<digital signal processing> The result of measuring the
	amplitude of an analog signal at a specified time.  In
	{digital signal processing} a sample is a signed or unsigned
	number and the number of samples per second is called the
	{sample rate}.

	(2001-06-06)

<World-Wide Web, database, tool> {Allaire Corporation}'s
	commercial {database} application development tool that allows
	{databases} to have a {World-Wide Web} {interface}, so a
	database can be queried and updated using a {web browser}.

	The ColdFusion Server application runs on the {web server} and
	has access to a {database}.  ColdFusion files on the web
	server are {HTML} pages with additional ColdFusion commands to
	{query} or {update} the database, written in {CFML}.  When the
	page is requested by the user, the {web server} passes the
	page to the Cold Fusion application, which executes the {CFML}
	commands, places the results of the {CFML} commands in the
	{HTML} file, and returns the page to the {web server}.  The
	page returned to the {web server} is now an ordinary {HTML}
	file, and it is sent to the user.

	Examples of ColdFusion applications include order entry, event
	registration, catalogue search, directories, calendars, and
	interactive training.  ColdFusion applications are robust
	because all database interactions are encapsulated in a single
	industrial-strength {CGI} script.  The formatting and
	presentation can be modified and revised at any time (as
	opposed to having to edit and recompile {source code}).

	ColdFusion Server can connect with any database that supports
	{ODBC} or {OLE DB} or one that has a native database driver.
	Native database drivers are available for {Oracle} and
	{Sybase} databases.

	ColdFusion is available for {Windows}, {Solaris}, and {HP-UX}.
	A {development environment} for creating ColdFusion files,
	called ColdFusion Studio, is also available for {Windows}.

	Current version: MX(6), as of 2003-07-11.

	The {filename extension} for ColdFusion files is .cfm

	{Home (http://www.coldfusion.com/)}.

	(2003-07-27)

<software> Instructions for a computer in some programming
	language, often {machine language}.  The word "code" is often
	used to distinguish instructions from {data} (e.g. "The code
	is marked 'read-only'") whereas "{software}" is used in
	contrast with "{hardware}" and may consist of more than just
	code.

	(2000-04-08)

1. <hardware> An electrical conductor.  For distances larger
	than a breadbox, a single line may consist of two electrical
	conductors in twisted, parallel, or concentric arrangement
	used to transport one logical signal.

	By extension, a (usually physical) medium such as an {optical
	fibre} which carries a signal.

	(1995-09-29)

1. <networking> {e-mail address}.

	2. <networking> {Internet address}.

	3. <networking> {MAC address}.

	4. <storage, programming> An unsigned integer used to select
	one fundamental element of storage, usually known as a {word}
	from a computer's {main memory} or other storage device.  The
	{CPU} outputs addresses on its {address bus} which may be
	connected to an {address decoder}, {cache controller}, {memory
	management unit}, and other devices.

	While from a hardware point of view an address is indeed an
	integer most {strongly typed} programming languages disallow
	mixing integers and addresses, and indeed addresses of
	different data types.  This is a fine example for {syntactic
	salt}: the compiler could work without it but makes writing
	bad programs more difficult.

	(1997-07-01)

In {object-oriented programming} sending a message to an
	{object} (to invoke a {method}) is equivalent to calling a
	{procedure} in traditional programming languages, except that
	the actual code executed may only be selected at run time
	depending on the {class} of the object.  Thus, in response to
	the message "drawSelf", the method code invoked would be
	different if the target object were a circle or a square.

	(1995-02-16)

<jargon> A {marketroid} term for something he wants to sell
	you without bothering you with the often dizzying distinctions
	between {hardware}, {software}, {services}, {applications},
	{file formats}, companies, brand names and {operating
	systems}.

	"{Flash} is a perfect image-streaming solution."  "What is
	it?"  "Um...  about a thousand dollars."

	See also: {technology}.

	(1998-07-07)

<jargon> (Said of people, computers, {algorithms}, programs)
	(To be) a success at a given task.

	E.g. "{WYSIWYG} is a clear win for small documents".

	"winnitude" is the quality that something which wins has.
	"winning" is often (ab)used as an adjective.

	Synonyms: {cuspy}, {elegant}.  Antonym: {lose}.  Compare
	{lossy}, {lossless}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1996-09-08)

<company> (BBC) The non-commercial UK organisation that
	commissions, produces and broadcasts television and radio
	programmes.

	The BBC commissioned the "{BBC Micro}" from {Acorn Computers}
	for use in a television series about using computers.  They
	also have one of the world's most respected news websites (on
	which I work!).

	{BBC Home (http://www.bbc.co.uk/)}.

	{BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/)}.

	(2003-07-02)

1. <World-Wide Web> {HTTP cookie}.

	2. <protocol> A handle, transaction ID, or other token of
	agreement between cooperating programs.  "I give him a packet,
	he gives me back a cookie".

	The ticket you get from a dry-cleaning shop is a perfect
	mundane example of a cookie; the only thing it's useful for is
	to relate a later transaction to this one (so you get the same
	clothes back).

	Compare {magic cookie}; see also {fortune cookie}.

	3. <security, jargon> A {cracker} term for the {password} list
	on a {multi-user} computer.

	4. <jargon> An adjective describing a computer that just
	became {toast}.

	(1997-04-14)

<jargon> ({ITS}, from the ":GUN" command) To forcibly
	terminate a program or job (computer, not career).  "Some
	idiot left a background process running soaking up half the
	cycles, so I gunned it."

	Compare {can}.

	(1995-02-27)

See {safe}, {safety-critical system}.

1. Not simulated.  Often used as a specific antonym to
	{virtual} in any of its jargon senses.

	2. <mathematics> {real number}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1997-03-12)

<language> An extensible, machine-oriented superset of
	{ALGOL68} developed by Mark Rain.

	Mary is maintained (and used) by {Kvatro Telecom AS}.
	Although dated, it still offers a nice strongly typed {3GL}
	with {macros} but without most of {C}'s flaws.

	It runs on {SPARC} and {x86} computers.

	Hidden on the back cover of the manual: MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB
	- COERCION IMPOSSIBLE.

	["Mary Programmer's Reference Manual", M. Rain et al, R Unit,
	Trondheim Norway, 1974].

	["Operator Expressions in Mary", M. Rain, SIGPLAN Notices
	8(1), Jan 1973].

	(1998-11-10)

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)

<data, database, programming> An {ordered set} of {fields},
	usually stored contiguously.  The term is used with similar
	meaning in several different contexts.  In a file, a "record"
	probably has some fixed length, in contrast to a "line" which
	may have any length and is terminated by some {End Of Line}
	sequence).  A {database} record is also called a "row".  In a
	{spreadsheet} it is always called a "row".  Some programming
	languages use the term to mean a type composed of fields of
	several other types ({C} calls this a "{struct}").

	In all these cases, a record represents an entity with certain
	field values.

	Fields may be of a fixed width ({bits} or {characters}) or
	they may be separated by a {delimiter} character, often
	{comma} ({CSV}) or {HT} ({TSV}).

	In a database the list of values of a given field from all
	records is called a column.

	(2002-03-22)

%

	Common: {ITU-T}: percent sign; mod; grapes.  {INTERCAL}:
	double-oh-seven.

	(1995-03-06)

<World-Wide Web> (URL, previously "Universal") A {standard}
	way of specifying the location of an object, typically a {web
	page}, on the {Internet}.  Other types of object are described
	below.  URLs are the form of address used on the {World-Wide
	Web}.  They are used in {HTML} documents to specify the target
	of a {hyperlink} which is often another HTML document
	(possibly stored on another computer).

	Here are some example URLs:

	 http://www.w3.org/default.html
	 http://www.acme.co.uk:8080/images/map.gif
	 http://www.foldoc.org/?Uniform+Resource+Locator
	 http://www.w3.org/default.html#Introduction
	 ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/mirrors/msdos/graphics/gifkit.zip
	 ftp://spy:secret@ftp.acme.com/pub/topsecret/weapon.tgz
	 mailto:fred@doc.ic.ac.uk
	 news:alt.hypertext
	 telnet://dra.com

	The part before the first colon specifies the access scheme or
	{protocol}.  Commonly implemented schemes include: {ftp},
	{http} (World-Wide Web), {gopher} or {WAIS}.  The "file"
	scheme should only be used to refer to a file on the same
	host.  Other less commonly used schemes include {news},
	{telnet} or mailto ({e-mail}).

	The part after the colon is interpreted according to the
	access scheme.  In general, two slashes after the colon
	introduce a {hostname} (host:port is also valid, or for {FTP}
	user:passwd@host or user@host).  The {port} number is usually
	omitted and defaults to the standard port for the scheme,
	e.g. port 80 for HTTP.

	For an HTTP or FTP URL the next part is a {pathname} which is
	usually related to the pathname of a file on the server.  The
	file can contain any type of data but only certain types are
	interpreted directly by most {browsers}.  These include {HTML}
	and images in {gif} or {jpeg} format.  The file's type is
	given by a {MIME} type in the HTTP headers returned by the
	server, e.g. "text/html", "image/gif", and is usually also
	indicated by its {filename extension}.  A file whose type is
	not recognised directly by the browser may be passed to an
	external "viewer" {application}, e.g. a sound player.

	The last (optional) part of the URL may be a query string
	preceded by "?" or a "fragment identifier" preceded by "#".
	The later indicates a particular position within the specified
	document.

	Only alphanumerics, reserved characters (:/?#"<>%+) used for
	their reserved purposes and "$", "-", "_", ".", "&", "+" are
	safe and may be transmitted unencoded.  Other characters are
	encoded as a "%" followed by two {hexadecimal} digits.  Space
	may also be encoded as "+".  Standard {SGML} "&<name>;"
	character entity encodings (e.g. "&eacute;") are also accepted
	when URLs are embedded in HTML.  The terminating semicolon may
	be omitted if &<name> is followed by a non-letter character.

	{The authoritative W3C URL specification
	(http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/Addressing/Addressing.html)}.

	(2000-02-17)

1. One of a small number of high-speed memory locations in a
	computer's {CPU}.  Registers differ from ordinary
	{random access memory} in several respects:

	There are only a small number of registers (the "register
	set"), typically 32 in a modern processor though some,
	e.g. {SPARC}, have as many as 144.  A register may be directly
	addressed with a few bits.  In contrast, there are usually
	millions of words of main memory (RAM), requiring at least
	twenty bits to specify a memory location.  Main memory
	locations are often specified indirectly, using an {indirect
	addressing} mode where the actual memory address is held in a
	register.

	Registers are fast; typically, two registers can be read and a
	third written -- all in a single cycle.  Memory is slower; a
	single access can require several cycles.

	The limited size and high speed of the register set makes it
	one of the critical resources in most computer architectures.
	{Register allocation}, typically one phase of the {back-end},
	controls the use of registers by a compiled program.

	See also {accumulator}, {FUBAR}, {orthogonal}, {register
	dancing}, {register allocation}, {register spilling}.

	2. An addressable location in a {memory-mapped} peripheral
	device.  E.g. the transmit data register in a {UART}.

<messaging> 1. {electronic mail}.

	2. The {Berkeley Unix} program for composing and reading
	{electronic mail}.  It normally uses {sendmail} to handle
	delivery.

	{Unix manual page}: mail(1)

	(1997-12-03)

See also {complete graph}, {complete inference system},
	{complete lattice}, {complete metric space}, {complete partial
	ordering}, {complete theory}.

	[1. or 2. or both?]

	(1996-04-24)

<programming> An individual {object} of a certain {class}.
	While a class is just the type definition, an actual usage of
	a class is called "instance".  Each instance of a class can
	have different values for its {instance variables}, i.e. its
	{state}.

	(1998-03-06)

<programming> A computer system or process that requests a
	service of another computer system or process (a "{server}")
	using some kind of {protocol} and accepts the server's
	responses.  A client is part of a {client-server} software
	architecture.

	For example, a {workstation} requesting the contents of a file
	from a {file server} is a client of the file server.

	(1997-10-27)

1. To copy {data} (often {program} {code} to be {run}) into
	{memory}, possibly {parsing} it somehow in the process.
	E.g. "{WordPerfect} can't load this {RTF} file - are you sure
	it didn't get corrupted in the {download}?"  Opposite of
	{save}.

	2. The degree to which a computer, {network}, or other
	resource is used, sometimes expressed as a percentage of the
	maximum available.  E.g. "What kind of CPU load does that
	program give?", "The network's constantly running at 100%
	load".  Sometimes used, by extension, to mean "to increase the
	level of use of a resource".  E.g. "Loading a spreadsheet
	really loads the CPU".  See also: {load balancing}.

	3. To {install} a piece of {software} onto a system.
	E.g. "The computer guy is gonna come load Excel on my laptop
	for me".  This usage is widely considered to be incorrect.

	(2002-07-02)

<mathematics> A function f : A -> B is surjective or onto or a
	surjection if f A = B.  I.e. f can return any value in B.
	This means that its {image} is its {codomain}.

	Only surjections have {right inverses}, f' : B -> A where
	f (f' x) = x since if f were not a surjection there would be
	elements of B for which f' was not defined.

	See also {bijection}, {injection}.

	(1995-05-27)

1. <mathematics> In the theory of functions, the set of
	argument values for which a {function} is defined.

	See {domain theory}.

	2. <networking> A group of computers whose {hostnames} share a
	common suffix, the "domain name".  The last component of this
	is the {top-level domain}.

	See {administrative domain}, {Domain Name System}, {fully
	qualified domain name}.

	3. {Distributed Operating Multi Access Interactive Network}.

	4. <programming> A specific phase of the {software life cycle}
	in which a developer works.  Domains define developers' and
	users' areas of responsibility and the scope of possible
	relationships between products.

	5. The subject or market in which a piece of software is
	designed to work.

	(1997-12-26)

1. A program which provides some service to other ({client})
	programs.  The connection between client and server is
	normally by means of {message passing}, often over a
	{network}, and uses some {protocol} to encode the client's
	requests and the server's responses.  The server may run
	continuously (as a {daemon}), waiting for requests to arrive
	or it may be invoked by some higher level daemon which
	controls a number of specific servers ({inetd} on {Unix}).

	There are many servers associated with the {Internet}, such as
	those for {HTTP}, {Network File System}, {Network Information
	Service} (NIS), {Domain Name System} (DNS), {FTP}, {news},
	{finger}, {Network Time Protocol}.  On Unix, a long list can
	be found in /etc/services or in the {NIS} database "services".
	See {client-server}.

	2. A computer which provides some service for other computers
	connected to it via a network.  The most common example is a
	{file server} which has a local disk and services requests
	from remote clients to read and write files on that disk,
	often using {Sun}'s {Network File System} (NFS) {protocol} or
	{Novell Netware} on {PCs}.  Another common example is a {web
	server}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(2003-12-29)

1. <chat> {Unix}'s simple {talk} command and {protocol}.
	write has been largely superseded by {talk} and then {irc}.

	An enhancement, {RWP}, has been proposed.

	2. <tool> A simple {text editor} for {Windows}.

	(1998-04-28)

<games> In computer games, the {virtual} position from which
	the human player views the playing area.  There are three
	different perspectives: first person, second person, and third
	person.

	First person perspective: Viewing the world through the eyes
	of the primary character in three dimensions.  e.g. Doom,
	Quake.

	Second person perspective: Viewing the game through a
	spectator's eyes, in two or three dimensions.  Depending on
	the game, the main character is always in view. e.g. Super
	Mario Bros., Tomb Raider.

	Third person perspective: a point of view which is independent
	of where characters or playing units are.  The gaming world is
	viewed much as a satellite would view a battlefield.
	E.g. Warcraft, Command & Conquer.

	(1997-06-19)

<legal> Software may, under various circumstances and in
	various countries, be restricted by patent or {copyright} or
	both.  Most commercial software is sold under some kind of
	{software license}.

	A patent normally covers the design of something with a
	function such as a machine or process.  Copyright restricts
	the right to make and distribute copies of something written
	or recorded, such as a song or a book of recipies.  Software
	has both these aspects - it embodies functional design in the
	{algorithms} and data structures it uses and it could also be
	considered as a recording which can be copied and "performed"
	(run).

	"{Look and feel}" lawsuits attempt to monopolize well-known
	command languages; some have succeeded.  {Copyrights} on
	command languages enforce gratuitous incompatibility, close
	opportunities for competition, and stifle incremental
	improvements.

	{Software patents} are even more dangerous; they make every
	design decision in the development of a program carry a risk
	of a lawsuit, with draconian pretrial seizure.  It is
	difficult and expensive to find out whether the techniques you
	consider using are patented; it is impossible to find out
	whether they will be patented in the future.

	The proper use of {copyright} is to prevent {software piracy}
	- unauthorised duplication of software.  This is completely
	different from copying the idea behind the program in the same
	way that photocopying a book differs from writing another book
	on the same subject.

	{Usenet} newsgroup: {news:misc.legal.computing}.

	["The Software Developer's and Marketer's Legal Companion",
	Gene K. Landy, 1993, AW, 0-201-62276-9].

	(1994-11-16)

<jargon> The opposite of {logical} in its jargon sense.
	Compare {real}, {virtual}, and {transparent}.

	It is said that what you can touch and see is real; what you
	can see but not touch is virtual; what you can touch but not
	see is transparent; and what you can neither touch nor see is
	probably imaginary.

	(2001-10-26)