A group G is a non-empty {set} upon which a {binary} operator
	* is defined with the following properties for all a,b,c in G:

	  Closure:     G is closed under *,  a*b in G
	  Associative: * is associative on G, (a*b)*c = a*(b*c)
	  Identity:    There is an identity element  e  such that
		       a*e = e*a = a.
	  Inverse:     Every element has a unique inverse a' such that
		       a * a' = a' * a = e.  The inverse is usually
		       written with a superscript -1.

	(1998-10-03)

A message sent to a {newsgroup} or {mailing list} (may also be
	called "a post") or the act of sending it.  Distinguished from
	a "letter" or ordinary {electronic mail} message by the fact
	that it is broadcast rather than point-to-point.  It is not
	clear whether messages sent to a small mailing list are
	postings or e-mail; perhaps the best dividing line is that if
	you don't know the names of all the potential recipients, it
	is a posting.

	[{Jargon File}]

1. <unit, text> (Sometimes abbreviated "pt") The unit of
	length used in {typography} to specify text character height,
	{rule} width, and other small measurements.

	There are six slightly different definitions: {Truchet point},
	{Didot point}, {ATA point}, {TeX point}, {Postscript point},
	and {IN point}.

	In Europe, the most commonly used is Didot and in the US, the
	formerly standard ATA point has essentially been replaced by
	the PostScript point due to the demise of traditional
	typesetting systems and rise of desktop computer based systems
	running software such as {QuarkXPress}, {Adobe InDesign} and
	{Adobe Pagemaker}.

	There are 20 {twips} in a point and 12 points in a {pica}
	(known as a "Cicero" in the Didot system).

	{Different point systems
	(http://www.vakcer.com/oberon/dtp/fonts/point.htm)}.

	(2004-12-23)

	2. <hardware> To move a {pointing device} so that the
	on-screen pointer is positioned over a certain object on the
	screen such as a {button} in a {graphical user interface}.  In
	most {window systems} it is then necessary to {click} a
	(physical) button on the pointing device to activate or select
	the object.  In some systems, just pointing to an object is
	known as "mouse-over" {event} which may cause some help text
	(called a "tool tip" in {Windows}) to be displayed.

	(2001-05-21)

<library, networking> {Berkeley} {Unix} networking {socket}
	library routine to satisfy a connection request from a remote
	{host}.  A specified socket on the local host (which must be
	capable of accepting the connection) is connected to the
	requesting socket on the remote host.  The remote socket's
	socket address is returned.

	{Unix manual pages}: accept(2), connect(2).

	(1994-11-08)

<application> (CAD) The part of {CAE} concerning the drawing
	or physical layout steps of engineering design.  Often found
	in the phrase "CAD/CAM" for ".. manufacturing".

	(1994-11-30)

<programming> (Or "computer program", "program", "code") The
	instructions executed by a computer, as opposed to the
	physical device on which they run (the "{hardware}").

	The term was coined by the eminent statistician, {John Tukey}.

	Programs stored on {non-volatile storage} built from
	{integrated circuits} (e.g. {ROM} or {PROM}) are usually
	called {firmware}.

	Software can be split into two main types - {system software}
	and application software or {application programs}.  System
	software is any software required to support the production or
	execution of application programs but which is not specific to
	any particular application.  Examples of system software would
	include the {operating system}, {compilers}, editors and
	sorting programs.

	Examples of application programs would include an accounts
	package or a {CAD} program.  Other broad classes of
	application software include {real-time} software, {business
	software}, scientific and engineering software, {embedded
	software}, personal computer software and {artificial
	intelligence} software.

	Software includes both {source code} written by humans and
	executable {machine code} produced by {assemblers} or
	{compilers}.  It does not usually include the data processed
	by programs unless this is in a format such as {multimedia}
	which depends on the use of computers for its presentation.
	This distinction becomes unclear in cases such as {spread
	sheets} which can contain both instructions (formulae and
	{macros}) and data.  There are also various intermediate
	compiled or {semi-compiled}, forms of software such as
	{library} files and {byte-code}.

	Some claim that {documentation} (both paper and electronic) is
	also software.  Others go further and define software to be
	programs plus documentation though this does not correspond
	with common usage.

	The noun "program" describes a single, complete and
	more-or-less self-contained list of instructions, often stored
	in a single {file}, whereas "code" and "software" are
	uncountable nouns describing some number of instructions which
	may constitute one or more programs or part thereof.  Most
	programs, however, rely heavily on various kinds of {operating
	system} software for their execution.  The nounds "code" and
	"software" both refer to the same thing but "code" tends to
	suggest an interest in the implementation details whereas
	"software" is more of a user's term.

	(2002-07-21)

<data> To read data that is not in the native format of the
	application.  For example, a {web browser} will have its own
	way of storing {bookmarks} but it will usually provide a
	function to import bookmarks from {Internet Explorer}.  The
	alternative is to provide an independent external conversion
	utility but this is usually less convenient for the user.

	(2004-11-15)

1. <programming> An {address}, from the point of view of a
	programming language.  A pointer may be typed, with its {type}
	indicating the type of data to which it points.

	The terms "pointer" and "reference" are generally
	interchangable although particular programming languages often
	differentiate these two in subtle ways.  For example, {Perl}
	always calls them references, never pointers.  Conversely, in
	C, "pointer" is used, although "a reference" is often used to
	denote the concept that a pointer implements.

	{Anthony Hoare} once said:

	Pointers are like jumps, leading wildly from one part of the
	data structure to another.  Their introduction into high-level
	languages has been a step backward from which we may never
	recover.

	[C.A.R.Hoare "Hints on Programming Language Design", 1973,
	Prentice-Hall collection of essays and papers by Tony Hoare].

	2. <operating system> (Or "mouse pointer") An {icon}, usually
	a small arrow, that moves on the screen in response to
	movement of a {pointing device}, typically a {mouse}.  The
	pointer shows the user which object on the screen will be
	selected etc. when a mouse button is clicked.

	(1999-07-07)

<database> A collection of {records} in a {relational database}.

	(1997-06-04)

<data> A data structure holding many values, possibly of
	different types, which is usually accessed sequentially,
	working from the head to the end of the tail - an "ordered
	list".  This contrasts with a (one-dimensional) {array}, any
	element of which can be accessed equally quickly.

	Lists are often stored using a cell and pointer arrangement
	where each value is stored in a cell along with an associated
	pointer to the next cell.  A special pointer, e.g. zero, marks
	the end of the list.  This is known as a (singly) "linked
	list".  A doubly linked list has pointers from each cell to
	both next and previous cells.

	An unordered list is a {set}.

	(1998-11-12)

<data> A description of {data} which is stored or transmitted
	as a sequence of discrete symbols from a finite set, most
	commonly this means {binary} data represented using electronic
	or electromagnetic signals.

	The opposite is {analogue}.

	(1998-10-28)

<CAD, product> A {CAD} {software} package for mechanical
	engineering, marketed by {Autodesk, Inc.}

	(1994-11-09)

1. {audio}.

	2. <logic> An {inference system} A is sound with respect to
	another system B if A can only reach conclusions which are
	true in B.  A {type inference} system is considered sound with
	respect to a {semantics} if the type inferred for an
	expression is the same as the type inferred for the meaning of
	that expression under the semantics.

	The dual to soundness is {complete}ness.

	(1995-03-01)