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absolute path name
The tree structure which provides the exact address of a file or directory without referring to some other unnamed directory. The absolute path name contains a drive or protocol followed by directories or domains, followed by subdirectories if needed, followed by the file name each part separated by a slash or double slash. For example, a file on a hard drive may have a path name of c://documents/personal/shoppinglist, while a file located on a server to be accessed via the Internet may have an absolute path name of http://www.aol.com/jones/familypictures.htm. (See also directory path name and path. Compare to relative path name.)

active matrix screen
A type of LCD (liquid crystal display) screen found on portable computers where each pixel has its own unique circuit. The advantage of this is that the screen can be refreshed at a faster rate and other nearby pixels on the screen are not accidentally activated.

active window
The window that the mouse's cursor can affect.

additive color system
A system where colors are created by combining the primary colors together. (See also RGB.)

address
Similar to street addresses, computer addresses identify information's storage location on a computer or identify a node on a network.

alias
1. The jagged edge found on pixel-based graphical images. 2. In Macintosh® systems, a small file that points to another file (usually an application). The alias is similar to the shortcut used on PCs employing Microsoft® Windows®.

alpha testing
A software developer's initial release of a program to test for bugs and to receive feedback. Typically, the alpha test has a large number of errors in it. (See beta testing.)

American National Standards Institute - ANSI.
An organization that reviews and approves standards in the electronics industry to assist manufacturer in making their electronic products compatible with one another. ANSI is the US representative to ISO.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange - ASCII.
The most popular character set used. It employs a 7-bit code for each character and punctuation mark, and consists of the first 128 (0-127) characters of the ANSI character set.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange file - ASCII file.
A file that uses the ASCII format. This is one of the simplest formats and can usually be read by any computer or word processor, and is useful in file transfers. It is also commonly called a "text file" or "ASCII text file" and contains very little or no formatting.

analog
A signal that varies or modulates; wired telephone systems use an analog system to covert voice into an electronic signal. (See also digital.)

ANSI - American National Standards Institute.
An organization that reviews and approves standards in the electronics industry to assist manufacturer in making their electronic products compatible with one another. ANSI is the US representative to ISO.

anti-aliasing
A process of interpolation that smoothes the step-stairs of images. The process usually involves adding different hues next to the step-stair, rough-edged pixels to give it a smooth appearance.

applet
A program that is typically designed not to be a stand-alone program but rather called upon by another program. Currently, applets are commonly used with web browsers such as Netscape Communicator® and Microsoft® Internet Explorer® and are written in Java®.

application
A software program that interacts with the operating system, manipulates data files, has an interface with the user, and allows the user to perform a task or complete a job. Common examples include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and drawing programs.

AppleTalk®
A set of communication protocols used to define networking on the AppleShare network on the Macintosh® system.

architecture
Typically the components of a computer system (hardware, bus, software, peripherals, etc.) and how they interact with one another.

arrow keys
Sometimes also called direction keys. The keys are usually found together on the key board and have an up, down, left, and right direction.

ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
The most popular character set used. It employs a 7-bit code for each character and punctuation mark, and consists of the first 128 (0-127) characters of the ANSI character set.

ASCII file
A file that uses the ASCII format. This is one of the simplest formats and can usually be read by any computer or word processor, and is useful in file transfers. It is also commonly called a "text file" or "ASCII text file" and contains very little or no formatting.

assistive technology
Technology (hardware and software) typically used to help disabled individuals use computers or it provides alternative modes of operation for all users. Examples include text readers (devices that convert text to audio), devices that convert text into Braille, and pointing devices other than the mouse.

asynchronous
A process that does not occur in "real time." In distance education, the learning that typically occurs via email would be asynchronous since there is typically a time delay between when the message is sent and when a reply is received. (See also synchronous.)

attachment
An encapsulated file or image that is placed within another document. Attachments, used with email systems, can be word processing documents, spreadsheets, audio files, or images among others.