PawPrint.net Glossary of Terms

A set of detailed rules for communication between a client and server. This protocol is the foundation of data transmission on the www

RAM is a type of computer storage whose contents can be accessed in any order. This is in contrast to sequential memory devices such as magnetic tapes, discs and drums, in which the mechanical movement of the storage medium forces the computer to access data in a fixed order. It is usually implied that RAM can be both written to and read from, in contrast to read-only memory or ROM.

Computers use RAM to hold the program code and data during execution. In the first electronic computers, RAM wa...

Abbreviated as PDL, a language for describing the layout and contents of a printed page. The best-known PDLs are Adobe PostScript and Hewlett-Packard PCL (Printer Control Language), both of which are used to control laser printers.

Both PostScript and modern versions of PCL are object-oriented, meaning that they describe a page in terms of geometrical objects such as lines, arcs, and circles.

A set of rules used to define how email should be sent and governing communication between mail servers to achieve this end.

The opening of a lens that admits light. Except in very simple cameras, the Aperture can be varied in size by an adjustable  diaphragm, which regulates the amount of light passing through the lens. The relative Aperture is measured as the focal length of the lens divided by the diameter of the Aperture; this is expressed as an f-number: f/3, f/5, and so on.

Aperature has a dramatic effect on the Depth-of-field of the photograph.

In 1991, the NCSA introduced NCSA Mosaic, the first readily-available graphical Web Browser that vitrually kickstarted the dot.com revolution. It may not look like much now - but it is interesting to consider how similar modern browsers look to the original.