19January–1February2022•Issu e6234KVideowitharesolutionofat
least3 840 x2 16 0pixels.5GThelatestgenerationofmobile
networks.72 0pAcommonresolutionof
high-definitionvideo: 128 0x7 20
pixels.AIArtificialIntelligence.A
computerprogramdesignedto
mimicthebehaviourofhumansor
animals.AMOLEDActive-MatrixOrganic
Light-EmittingDiode.An
alternativetechnologytoLCDfor
creatingflat-paneldisplays.Most
commonlyusedinsmartphones,
tabletsandsmartwatches.ApertureAnopeningthatcontrols
theamountoflightenteringa
cameralens.ASCIIAmericanStandardCode
forInformationInterchange.
RepresentseachcharacteronaPC
keyboardasanumber.AspectratioAmeasurementof
theshapeofadisplay.Traditional
computerscreensare4:3.
Widescreendisplaysare 1 6:9or16:10.BandwidthAmeasureofhow
muchdatacanbetransferred
throughaconnectionatonetime.BenchmarkingComparing
softwareandproductswithan
acceptedstandard.BIOSBasicInput-OutputSystem.
SoftwarebuiltintoeveryPCthat
connects th evital components..BitrateAmeasure of data
tran sfer sp eed, or of thequality of
digitalvideoora udio files.BloatwareUnwanted software
builtintoanewdevice.cd/m2Candel aper square metre.
Standard unitofb rightness.CodeShorthan dtermtosummarise
thevariousprogramminglangu ages
used to create programs.ColorimeterAtoolfor measuring
thecolou raccuracy of monito rs by
calibrat ingits brightness, contrast
andcolou r.CPUCentralProcessingUnit.
Anothertermforacomputer
processor.CSVCommaSeparatedValue.
Astandardfileformat,usedfor
storingtabulatedinformation,
thatcanbeopenedbymost
spreadsheetprograms.Daisy-chainAwiringsystem
inwhichmultipledevicesare
connectedtogetherinsequence.DarkmodeShowingwhitetext
onablackbackground.DefragmentToreorganisethe
datastoredonaharddrivesofiles
arestoredinonepieceandcanbe
accessedquickly.DisplayPortAsocketfor
connectingmonitors.DOCThefileextensionofa
documentcreatedinMicrosoft
Word 200 3orearlier.DOCXThedefaultfileformatused
byWord2 00 7andlater.DomainTheseareusedto
identifyoneormoreIPaddresses.DriverAfile that tellsWindows how
to work with an externaldevice.f/2Size of aperture. The lowerthe
number,the wider theaperture.FirewallApiece of software
or hardware that pr events
unauthorised access to acompu ter
over anetwork, such asthe
inte rnet.FirmwareBasic software st ored
on ha rdware,such asaprocessor,
to controlits operation.FlashmemoryAtypeofmemory
that canretain in formation without
apower source.Usedinmemory
cards, USB sticks andother
storage devices.FpsFrames persecond. See
Framerate.FramerateThe numberofstill
images, or frames, shown per
second to create amovingimage.
Higherframerates make games
appear smoother andmore
realistic.Geekbench 5 Atestformeasuring
processorspeed.GestureFingermovementson
ascreenthatperformanaction,
suchaspinchingtozoom.GHzGigahertz.Ameasureof
howmanyinstructionsachipcan
processpersecond.1GHzisequal
to1,0 00 MHz.GIFGraphicsInterchangeFormat.
Atypeofimagefileoftenused
ontheweb,butnowlargely
supersededbyPNG.GigabitEthernetAveryfast
networkingstandardthatcan
transferdataatupto1,0 00 Mbps.GraphicscardAcomponentina
computerthatproducestheimage
shownonthemonitor.HDMIHigh-definitionmedia
interface.Atypeofconnectionthat
transmitshigh-definitionvideoand
audiosignals.HzHertz.Measuresthefrequency
somethinghappens:1Hzequals
onceasecond.IPSAscreentechnology.
Monitorsthatuseithavewider
viewinganglesandbetter,more
accurate-lookingcoloursthan
monitorsthatdonotusethis
technology.ISOfileAtypeofimagefilethat
containsallthedatafromaCDor
DVD.JPEGJointPhotographExperts
Grou p. Acommontypeofimage
filecreated by most digi tal
cameras. Someimagequality is
lost with each sa ve.LatencyAmeasure of thedelay
in exchangingdatabetween
devicesand webserver sand on
networks. Lowlatency meansthe
delay is imperceptible,whilehigh
latency connectionsare unsuit able
forservicesthat rely on on line
inte raction,such asmultiplayer
gaming.LightningconnectorApple’s
ownconnectorthat connects
iPhonesand iPads to computer s,
monito rs,cameras ,chargersand
more.MACaddressMediaAccess
Control.Auniquecodethat
identifiesanyrouter.Acomputer
mighthaveoneMACforitswired
networksocketandanotherfor
wireless.MachinelearningThescienceof
teachingcomputershowtolearn
bythemselves,withoutfurther
humaninput.MetadataAsetofdatathatgives
informationaboutafile.MicroUSBAminiatureversionof
USB,oftenfoundonsmartphones,
tabletsandportableharddrives.MiFiAservicethatcreateshotspots
outofphones’3Gand4Gnetworks.MU-MIMOMultiple-user
multiple-inputmultiple-output.
Wi-Fitechnologythatincreases
thenumberofantennasthatcan
beused.NTFSNewTechnologyFile
System.Afilesystemusedbyall
recentversionsofWindows.OLEDOrganiclight-emitting
diode.Athin-filmorganiclight-
emittingdiodeusedincomputer
displaysandtelevisionscreens.OpensourceSoftwarethatcan
bemodifiedbyanyone.OverclockMakeaprocessor
workfastertoboostperformance
atthecostofitgettinghotterand
requiringmorepower.PivotmodeAnoptiontorotate
amonitor ’s screen,chang ingthe
aspectratio fromwidescre en to
vertical.QLEDQuantum Light-Emitting
Diode. Screen techno logy that
uses nanoparticles call ed
quantumdots to boost brightness
andcolou r.QoSRouter settings that let
youdivide bandwidthbetween
different typesofinternetuse,
such asvideostreaming and
gaming.QR codeQuick Response code.
Abarcode that canber eadusing
smartphonesand de dicatedQR-
readingdevices.72
Jargon Buster