computer science

Noun
  1. The branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures (synset 106138021)
    referred to in: computer, computing device, computing machine, data processor, electronic computer, information processing system - a machine for performing calculations automatically
    associated with:
    • allocation, storage allocation - (computer science) the assignment of particular areas of a magnetic disk to particular data or instructions
    • data encryption - (computer science) the encryption of data for security purposes
    • desktop publishing - (computer science) the use of microcomputers with graphics capacity to produce printed materials
    • access, memory access - (computer science) the operation of reading or writing stored information
    • accumulator, accumulator register - (computer science) a register that has a built-in adder that adds an input number to the contents of the register
    • background, desktop, screen background - (computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear
    • backup, computer backup - (computer science) a copy of a file or directory on a separate storage device
    • buffer, buffer storage, buffer store - (computer science) a part of RAM used for temporary storage of data that is waiting to be sent to a device; used to compensate for differences in the rate of flow of data between components of a computer system
    • bbs, bulletin board, bulletin board system, electronic bulletin board - a computer that is running software that allows users to leave messages and access information of general interest
    • cache, memory cache - (computer science) RAM memory that is set aside as a specialized buffer storage that is continually updated; used to optimize data transfers between system elements with different characteristics
    • c.p.u., central processing unit, central processor, cpu, mainframe, processor - (computer science) the part of a computer (a microprocessor chip) that does most of the data processing
    • computer, computing device, computing machine, data processor, electronic computer, information processing system - a machine for performing calculations automatically
    • computer circuit - a circuit that is part of a computer
    • computer network - (computer science) a network of computers
    • command key, control key - (computer science) the key on a computer keyboard that is used (in combination with some other key) to type control characters
    • core, magnetic core - (computer science) a tiny ferrite toroid formerly used in a random access memory to store one bit of data; now superseded by semiconductor memories
    • counter - (computer science) a register whose contents go through a regular series of states (usually states indicating consecutive integers)
    • cursor, pointer - (computer science) indicator consisting of a movable spot of light (an icon) on a visual display; moving it allows the user to point to commands or screen positions
    • dedicated file server - (computer science) a file server that can be used only as a file server
    • dialog box, panel - (computer science) a small temporary window in a graphical user interface that appears in order to request information from the user; after the information has been provided the user dismisses the box with `okay' or `cancel'
    • dip switch, dual inline package switch - (computer science) one of a set of small on-off switches mounted in computer hardware; used in place of jumpers to configure the machine for a user
    • disk controller - (computer science) a circuit or chip that translates commands into a form that can control a hard disk drive
    • disc drive, disk drive, hard drive, winchester drive - computer hardware that holds and spins a magnetic or optical disk and reads and writes information on it
    • display adapter, display adaptor - (computer science) an electronic device that converts information in memory to video output to a display
    • dongle - (computer science) an electronic device that must be attached to a computer in order for it to use protected software
    • drive - (computer science) a device that writes data onto or reads data from a storage medium
    • eprom, erasable programmable read-only memory - (computer science) a read-only memory chip that can be erased by ultraviolet light and programmed again with new data
    • file server - (computer science) a digital computer that provides workstations on a network with controlled access to shared resources
    • firewall - (computing) a security system consisting of a combination of hardware and software that limits the exposure of a computer or computer network to attack from crackers; commonly used on local area networks that are connected to the internet
    • foreground - (computer science) a window for an active application
    • computer hardware, hardware - (computer science) the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical components making up a computer system
    • index register - (computer science) a register used to determine the address of an operand
    • interface, port - (computer science) computer circuit consisting of the hardware and associated circuitry that links one device with another (especially a computer and a hard disk drive or other peripherals)
    • electronic stylus, light pen - (computer science) a pointer that when pointed at a computer display senses whether or not the spot is illuminated
    • core memory, magnetic core memory - (computer science) a computer memory consisting of an array of magnetic cores; now superseded by semiconductor memories
    • disc, disk, magnetic disc, magnetic disk - (computer science) a memory device consisting of a flat disk covered with a magnetic coating on which information is stored
    • client, guest, node - (computer science) any computer that is hooked up to a computer network
    • non-dedicated file server - (computer science) a file server that can be used simultaneously as a workstation
    • computer peripheral, peripheral, peripheral device - electronic equipment external to the circuit board that contains the CPU of a computer
    • pel, picture element, pixel - (computer science) the smallest discrete component of an image or picture on a CRT screen (usually a colored dot)
    • printer - (computer science) an output device that prints the results of data processing
    • ram disk - (computer science) a virtual drive that is created by setting aside part of the random-access memory to use as if it were a group of sectors
    • fixed storage, read-only memory, read-only storage, rom - (computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changed
    • head, read/write head - (computer science) a tiny electromagnetic coil and metal pole used to write and read magnetic patterns on a disk
    • register - (computer science) memory device that is the part of computer memory that has a specific address and that is used to hold information of a specific kind
    • positioner, rotary actuator - (computer science) the actuator that moves a read/write head to the proper data track
    • router - (computer science) a device that forwards data packets between computer networks
    • screen saver - (computer science) a moving design that appears on a computer screen when there has been no input for a specified period of time
    • security system - (computing) a system that enforces boundaries between computer networks
    • host, server - (computer science) a computer that provides client stations with access to files and printers as shared resources to a computer network
    • shift register - (computer science) register in which all bits can be shifted one or more positions to the left or to the right
    • data track, track - (computer science) one of the circular magnetic paths on a magnetic disk that serve as a guide for writing and reading data
    • virtual memory, virtual storage - (computer science) memory created by using the hard disk to simulate additional random-access memory; the addressable storage space available to the user of a computer system in which virtual addresses are mapped into real addresses
    • window - (computer science) a rectangular part of a computer screen that contains a display different from the rest of the screen
    • architecture, computer architecture - (computer science) the structure and organization of a computer's hardware or system software
    • cisc, complex instruction set computer, complex instruction set computing - (computer science) a kind of computer architecture that has a large number of instructions hard coded into the CPU chip
    • reduced instruction set computer, reduced instruction set computing, risc - (computer science) a kind of computer architecture that has a relatively small set of computer instructions that it can perform
    • dithered color, dithered colour, nonsolid color, nonsolid colour - a color produced by a pattern of differently colored dots that together simulate the desired color
    • execution speed - (computer science) the speed with which a computational device can execute instructions; measured in MIPS
    • bits per inch, bpi - a measure of how densely information is packed on a storage medium
    • interoperability - (computer science) the ability to exchange and use information (usually in a large heterogeneous network made up of several local area networks)
    • emulation - (computer science) technique of one machine obtaining the same results as another
    • terminal emulation - (computer science) having a computer act exactly like a terminal
    • computer simulation, simulation - (computer science) the technique of representing the real world by a computer program
    • descriptor - a piece of stored information that is used to identify an item in an information storage and retrieval system
    • information theory - (computer science) a statistical theory dealing with the limits and efficiency of information processing
    • logic - the system of operations performed by a computer that underlies the machine's representation of logical operations
    • ontology - (computer science) a rigorous and exhaustive organization of some knowledge domain that is usually hierarchical and contains all the relevant entities and their relations
    • video - (computer science) the appearance of text and graphics on a video display
    • e-mail, electronic mail, email - (computer science) a system of world-wide electronic communication in which a computer user can compose a message at one terminal that can be regenerated at the recipient's terminal when the recipient logs in
    • command prompt, prompt - (computer science) a symbol that appears on the computer screen to indicate that the computer is ready to receive a command
    • computer file name, computer filename, file name, filename - (computer science) the name given to a computer file in order to distinguish it from other files; may contain an extension that indicates the type of file
    • code, computer code - (computer science) the symbolic arrangement of data or instructions in a computer program or the set of such instructions
    • argument, parameter - (computer science) a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program
    • address, computer address, reference - (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored
    • american standard code for information interchange, ascii - (computer science) a code for information exchange between computers made by different companies; a string of 7 binary digits represents each character; used in most microcomputers
    • ascii character set - (computer science) 128 characters that make up the ASCII coding scheme
    • firmware, microcode - (computer science) coded instructions that are stored permanently in read-only memory
    • core dump - (computer science) dump of the contents of the chief registers in the CPU; usually used for debugging
    • dump - (computer science) a copy of the contents of a computer storage device; sometimes used in debugging programs
    • soft copy - (computer science) matter that is in a form that a computer can store or display it on a computer screen
    • hard copy - (computer science) matter that is held in a computer and is typed or printed on paper
    • directory - (computer science) a listing of the files stored in memory (usually on a hard disk)
    • subdirectory - (computer science) a directory that is listed in another directory
    • computer menu, menu - (computer science) a list of options available to a computer user
    • cascading menu, hierarchical menu, submenu - a secondary menu that appears while you are holding the cursor over an item on the primary menu
    • computer file - (computer science) a file maintained in computer-readable form
    • backup file - (computer science) a computer file dedicated to storing and updating computer backups
    • binary file - (computer science) a computer file containing machine-readable information that must be read by an application; characters use all 8 bits of each byte
    • main file, master file - (computer science) a computer file that is used as the authority in a given job and that is relatively permanent
    • disk file - (computer science) a computer file stored on a magnetic disk and identified by a unique label
    • detail file, transaction file - (computer science) a computer file containing relatively transient data about a particular data processing task
    • input data, input file - (computer science) a computer file that contains data that serve as input to a device or program
    • output file - (computer science) a computer file that contains data that are the output of a device or program
    • read-only file - (computer science) a file that you can read but cannot change
    • document, text file - (computer science) a computer file that contains text (and possibly formatting instructions) using seven-bit ASCII characters
    • computer software, package, software, software package, software program, software system - (computer science) written programs or procedures or rules and associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system and that are stored in read/write memory
    • operating system, os - (computer science) software that controls the execution of computer programs and may provide various services
    • computer program, computer programme, program, programme - (computer science) a sequence of instructions that a computer can interpret and execute
    • disambiguator - (computer science) a natural language processing application that tries to determine the intended meaning of a word or phrase by examining the linguistic context in which it is used
    • job - (computer science) a program application that may consist of several steps but is a single logical unit
    • compiler, compiling program - (computer science) a program that decodes instructions written in a higher order language and produces an assembly language program
    • device driver, driver - (computer science) a program that determines how a computer will communicate with a peripheral device
    • editor, editor program - (computer science) a program designed to perform such editorial functions as rearrangement or modification or deletion of data
    • interface, user interface - (computer science) a program that controls a display for the user (usually on a computer monitor) and that allows the user to interact with the system
    • interpreter, interpretive program - (computer science) a program that translates and executes source language statements one line at a time
    • text editor - (computer science) an application that can be used to create and view and edit text files
    • service program, utility, utility program - (computer science) a program designed for general support of the processes of a computer
    • command, instruction, program line, statement - (computer science) a line of code written as part of a computer program
    • computer database, electronic database, electronic information service, on-line database - (computer science) a database that can be accessed by computers
    • high-level formatting - (computer science) the format for the root directory and the file allocation tables and other basic configurations
    • initialisation, initialization, low-level formatting - (computer science) the format of sectors on the surface of a hard disk drive so that the operating system can access them and setting a starting position
    • gigo - (computer science) a rule stating that the quality of the output is a function of the quality of the input; put garbage in and you get garbage out
    • communications protocol, protocol - (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data
    • file transfer protocol, ftp - protocol that allows users to copy files between their local system and any system they can reach on the network
    • sgml, standard generalized markup language - (computer science) a standardized language for the descriptive markup of documents; a set of rules for using whatever markup vocabulary is adopted
    • cartridge font, font cartridge - any font that is contained in a cartridge that can be plugged into a computer printer
    • raster font, screen font - the font that is displayed on a computer screen
    • domain name - strings of letters and numbers (separated by periods) that are used to name organizations and computers and addresses on the internet
    • programing language, programming language - (computer science) a language designed for programming computers
    • object-oriented programing language, object-oriented programming language - (computer science) a programming language that enables the programmer to associate a set of procedures with each type of data structure
    • icon - (computer science) a graphic symbol (usually a simple picture) that denotes a program or a command or a data file or a concept in a graphical user interface
    • title bar - (computer science) a horizontal label at the top of a window, bearing the name of the currently active document
    • packet - (computer science) a message or message fragment
    • computer error, error - (computer science) the occurrence of an incorrect result produced by a computer
    • hardware error - error resulting from a malfunction of some physical component of the computer
    • disk error - error resulting from malfunction of a magnetic disk
    • programming error, software error - error resulting from bad code in some program involved in producing the erroneous result
    • run-time error, runtime error, semantic error - an error in logic or arithmetic that must be detected at run time
    • syntax error - an error of language resulting from code that does not conform to the syntax of the programming language
    • algorithm error - error resulting from the choice of the wrong algorithm or method for achieving the intended result
    • seek - the movement of a read/write head to a specific data track on a disk
    • crash - (computer science) an event that causes a computer system to become inoperative
    • head crash - (computer science) a crash of a read/write head in a hard disk drive (usually caused by contact of the head with the surface of the magnetic disk)
    • disc pack, disk pack - (computer science) a portable pack of magnetic disks used in a disk storage device
    • field - (computer science) a set of one or more adjacent characters comprising a unit of information
    • bit field - a field containing only binary characters
    • disc space, disk space - (computer science) the space available on a magnetic disk
    • disk overhead, overhead - (computer science) the disk space required for information that is not data but is used for location and timing
    • power user - (computing) a computer user who needs the fastest and most powerful computers available
    • coder, computer programmer, programmer, software engineer - a person who designs and writes and tests computer programs
    • resolution - (computer science) the number of pixels per square inch on a computer-generated display; the greater the resolution, the better the picture
    • data processing - (computer science) a series of operations on data by a computer in order to retrieve or transform or classify information
    • execution, instruction execution - (computer science) the process of carrying out an instruction by a computer
    • fragmentation - (computer science) the condition of a file that is broken up and stored in many different locations on a magnetic disk
    • iteration, looping - (computer science) executing the same set of instructions a given number of times or until a specified result is obtained
    • iteration, loop - (computer science) a single execution of a set of instructions that are to be repeated
    • operation - (computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction)
    • retrieval - (computer science) the operation of accessing information from the computer's memory
    • storage - (computer science) the process of storing information in a computer memory or on a magnetic tape or disk
    • baud, baud rate - (computer science) a data transmission rate (bits/second) for modems
    • megaflop, mflop, million floating point operations per second - (computer science) a unit for measuring the speed of a computer system
    • teraflop, trillion floating point operations per second - (computer science) a unit for measuring the speed of a computer system
    • million instructions per second, mips - (computer science) a unit for measuring the execution speed of a computer's CPU (but not the whole system)
    • check bit, parity, parity bit - (computer science) a bit that is used in an error detection procedure in which a 0 or 1 is added to each group of bits so that it will have either an odd number of 1's or an even number of 1's; e.g., if the parity is odd then any group of bits that arrives with an even number of 1's must contain an error
    • block - (computer science) a sector or group of sectors that function as the smallest data unit permitted
    • bad block - (computer science) a block (usually one sector) that cannot reliably hold data
    • partition - (computer science) the part of a hard disk that is dedicated to a particular operating system or application and accessed as a single unit
    • capacity - (computer science) the amount of information (in bytes) that can be stored on a disk drive
    • formatted capacity - (computer science) the usable capacity of a disk drive; the amount of space that is left after the sector headings and boundary definitions and timing information have been added by formatting the disk
    • unformatted capacity - (computer science) the total number of bytes on a disk including the space that will be required to format it
    • time sharing - (computer science) the use of a central computer by many users simultaneously
    • access time - (computer science) the interval between the time data is requested by the system and the time the data is provided by the drive
    • run-time - (computer science) the length of time it takes to execute a software program
    • seek time - (computer science) the time it takes for a read/write head to move to a specific data track
    • track-to-track seek time - (computer science) the time it takes for a read/write head to move to an adjacent data track
    • bits per second, bps - (computer science) the rate at which data is transferred (as by a modem)
    • latency, rotational latency - (computer science) the time it takes for a specific block of data on a data track to rotate around to the read/write head
    • command overhead, command processing overhead, command processing overhead time, overhead - (computer science) the processing time required by a device prior to the execution of a command
    • real time - (computer science) the time it takes for a process under computer control to occur
    • rasterize - convert (an image) into pixels
    • scroll - move through text or graphics in order to display parts that do not fit on the screen
    • iterate - run or be performed again
    • clear - rid of instructions or data
    • google - search the internet (for information) using the Google search engine
    • mapquest - search for a location and directions by means of the MapQuest program
    • ping - send a message from one computer to another to check whether it is reachable and active
    • save, write - record data on a computer
    • overwrite - write new data on top of existing data and thus erase the previously existing data
    • e-mail, email, netmail - communicate electronically on the computer
    • spam - send unwanted or junk e-mail
    • network - communicate with and within a group
    • input - enter (data or a program) into a computer
    • concatenate - combine two strings to form a single one
    • cascade - arrange (open windows) on a computer desktop so that they overlap each other, with the title bars visible
    • computerise, computerize, cybernate - control a function, process, or creation by a computer
    • program, programme - write a computer program
    • load - transfer from a storage device to a computer's memory
    • import - transfer (electronic data) into a database or document
    • export - transfer (electronic data) out of a database or document in a format that can be used by other programs
    • spool - transfer data intended for a peripheral device (usually a printer) into temporary storage
    • access - obtain or retrieve from a storage device; as of information on a computer
    • address - access or locate by address
    • emulate - imitate the function of (another system), as by modifying the hardware or the software
    • addressable - capable of being addressed
    • on-line, online - connected to a computer network or accessible by computer
    • off-line - not connected to a computer network
    • interoperable - able to exchange and use information
    • streaming - (computer science) using or relating to a form of continuous tape transport; used mainly to provide backup storage of unedited data
    • parallel - of or relating to the simultaneous performance of multiple operations
    • in series, nonparallel, serial - of or relating to the sequential performance of multiple operations
    • real-time - of or relating to computer systems that update information at the same rate they receive information
    • stovepiped - of or relating to data stored in separate databases
    • computer readable, machine readable - suitable for feeding directly into a computer
    • open-source - of or relating to or being computer software for which the source code is freely available
    is a type of: applied science, engineering, engineering science, technology - the discipline dealing with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems
    subtypes:
    • object - (computing) a discrete item that provides a description of virtually anything known to a computer
    • ai, artificial intelligence - the branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively
    is a part of: informatics, information processing, information science, ip - the sciences concerned with gathering, manipulating, storing, retrieving, and classifying recorded information
    same as: computing

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