MICROSOFT Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

between words. Next-generation continuous speech systems can interpret natural speech patterns and speeds. See also voice recognition.

dictionary attack

n. Originally a method of guessing a user’s password or PIN by trying every word in the dictionary until successful. Currently used to identify any attack that tries known words or alphanumeric character strings to break a simple password.

dielectric

n. Insulating material, such as rubber or plastic, that does not conduct electricity.

DIF

n. See data interchange format.

difference

n. 1. The amount by which two values differ. In electronics, differences in physical elements, such as waveforms or voltages, are used in the operation of circuits, amplifiers, multiplexers, communications equipment, and so on. 2. In database management, it is an operator in relational algebra that is used in sorting record sets (tuples). For example, given two relational tables, A and B, that are union-compatible (contain the same number of fields, with corresponding fields containing the same types of values), the statement DIFFERENCE A, B builds a third relation containing all those records that appear in A but not in B. See also relational algebra, tuple. Compare intersect, union.

Difference Engine

n. An early computerlike mechanical device designed by British mathematician and scientist Charles Babbage in the early 1820s. The Difference Engine was intended to be a machine with a 20-decimal capacity capable of solving mathematical problems. The concept of the Difference Engine was enhanced by Babbage in the 1830s in the design of his more famous Analytical Engine, a mechanical precursor of the electronic computer. See also Analytical Engine.

differential

adj. In electronics, a reference to a type of circuit that makes use of the difference between two signals rather than the difference between one signal and some reference voltage.

differential backup

n. A backup that copies files created or changed since the last normal or incremental backup. It does not mark files as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is not cleared). If you are performing a combination of normal and differential backups, restoring files and folders requires that you have the last normal, as well as the last differential, backup.

differential phase-shift keying n. See phase-shift keying.

differentiator

n. A circuit whose output is the differential (first derivative) of the input signal. The differential measures how fast a value is changing, so the output of a differentiator is proportional to the instantaneous rate of change of the input signal. See the illustration. Compare integrator.

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Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

Differentiator.

Diffie-Hellman

n. Diffie-Hellman key agreement protocol. A public-key cryptography method that allows two hosts to create and share a secret key. Diffie-Hellman is used for key management by virtual private networks (VPNs) operating on the IPSec standard. See also IPSec.

digerati

n. Cyberspace populace that can be roughly compared to literati. Digerati are people renowned as or claiming to be knowledgeable about topics and issues related to the digital revolution; more specifically, they are people “in the know” about the Internet and online activities. See also guru, techie, wizard (definition 1).

digest

n. 1. An article in a moderated newsgroup that summarizes multiple posts submitted to the moderator. See also moderator, newsgroup. 2. A message in a mailing list that is sent to subscribers in place of the multiple individual posts that the digest contains. If the mailing list is moderated, the digest may be edited. See also moderated.

digicash

n. See e-money.

digit

n. One of the characters used to indicate a whole number (unit) in a numbering system. In any numbering system, the number of possible digits is equal to the base, or radix, used. For example, the decimal (base-10) system has 10 digits, 0 through 9; the binary (base-2) system has 2 digits, 0 and 1; and the hexadecimal (base-16) system has 16 digits, 0 through 9 and A through F.

digital

adj. 1. A reference to something based on digits (numbers) or their representation. 2. In computing, analogous in use, though not in meaning, to binary because the computers familiar to most people process information coded as different combinations of the binary digits (bits) 0 and 1. Compare analog.

Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service n. See D-AMPS.

digital audio disc

n. An optical storage medium for recording digitally encoded audio information. See also compact disc (definition 1).

digital audio tape

n. A magnetic tape storage medium for recording digitally encoded audio information. Acronym: DAT.

digital audio/video connector

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Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

n. An interface on some high-end video cards or TV tuner cards that allows the simultaneous transmission of digital audio and video signals. Also called: DAV connector. See also interface (definition 3), video adapter.

digital broadcast satellite

n. See direct broadcast satellite.

digital camera

n. A type of camera that stores photographed images electronically instead of on traditional film. A digital camera uses a CCD (charge-coupled device) element to capture the image through the lens when the operator releases the shutter in the camera; circuitry within the camera then stores the image captured by the CCD in a storage medium such as solid-state memory or a hard disk. After the image has been captured, it is downloaded by cable to the computer using software supplied with the camera. Once stored in the computer, the image can be manipulated and processed much like the image from a scanner or related input device. See also charge-coupled device, digital photography.

digital cash

n. See e-money.

digital certificate

n. 1. An assurance that software downloaded from the Internet comes from a reputable source. A digital certificate provides information about the software—such as the identity of the author and the date on which the software was registered with a certificate authority (CA), as well as a measure of tamper-resistance. 2. A user identity card or “driver’s license” for cyberspace. Issued by a certificate authority (CA), a digital certificate is an electronic credential that authenticates a user on the Internet and intranets. Digital certificates ensure the legitimate online transfer of confidential information, money, or other sensitive materials by means of public encryption technology. A digital certificate holder has two keys (strings of numbers): a private key held only by the user, for “signing” outgoing messages and decrypting incoming messages; and a public key, for use by anyone, for encrypting data to send to a specific user. See also certificate authority, encryption, private key, public key.

digital communications

n. Exchange of communications in which all information is transmitted in binary-encoded (digital) form.

digital computer

n. A computer in which operations are based on two or more discrete states. Binary digital computers are based on two states, logical “on” and “off,” represented by two voltage levels, arrangements of which are used to represent all types of information—numbers, letters, graphics symbols, and program instructions. Within such a computer, the states of various circuit components change continuously to move, operate on, and save this information. Compare analog computer.

Digital Darkroom

n. A Macintosh program developed by Silicon Beach Software for enhancement of black-and- white photographs or scanned images.

digital data service n. See DDS.

digital data transmission

n. The transfer of information encoded as a series of bits rather than as a fluctuating (analog) signal in a communications channel.

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digital display

n. A video display capable of rendering only a fixed number of colors or gray shades. Examples of digital displays are IBM’s Monochrome Display, Color/ Graphics Display, and Enhanced Color Display. See also CGA, EGA, MDA. Compare analog display.

digital divide

n. The gap between those who have the opportunity to take advantage of the Internet and related information resources, and those who do not. Differences in income, education, and comfort levels with technology are contributing factors to the separation between those with access to technological resources and those without.

digital DNA

n. 1. Broadly, a reference to the bits that comprise digital information. 2. In the gaming world, a technology called “Cyberlife” that mimics biological DNA in the creation and development of trainable creatures known as Norns. Like real DNA, digital DNA is passed from parent to offspring and determines the artificial creature’s characteristics and adaptability.

digital fingerprinting

n. See digital watermark.

digital flat panel port

n. An interface designed to allow direct connection between a flat panel monitor and a computer without requiring an analog-to-digital conversion. Acronym: DFP.

digital home

n. See smart home.

digital light processing projector n. See DLP.

digital line

n. A communications line that carries information only in binary-encoded (digital) form. To minimize distortion and noise interference, a digital line uses repeaters to regenerate the signal periodically during transmission. See also repeater. Compare analog line.

digital linear tape

n. A magnetic storage medium used to back up data. Digital linear tape allows for faster transfer of data compared with other tape technologies. Acronym: DLT.

Digital Micromirror Device

n. The circuit technology behind Texas Instruments’ Digital Light Processing, used in image projectors. A Digital Micromirror Device, or DMD, consists of an array of individually addressable, hinged mirrors on a chip. Each chip, which is less than 0.002 mm wide, rotates in response to a digital signal to reflect light into the lens of the projection system and thus create a bright, fullcolor display. Displays can be combined to create high-definition systems of 1920 × 1035 (1,987,200) pixels with 64 million colors. Acronym: DMD.

digital modem

n. 1. A communications device that acts as the intermediary between a digital device such as a computer or terminal and a digital communications channel, such as a high-speed network line, an ISDN circuit, or a cable TV system. Although a digital modem supports standard (analog) modem protocols, it is not a “typical” modem in the sense of being a device whose primary function is to modulate (convert digital to analog) before transmission and demodulate (convert analog to digital) after transmission. It uses advanced digital modulation techniques for changing data frames into a format suitable for transmission over a digital line. See also terminal adapter. Compare modem. 2. A 56 Kbps modem. Such a modem is not purely digital but does eliminate

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the traditional digital-to-analog conversion for downstream transmissions—that is, transmissions moving from the Internet to the end user. A 56 Kbps modem is also digital in that it requires a digital connection, such as T1, between the telephone company and the user’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) in order to achieve its highest speed. See also 56-Kbps modem. 3. A term used to distinguish all-digital communications devices, such as ISDN and cable “modems” from the more traditional analog-to-digital, phone-based modems.

Digital Network Architecture

n. A multilayered architecture and set of protocol specifications for networks. Designed by the Digital Equipment Corporation, Digital Network Architecture is implemented in the set of products known by the name DECnet. Acronym: DNA. See also DECnet.

digital photography

n. Photography by means of a digital camera. Digital photography differs from conventional photography in that a digital camera does not use a silver halide–based film to capture an image. Instead, a digital camera captures and stores each image electronically. See also digital camera.

digital picture frame

n. Electronic device used in displaying digital photos and graphics while giving the outward appearance of a traditional picture frame. Digital picture frames allow users to rotate photos within the frame at specified intervals, display a series of photos as a slide show, or use an Internet connection to download photos, order prints, or send customized photo sets to others.

Digital Print Order Format n. See DPOF.

digital proof

n. See direct digital color proof.

digital recording

n. The storage of information in binary-encoded (digital) format. Digital recording converts information—text, graphics, sound, or pictures—to strings of 1s and 0s that can be physically represented on a storage medium. Digital recording media include computer disks and tapes, optical (or compact) discs, and ROM cartridges of the type used for some software and many computer games.

Digital Rights Management n. See DRM.

digital satellite system

n. A high-powered satellite system with the capability to deliver high-quality transmissions of hundreds of channels directly to television receivers. A DSS broadcast begins as a digital signal sent from a service provider’s station to a satellite. From there, it is directed to a satellite dish (typically 18 inches) at the user’s premises. The dish next transmits the signal to a converter box, which changes it to an analog signal before sending it to the television set. Acronym: DSS.

Digital Services n. See DS.

digital signal

n. A signal, such as one transmitted within or between computers, in which information is represented by discrete states—for example, high and low voltages— rather than by fluctuating levels in a continuous stream, as in an analog signal.

Digital Signal n. See DS.

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digital signal processor

n. An integrated circuit designed for high-speed data manipulation and used in audio, communications, image manipulation, and other data acquisition and data control applications. Acronym: DSP.

digital signature

n. A security mechanism used on the Internet that relies on two keys, one public and one private, that are used to encrypt messages before transmission and to decrypt them on receipt.

Digital Signature Algorithm

n. The U.S. government standard for digital signatures, as specified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in FIPS 186, Digital Signature Standard. DSA is based on signature encryption based on a public and a private key. Acronym: DSA. See also digital signature.

Digital Signature Standard

n. A public key cryptographic standard issued in 1994 by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to authenticate electronic documents. The DSS uses a Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) to generate and verify digital signatures based on a public key, which is not secret, and a private key, which is known or held only by the person generating the signature. A digital signature serves to authenticate both the identity of the signer and the integrity of the transmitted information. Acronym: DSS. See also public key encryption.

Digital Simultaneous Voice and Data

n. A modem technology by Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., that allows a single telephone line to be used for conversation together with data transfer. This is accomplished by switching to packetmode communications when the need for voice transfer is detected; digitized voice packets are then transferred along with data and command packets. Acronym: DSVD.

digital sort

n. A type of ordering process in which record numbers or their key values are sorted digit by digit, beginning with the least significant (rightmost) digit. Also called: radix sort.

digital speech

n. See speech synthesis.

digital subscriber line or Digital Subscriber Line n. See DSL.

Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer or Digital Subscriber Line Multiplexer n. See DSLAM.

digital-to-analog converter

n. A device that translates digital data to an analog signal. A digital-to-analog converter takes a succession of discrete digital values as input and creates an analog signal whose amplitude corresponds, moment by moment, to each digital value. See the illustration. Acronym: DAC. Compare analog-to-digital converter.

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Digital-to-analog converter.

digital versatile disc

n. See digital video disc.

digital video

n. Video images and sound stored in a digital format. Acronym: DV.

digital TV or digital television

n. The transmission of television signals using digital rather than the conventional analog signals. A digital TV standard for the United States was approved by the FCC in 1996. Digital TV provides a better television experience and new information services. Digital signals produce higher quality pictures and CD-quality sound, compared to the analog signals used with today's television.

Digital TV can support interactive television, electronic program guides, and a variety of digital services, such as Internet channel broadcasting and data services. Acronym: DTV. Compare HDTV.

digital video disc

n. The next generation of optical disc storage technology. With digital video disc technology, video, audio, and computer data can be encoded onto a compact disc (CD). A digital video disc can store greater amounts of data than a traditional CD. A standard single-layer, single-sided digital video disc can store 4.7 GB of data; a two-layer standard increases the single-sided disc capacity to 8.5 GB. Digital video discs can be double-sided with a maximum storage of 17 GB per disc. A digital video disc player is needed to read digital video discs; this player is equipped to read older optical storage technologies. Advocates of the digital video disc intend to replace current digital storage formats, such as laser disc, CD-ROM, and audio CD, with the single digital format of the digital video disc. Acronym: DVD. Also called: digital versatile disc. See also digital video disc–ROM.

digital video disc–erasable

n. A proposed extension to the digital video disc recording format to allow multiple re-recording by a consumer. Acronym: DVD-E. Also called: digital video disc–ROM.

digital video disc–recordable

n. A proposed extension to the digital video disc recording format to allow one-time recording by a consumer. Acronym: DVD-R.

digital video disc–ROM

n. A computer-readable version of a digital video disc containing either 4.7 or 8.5 GB of storage per side, the larger if 3M’s dual-layer “2P” technology is used. Acronym: DVD-ROM. Also called: digital video disc–erasable. See also digital video disc.

Digital Video–Interactive

n. A hardware/software system developed by RCA, General Electric, and Intel that implements compression of digital video and audio for microcomputer applications. Acronym: DV-I.

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Digital Video Interface n. See DVI.

digital video recording n. See DVR.

digital watermark

n. A unique identifier embedded in a file to deter piracy and prove file ownership and quality. Digital watermarking is often used with graphics and audio files to identify the owner’s rights to these works. See also fingerprint (definition 2).

digiterati

n. See digerati.

digitize

vb. To convert any continuously varying (analog) source of input, such as the lines in a drawing or a sound signal, to a series of discrete units represented in a computer by the binary digits 0 and 1. Analog-to-digital converters are commonly used to perform this translation. See also aliasing, analog-to-digital converter.

digitizing tablet

n. See graphics tablet.

DikuMUD

n. 1. Multiuser dungeon (MUD) software developed by five individuals at the Computer Science Institute at Copenhagen University (whose acronym in Danish is DIKU). DikuMUD uses multimedia and is object-oriented, but the classes are hard-coded. The software is covered by a license agreement that forbids its distribution for money. See also MUD, multimedia, objectoriented. 2. A game that uses the DikuMUD software.

dimensioning

n. In CAD programs, a means of specifying and possibly controlling the measurements and spatial relationships of elements in a modeled object, such as using lines, arrows, and text (that is, measurements) to indicate the length, height, and thickness of each of the walls in a modeled room or house. See also CAD.

DIMM

n. Acronym for dual inline memory module. A type of memory board comprised of RAM chips mounted on a circuit board, similar to the more commonly used SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module). DIMMs are characterized by a 64-bit data path and pins (connectors) on each side that are on different circuits and that respond to different signals. SIMMs, in contrast, have a 32-bit data path, and their connectors are on the same circuit and respond to the same signal. While SIMMs must be added in pairs, DIMMs can be added to a computer one at a time. See also memory chip. Compare SIMM.

dimmed

adj. Shown on the screen in gray characters instead of black characters on white or white characters on black. Menu options appear dimmed in a graphical user interface to indicate that under current circumstances they are not available—for example, “Cut” when no text has been highlighted or “Paste” when there is no text in the clipboard.

DIN connector

n. A multipin connector conforming to the specification of the German national standards organization (Deutsch Industrie Norm). DIN connectors are used to link various components in personal computers.

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dingbat

n. A small graphical element used for decorative purposes in a document. Some fonts, such as Zapf Dingbats, are designed to present sets of dingbats. See also font. Compare bullet.

diode

n. A device that passes current in only one direction. A diode is usually a semiconductor. See the illustration. See also semiconductor.

Diode. The drawings (top) show two of the many types of diode packages. The band on the right end of each indicates polarity. At bottom is a schematic representation of a diode.

diode-transistor logic

n. A type of circuit design that employs diodes, transistors, and resistors to perform logic functions. Acronym: DTL.

DIP

n. Acronym for dual inline package. A standard for packaging integrated circuits in which the microminiature electronic circuits etched on a silicon wafer are enclosed in a rectangular housing of plastic or ceramic and connected to downward-pointing pins protruding from the longer sides of the chip. Designed to facilitate circuit board manufacturing, this design does not work well for modern chips requiring very large numbers of connections. See also document image processing. Compare leadless chip carrier, pin grid array, SIP, surface-mount technology.

dipole

n. A pair of opposite electric charges or magnetic poles of opposite sign separated by a small distance.

DIP switch

n. Short for Dual Inline Package switch. One or more small rockeror sliding-type toggle switches contained in the plastic or ceramic housing of a dual inline package (DIP) connected to a circuit board. Each switch on a DIP switch can be set to one of two positions, closed or open, to control options on the circuit board. See also DIP.

dir

n. An MS-DOS command that instructs a computer to display a list of files and subdirectories in the current directory or folder. If the command is followed by a path, the computer displays a list of files and subdirectories in the specified directory or folder. See also command, MS-DOS, path (definition 2).

Direct3D

n. See DirectX.

direct access

n. The ability of a computer to find and go straight to a particular storage location in memory or on disk to retrieve or store an item of information. Note that direct access is not the same as direct memory access (DMA), which is the ability to transfer information directly between an input/output channel and memory rather than taking the longer and more circuitous route of I/O channel to microprocessor to memory. See also random access. Compare direct memory access.

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direct access storage device n. See DASD.

direct address

n. See absolute address.

DirectAnimation n. See DirectX.

direct broadcast satellite

n. A digital telecommunications service that delivers television programming via the Digital Satellite System (DSS). Direct broadcast satellite technology uses a geostationary orbit satellite (GEO) to receive digitized signals sent by ground-based uplink centers; the satellite then beams the signal across a wide swath on Earth. Subscribers within that swath use small (18-inch) satellite dishes to bring the signal into a set-top box decoder for playback. Although primarily used for television broadcasts, the technology is seen as having potential to also deliver highquality, digital communications and multimedia content in the future. Acronym: DBS. Also called: digital broadcast satellite. See also digital satellite system, geostationary orbit satellite, webcasting.

direct cable connection

n. A link between the I/O ports of two computers that uses a single cable rather than a modem or other active interface device. In most cases, a direct cable connection requires a null modem cable.

direct-connect modem

n. A modem that uses standard telephone wire and connectors and that plugs directly into a telephone jack, eliminating the need for an intermediary telephone. Compare acoustic coupler.

direct-coupled transistor logic

n. A circuit design that uses transistors and resistors only, with the transistors directly connected to each other. This design was used in the earliest commercial integrated circuits. The switching speed and power consumption of such circuits are about average. Acronym: DCTL.

direct current

n. Electrical current whose direction of flow does not reverse. The current may stop or change amplitude, but it always flows in the same direction. Acronym: DC. Compare alternating current.

direct digital color proof

n. A test sheet produced by a lower-cost output device, such as a color laser printer, to serve as an approximation of what the final image will look like when produced on professional-quality printing equipment. A direct digital color proof does not involve color separation, as in traditional proofs. Instead, a direct digital color proof is printed in all colors at one time on a single page, resulting in somewhat lower quality compared with traditional separation methods but having the advantages of increased speed and reduced cost. Acronym: DDCP. Also called: digital proof. See also color separation (definition 1).

DirectDraw

n. See DirectX.

Direct Graphics Interface Specification n. See DGIS.

DirectInput

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