Operating System Vocabulary Words.doc

System Vocabulary Words

Operating system - (OS) The low-level software that handles the interface to peripheral hardware, schedules tasks, allocates storage, and presents a default interface to the user when no  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?application+program" application program is running.
User Interface - The aspects of a computer system or program which can be seen (or heard or otherwise perceived) by the human user, and the commands and mechanisms the user uses to control its operation and input data.
Graphical User Interface - (GUI) The use of pictures rather than just words to represent the input and output of a program. A program with a GUI runs under some  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?windowing+system" windowing system (e.g. The  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?X+Window+System" X Window System,  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?Microsoft+Windows" Microsoft Windows,  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?Acorn" Acorn  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?RISC+OS" RISC OS,  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?NEXTSTEP" NEXTSTEP). The program displays certain  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?icons" icons,  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?buttons" buttons,  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?dialogue+boxes" dialogue boxes etc. in its  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?windows" windows on the screen and the user controls it mainly by moving a  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?pointer" pointer on the screen (typically controlled by a  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?mouse" mouse) and selecting certain objects by pressing buttons on the mouse while the pointer is pointing at them.
Desktop - In  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html" graphical user interfaces, a desktop is the metaphor used to portray  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/file_management_system.html" file systems. Such a desktop consists of pictures, called  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/icon.html" icons, that show cabinets,  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/file.html" files,  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/folder.html" folders, and various types of  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/document.html" documents (that is, letters, reports, pictures).
Icons - A small picture intended to represent something (a file, directory, or action) in a  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?graphical+user+interface" graphical user interface.
Start button ? button usually in the bottom left hand side of an operating system windows 95 and up
Multitasking - A technique used in an  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?operating+system" operating system for sharing a single processor between several independent jobs.
Task switching - Refers to  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/operating_system.html" operating systems or  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/operating_environment.html" operating environments that enable you to switch from one  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/program.html" program to another without losing your spot in the first program. Many  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/utility.html" utilities are available that add task switching to  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/DOS.html" DOS  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/system.html" systems.
Active window ? Refers to  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/a/object.html" objects currently being displayed or used. For example, in  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/a/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html" graphical user interfaces, the active  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/a/window.html" window is the window currently receiving  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/a/mouse.html" mouse and  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/a/keyboard.html" keyboard  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/a/input.html" input.
Title bar - A bar on top of a  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/window.html" window. The title bar contains the  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/name.html" name of the  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/file.html" file or  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/application.html" application.
File- A collection of  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/data.html" data or information that has a  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/name.html" name, called the  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/filename.html" filename
Folder - In  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html" graphical user interfaces such as  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/Windows.html" Windows and the  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/Macintosh_computer.html" Macintosh  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/environment.html" environment, a folder is an  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/object.html" object that can contain multiple  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/document.html" documents.
Maximize - In  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/m/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html" graphical user interfaces, to enlarge a  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/m/window.html" window to its maximum size.
Minimize - In  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/m/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html" graphical user interfaces, to  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/m/convert.html" convert a  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/m/window.html" window into an  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/m/icon.html" icon.
Restore - In  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/r/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html" graphical user interfaces, to restore means to return a  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/r/window.html" window to its original size
Extensions ? filename extension ? the type of file that the file is
Window - An enclosed, rectangular area on a  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/w/display_screen.html" display screen. Most modern  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/w/operating_system.html" operating systems and  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/w/application.html" applications have  HYPERLINK "http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/w/Graphical_User_Interface_GUI.html" graphical user interfaces that let you divide your display into several windows.
Taskbar ? menu bar, which is usually at the bottom of the windows operating system, which most programs running, appears in.
Pull down menu ? A  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?menu" menu in a  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?graphical+user+interface" graphical user interface, whose title is normally visible but whose contents are revealed only when the user activates it
Menu Bar - A permanently displayed  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?menu" menu spread horizontally across the top of the screen or window. When the mouse is pressed over an item on the menu bar, a  HYPERLINK "http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?pull-down+menu" pull-down menu appears.

??-.AB??  ( ) 4 5  ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 56;<=>????????????:	;	@	A	C	D	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	;
<
C
D

?
?
?
?
?
?
?
6
7
<
=
?
?
IJ?????? 



???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
0J>*CJ
jCJUCJ_"#O*?
.?^$??$%G'wf??4 x!y!???????????????????????
?J	
&
F
?J$
?Ja$y!?


$
%
\
]
b
c
e
f
?
...