Here’s another list of tech terms for beginners or the non-tech person in your family.
1. Link- A link is a part of a website that when clicked on will go to another site, or download a file, or do something more than what is on the screen.
2. Flash- No, this is not the superhero. A flash file is an animation or movie file saved in a format that downloads faster than a regular quicktime movie might load.
3. Streaming- A streaming movie will play while it downloads. The opposite of this is a movie that loads completely before playing.
4. MP3 Player- An Mp3 is a music file. An Mp3 player is a device, like an iPod, that can play MP3 files.
5. Bookmark- A bookmark is a way to save a link to a website for use later.
6. Browser- A browser is what you use to surf the internet. Firefox, Safari, and Explorer are examples of browsers.
7. Thumbdrive or USB Drive- These are little portable drives (about the size of a thumb or smaller). They are great for transferring data from place to place.
8. Attachment- An attachment is a file that you would send with an email.
9. Blog- A blog is like a diary, but on the internet. Some blogs let readers leave comments, while others do not.
10. Podcast- In simplest terms, a podcast is an internet radio show. These days there are many podcasts that have video, instead of just being audio.
11. Menu- A menu in a restaurant allows you to pick you food. A menu in a computer allows you to pick an action, like saving a file. Menus are usually on top of the screen.
12. Network- A network is a group of computers, maybe in an office, that are connected in some manner to talk to each other, share files, and share devices like a printer.
13. Upload- When you order photos online you have to get the image file to the company for printing. The technique from site to site might be different, but the transfer of the file to the company is called uploading.
14. ISP- ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. Basically, it is the company the you pay for internet service in your house.
15. Modem- In order to have internet you have to have a modem. The modem can be built in to your computer, or if you have wireless internet it would be someplace in your house, or it might be connected to your computer. The modem is like the telephone for you ISP. It is how the internet signals get into your house or workplace.
16. Router- A router allows you to take the signal from the modem and split it to several computers. These might be wired or they might be wireless (if the router has wireless features)
17. BlueRay and HD-DVD- You might be hearing these terms more often, and you will definitely be hearing them more and more. These are the new formats that will be fighting for a place in your living room as the next generation of DVDs.
18. CRT- This is the term used for non-flat panel monitors. If your monitor is big and bulky it is probably a CRT monitor.
19. Optical Mouse- Mice used to work with a ball on the inside that moved wheny ou moved the mouse and then the pointer on your screen would move. Many mice are now optical mice. Optical mice use a light on the bottom of the mouse to sense your movements instead of the ball. Optical mice tend to be much more accurate, and reliable.
20. BlueTooth- You might hear this term a lot at the cell phone store. BlueTooth is a way devices can communicate with each other wirelessly. Unlike a wireless internet signal, or even some remote controls, many BlueTooth devices require a shorter distance between to two talking parts.
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