No Rhyme or Reason Behind Computer Terms - Glossary

Who comes up with this stuff, anyway? Perhaps you find yourself asking this question whenever you stumble across the latest computer-related term. Many such terms are acronyms, but certainly not all. Some carry references to the company that developed a new technological application. Others are abbreviations rather than true acronyms. Still others are based on analogies or other descriptions.

Take the word bus, for instance. The first image that comes to mind is probably a large vehicle designed for mass transit. The bus inside a computer handles a kind of transportation, but the cargo is data rather than people. The internal bus of a computer (also known as the processor bus or local bus) connects internal components with the computer's central processing unit (CPU). An expansion bus, on the other hand, connects expansion boards to the CPU. So why is the term bus used? Those in the know say it's because just as a traditional bus (the motor vehicle kind) serves all the stops on its route, a computer bus transfers data to all components with which it's connected.

Buffer

Not to be confused with that vampire slayer on TV, a buffer is an area for temporary information storage. As you type in your word processing program, the computer stores the changes you make to the document in a buffer. Then it stores them on a disk when you save.

Ergonomics

They don't award a Nobel Prize in ergonomics, but maybe they should. Ergonomics (from the Greek ergon or work) refers to the science of relationships between people and machines, specifically in terms of comfort and health. If you suffer eye strain from staring at a monitor or wrist pain from pounding a keyboards, you're a good candidate for improvements in this area. Manufacturers have made great advances in designing computer products to promote the health and comfort of users. The downside is that ergonomics has become a buzzword, and almost anything can be touted for its potential in this direction. A helpful source of tips on promoting an ergonomically sound environment is provided by the University of California at Berkeley at www.uhs.berkeley.edu/FacStaff/Ergonomics/.

Hypertext

The era of online communications has seen the invention and growing use of hypertext, which is a system of linking words, images, programs, or other objects. (Hyper is another term with Greek origins, meaning above or beyond). The neat thing about hypertext is that it links you from one object to the next. Web pages rely on this for basic functionality. If you're reading about the U.S. Supreme Court, for example, the use of hypertext allows you to jump to items such as the text of an important court decision, a biography of a Supreme Court justice, or any other related topic. A great source of information is an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) site on hypertext as www.csd.uwo.ca/[sim]jamie/hypertext-faq.html.

SQL

While this looks like it might be an abbreviation for that fuzzy tree-climber who likes to raid your bird feeder, SQL is more complicated than that. It stands for "Standard Query Language." SQL is a programming language for working with databases. First used mostly with larger computers, SQL has become more popular with PC users who are connected through local area networks (LANs). It supports the ability to request information from databases. In a networked environment, more than one user can query the same database simultaneously.

Subroutine

The standard sandwich construction method at Subway? Perhaps, but in computer lingo, subroutine refers to a group of instructions for performing a particular task. A subroutine may also be called a module, function, procedure, or macro. The term routine is often used interchangeably with subroutine, although you'd think a subroutine would be smaller. Go figure.

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