Technical information
ICT in the science department 1644 © CLEAPSS 2005
ATA Advanced Technology Attachment. The disk drive interface standard more commonly
known as IDE.
ATAPI The CD-ROM device access interface used by IBM PC ATA systems.
AV Audio Visual.
AVI Audio Video Interleaved. A format and file extension of a common video-file type.
Backup A duplicate copy, or the act of making a duplicate copy, of software. Made for archive
purposes and to enable recovery from the loss of data.
Bandwidth Bandwidth is a measure of the rate at which data can be transferred via a particular
connection. In digital systems it is measured in bits per second, in analogue systems it is
measured in Hertz and it is the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies
that the system is able to transmit.
BASIC Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. A language used to write computer
programs (designed for beginners but still used extensively for educational software).
Batch A group of files or data that can be processed as a single entity.
Batch file An executable text file consisting of a group (or ‘batch’) of operating system commands.
Baud A unit of measure of data-transmission speed.
BBS Bulletin Board System. An online message-exchange system similar to a forum.
BCD Binary-Coded Decimal. See below.
Beta A piece of new software that is not the final product but one that is ready to be tested in a
real-world environment.
Bin Abbreviation of binary. A numeric system with a base value of 2.
Binary A pattern of two states: ON or OFF, high or low. The binary number system has the
number two as its base, so values are represented as combinations of the two digits 0
and 1.
Binary-coded
decimal
A way of encoding decimal values in binary form. Each decimal digit is coded separately
as four binary digits or ‘bits’.
BIOS Basic Input / Output System. The BIOS is a ROM that stores routines that test hardware
at start up, start the operating system and support the transfer of data between hardware
devices.
Bit A binary digit: one part of a binary pattern, shown as 0 or 1.
Bitmap A graphics format in which information is represented as an array of bits that correspond
(or ‘map’) to the pixels within the image. See Raster graphics.
Bitrate The ratio of the number of bits that are transferred between devices in a specified amount
of time, typically one second. Bit rate is the same as data rate or data transfer rate.
Blog Web log. A Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an
individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.
Blue Screen of
Death (BSOD)
A blue screen of debugging information that is displayed when a Windows OS encounters
a serious system error.
Bluetooth A short-range radio technology enabling electronic devices to communicate wirelessly
with each other over short-range distances up to 10 m.
BMP BitMaP. The file extension reserved for bitmap image files.
BNC Bayonet Neill Concelman connector. A type of connector used to join coaxial cable.
Bookmark A marker in a document or file used as a reference point.
Boolean A data type that may hold the value of ‘true’ or ‘false’. Boolean algebra is a system for
determining if a particular condition is true or false. Relationships between values are
defined with logical operators, eg, AND, OR, NOT etc. For example, if it is hot AND humid
then drink cold water. May be important when performing searches of files of data, eg, on
the Internet.
Boot The process of starting up or resetting a computer.