Personal computing

Terms related to personal computers, including definitions about computers sold as consumer products and words and phrases about laptops, tablets and smartphones.

SEC - VIM

Secure Digital card (SD card) - SD cards use flash memory to provide nonvolatile storage.
Secure Digital Extended Capacity card (SDXC) - A Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC) card is a very small flash memory card that has greater storage capacity than the original SD (Secure Digital) memory cards.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) - Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a protocol designed to restrict who can use an organization's domain as the source of an email message.
Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) - Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a command and transport protocol that defines how data is transferred between a computer's motherboard and mass storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), optical drives and solid-state drives (SSDs).
serial presence detect (SPD) - When a computer is booted (started), serial presence detect (SPD) is information stored in anelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) chip on a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) memory module that tells thebasic input/output system (BIOS) the module's size, data width, speed, and voltage.
shadow banning (shadowban) - Shadow banning, in discussion forums and social media, is the practice of making a particular user's posts visible only to that user.
Short Message Service (SMS) - SMS (Short Message Service), commonly referred to as 'text messaging,' is a service for sending short messages of up to 160 characters (224 character limit if using a 5-bit mode) to mobile devices, including cellular phones, smartphones and tablets.
short message service center (SMSC) - The short message service center (SMSC) is the portion of a mobile phone network that handles text message operations.
signature file - A signature file is a short text file you create for use as a standard appendage at the end of your e-mail notes or Usenet messages.
simulator sickness - Simulator sickness is a form of motion sickness related to interacting with a simulated environment.
Siri - Siri is Apple's virtual assistant for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS devices that uses voice recognition and is powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
skeuomorphism - Skeuomorphism is when something is designed with extra ornamentation to make it resemble another object so it is more familiar.
slacktivism - Slacktivism is taking action online in ways that involve little personal effort and have little immediate effect; the word is a portmanteau of slacker and activism.
slot (or expansion slot) - In computers, a slot, or expansion slot, is an engineered technique for adding capability to a computer in the form of connection pinholes (typically, in the range of 16 to 64 closely-spaced holes) and a place to fit an expansion card containing the circuitry that provides some specialized capability, such as video acceleration, sound, or disk drive control.
smart lock - A smart lock is an electronic and mechanical locking device that opens wirelessly with an authorized users’ authentication.
smartphone - A smartphone is a cellular telephone with an integrated computer and other features not originally associated with telephones, such as an operating system (OS), web browsing and the ability to run software applications.
smartphone addiction (cell phone addiction) - Smartphone addiction is a disorder involving compulsive overuse of mobile devices, usually quantified as the number of times users access their devices and/or the total amount of time they are online over a specified period.
smartwatch - A smartwatch is a wearable computing device that closely resembles a wristwatch or other time-keeping device.
SMS gateway - An SMS gateway is a website that allows users to send SMS messages from a web browser to people within the cell served by that gateway.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a TCP/IP protocol used in sending and receiving email.
Snapchat dysmorphia - Snapchat dysmorphia is a body-image disorder characterized by the need to heavily edit one's own digital image.
soap opera effect (motion interpolation) - The soap opera effect is the colloquial name for a visual effect caused by motion interpolation on television sets that some people find undesirable.
social comparison - Social comparison can lead to issues caused by the fear of missing out (FOMO), including anxiety, depression and a lack of self-esteem.
social computing - Social computing is the collaborative and interactive nature of online behavior.
social contract - A social contract is an agreement to adhere to acceptable behaviors and meet obligations in a particular environment, such as a nation, a business or a social media site.
social media - Social media is a collective term for websites and applications that focus on communication, community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration.
social networking - Social networks are websites and apps that allow users and organizations to connect, communicate, share information and form relationships.
SODOTO (See One, Do One, Teach One) - SODOTO (See One, Do One, Teach One) is a methodology of teaching and learning skills and best practices through direct observation of a task, hands-on practical experience performing the task and teaching the task to another person.
soft copy - A soft copy (sometimes spelled 'softcopy') is an electronic copy (or e-copy) of some type of data, such as a file viewed on a computer's display or transmitted as an email attachment.
soft reset - A soft reset is a restart of a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop or personal computer (PC).
software agent - A software agent is a persistent, goal-oriented computer program that reacts to its environment and runs without continuous direct supervision to perform some function for an end user or another program.
Software as a Service (SaaS) - Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet.
solar power - Solar power is a renewable form of energy harvested from the sun for the purpose of producing electricity or thermal energy (heat).
sound card - A sound card is a computer component responsible for generating and recording audio.
spam filter - A spam filter is a program used to detect unsolicited, unwanted and virus-infected emails and prevent those messages from getting to a user's inbox.
spam trap - A spam trap is an email address that is used to identify and monitor spam email.
spambot - A spambot is an automated system that sends unwanted, unsolicited messages to users, known as spam.
spear phishing - Spear phishing is a malicious email spoofing attack that targets a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information.
spoliation - Spoliation is the destruction, alteration, or mutilation of evidence that may pertain to legal action.
spool (simultaneous peripheral operations online) - To spool (which stands for "simultaneous peripheral operations online") a computer document or task list (or "job") is to read it in and store it, usually on a hard disk or larger storage medium so that it can be printed or otherwise processed at a more convenient time (for example, when a printer is finished printing its current document).
Squid proxy server - Squid is a Unix-based proxy server that caches Internet content closer to a requestor than its original point of origin.
stablecoin - Stablecoin is a fixed-price cryptocurrency whose market value is attached to another stable asset.
stateful inspection - Stateful inspection, also known as dynamic packet filtering, is a firewall technology that monitors the state of active connections and uses this information to determine which network packets to allow through the firewall.
static IP address - A static IP address is a 32 bit number that is assigned to a computer to be its address on the internet.
steampunk - Steampunk is a design style inspired by Victorian-era industrialism.
Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) - Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) is a connection-oriented network protocol for transmitting multiple streams of data simultaneously between two endpoints that have established a connection in a network.
streaming media - Streaming media is video or audio content sent in compressed form over the internet and played immediately over a user's device, rather than being saved to the device hard drive or solid-state drive.
substrate - A substrate is a solid substance or medium to which another substance is applied and to which that second substance adheres.
Sun Microsystems - Sun Microsystems (often just called "Sun"), the leading company in computers used as Web servers, also makes servers designed for use as engineering workstations, data storage products, and related software.
SYN flood attack - A SYN flood attack is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on a computer server.
tablet (tablet PC) - A tablet is a wireless, portable personal computer with a touchscreen interface.
takedown request - A takedown request, also called a DMCA takedown or a notice and take down request, is a procedure for asking an internet service provider (ISP) or search engine to remove or disable access to illegal, irrelevant or outdated information.
technology addiction (internet addiction) - Technology addiction (Internet addiction) is an impulse control disorder that involves the obsessive use of mobile devices, the internet or video games despite negative consequences to the user of the technology.
TED talk - A TED talk is a recorded public-speaking presentation that was originally given at the main TED (technology, entertainment and design) annual event or one of its many satellite events around the world.
telegraph - A telegraph is a communication system that sends information by making and breaking an electrical connection.
teletypewriter (TTY) - A teletypewriter (TTY) is an input device that allows alphanumeric character to be typed in and sent, usually one at a time as they are typed, to a computer or a printer.
Text message abbreviations and acronyms - This handy fast reference will help you quickly understand hundreds of Text, Twitter and Chat abbreviations and acronyms that are popularly used in text messages and social media.
texture mapping - Texture mapping is a graphic design process in which a two-dimensional (2-D) surface, called a texture map, is "wrapped around" a three-dimensional (3-D)object.
thick client (fat client) - A thick client (sometimes called a fat client) is a form of client-server architecture.
thin client (lean client) - A thin client (or lean client) is a virtual desktop computing model that runs on the resources stores on a central server instead of a computer's resources.
third-party cookie - A third-party cookie is a cookie that's placed on a user's device -- computer, cellphone or tablet -- by a website from a domain other than the one the user is visiting.
thumbnail - A thumbnail is a small image representation of a larger image, usually intended to make it easier and faster to look at or manage a group of larger images.
TikTok - TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create, share and discover short-form videos.
time-to-live (TTL) - Time-to-live (TTL) is a value for the period of time that a packet, or data, should exist on a computer or network before being discarded.
timeline - A timeline is a visual representation of a chronological sequence of events along a drawn line that helps a viewer understand time relationships.
TL;DR (too long; didn't read) - TL;DR is an abbreviation for "too long; didn't read.
ToFu, MoFu and BoFu - ToFu, MoFu and BoFu is a method used by sales and marketing professionals to pace and cater their approach to sales leads within a sales funnel, depending on the customer’s current phase of the purchase decision.
Top 10 spyware threats - The top 10 spyware list describes the 10 common spyware threats behind famous spyware attacks and is frequently identified by Webroot's Spy Audit, a free spyware scanner tool.
Tor browser - The Tor (the onion routing) browser is a web browser designed for anonymous web surfing and protection against traffic analysis.
torque - Torque is a twisting or turning force that tends to cause rotation around an axis; it can also be thought of as the ability of something that is rotating, such as a gear or a shaft, to overcome turning resistance.
touch screen - A touch screen is an electronic display screen that is also an input device.
trackball - A trackball is a computer cursor control device used in many laptop computer keyboards and older versions of computer mice.
TrackPoint (pointing stick) - A TrackPoint, also called a pointing stick, is a cursor control device found in Lenovo ThinkPad notebook computers.
trolling - Trolling, in the context of the web, is the act of responding to online content or comments in a purposely disruptive fashion.
TrueView ad - TrueView is a video ad format that gives the viewer options, typically the ability to skip the advertisement after five seconds.
Tumblr - Tumblr is a free microblogging site.
tweet - A tweet is a post on Twitter.
Twitter - Twitter is a free social networking site where users broadcast short posts known as tweets.
Twitterbot - A Twitterbot is a software program designed to automatically follow Twitter users, like and retweet posts.
U (measurement) - A U is a standard unit of measure for designating the height in computer enclosures and server rack cabinets.
UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) - A UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) is the microchip with programming that controls a computer's interface to its attached serial devices.
UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) - UDDI, or Universal Description, Discovery and Integration, is an Extensible Language Markup (XML)-based standard to describe, publish and find information about web services.
Ultra High-Definition TV (UHDTV) - Ultra-high-definition (UHD) television, also abbreviated UHDTV, is a digital television display format in which the horizontal screen resolution is on the order of 4000 pixels (4K UHD) or 8000 pixels (8K UHD).
uncanny valley - The uncanny valley is a common unsettling feeling people experience where androids (humanoid robots) and audio/visual simulations closely resemble humans in many respects but are not quite realistic.
unified communications (UC) - Unified communications (UC) is an umbrella term for the integration of multiple enterprise communication tools -- such as voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging (IM), presence, content sharing, etc.
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) - Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, or UEFI, specifies how a software program connects a computer's firmware to its operating system and attached computing hardware.
Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) - A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a character sequence that identifies a logical (abstract) or physical resource -- usually, but not always, connected to the internet.
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) - An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that allows a computer to keep running for at least a short time when incoming power is interrupted.
Universal Naming Convention (UNC) - The Universal Naming Convention (UNC) is a standard for naming resources -- such as files and devices -- that are shared by computers on a network.
uploading - Uploading is the transmission of data from a local device to a remote device.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a unique identifier used to locate a resource on the Internet.
URN (Uniform Resource Name) - A URN (Uniform Resource Name) is a permanent identifier for internet resources that employs the urn scheme.
USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed USB) - USB 3.0 is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) data transfer standard that is backwards compatible with USB 2.
USB-C (USB Type C) - USB-C is a connection type standard designed to replace all USB types on the computer and device ends of future USB with a single reversible connector.
User Datagram Protocol (UDP) - User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a communications protocol primarily used to establish low-latency and loss-tolerating connections between applications on the internet.
User Principal Name (UPN) - In Microsoft Active Directory, a User Principal Name (UPN) is a username and domain in an email address format.
Uuencode (Uuencode/Uudecode) - Uuencode (also called Uuencode/Uudecode) is a popular utility for encoding and decoding files exchanged between users or systems in a network.
vector graphics - Vector graphics are computer images created through a sequence of commands or mathematical statements that place lines and shapes in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional space.
Viber - Viber is a VoIP and instant messaging application with cross-platform capabilities that allows users to exchange audio and video calls, stickers, group chats, and instant voice and video messages.
video streaming service - A video streaming service is an on-demand online entertainment source for TV shows, movies and other streaming media.

NET - SEC

VIR - ZOO