner, to show it is a shortcut rather than the program itself.

SPAM: Apart from being the name for canned ham it is also the term for unsolicited e-mail which feature ads for everything from pornographic sites to get-rich quick schemes.

STANDALONE: A computer not connected to any kind of network.

STARTUP FOLDER: An area under Programs in the Windows Start Menu. Any programs placed in this folder will launch themselves automatically whenever you start up Windows.

TB: (TeraByte) Unit of measurement for pieces of information: approximately 1 trillion bytes, 1 billion kilobytes, 1 million megabytes or 1000 gigabytes. That's a lot of data.

TFT: (Thin Film Transistor) Technology behind the active matrix displays.

TIFF: (Tagged Image File Format) It is not a lovers? quarrel but a graphics file format which was developed to provide a standard format for scanners. Mainly used in graphic design and desktop publishing.

TWAIN: (Technology Without An Interesting Name, according to legend) A standard "language" or protocol which computers use to communicate with scanners.

UPLOAD: Sending data from your computer to a remote system via the internet or a local area network.

URL: (Universal Resource Locator) An address used to locate something on the internet, most often a web page. All web addresses are URLs.

USB: (Universal Serial Bus) Connection that has become the new standard for connecting peripheral devices to PCs.

VIRUS: Destructive program that copies itself onto a computer and which can be spread over the internet.

VoIP: (Voice over Internet Protocol) Technology that allow you to use the internet as your own telephone exchange to make and receive calls.

WALLPAPER: Pattern or image that is used as a screen background on your computer.

WAN: (Wide Area Network) A sort of group of networks, or more properly LANs, connected together.

WAP: (Wireless Application Protocol) A way of transferring data between mobile devices like mobile phones and PDAs. Used by mobile phone networks.

WEBCAM: Camera which allows its output, pictures or video, to be viewed on the internet.

WI-FI: (WIreless FIdelity) A method of connecting computers together in a network without cables, using small transmitter/receivers connected to ordinary PCs, printers, broadband modems etc.

WIZARD: A Windows feature which presents a user with simple menus or options for what would otherwise be a complex task, and carries them out automatically. Almost all Windows programs are installed via Wizards, and they are also widely used inside Windows programs.

WYSIWYG: (What You See Is What You Get) A term used in applications whose editing tools allow you to see file as it will appear.

YAHOO: The first major online web-based internet directory and search engine.

ZIP: A compression format to reduce the size of files to make easier to send across the internet.