Dictionary of Computing - 5th Edition

SQA abbr software quality assurance SQL / es kju el/ noun a simple, commonly used standard, database programming language that is only used to create queries to retrieve data from the database.

Full form structured query language square brackets /skweə br k ts/ plural noun brackets with straight sides ( [ ] )

square measure /skweə me'ə/ noun an area in square feet or square metres, calculated by multiplying width and length square root /skweə ru t/ noun a number raised to the power one half The square root of 25 is 5.

square wave / skweə we v/ noun a pulse that rises vertically, levels off, then drops vertically; the ideal shape for a digital signal

SRAM / es r m/ noun RAM which retains data for as long as the power supply is on, and where the data does not have to be refreshed. Full form static RAM

S-registers / es red' stəz/ plural noun memory storage locations in a modem that contain the current configuration details for the way the modem operates. AT command set

SRT abbr source transparent routing SSD abbr single-sided disk

SSI abbr small scale integration

SSL / es es el/ noun a protocol designed by Netscape that provides secure communications over the Internet. Full form secure sockets layer. PGP, SEPP, SET,

STT

ST506 standard / es ti fa v əυ s ksst ndəd/ noun (old) a disk interface standard used in early IBM PCs, developed by Seagate, now replaced by IDE and SCSI

stable state / ste b(ə)l ste t/ noun the state of a system when no external signals are applied

stack /st k/ noun temporary storage for data, registers or tasks where items are added and retrieved from the same end of the list. LIFO

stackable hub / st kəb(ə)l h b/ noun a hub device that has an external connector to allow several devices to be connected together so that network information can pass from one network ring to another

stack address /st k ə dres/ noun a location pointed to by the stack pointer

stack base / st k be s/ noun the address of the origin or base of a stack

stacked job control / st kt d'ɒb kən trəυl/ noun a queue of job control in-

structions that are processed in the order in which they were received

stack job processing / st k d'ɒbprəυses ŋ/ noun the process of storing a

number of jobs to be processed in a stack and automatically executing one after the

other

stack overflow /st k əυvə fləυ/ noun an error message that is sometimes displayed when there is not enough free memory on a computer for a program’s needs

stack pointer / st k pɔ ntə/ noun the address register containing the location of the most recently stored item of data or the location of the next item of data to be retrieved. Abbr SP

stackware / st kweə/ noun an application developed using the Apple Macintosh HyperCard system

stage /ste d'/ noun one of several points in a process The text is ready for the printing stage.

staged /ste d'd/ adjective carried out in stages, one after the other

staged change-over / st dtʃe nd'/ noun a change between an old and a new system in a series of stages stage window / ste d' w ndəυ/ noun a window in which a video or animation sequence is viewed (normally refers to a window in which a Movie Player sequence is played)

stand-alone, standalone adjective referring to a device or system that can operate without the need of any other devices

The workstations have been networked together rather than used as stand-alone systems.

stand-alone system / st nd ə ləυns stəm/ noun a system which can operate independently

stand-alone terminal / st nd ə ləυnt m n(ə)l/ noun a computer terminal with a processor and memory which can be directly connected to a modem, without being a member of a network or cluster standard / st ndəd/ noun the normal quality or normal conditions which are used to judge other things

COMMENT: Modem standards are set by the CCITT in the UK, the Commonwealth and most of Europe, while the USA and part of

South America use modem standards set by Bell.

standard colours / st ndəd k ləz/ plural noun the range of colours that are available on a particular system and can be shared by all applications

standard document / st ndəddɒkjυmənt/, standard form noun a

printed document or form which is used many times (with different names and addresses often inserted – as in a form letter)

standard function / st ndədf ŋkʃən/ noun a special feature included

as normal in a computer system

Standard Generalized Markup Language / st ndəd d'en(ə)rəla zdmɑ k p l ŋ w d'/ noun full form of

SGML

standard interface / st ndədntəfe s/ noun an interface between two

or more systems which conforms to predefined standards

standardise / st ndəda z/ verb to make a series of things conform to a standard to standardize control of transmission links

standard letter / st ndəd letə/ noun a letter which is sent without any change to the main text, but which is personalised by inserting the names and addresses of different people

standard memory / st ndədmem(ə)ri/ noun the first 1Mb of memory in a PC

standard paragraph / st ndədp rə rɑ f/ noun a printed paragraph which is used many times (with different names and addresses often inserted – as in a form letter)

standards converter / st ndədz kənv tə/ noun a device to convert received signals conforming to one standard into a different standard

standard subroutine / st ndəds bru ti n/ noun a routine which carries out an often used function, such as keyboard input or screen display

standard text / st ndəd tekst/ noun a printed text which is used many times (with different names and addresses often inserted – as in a form letter)

standby / st ndba / adjective referring to a device or program that is ready for use in case of failure

standby equipment / st ndba

kw pmənt/ noun a secondary system

identical to the main system, to be used if

the main system breaks down

star network / stɑ netw k/ noun a network of several machines where each node is linked individually to a central

hub. Compare bus network

star program /stɑ prəυ r m/ noun a perfect program which runs (first time) without any errors or bugs

start /stɑ t/ noun the beginning or first part

start bit / stɑ t b t/ noun a transmitted bit used (in asynchronous communications) to indicate the start of a character.

Opposite stop bit

Start button / stɑ t b t(ə)n/ noun a button that is normally in the bottom lefthand corner of a Windows 95 Desktop screen and provides a convenient route to

the programs and files on the computer start element / stɑ t el mənt/ noun

same as start bit

starting point / stɑ t ŋ pɔ nt/ noun a

place where something starts

start of header / stɑ t əv hedə/ noun a transmitted code indicating the start of header (address or destination) informa-

tion for a following message

start of text / stɑ t əv tekst/ noun a transmitted code indicating the end of control or address information and the start of

the message. Abbr SOT, STX

star topology / stɑ tə pɒləd'i/ noun a network topology in which all devices are connected by individual cable to a single central hub If one workstation cable snaps in a star topology, the rest continue,

unlike a bus topology.

start page / stɑ t pe d'/ noun 1. the page to which a user is automatically taken first whenever he or she goes online 2. the webpage to which a visitor to a website is

automatically taken first

startup disk / stɑ t p d sk/ noun a floppy disk which holds the operating system and system configuration files which can, in case of hard disk failure, be used to

boot the computer

Startup folder / stɑ t p fəυldə/ noun a special folder on a hard disk that contains programs that will be run automatically

when the user next starts Windows startup screen / stɑ t p skri n/ noun

text or graphics displayed when an appli-

cation or multimedia book is run statement / ste tmənt/ noun 1. an ex-

pression used to convey an instruction or

define a process 2. an instruction in a source language which is translated into several machine code instructions statement number / ste tməntn mbə/ noun a number assigned (in a sequential way) to a series of instruction

statements

state-of-the-art / ste t əv ði ɑ t/ adjective very modern or technically as advanced as possible

‘…the main PCB is decidedly non-state-of-the-art’ [Personal Computer World]

static / st t k/ adjective 1. referring to data that does not change with time 2. referring to a system that is not dynamic

COMMENT: Static RAM uses bistable devices such as flip-flops to store data; these take up more space on a chip than the capacitative storage method of dynamic RAM but do not

require refreshing.

static colours / st t k k ləz/ plural

noun default palette

static dump / st t k d mp/ noun a printout of the state of a system when it has

finished a process

static electricity / st t k lek tr s ti/ noun an electrical charge that can build up

in a person or electronic component static memory / st t k mem(ə)ri/

noun nonvolatile memory that does not re-

quire refreshing

static object / st t k ɒbd'ekt/ noun an object in an animation or video that

does not move within the frame

static RAM / st t k r m/ noun full

form of SRAM

static relocation / st t k ri ləυke ʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of moving data or coding or assigning absolute loca-

tions before a program is run

static storage / st t k stɔ r d'/ noun nonvolatile memory which does not require refreshing

static subroutine / st t ks bru ti n/ noun a subroutine which uses no variables apart from the operand ad-

dresses

station / ste ʃ(ə)n/ noun a point in a network or communications system which contains devices to control the input and output of messages, allowing it to be used as a sink or source

station management / ste ʃ(ə)nm n d'mənt/ noun software and hard-

ware within the FDDI specification which

provides control information. Abbr SMT statistical /stə t st k(ə)l/ adjective

based on statistics

statistics /stə t st ks/ noun the study

of facts in the form of figures

status bar / ste təs bɑ / noun a line at the top or bottom of a screen which gives information about the task currently being worked on, e.g. position of cursor, number of lines, filename, time

status bit / ste təs b t/ noun a single bit in a word used to provide information

about the state or result of an operation status line / ste təs la n/ noun same as

status bar

status poll / ste təs pəυl/ noun a signal from a computer requesting information

on the current status of a terminal status register / ste təs red' stə/

noun a register containing information on

the status of a peripheral device

ST connector / es ti kə nektə/ noun a

connector used to terminate optical fibres steady state / stedi ste t/ noun a cir-

cuit, device or program state in which no action is occurring but an input can be ac-

cepted

steep learning curve / sti p l n ŋ

k v/ adjective referring to a product that

is very difficult to use

steg analysis / ste ə n ləs s/ noun the process of searching through computerised graphics or music files to find slight changes in the normal patterns that may show the presence of hidden messages

steganography / ste ə nɒ rəfi/ noun the practice of placing secret messages in computerised graphics and music files. These messages are so small that they can only be detected by special software. step /step/ noun a single unit verb to move forward or backwards by one unit

We stepped forward through the file one record at a time.

step frame /step fre m/ verb to capture a video sequence one frame at a time, used when the computer is not powerful or fast enough to capture real-time full-motion video

stepper motor, stepping motor noun a motor which turns in small steps as instructed by a computer (used in printers, disk drives and robots)

step through /step θru / noun a function of a debugger that allows a developer to execute a program one instruction at a

time to see where the fault lies

stereo / steriəυ/, stereophonic / steriəfɒn k/ adjective referring to sound re-

corded onto two separate channels from two separate microphone elements and played back through a pair of headphones or two speakers

stickiness / st kinəs/ noun the ability of a website to attract visitors and to keep them interested for a long time

stick model /st k mɒd(ə)l/ noun same as wire frame model (see)

sticky / st ki/ adjective used to describe an Internet site that attracts visitors, especially one that keeps them interested for a long time

still /st l/ noun a single image or frame within a video or film sequence stochastic model /stə k st kmɒd(ə)l/ noun a mathematical representation of a system which includes the effects of random actions

stock control program / stɒk kəntrəυl prəυ r m/ noun software de-

signed to help manage stock in a business

stop and wait protocol / stɒp ənwe t prəυtəkɑl/ noun communications

protocol in which the transmitter waits for a signal from the receiver that the message was correctly received before transmitting further data

stop bit /stɒp b t/ noun a transmitted bit used in asynchronous communications to indicate the end of a character. Opposite start bit

stop code /stɒp kəυd/ noun an instruction which temporarily stops a process to allow the user to enter data

stop element /stɒp el mənt/ noun same as stop bit

stop instruction /stɒp n str kʃən/ noun a computer programming instruction which stops program execution

stop list /stɒp l st/ noun a list of words which are not to be used or are not significant for a file or library search

stop time /stɒp ta m/ noun the time taken for a spinning disk to come to a stop after it is no longer powered

storage / stɔ r d'/ noun memory or the part of a computer system in which data or programs are kept for further use

storage allocation / stɔ r d'ləke ʃ(ə)n/ noun a method by which

memory is allocated for different uses, e.g. programs, variables, data

storage capacity / stɔ r d' kəp s ti/ noun the amount of space available for storage of data

storage density / stɔ r d' dens ti/ noun the number of bits which can be recorded per unit area of storage medium storage device / stɔ r d' d va s/ noun any device which can store data and then allow it to retrieved when required storage disk / stɔ r d' d sk/ noun a disk used to store data

storage dump / stɔ r d' d mp/ noun a printout of all the contents of an area of storage space

storage medium / stɔ r d' mi diəm/ noun any physical material that can be used to store data for a computer application

storage tube / stɔ r d' tju b/ noun a special CRT used for computer graphics, which retains an image on screen without the need for refresh actions

store /stɔ / noun memory or the part of a computer system in which data or programs are kept for further use verb to save data, which can then be used again as necessary Storing a page of high resolution graphics can require 3Mb.

COMMENT: Storage devices include hard and floppy disk, RAM, punched paper tape and magnetic tape.

store address register / stɔ ə dresred' stə/ noun full form of SAR

store and forward / stɔ ən fəɔwəd/ noun an electronic mail communications system which stores a number of messages before retransmitting them

store cell / stɔ sel/ noun same as store location

store data register / stɔ de təred' stə/ noun full form of SDR

stored program /stɔ d prəυ r m/ noun a computer program which is stored in memory. If it is stored in dynamic RAM it will be lost when the machine is switched off, if stored on disk or tape (backing store) it will be permanently retained.

stored program signalling / stɔ dprəυ r m s n(ə)l ŋ/ noun a system of

storing communications control signals on computer in the form of a program store location /stɔ ləυ ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun a unit in a computer system which can store information

story board / stɔ ri bɔ d/ noun a series of pictures or drawings that show how a video or animation progresses

STP abbr shielded twisted pair

straight-line coding / stre t la n nkəυd ŋ/ noun a program written to avoid the use of loops and branches, providing a faster execution time

stream /stri m/ noun a long flow of serial data

streaming audio / stri m ŋ ɔ diəυ/ noun digital audio data that is continuously transmitted (normally over the Internet) using a streaming protocol to provide stereo sound

streaming data, streaming protocol noun a method of sending a continuous stream of data over the Internet to provide live video or sound transmission

COMMENT: Older methods of sending continuous live data used a standard web server (an HTTP server) to transmit the data. However, an HTTP server is designed to send data when it is ready rather than sending a regular stream of data that is required by multimedia. If you have ever tried to view a video clip over the Internet, you will have encountered this burst-transmission problem: when traffic or server load lightens, you can watch 20 frames per second, when the server is busy, you can watch one frame per minute. To provide a good multimedia server, the data delivery must be regulated and ideally synchronised. There are many different standards used to deliver sound and video over the Internet including Progressive Network’s RealAudio, Microsoft’s NetShow server (that supports both audio and video) and Netscape’s MediaServer. Each of these streaming data technologies allows the user or publisher to limit the delivery of data to a maximum data rate. There are several standard formats used including Microsoft’s multimedia delivery format, ASF (active streaming format) and other standards developed by Macromedia, VDOnet, Vivo, and VXtreme.

streaming tape drive / stri m ŋ te pdra v/ noun same as tape streamer streaming video / stri m ŋ v diəυ/ noun video image data that is continuously transmitted (normally over the Internet) using a streaming protocol to provide smooth moving images

STRESS /stres/ abbr structural engineering system solver

strikethrough noun a horizontal line used for indicating deleted text

string /str ŋ/ noun any series of consecutive alphanumeric characters or words that are manipulated and treated as a single unit by the computer alphanumeric or character string storage allocated for a series of alphanumeric characters

string area /str ŋ eəriə/ noun a section of memory in which strings of alphanumeric characters are stored

string array /str ŋ ə re / noun an array whose elements can be strings (of alphanumeric characters)

string concatenation /str ŋ kənk tə ne ʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of linking a series of strings together

string function /str ŋ f ŋkʃən/ noun a program operation which can act on strings

string length /str ŋ leŋθ/ noun the number of characters in a string

string name /str ŋ ne m/ noun identification label assigned to a string

string orientated symbolic language / str ŋ ɔ riənte t d s m bɒl k

l ŋ w d'/ noun full form of SNOBOL string type /str ŋ ta p/ noun a variable that can contain alphanumeric characters only

string variable /str ŋ veəriəb(ə)l/ noun a variable used in a computer language that can contain alphanumeric characters as well as numbers

stringy floppy / str ŋi flɒpi/ noun same as tape streamer

strip /str p/ verb to remove the control data from a received message, leaving only the relevant information

strip window /str p w ndəυ/ noun a display which shows a single line of text strobe /strəυb/ verb to send a pulse, usually on the selection line, of an electronic circuit noun the pulse of an electric circuit

stroke /strəυk/ noun 1. the width (in pixels) of a pen or brush used to draw onscreen 2. the thickness of a printed character

structure / str ktʃə/ noun a way in which something is organized or formed verb to organise or to arrange in a certain way You first structure a document to meet your requirements and then fill in the blanks. structured programming wellordered and logical technique of assembling programs

structured cabling / str ktʃədke b(ə)l ŋ/ noun a method of cabling using UTP cable feeding into hubs designed in such a way that it is easy to trace and repair cable faults and also to add new stations or more cable

structured design / str ktʃəd dza n/ noun a number of interconnected modules which are intended to solve problems

structured programming

/ str ktʃəd prəυ r m ŋ/ noun a style of computer programming in which a program consists of a hierarchy of simple subroutines

structured query language

/ str ktʃəd kw əri l ŋ w d'/ noun full form of SQL

structured wiring / str ktʃədwa ər ŋ/ noun the planned installation of all the cables that will be required in an office or building for computer networks and telephone

STT / es ti ti / noun a system developed to provide a secure link between a user’s browser and a vendor’s Website to allow the user to pay for goods over the Internet. Full form secure transaction technology. PGP, SEPP, SET, S-HTTP, SSL stub /st b/ noun a short program routine which contains comments to describe the executable code that will, eventually, be inserted into the routine

stuck beacon /st k bi kən/ noun an error condition in which a station continuously transmits beacon frames

STX abbr start of text

style /sta l/ noun the typeface, font, point size, colour, spacing and margins of text in a formatted document

style sheet /sta l ʃi t/ noun a template which can be preformatted to generate automatically the style or layout of a document such as a manual, book or newsletter stylus / sta ləs/ noun a pen-like device which is used in computer graphics systems to dictate cursor position on the screen

stylus printer / sta ləs pr ntə/ noun dot-matrix printer

sub- /s b/ prefix less than, less important than or lower than

subaddress / s bə dres/ noun a peripheral identification code, used to access one peripheral. This is then followed by address data to access a location within the peripheral’s memory.

subclass / s bklɑ s/ noun a number of data items related to one item in a master class

subdirectory / s bd rekt(ə)ri/ noun a directory of disk or tape contents contained within the main directory

‘…if you delete a file and then delete the subdirectory where it was located, you cannot restore the file because the directory does not exist’ [Personal Computer World]

sub-domain /s b dəυ me n/ noun a second level of addressing on the Internet that normally refers to a department name within a larger organisation subdomain name / s bdə me nne m/ noun an organisational name consisting of two or three letters, e.g. ac or

.com, that precedes the two-letter country domain name in an Internet address, as in ‘.com.au’, the address for Australian commercial sites.

subject line / s bd' kt la n/ noun a line in an e-mail that indicates the subject

of the message

submenu / s bmenju / noun a secondary menu displayed as a choice from a

menu

submit button /səb m t b t(ə)n/ noun a button displayed on a webpage that sends information entered by a user on a web form to a program running on a web server for processing, e.g., the submit button could be used to start a search query subnet / s bnet/ noun a self-contained part of a large network, normally referring to one, independently-managed part of the Internet

subnet address / s bnet ə dres/, subnet number / s bnet n mbə/ noun

the part of an IP address that identifies a subnet that is connected to a larger network. The first part of the IP address identifies the network, the next part of the IP address identifies the subnet and the last part of the IP address identifies a single host server. IP address

subnet mask / s bnet mɑ sk/ noun a filter that is used to select the portion of an

IP address that contains the subnet address subnotebook /s b nəυtbυk/ noun a

very small portable computer, smaller and lighter than a standard full-size notebook or laptop computer. A subnotebook often has a smaller keyboard and display and often only includes a hard disk drive with any floppy disk drive or CD-ROM drive in a separate, external unit that can be plugged in when needed.

subprogram / s bprəυ r m/ noun 1. a subroutine in a program 2. a program called up by a main program subroutine / s bru ti n/ noun a section of a program which performs a required function and can be called upon at any time from inside the main program closed or linked subroutine a number of computer instructions in a program which

can be called at any time, with control being returned on completion to the next instruction after the call

COMMENT: A subroutine is executed by a call instruction which directs the processor to its address; when finished it returns to the instruction after the call instruction in the main program.

subroutine call / s bru ti n kɔ l/ noun a computer programming instruction which directs control to a subroutine subscribe /səb skra b/ verb to add your name to a mailing list or listserv list so that you will receive any messages for the group

subscriber /səb skra bə/ noun 1. a person who has a telephone 2. a person who pays for access to a service such as a BBS

subscript / s bskr pt/ noun a small character which is printed below the line of other characters. superscript (NOTE: used in chemical formulae: CO2)

subscripted variable / s bskr pt dveəriəb(ə)l/ noun an element in an array,

which is identified by a subscript

subsegment / s bse mənt/ noun a small section of a segment

subset / s b set/ noun a small set of data items which forms part of a another larger set

substitute / s bst tju t/ verb to put something in the place of something else

(NOTE: you substitute one thing for another)

substitute character / s bst tju tk r ktə/ noun a character which is displayed if a received character is not recognized

substitution error / s bst tju ʃ(ə)nerə/ noun an error made by a scanner which mistakes one character or letter for another

substitution table / s bst tju ʃ(ə)nte b(ə)l/ noun a list of characters or codes which are to be inserted instead of received codes

substrate / s bstre t/ noun a base material on which an integrated circuit is constructed. integrated circuit subsystem / s bs stəm/ noun one smaller part of a large system

subtraction /səb tr kʃən/ noun the process of taking one number away from another

subtrahend / s btrəhend/ noun in a subtraction operation, the number to be subtracted from the minuend sub-woofer /s b wυfə/ noun a large loudspeaker that can reproduce very low frequency sounds, normally with frequencies between 20 to 100Hz, used with normal loudspeakers to enhance the overall sound quality

suffix notation / s f ks nəυ te ʃ(ə)n/ noun mathematical operations written in a logical way, so that the symbol appears after the numbers to be acted upon. postfix notation

suitcase / su tke s/ noun (in the Apple Macintosh environment) an icon which contains a screen font and allows fonts to be easily installed onto the system

suite of programs / swi t əvprəυ r mz/ noun 1. a group of pro-

grams which run one after the other The word-processing system uses a suite of three programs, editor, spelling checker and printing controller. 2. a number of programs used for a particular task

sum /sɒm/ noun total of a number of items added together

summation check /s me ʃ(ə)n tʃek/ noun an error detection check performed by adding together the characters received and comparing with the required total

Sun Microsystems / s nma krəυs stəmz/ a company that devel-

oped the Java programming system used to extend webpages

super- /su pə/ prefix very good or very powerful

super bit mapping / su pə b tm p ŋ/ noun full form of SBM supercomputer / su pəkəm pju tə/ noun a very powerful mainframe computer used for high speed mathematical tasks superimpose / su pər m pəυz/ verb to place something on top of something else

superior number /sυ p əriə n mbə/ noun a superscript figure

super large scale integration

/ su pə lɑ d' ske l nt re ʃ(ə)n/ noun an integrated circuit with more than 100,000 components. Abbr SLSI superscript / su pə skr pt/ noun a small character printed higher than the normal line of characters. Compare subscript (NOTE: used often in mathematics: 105 say: ten to the power five)

supersede / su pə si d/ verb to take the place of something which is older or less useful The new program supersedes the

earlier one, and is much faster.

super VGA / su pə vi d'i e / noun full form of SVGA

supervisor / su pə va zə/ noun 1. a person who makes sure that equipment is always working correctly 2. a section of a computer operating system that regulates the use of peripherals and the operations undertaken by the CPU

supervisor program / su pəva zəprəυ r m/ noun same as supervisory

program

supervisory / su pəva zəri/ adjective as a supervisor

supervisory instruction

/ su pəva zəri n str kʃən/ noun an instruction used to control and execute programs under the control of an operating system

supervisory program / su pəva zəriprəυ r m/ noun a master program in a

computer system that controls the execution of other programs

supervisory sequence

/ su pəva zəri si kwəns/ noun a combination of control codes that perform a controlling function in a data communications network

supervisory signal / su pəva zəris n(ə)l/ noun 1. a signal that indicates if a circuit is busy 2. a signal which provides an indication of the state of a device supplier /sə pla ə/ noun a company which supplies something a supplier of computer parts

supply /sə pla / noun the process of providing goods, products or services The electricity supply has failed. verb to provide something which is needed and for which someone will pay The computer was supplied by a recognised dealer. support /sə pɔ t/ verb to give help to or to help to run The main computer sup-

ports six workstations.

support chip /sə pɔ t tʃ p/ noun a dedicated IC which works with a CPU and carries out an additional function or a standard function very rapidly, so speeding up the processing time The maths

support chip can be plugged in here. suppressor /sə presə/ noun a device

which suppresses interference

surf /s f/ verb to explore a website looking at the webpages in no particular order,

but simply moving between pages using the links

surface-mount technology / s f s maυnt tek nɒləd'i/ noun full form of

SMT

surge /s d'/ noun a sudden increase in electrical power in a system, due to a fault, noise or component failure

COMMENT: Power surges can burn out circuits before you have time to pull the plug. A surge protector between your computer and the wall

outlet will help prevent damage.

surge protector /s d' prə tektə/ noun an electronic device which cuts off the power supply to sensitive equipment if it detects a power surge that could cause

damage

suspend /sə spend/ noun a command that is used when running Windows on a battery-powered laptop computer to shut down almost all of the electronic compo-

nents of the laptop

SVGA / es vi d'i e / noun an enhancement to the standard VGA graphics display system which allows resolutions of up to 800x600pixels with 16million col-

ours. Full form super VGA

S-Video / es v diəυ/ noun a method of transmitting a video signal in which the luminance and colour components (the luma, Y, and chroma, C) are transmitted over separate wires to improve the quality of the video, used in Hi8, S-VHS and other video formats to provide better quality than composite video. Also called Y/C video

swap /swɒp/ noun same as swapping verb to stop using one program, put it into store temporarily, run another program, and when that is finished, return to the first one

swap file /swɒp fa l/ noun a file stored on the hard disk used as a temporary storage area for data held in RAM, to provide virtual memory

swapping / swɒp ŋ/ noun (in a virtual memory system) an activity in which program data is moved from main memory to disk, while another program is loaded or run. virtual memory. Also called swap swim /sw m/ noun computer graphics which move slightly due to a faulty display unit

switch /sw tʃ/ noun 1. (in some com- mand-line operating systems) an additional character entered on the same line as the program command, which affects how the program runs 2. a point in a computer

program where control can be passed to one of a number of choices 3. a mechanical or solid state device that can electrically connect or isolate two or more lines verb 1. to connect or disconnect two lines by activating a switch to switch on to start to provide power to a system by using a switch to connect the power supply lines to the circuit 2. to switch over to start using an alternative device when the primary one becomes faulty

switched network backup / sw tʃnetw k b k p/ noun a user’s choice of

a secondary route through a network if the first is busy

switching / sw tʃ ŋ/ noun a constant update of connections between changing sinks and sources in a network switching centre / sw tʃ ŋ sentə/ noun a point in a communications network where messages can be switched to and from the various lines and circuits that end there

switching circuit / sw tʃ ŋ s k t/ noun an electronic circuit that can direct messages from one line or circuit to another in a switching centre

SX / es eks/ noun a type of processor chip derived from the basic 80386 or 80486 processor that is slightly cheaper to manufacture and buy

symbol / s mbəl/ noun a sign or picture which represents something This language uses the symbol ? to represent the print command.

Symbol font / s mb(ə)l fɒnt/ noun a TrueType font that is included with Windows and includes all sorts of symbols and Greek characters. TrueType symbolic /s m bɒl k/ adjective which acts as a symbol or which uses a symbol name or label

symbolic address /s m bɒl k ə dres/ noun the address represented by a symbol or name

symbolic code /s m bɒl k kəυd/ noun an instruction that is in mnemonic form rather than a binary number

symbolic-coding format /s m bɒl kkəυd ŋ fɔ m t/ noun assembly lan-

guage instruction syntax, using a label, operation and operand fields

symbolic debugger /s m bɒl k dib ə/ noun a debugger that allows symbolic representation of variables or locations

symbolic instruction /s m bɒl k nstr kʃən/ noun same as symbolic code symbolic language /s m bɒl kl ŋ w d'/ noun 1. any computer language where locations are represented by names 2. any language used to write source code

symbolic logic /s m bɒl k lɒd' k/ noun the study of reasoning and thought (formal logic)

symbolic name /s m bɒl k ne m/ noun a name used as a label for a variable or location

symbolic programming /s m bɒl kprəυ r m ŋ/ noun the process of writ-

ing a program in a source language symbolic table /s m bɒl k te b(ə)l/ noun a list of labels or names in a compiler or assembler, which relate to their addresses in the machine code program

symmetrical compression /smetr k(ə)l kəm preʃ(ə)n/ noun a com-

pression system that requires the same processing power and time scale to compress and decompress an image

symmetric difference /s metr kd frəns/ noun a logical function whose output is true if either of 2 inputs is true, and false if both inputs are the same

sync /s ŋk/ noun same as synchronisation (informal) in sync synchronised the two devices are out of sync the two devices are not properly synchronised

sync bit /s ŋk b t/ noun a transmitted bit used to synchronise devices

sync character /s ŋk k r ktə/ noun a transmitted character used to synchronise devices

synchronisation / s ŋkrənaze ʃ(ə)n/ noun the action of synchronising two or more devices

synchronisation pulses / s ŋkrənaze ʃ(ə)n p ls z/ plural noun transmitted pulses used to make sure that the receiver is synchronised with the transmitter

synchronise / s ŋkrə na z/ verb to make sure that two or more devices or processes are coordinated in time or action

synchronised dynamic RAM

/ s ŋkrəna zd da n m k r m/ noun full form of SDRAM

synchroniser / s ŋkrəna zə/ noun a device that will perform a function when it receives a signal from another device

synchronous / s ŋkrənəs/ adjective which runs in sync with something else

(such as a main clock)

synchronous cache / s ŋkrənəs k ʃ/ noun a high-speed secondary cache system used in many computers that use the Pentium processor chip synchronous computer / s ŋkrənəs kəm pju tə/ noun a computer in which each action can only take place when a timing pulse arrives

synchronous data link control

/ s ŋkrənəs de tə l ŋk kən trəυl/ noun full form of SDLC

synchronous data network

/ s ŋkrənəs de tə netw k/ noun a communications network in which all the actions throughout the network are con-

trolled by a single timing signal synchronous DRAM / s ŋkrənəs

dr m/ noun new high-speed memory technology in which the memory components work from the same clock signal as the main processor, so are synchronised

synchronous idle character

/ s ŋkrənəs a d(ə)l k r ktə/ noun a character transmitted by a DTE to ensure correct synchronisation when no other

character is being transmitted synchronous mode / s ŋkrənəs

məυd/ noun a system mode in which operations and events are synchronised with a clock signal

synchronous network / s ŋkrənəsnetw k/ noun a network in which all the

links are synchronised with a single timing

signal

synchronous system / s ŋkrənəss stəm/ noun a system in which all devic-

es are synchronised to a main clock signal

synchronous transmission

/ s ŋkrənəs tr nz m ʃ(ə)n/ noun the transmission of data from one device to another, where both devices are controlled by the same clock, and the transmitted data

is synchronised with the clock signal sync pulses /s ŋk p ls z/ plural noun

transmitted pulses used to make sure that the receiver is synchronised with the transmitter

syntactic error /s n t kt k erə/ noun a programming error in which the program statement does not follow the syntax of the language

syntax / s nt ks/ noun grammatical rules which apply to a programming language

syntax analysis / s nt ks ə n ləs s/ noun a stage in compilation where statements are checked to see if they obey the

rules of syntax

syntax error / s nt ks erə/ noun an error resulting from incorrect use of programming language syntax

synthesis / s nθəs s/ noun the process of producing something artificially from a

number of smaller elements synthesise / s nθəsa z/ verb to pro-

duce something artificially from a number of smaller elements

‘…despite the fact that speech can now be synthesized with very acceptable quality, all it conveys is linguistic information’ [Personal Computer World]

synthesised voice / s nθəsa zdvɔ s/ noun speech created by an electron-

ic device that uses phonemes synthesiser / s nθəsa zə/ noun a de-

vice which generates signals, sound or

speech

synthetic address /s n θet k ə dres/ noun a location used by a program pro-

duced by instructions within the program synthetic language /s n θet k

l ŋ w d'/ noun programming language in which the source program is written SyQuest / sa kwest/ a manufacturer of storage devices, including a range of removable hard disk drives and backup

units. Zip disk

sysgen / s sd'en/ noun same as system generation

sysop / s s ɒp/ noun a person who maintains a bulletin board system or net-

work

system / s stəm/ noun any group of hardware or software or peripherals, etc., which work together

system administrator / s stəm ədm n stre tə/ noun network adminis-

trator

system attribute / s stəm tr bju t/ noun a special attribute attached to a file used by the operating system, the file be-

ing hidden from normal users

system backup / s stəm b k p/ noun a copy of all the data stored on a

computer, server or network

system board / s stəm bɔ d/ noun

motherboard

system check / s stəm tʃek/ noun the process of running diagnostic routines to

ensure that there are no problems system clock / s stəm klɒk/ noun an

electronic component that generates a reg-