MICROSOFT Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

n. Circuits constructed on perforated boards using wire instead of the metal traces found on printed circuit boards. The stripped ends of insulated wires are wrapped around the long pins of special wire-wrapped integrated circuit sockets. Wire-wrapped circuits are generally handmade, one-of-a-kind devices used for prototyping and research in electrical engineering. Compare printed circuit board.

wiring closet

n. A room or location in a building where telecommunications and/or networking equipment such as hubs, switches, and routers are installed. Also called: data closet, telecom closet, telecommunications closet.

wizard

n. 1. Someone who is adept at making computers perform their “magic.” A wizard is an outstanding and creative programmer or a power user. Compare guru, UNIX wizard. 2. A participant in a multiuser dungeon (MUD) who has permission to control the domain, even to delete other players’ characters. See also MUD. 3. An interactive help utility within an application that guides the user through each step of a particular task, such as starting up a word processing document in the correct format for a business letter.

wizzywig

n. See WYSIWYG.

WLAN

n. See wireless LAN.

WMA

n. Acronym for Windows Media Audio. See Windows Media Audio.

.wmf

n. A file extension that identifies a vector image encoded as a Microsoft Windows Metafile.

WMF

n. 1. See Windows Metafile Format. 2. Acronym for Wireless Multimedia Forum. A consortium of technology companies formed to promote open standards for wireless streaming products. WMF members include Cisco Systems, Intel, and the Walt Disney Internet Group. See also ISMA.

WMI

n. See Windows Management Instrumentation.

WML

n. Acronym for Wireless Markup Language. A markup language developed for Web sites that are accessed with microbrowsers on Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)–enabled devices. A Web site written with WML would be viewable on handheld devices with small screens, such as cell phones. See also markup language, microbrowser, Wireless Application Protocol.

WMLScript

n. A scripting language derived from the JavaScript language for use in the development of Wireless Markup Language (WML).

WMM

n. See Windows Movie Maker.

word

n. The native unit of storage on a particular machine. A word is the largest amount of data that can be handled by the microprocessor in one operation and also, as a rule, is the width of the main data bus. Word sizes of 16 bits and 32 bits are the most common. Compare byte, octet.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

Word

n. Microsoft’s word processing software, available for the Windows and Macintosh platforms. In addition to extensive editing, formatting, and customization features, Word provides such tools as automatic text completion and correction. The most recent version, Word 2002 (part of Office XP) adds Web functionality—for example, the ability to save documents in HTML format. The first version, Microsoft Word for MS-DOS 1.00, was introduced in 1983.

word-addressable processor

n. A processor that cannot access an individual byte of memory but can access a larger unit. In order to perform operations on an individual byte, the processor must read and write memory in the larger unit. See also central processing unit.

WordPerfect Office

n. A suite of business application programs from Corel Corporation. The basic (Standard Edition) WordPerfect Office suite includes the WordPerfect word processor, Quattro Pro spreadsheet, Corel Presentations presentation software, CorelCENTRAL personal information manager, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications scripting tools, and Trellix Web publisher. A home and small-business package, the Voice-Powered Edition, adds speech recognition and publishing products; a business and corporate package, the Professional Edition, adds database and Internet tools to all of the preceding.

word processing

n. The act of entering and editing text with a word processor. Acronym: WP.

word processor

n. An application program for creating and manipulating text-based documents. A word processor is the electronic equivalent of paper, pen, typewriter, eraser, and, most likely, dictionary and thesaurus. Depending on the program and the equipment in use, word processors can display documents either in text mode (using highlighting, underlining, or color to represent italics, boldfacing, and other such formatting) or in graphics mode (in which formatting and, sometimes, a variety of fonts appear on the screen as they will on the printed page). All word processors offer at least limited facilities for document formatting, such as font changes, page layout, paragraph indentation, and the like. Some word processors can also check spelling, find synonyms, incorporate graphics created with another program, align mathematical formulas, create and print form letters, perform calculations, display documents in multiple on-screen windows, and enable users to record macros that simplify difficult or repetitive operations. Compare editor, line editor.

wordwrap or word wrap

n. The ability of a word processing program or a text-editing program to break lines of text automatically to stay within the page margins or window boundaries of a document without the user having to do so with carriage returns, as is typically necessary when using a typewriter. See also hard return, soft return.

workaround

n. A tactic for accomplishing a task despite a bug or other inadequacy in software or hardware without actually fixing the underlying problem. See also kludge.

workbook

n. In a spreadsheet program, a file containing a number of related worksheets. See also worksheet.

workflow application

n. A set of programs that aids in the tracking and management of all the activities in a project from start to finish.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

workgroup

n. A group of users working on a common project and sharing computer files, typically over a LAN (local area network). See also groupware.

workgroup computing

n. A method of working electronically in which various individuals on the same project share resources and access to files using a network arrangement, such as a local area network, enabling them to coordinate their separate tasks. This is accomplished through using software designed for workgroup computing. See also groupware.

Workplace Shell

n. The graphical user interface of OS/2. Like the Mac OS and Windows 95, the Workplace Shell is document-centric. Document files are displayed as icons; clicking an icon starts the corresponding application, and the user can print a document by dragging the document’s icon to a printer icon. The Workplace Shell uses the graphical functions of Presentation Manager. Acronym: WPS.

worksheet

n. In a spreadsheet program, a page organized into rows and columns appearing on screen and used for constructing a single table.

workstation

n. 1. A combination of input, output, and computing hardware that can be used for work by an individual. 2. A powerful stand-alone computer of the sort used in computer-aided design and other applications requiring a high-end, usually expensive, machine with considerable calculating or graphics capability. 3. A microcomputer or terminal connected to a network.

World Wide Web

n. The total set of interlinked hypertext documents residing on HTTP servers all around the world. Documents on the World Wide Web, called pages or Web pages, are written in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), identified by URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) that specify the particular machine and pathname by which a file can be accessed, and transmitted from server to end user under HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). Codes, called tags, embedded in an HTML document associate particular words and images in the document with URLs so that a user can access another file, which may be halfway around the world, at the press of a key or the click of a mouse. These files may contain text (in a variety of fonts and styles), graphics images, movie files, and sounds as well as Java applets, ActiveX controls, or other small embedded software programs that execute when the user activates them by clicking a link. A user visiting a Web page also may be able to download files from an FTP site and send messages to other users via e-mail by using links on the Web page. The World Wide Web was developed by Timothy Berners-Lee in 1989 for the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, or Conseil Européen pour le Recherche Nucléaire, in French (CERN). Acronym: WWW. Also called: w3, W3, Web. See also ActiveX controls, HTML, HTTP, HTTP server (definition 2), Java applet, URL.

World Wide Web Consortium n. See W3C.

worm

n. A program that propagates itself across computers, usually by creating copies of itself in each computer’s memory. A worm might duplicate itself in one computer so often that it causes the computer to crash. Sometimes written in separate segments, a worm is introduced surreptitiously into a host system either as a prank or with the intent of damaging or destroying information. See also bacterium, Internet Worm, Trojan horse, virus.

WORM

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

n. Acronym for write once, read many. A type of optical disc that can be read and reread but cannot be altered after it has been recorded. WORMs are high-capacity storage devices. Because they cannot be erased and rerecorded, they are suited to storing archives and other large bodies of unchanging information. See also compact disc.

WOSA

n. Acronym for Windows Open Services Architecture, also known as Windows Open System Architecture. A set of application programming interfaces from Microsoft that is intended to enable Windows-based applications from different vendors to communicate with each other, such as over a network. The interfaces within the WOSA standard include Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), the Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), the Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI), Windows Sockets (Winsock), and Microsoft Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). See also MAPI, ODBC, remote procedure call, TAPI, Winsock.

.wp

n. A file extension used to identify files formatted for the WordPerfect word processor.

WP

n. See word processing.

WPS

n. See Workplace Shell.

WRAM

n. Acronym for window random access memory. A type of RAM used in video adapters. Like video RAM (VRAM), WRAM allows the screen to be repainted while a graphical image is being written, but WRAM is faster. Compare video RAM.

wrap around

vb. To continue movement, as with the cursor or a search operation, to the beginning or to a new starting point rather than stopping when the end of a series is reached. For example, the screen cursor might wrap around to the first column of the next line rather than stopping when it reaches the last column of the current line. Likewise, a program starting a search or replace operation in the middle of a document might be instructed to wrap around to the beginning rather than stop when it reaches the end of the document.

wrapper

n. In the Java programming language, an object that encapsulates and delegates to another object with the aim of altering its behavior or interface. See also Java, object.

.wri

n. The file format that identifies document files in the Microsoft Write format.

wrist support

n. A device placed in front of a computer keyboard to support the wrists in an ergonomically neutral position, thereby safeguarding against repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Also called: wrist rest. See also carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injury.

write1

n. A transfer of information to a storage device, such as a disk, or to an output device, such as a monitor or a printer. For example, a disk write means that information is transferred from memory to storage on disk. See also output1. Compare read1.

write2

vb. To transfer information either to a storage device, such as a disk, or to an output device, such as a monitor or a printer. Writing is the means by which a computer provides the results of

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

processing. A computer can also be said to write to the screen when it displays information on the monitor. See also output1. Compare read1.

write access

n. A privilege on a computer system that allows a user to save, change, or delete stored data. Write access is usually set by the system administrator for a networked or server system and by the owner of the computer for a stand-alone machine. See also access privileges.

write-back cache

n. A type of cache with the following feature: when changes are made to cached data, they are not simultaneously made to the original data as well. Instead, the changed data is marked, and the original data is updated when the cached data is deallocated. A write-back cache can perform more quickly than a write-through cache. But in some contexts, differences between cached and original data could lead to problems, and write-through caches must be used. See also cache. Compare write-through cache.

write-behind cache

n. A form of temporary storage in which data is held, or cached, for a short time in memory before being written on disk for permanent storage. Caching improves system performance in general by reducing the number of times the computer must go through the relatively slow process of reading from and writing to disk. See also CPU cache, disk cache.

write cache

n. See write-behind cache.

write error

n. An error encountered while a computer is in the process of transferring information from memory to storage or to another output device. Compare read error.

write mode

n. In computer operation, the state in which a program can write (record) information in a file. In write mode, the program is permitted to make changes to existing information. Compare readonly.

write protect

vb. To prevent the writing (recording) of information, usually on a disk. Either a floppy disk or an individual file on a floppy disk or a hard disk can be write protected (though not necessarily infallibly). See also write-protect notch.

write-protect notch

n. A small opening in the jacket of a floppy disk that can be used to make the disk unwritable. On a 5.25-inch floppy disk, the write-protect notch is a rectangular hole on the edge of the disk jacket. When this notch is covered, a computer can read from the disk but cannot record new information on it. On 3.5-inch microfloppy disks that are enclosed in plastic shells, the writeprotect notch is an opening in a corner. When the sliding tab in this opening is moved to uncover a small hole, the disk is protected and cannot be written to. Also called: write-protect tab. See also write2.

write-protect tab

n. See write-protect notch.

write-through cache

n. A type of cache in which changes made to cached data are simultaneously made in the original copy, rather than being marked for later updating. A write-through cache, though not as fast as a write-back cache, is needed in situations where problems would occur if both the original and cached data did not match. Compare write-back cache.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

.wrl

n. File extension required for saving all Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) documents; for example, cube.wrl. See also VRML.

WSDL

n. Acronym for Web Services Description Language. An XML format developed to allow for better interoperability among Web services and development tools. WSDL describes network services as collections of communication endpoints capable of exchanging messages and is extensible to allow description of endpoints and their messages regardless of what message formats or network protocols are used to communicate.

WSS

n. See Web Storage System.

WTLS

n. Acronym for Wireless Transport Layer Security. A security protocol that provides encryption and authentication services for the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). The WTLS layer uses data integrity, authentication, and encryption mechanisms to provide end-to-end security and privacy for wireless transactions. WTLS is based on Transport Layer Security (TLS), a Secure Socket Layer equivalent used with Internet applications. See also Wireless Application Protocol.

WWW

n. See World Wide Web.

WYSBYGI

adj. Acronym for What You See Before You Get It. Providing a preview of the effects of the changes the user has selected before the changes are finally applied. For example, a dialog box in a word processing program might display a sample of the font a user has chosen before the font is actually changed in the document. The user can cancel any changes after previewing them, and the document will be unaffected. See also WYSIWYG.

WYSIWYG

adj. Acronym for What You See Is What You Get, pronounced “wizzywig.” Allowing a user to view a document as it will appear in the final product, and to directly edit the text, graphics, or other elements within that view. A WYSIWYG language is often easier to use than a markup language, which provides no immediate visual feedback regarding the changes being made. Compare markup language.

X: X10 - x-y-z coordinate system

X10

n. A popular communications protocol for powerline carrier (PLC) systems that uses existing electrical wiring in a home or building for home networking. X10 uses RF signals to communicate between transmitters and receivers. See also home automation, home network, powerline carrier system.

X.200

n. See X series.

X.25

n. A recommendation published by the ITU-T (formerly CCITT) international communications standards organization that defines the connection between a terminal and a packet-switching network. X.25 incorporates three definitions: the electrical connection between the terminal and the network, the transmission or link-access protocol, and the implementation of virtual circuits

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

between network users. Taken together, these definitions specify a synchronous, full-duplex terminal-to-network connection. Packet format, error control, and other features are equivalent to portions of the HDLC (High-level Data Link Control) protocol defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). See also CCITT X series, HDLC, packet switching, virtual circuit.

X3D

n. Acronym for 3D XML. An XML-based 3-D graphics specification incorporating the behavior capabilities of the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). X3D is compatible with existing VRML content and tools and supports full integration with other XML-based technologies. The X3D specification was developed and administered by the Web 3D Consortium.

X.400

n. See X series.

X.445

n. See X series.

X.500

n. See X series.

X.509

n. See X series.

X.75

n. See X series.

x86

n. Any computer based on an 8086, 80286, 80386, 80486, or Pentium microprocessor.

x-axis

n. The horizontal reference line on a grid, chart, or graph that has horizontal and vertical dimensions. See also Cartesian coordinates.

Xbase

n. A generic name for a family of database languages based on dBASE, a copyrighted product of the Ashton-Tate Corporation. Xbase languages have since developed characteristics of their own and are now only partly compatible with the dBASE family. Xbase primarily refers to three different file types (.dbf, .dbt, and .ndx). Also called: xBase, xbase, XBase.

Xbox

n. A video game console developed by Microsoft Corporation and released in 2001. Powered by an Intel 733-MHz processor, the Xbox delivers increased graphics capability over previously released game consoles and provides extensive storage capacity for gaming information. Peripherals plug into four game controller ports. An Ethernet port enables online gaming via a broadband connection. See also computer game, console game, GameCube, PlayStation. Compare Dreamcast.

X button

n. See close button.

XCMD

n. Short for external command. An external code resource used in HyperCard, a hypermedia program developed for the Macintosh. See also HyperCard, XFCN.

X Consortium

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

n. The body, composed of several hardware firms, that governed the standards for the X Window System. The Open Group’s X Project Team now has responsibility for the X Window System. See also X Window System.

xDSL

n. An umbrella term for all of the digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies, which use a variety of modulation schemes to pack data onto copper wires. The x is a placeholder for the first or first two letters of a member technology, which might be ADSL, HDSL, IDSL, RADSL, or SDSL. See also DSL.

XENIX

n. A version of UNIX that was originally adapted by Microsoft for Intel-based personal computers. Although it has been sold by many vendors, including Microsoft, Intel, and the Santa Cruz Operation (SCO), it has become principally identified with SCO. See also UNIX.

xerography

n. See electrophotography.

Xerox Network System n. See XNS.

Xerox PARC

n. Short for Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Xerox’s research and development facility in Palo Alto, California. Xerox PARC is the birthplace of such innovations as the local area network (LAN), the laser printer, and the graphical user interface (GUI).

XFCN

n. Short for external function. An external code resource that returns a value after it has completed executing. XFCNs are used in HyperCard, a hypermedia program developed for the Macintosh. See also HyperCard, XCMD.

XFDL

n. Short for Extensible Forms Description Language, a document description language introduced and submitted to the World Wide Web Committee in 1998 by the Canadian Internet forms company UWI.Com. XFDL is an XML-based language for describing complex forms, such as legal and government documents. It is designed to allow for interactivity yet remain consistent with Internet standards.

XGA

n. See Extended Graphics Array.

x-height

n. In typography, the height of the lowercase letter x in a particular font. The x-height thus represents the height of the body only of a lowercase letter, excluding ascenders (such as the top of the letter b) and descenders (such as the tail on the letter g). See also ascender, descender.

XHTML

n. Short for Extensible Hypertext Markup Language. A markup language incorporating elements of HTML and XML. Web sites designed using XHTML can be more readily displayed on handheld computers and digital phones equipped with microbrowsers. XHTML was released for comments by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in September 1999. See also HTML, microbrowser, XML.

XIP

n. See execute in place.

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

XLANG

n. A derivative XML language that describes the logical sequencing of business processes, as well as the implementation of the business process by using various application services.

XLink

n. An XML language that provides a set of attributes that are used to create links between resources. XLink provides complex extended linking, link behavior, and management capabilities. XLink is able to describe links that connect sets of resources, point to multiple targets, or serve multiple roles within an XML document.

XLL

n. Acronym for eXtensible Linking Language. Broad term intended to denote the family of XML linking/pointing/ addressing languages, which include XLink, XPointer, and XPath.

XMI

n. 1. Acronym for XML Metadata Interchange Format. An object-based model for exchanging program data across the Internet. XMI is sponsored by IBM, Unisys, and others and was submitted as a proposed standard to the Object Management Group (OMG); it is now one of OMG’s recommended technologies. XMI is designed to allow for storing and sharing programming information and exchanging data among tools, applications, and storage locations through a network or the Internet so that software developers can collaborate on applications, even if they are not all using the same development tools. 2. As XMI bus, a 64-bit parallel bus supported on certain DEC and AlphaServer processors. An XMI bus is capable of transferring data, exclusive of addressing overhead, at 100 Mbps.

XML

n. Acronym for eXtensible Markup Language, a condensed form of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language). XML lets Web developers and designers create customized tags that offer greater flexibility in organizing and presenting information than is possible with the older HTML document coding system. XML is defined as a language standard published by the W3C and supported by the industry. See also SGML.

XML attribute

n. Information added to a tag to provide more information about the tag, such as <ingredient quantity=“2”units=“cups”>flour</ingredient>.

XML element

n. Information delimited by a start tag and an end tag in an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document. An example would be <Lastname> Davalio</LastName>.

XML entities

n. Combinations of characters and symbols that replace other characters when an XML document is parsed, usually those that have other meanings in XML. For example, < represents the < symbol, which is also the opening bracket for a tag.

XML Metadata Interchange Format n. See XMI (definition 1).

XML-RPC

n. Acronym for eXtensible Markup Language-Remote Procedure Call. A set of XML-based implementations that allows cross-platform and cross-programming language procedure calls over the Internet. XML-RPC permits complex data structures to be transmitted, processed, and returned between different operating systems running in different environments.

XML Schema

Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition

n. A specification providing a common base for data description and validation in XML environments. XML schema replaces Document Type Definition (DTD) by defining a greater set of data types with more explicit data descriptions. XML schema has been developed as an open, vendor-neutral format to enhance information exchange and e-commerce over the Internet. It is also a standard for the description and encoding of data.

XML Schema Description Language n. See XSDL.

XML stylesheet

n. Contains formatting rules that are applied to an XML file referencing the stylesheet. The standard set of rules for XML stylesheets is the Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL). See also XSL.

XML Web services

n. Units of application logic providing data and services to other applications. Applications access XML Web services via standard Web protocols and data formats such as HTTP, XML, and SOAP, independent of how each XML Web service is implemented. XML Web services combine the best aspects of component-based development and the Web and are a cornerstone of the Microsoft .NET programming model.

Xmodem

n. A file transfer protocol used in asynchronous communications that transfers information in blocks of 128 bytes.

Xmodem 1K

n. A version of the Xmodem file transfer protocol designed for larger, longer-distance file transfers. Xmodem 1K transmits information in 1-kilobyte (1024-byte) blocks and uses a more reliable form of error checking. See also Xmodem.

Xmodem-CRC

n. An enhanced version of the Xmodem file transfer protocol that incorporates a 2-byte cyclical redundancy check (CRC) to detect transmission errors. See also CRC.

XMS

n. See extended memory specification.

XMT

n. Short for transmit. A signal used in serial communications.

XNS

n. Acronym for Xerox Network System. A set of protocols assigned to five numbered layers (0 through 4) that form a suite designed to handle packaging and delivery of network transmissions.

XON/XOFF

n. An asynchronous communications protocol in which the receiving device or computer uses special characters to control the flow of data from the transmitting device or computer. When the receiving computer cannot continue to receive data, it transmits an XOFF control character that tells the sender to stop transmitting; when transmission can resume, the computer signals the sender with an XON character. Also called: software handshake. See also handshake.

XOR

n. See exclusive OR.

XOR encryption