1.AAC

A compressed format for digital music.

2.Access point

A wireless communication hub that allows users to connect to a Wifi network.

3.ActiveX

Technology for adding extra features to an application such as a web browser. ActiveX components are usually downloaded automatically, or with minimal user interaction.

4.Add-in

Extra features available in most Microsoft applications, but usually requiring installation from the original CD-Rom. For example, Excel’s Autosave feature is an Add-in module, and is only installed upon request.

5.Address

In the context of the internet, an address is the information a web browser needs to locate a particular website. Computeractive’s website address, for instance, is www.computeractive.co.uk.

6.Address bar

The long text field in the top menu bar of a web browser, used for entering web addresses.

7.ADSL

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Transmits digital information at broadband speed on phone lines.

8.ADSL2+

A new faster broadband connection available in some parts of the country. It is capable of doubling the downstream data rates of the previous ADSL and ADSL2 standard of up to 12 Mbits/set.

9.AGP

Accelerated Graphics Port. A slot used to connect most older graphics cards.

10.Ajax

Asynchronous Javascript and XML. A website feature that makes pages more responsive by updating content without reloading the entire page.

11.Analogue

Signal whose value varies continuously over time. For example, when a person speaks, the sound wave is an analogue signal, varying smoothly as they talk. Analogue signal information differs from digital signals, which move sharply between fixed values. To help visualise this, consider the difference between an analogue watch face with sweeping hands and a digital watch display, which jumps from one number to the next.

12.Animated Gif

Graphics Interchange Format. A popular file format for storing graphic images, often for use on websites. An animated Gif is a string of these images creating the illusion of moving pictures when played back.

13.Annotation

A comment or mark added to an image or a document, much like sticking a Post-it note on an office memo to highlight a point of interest.

14.Anti-virus

Software that detects repairs, cleans, or removes virus-infected files from a computer.

15.Aperture

An opening that controls the amount of light passing through a camera lens.

16.API

Application programming interface. A standard used by computer programmers to allow operating systems and software applications to understand one another.

17.Applet

Small utility program within Windows, such as Calculator or Scandisk.

18.Application

A computer software program that enables the user to perform specific tasks. For example, Microsoft Word is used for word processing, while Paint Shop Pro is designed for image-editing requirements.

19.APS Advanced Photo System

A film format developed by Canon, Fuji, Kodak, Minolta and Nikon that uses a small slot-in cartridge to store the unexposed, exposed and developed film. APS cameras can take panoramic as well as regular photographs.

20.Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The science of simulating or duplicating intelligence using a computer. AI is useful for situations where clear-cut decisions are not possible and for mimicking the behaviour of humans or animals.

21.ASF

Advanced Systems Format. A format for content that is played while in transit from its source to the player, known as streaming. For example, internet radio is played via streaming.

22.Aspect ratio

A measure of the relative width and height of a display. Traditional television screens, for instance, have an aspect ratio of 4:3 (meaning four units wide by three units high), while modern widescreen sets have 16:9 proportions.

23.ATAPI

Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface. A control technology for devices such as CD-Rom and hard disk drives.

24.Atrac

Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding. Sony’s proprietary audio file-compression system, similar to mp3 but with additional security features designed to prevent piracy of copyright material.

25.Attachment

A computer file, such as a word-processor document or spreadsheet, sent along with an email message.

26.Audio Format

A specific method of organising digital for storage and retrieval. The format dictates the types of application that can play, copy or edit the sound.

27.Autocorrect

A feature in a word processor that automatically corrects common spelling mistakes as they are typed.

28.Automatic document feeder (ADF)

A facility of most printers and some scanners that enables documents to be automatically fed through the print or scanner mechanism without user intervention.

29.Autoplay

A Windows feature that allows CD-Rom/DVD discs to launch or play as soon they’re inserted into a drive.

30.Autosum

A handy Excel feature that gives an at-a-glance total of a selection of figures.

31.Autotrace

A feature of some image-editing programs that identifies outline shapes in bitmap graphics and attempts to trace them, resulting in editable vector paths.

32.AV

Shorthand for ‘audio/visual’ – any piece of home electronics that can display an image or play sound.

33.Avatar

A graphic or icon used to represent a person in an online chat room or game. Avatars can usually be customised and range from simple images to complex three-dimensional shapes.

34.Avi

Audio Video Interleave. A type of video file usually played using Windows Media Player.