Technology Glossary M - Q
L-TermsLab= (See Studio classroom)
LAN= A Local Area Network that depicts any computer network technology that operates at high speed over short distances (up to a few thousand meters). A LAN may refer to a network in a given department or within a given firm or campus. It differs from computer networks that cross wider geographic spaces such as those networks on a WAN network. A LAN does not use the publc arteries of the Internet like intranets and VPNs. (See also Internet, TCP/IP, WAN, Intranet, Wireless, Extranet, and Virtual Private Networks (VPN))
Glossary of Wireless LAN Terms
Access Point (AP): A device connected to the wired local area network that receives and transmits signals to wireless clients; this device must also be connected to the wired LAN if connections to external networks are required.
Authentication: A process that verifies that the user has permission to access the network; often associated with the process of joining a Bluetooth piconet or WLAN.
Channels: Another name for frequencies, especially within a defined band.
Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS): A spread spectrum technique that uses a "chip" (redundant bit pattern for each bit to be transmitted) to encode the signal to ensure more reliable delivery; the technology employed in IEEE 802.11 implementations.
Frequently Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS): A spread spectrum technique that uses a range of frequencies and changes frequencies during the transmission; the technology employed in HomeRF (SWAP) implementations.
Industry, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) Band: An unregulated radio frequency that uses the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz bands for communication; these bands were approved by the FCC in 1985.
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM): A multiplexing technique used in 802.11a WLANs; this technique minimizes the effect of multipath distortion encountered in 802.11b networks.
Spread Spectrum Transmission (SS): A technique that takes a narrow signal and spreads it over a broader portion of the radio frequency band.
Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) Band: An unregulated radio frequency that uses the 5 GHz band for communication; this band is divided into three sub-bands and are intended for use by short-range, high-speed wireless digital communication devices.
Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity): Another name for IEEE 802.11b standard; this trademark is owned by WECA and devices that comply with it assure interoperability among vendors.
Wired Equivalent Protocol (WEP): The IEEE specification for data encryption between wireless devices defined by the IEEE 802.1x standard.
Wireless Local Network (WLAN): A local area network that is not connected by wires but instead uses one of the wireless technologies.
Laserdisc= (See Videodisc and Videodisc-digital)
LCD= Liquid Crystal Device computer/video panel and projector displays. Miniature television sets, laptop computers, and notebook computers generally use some type of LCD display due to difficulties in manufacturing portable cathode ray tube monitors. LCD displays may come in black and white, gray scale, and various degrees of color depth. The panels that can be laid on top of overhead projectors for displaying computer images on walls and large screens are called "LCD panels." LCD panels differ as to whether they can display full-motion video as well as computer images. For a review of some of the leading vendors and their panels, see NewMedia, September, p. 89, and NewMedia, February 1994, p. 85. One of the top new generation projectors is the Sharp XG-E850U that is so bright it is "bringing the obsolescence of CRT-based projectors one step closer" according to a quotation from Videography, October 1994, p. 112. (See also Three-beam projector)
LD= Videodisc. (See Videodisc)
LDAP = (See Internet Messaging).
Legacy= An adjective that refers to technology associated with old corporate programs, such as those on mainframes. Increasingly used as a put-down, the opposite of cutting edge.
Lindspire (Lindows)= LinspireTM is a full-featured operating system like Microsoft Windows XP or Apple Mac OSX. Linspire offers you the power, stability and cost-savings of Linux with the ease of a windows environment. In addition, Linspire features exclusive CNR technology that makes installing software on Linspire fast and easy -- simply find the software you want in the CNR Warehouse, then click and run it! Watch a 5-minute Flash Demo to quickly learn more about Linspire and CNR --- http://www.linspire.com/lindows_sales_intro.php
Lindows Inc. on April 14, 2004 changed the name of its Lindows operating system to Linspire, responding to a federal judge's refusal to halt Microsoft Inc.'s trademark infringement lawsuits outside the U.S.
See operating systems.
Linear presentation= (See Hypermedia and Timeline presentation)
Links= These are the hypertext connections between Web pages. This is a synonym for hotlinks or hyperlinks.
Linux= (See Operating System)
Listserv= an email system where users "subscribe" to join in on group messages. A message sent to the listserv is sent to every subscriber's mail box. A listserv is similar to an email "bulletin board." However, users of bulletin boards do not receive the messages in their mail boxes without first going to the bulletin board to view a listing of messages. There are thousands upon thousands of listservs on topics of mutual interest from sewing to microbiology. It is common for college courses to have a listserv so that instructors and students can all communicate easily with group messages. Over 70,000 interest groups (at this writing) are linked at http://www.liszt.com/. Comparisons with bulletin boards, email groups, chat rooms, etc. are made in the e-mail definition of this glossary. See e-mail, Chat Lines, IRC, USENet, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, webcasting, andtelephony.
Chris Nolan at Trinity University wrote the following in an email message on October 7, 1998:
I was told by my book editor today that L-Soft, the owner of the Listserv software, sent a letter to the American Library Association about the use of the term "listserv" in some recent ALA publications. L-Soft claims that the term is trademarked and therefore cannot be used as a generic term for these sorts of bulletin board/mailing list systems, much like Xerox not being used as a generic for photocopying. Although I had only used the term once in my manuscript, ALA’s editors felt that I should either capitalize the term to refer to the L-Soft software or use other terms to describe the more general concept.
Checking L-Soft International’s web site, I see that they clearly state that LISTSERV is a trademark of their company.
Linux - (See Operating Systems.)
Live= When used in reference to a World Wide Web file, this term designates an object linked to another layer of information.
Livelink = (See Groupware).
Local bus= (See Bus)
Logic Bomb = (See Security)
Lotus Notes = a networking set of application programs from Lotus Development Corporation, now owned by IBM Corporation, which allows organizations to share documents, databases, and exchange electronic mail messages. Purportedly, Lotus Notes was the major reason why Lotus was purchased by IBM Corporation. An interactive web server called Domino was introduced in 1996 so that Lotus Notes users could build intranets on the internet. For example, the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand makes extensive use of Domino for worldwide groupware applications. Java applets will give web browsers the look and feel of Notes. The main web site for Lotus Notes is at http://www2.lotus.com/home.nsf. See also Groupware and CollabraShare.
Lotus ScreenCam = (See Video.)
Loop= A set of statements in a program executed repeatedly, either a fixed number of times or until a specified condition is true or false.
M-Terms
Mac= An abbreviation of the popular Macintosh computers manufactured and sold by Apple Corporation. These computers contain what is called the Macintosh Operating System that will only run software written for that processor. A decade of the revolution in GUI and hypermedia Mac computing is celebrated in a book by Levy (1994) that is given an extensive review in Time Magazine, January 31, 1994, pp. 93-94. Although software can be added so that Mac computers will run (in emulation form) many DOS and Windows programs (slowly), the PC computers cannot as a rule run Mac programs. Differences between Mac and PC operating systems have led to constant frustrations for authors since there is no single standard for authoring materials that can be used across the computer market. This is especially frustrating for authors of CD-ROM learning and entertainment materials. Mac computers took an early lead in graphics computing and menu-driven operating systems emulated later in Windows and OS/2 operating systems. A drawback for hypermedia developers, however, has been market share. Apple Corporation has less than 5% of the worldwide desktop computer market and has lost much of its competitive lead in graphics and hypermedia computing. In 1994, Apple's disturbing declines in market share, even after PowerMacs were introduced, led Apple Corporation to the first-time licensing of its operating system to other hardware manufacturers, notably IBM which will undertake a new joint venture to produce a new computer running forthcoming versions of the Mac operating system. Analysts, however, are skeptical that Apple's licensing agreements may be too little too late to stop the market share momentum of Windows 95 and Windows 2000. Apple also has videotape rendering workstations known as AV or Mac Video Computers. Video options from Apple Corporation are reviewed in Birkmaier (1993), Torres (1993), and Tuckerman (1993). Apple's hopes are riding heavily upon the evolution of a new operating system called Rhapsody that is a revolutinary operating system based upon NEXTStep technology. (See also AIF, QuickTime, Dry camera, Bus, Amiga, Mozart, Copeland, Gershwin, SGI, SUN, PC, PowerPC, GUI, NEXTStep, Operating system, , and Apple AV)
Apple Corporation's operating system for its Mac OS X servers is called "Darwin." Apple announced that it will make the Darwin source code available to developers. It is a variant of UNIX.
Mac AV= (See Apple AV)
Mac OS 8 = (See Copeland .
Mac TV= (See Apple AV)
Macmillan Information SuperLibrary= Is an online World Wide Web database (at mcp.com) to contents of computer books from Que, Sams Publishers, Hayden Press, Que College, NRP, Grady, and Adobe Press. Discount prices are also available to WWW users. There are other features such as a free online newsletter sent to your email address. The Macmillan USA Information SuperLibrary Newsletter is intended for your own personal use. Feel free to copy this newsletter and distribute it freely, as long as it is not for any business or commercial use, and is not altered, modified, or edited in any way. For further information about these terms send email to "info@mcp.com", or write Brian Mansfield, Marketing Manager-Online Services, Macmillan Digital USA, 201 W. 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46290 (317-581-4941).
Malibu Graphics Chip= (See Kaleida)
MAPLE= Mathematics computing software also known as Waterloo Maple, because it was developed at the University of Waterloo in Canada. This is a very popular software for both research and teaching of mathematics. New enhancements include a spreadsheet interface and interfacing with mathematics text processors. There are also interactive graphics and symbolic computing utilities. MAPLE runs on DOS, Windows, UNIX, and Macintosh platforms at present. (See also MATLAB and MATHEMATICA)
MATHEMATICA= Mathematics computing software from Wolfram Research Inc. in Champaign, Illinois. This is a widely popular software package used by many major universities. It is capable of two- and three-dimensional animated graphics. There are both Mac and Windows versions that allow users to choose between direct interaction with the kernel and interaction through a front end that supports a GUI. The front end allows users to create Mathematica Notebooks that incorporate text, graphics, animation, and audio. Many universities supplement or replace traditional curriculum materials with Mathematica curricula. (See also MAPLE and MATLAB)
MATLAB= Mathematical computing software from The Math Works, 24 Prime Park Way, Natlick, MA 01760-1500 (508-653-1415). Two important features of MATLAB software are the integration of MATLAB with Microsoft's Word for Windows and the Symbolic Math Toolbox for advanced visualizations of mathematical functions. (See also MAPLE and MATHEMATICA)
MCA= (See Bus)
MCF = (See RDF.)
MCI= Media Control Interface established by Microsoft Corporation that has become a popular standard for Windows authors and users. MCI menus drop down to let users select input sources such as CD-Audio inputs, videodisc inputs, MIDI sequencers, and auxiliary sources such as inputs from a stereo set or a videotape player. These standards also mean that certain types of files should play on MCI systems (e.g., WAV files should play audio and AVI files should play video on MCI systems). It is recommended that any hardware/software purchased for the PC go beyond MCI standards and be Sound Blaster compatible. This does not mean that you must buy multimedia upgrades from Creative Labs. It only means that your system is compatible with the popular standard established by Sound Blaster. (See also PCMCIA and MPC) Also, a standard control interface for multimedia devices and media files, including a command-message interface and a command-string interface.
MD= (See Minidisc)
MDA= Model Driven Architecture in information systems (rather than management's discussion and analysis MDA in financial reporting). Johanna Ambrosio states the following in "MDA: Tools for the Code Generation," Application and Development Trends, July 2003, Page 27 --- http://www.adtmag.com/article.asp?id=7850
Model-Driven Architecture, or MDA, embodies the conundrum: Is the glass half full or is it half empty? Even though the MDA standard is still evolving, many products claim to be compliant with it and early adopters are developing apps with them.
MDA vendors claim that today’s products can generate between 40% and 80% of the completed code for a given app based on models created with UML, and customers and analysts back up those claims. MDA’s purported benefits go beyond automatic code generation and the reduction of development costs, but those advantages are longer-term and most have yet to be proven outside of theoretical conversations. They include factors like eventual code and model reuse, and more effective fulfillment of user requirements. One advantage touted by the MDA camp is the ability to swap out underlying technologies -- OSs or languages, for example -- by simply revamping the platform-specific model and then regenerating the applications.
Still, a split remains between current users of these products -- mostly architects who speak UML or another modeling language -- and the targeted group of developers who believe they can do a better job of writing apps than any code generator. And it is developers that need to be convinced that these tools can make their work lives more meaningful by allowing them to concentrate on the creative stuff.
MD-Data= (See Minidisc)
Media streaming= (See Web streaming)
megahertz= Unit of measure that equals a frequency of 1 million cycles per second. (See also Hertz and kilohertz)
Memory= (See RAM).
Meta Content Framework = (See RDF.)
Metadata = (See RDF.)
Metaverse= From the novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, this term describes a virtual online representation of reality.
mff= (see MIDI)
MHz= (See megahertz)
Money Backup File (mbf)
I think you have to have Microsoft Money software to read mbf files. Take a look at http://www.referenceguide.com/reviews/msmoney2003.htm
For this and other file extensions, go to http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/fileextensionsm.asp I suggest that you do a word search at www.microsoft.com or at Google http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en
Also, MBF stands for Microsoft Binary Format. You can probably do a Google search or a Microsoft site search for more information. One document of possible interest is at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B73027 I found a conversion link at http://myfileformats.com/download_info.php?id=6510
I found a conversion link at http://myfileformats.com/download_info.php?id=6510
Microsoft Camcorder = (See Video.)
Microsoft Tiger Video= (See Video server)
Microsoft Video for Windows= (see Video for Windows)
Mid= (See MIDI)
Middleware = second generation network computing applications extends data transfers from the client computers back to the web server and/or database server computers. Software for doing this is commonly termed "middleware." Software mediates between an application program on a server and a network of client machines. Middleware manages the interaction between applications across the heterogeneous computing platforms of client computers. See CORBA and DTP.
MIDI= Musical Instrument Digital Interface audio standardized hardware parameters set under MPC standards for MIDI interfaces that connect electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and related devices to computers. Musicians may record music into computer (MIDI) files that require much less storage space than WAV files that contain complete files of digitized sounds. A MIDI file does not contain digitized sound. Instead, such a file contains the information needed to play such sounds from a MIDI-compatible device. Music files may be played back (somewhat analogous to the old player pianos) on the MIDI. MIDI sound files are generally of higher quality than their WAV audio files that play on computers without MIDI interfaces. The MIDI is extremely popular among composers and arrangers of music who want to utilize computer aids in their tasks. The mff and mid MIDI file formats are popular file extensions for MIDI files that will run on most PC computers. (See also Channel and MPC)
MIME= Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension to files that tell computers what kind of program to use to view or run a file. Mimes are typically plug-ins to browsers that help launch helper apps or user apps. For use of MIMEs in messaging, see Internet Messaging. (See also Plug-in)
Mimosa= (See Video server)
Minidisc= Is used in a variety of contexts to depict miniature "MD" optical discs and/or magnetic discs smaller than the standard 4.72 inch CD. Some MD alternatives such as the Sony MD Data 2.5 inch disk are smaller than floppy discs but hold nearly as much as a CD-ROM. The Sony version holds up to 74 minutes of CD quality audio or 140 Mb of data storage. The most typical MD size is the 2.5 inch audio disc. The term MD-Data refers to a minidisc used to record computer files and hypermedia presentations. MD options are reviewed by Miastkowski (1994).
MIPS= Million Instructions Per Second benchmark for rating computer processor CPU speed. Comparisons of MIPS ratings, however, can be misleading since the speed of access to peripheral equipment has become so important in overall computing performance.
MMDS = Multipoint Multichannel Distribution Service using neighborhood line-of-sight microwave antennas to transmit wireless data from homes to Internet providers. Cable companies are employing this technology that will allow for fast wireless Internet connections to homes and businesses. See also DSL and ISDN.
Modem= Process of converting digitized data into analog form for a carrier wave. Demodulation transforms data transmitted in analog form back into digital form for computer storage and/or processing. Modems modulate and demodulate computer data for transmission on telephone lines. Fax modems have the added capability of importing facsimiles received over phone lines directly into computer files. Cable TV modems offer transmitting speeds of over five times those of ISDN modems. The term "ricochet modem" is sometimes used to depict a wireless connection of a computer to the Internet. The product Ricochet Modem is brick-sized connector from Metricom Inc. that is a special kind of radio connector to the Internet in metropolitan areas having Ricochet's receivers for Internet connections. The early applications of the Ricochet Modem are reviewed in Mossberg (1996). (See also ISDN, DSL, MMDS, and ADC)
Downstream (download) refers to the transmission of network datainto your computer from another computer. Upstream (upload) refers to transmission of network data out of your computer into another computer on the network. In other words, messages or data sent to you go downstream and messages or data sent by you go upstream. At the present time the fastest analog modems that convert analog phone line downloads into digital data on your computer (or vice versa for uploads) run at 56 Kbps (56,000 bits per second). Most users, however, are still using 28.8 Kbps modems. An ISDN line doubles capacity to 128 Kbps. The new DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) offered by phone companies increases this up to 6400 Kbps. However, Asymetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADsL) can go up to 6 Mbps downstream and 640 Kbps upstream. ADC Kentrix has a report discussing DSL and ASDL.
Good Morning! Today is March 19, 1997 And this is.... ---------INFORMATIONWEEK DAILY------------ The E-Mail News Service For IT Decision Makers from the editors of InformationWeek magazine * Now reaching 75,000 subscribers and growing at http://www.informationweek.com *********
_____Switched Broadband Key To Future Of E-Commerce____ Bell Atlantic chairman Ray Smith said yesterday at the Internet & Electronic Commerce Conference in New York that the success of Internet-based commerce depends on speed. He then described how his company will provide it: with high-performance "switched broadband" connections that he claims will render technology like ISDN and ADSL obsolete. "Switched broadband will obsolete everything that comes before." Smith said in his speech that Bell Atlantic's bandwidth "end game," lies with next-generation switched broadband technology currently under development and set for deployment in Philadelphia in 18 months. Switched broadband, built on unnamed technology licensed from Lucent Technologies, will offer downstream connect speed of 52 Mbps and upstream connect speed of 3 Mbps, while taking advantage of customers' existing telephone wiring. According to Smith, switched broadband is able to jump the performance hurdles posed by the final 20 yards between buildings and the fiber optic line that ends at the curb. Telephone companies like Bell Atlantic typically bury eight to 10 copper lines instead of just one when installing voice networks. Switched broadband uses devices licensed from Lucent that let data communications take advantage of those extra wires for data transmission, making high-speed connections across the copper. "[Switched broadband] turns that buried copper into gold," Smith said. --Jeff Sweat
********************************************** ************
Morphing= Process of special effects video and/or computer animation that distorts images in motion. What started out in the movies as perverse distortions and unreal "morphed" images has gained respectability in science as a means of visualizing data and dynamic changes in data. Originally, morphing was only something professionals could do on very expensive workstations. Now morphing software and hardware requirements are much more modest. See Burger (1994b) for an easy-to-read description of the morphing process. (See also Animation)
Mosaic= A menu-driven and user-friendly hypertext system (also called NCSA Mosaic) of Internet sites that facilitate searching and browsing of documents and files around the world. Mosaic has largely been overtaken by more modern web browsers. (See Web browsers) For users not connected to the Internet, Mosaic can also be used with SLIP. Mosaic combines various former Internet servers such as Gopher Servers, World Wide Web, InterNIC InfoSource, ftp Sites, Finger Gateway, Whois Gateway, and Home Pages. Stefanac (1994) provides both a brief history of the Internet and an excellent review (including Internet addresses of World Wide Web sites with their Uniform Resource Locator Addresses) of newer options for transmitting graphics, audio, and video over Mosaic networks. Rivera, Singh, and McAlister (1994) term Mosaic as an "educator's best friend." Key features include world wide free networking by graphical interfacing to text, pictures, digitized video, and audio. Clicking on a highlighted Mosaic hotword or phrase (indicating a hyperlinked term) will complete a connection to the appropriate server to display documents, graphics, audio, or other multimedia files. Mosaic is becoming even more popular than Gopher largely due to the graphics-orientation of Mosaic and commercial developers of Mosaic interfaces. Internet users interested in Mosaic should contact the Software Development Group, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, 605 E. Springfield, Champaign, IL 61820 (217-244-0072). The e-mail address is mosaic@ncsa.uiuc.edu. Newsweek on October 31, 1994, page 60, asserts that NCSA Mosaic "free software works widely but not well." Enhanced NCSA from Spyglass Inc. and Netscape from Mosaic Communications Corporation have improved Mosaic code. James Clark, former CEO of Silicon Graphics Corporation, on May 16, 1994 announced the opening of Mosaic Communications Corporation in Mountain View, CA (415-254-1900) to develop software that interfaces business firms with direct Internet access. This interfacing development company has tough competitors such as Spry Inc. in Seattle, WA (206-447-0300) and others according to Information Week, May 23, 1994, p. 20. Spry Inc. specializes in connectivity tools for Microsoft Windows and has a new Mosaic interface ready for shipment. According to PC Computing, July 1994, p. 113:
Mosaic does the seemingly impossible: And its free! Mosaic provides easy net navigation by using hypertext links, and it lets you view graphics and embedded sounds while you're online.
For web browsers see Web browsers, GINA, Gopher, Internet, and SLIP.
Motherboard= A circuit board or "logic board" inside the computer that contains the central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor support chips, RAM, and slots for adding expansion boards such as audio, scanner, SCSI, and video boards. Multimedia chips such as DSP audio and video chips will increasingly be put on the motherboard rather than on expansion boards.
Mov= (See QuickTime)
Mozart= The name given to Apple's operating system 7.5 for Mac and PowerPC computers. New features include multitasking, improved networking, better multimedia support, and DOS/Windows capabilities. (See also Mac, PowerPC, Operating system, Copeland, Gershwin, and Rhapsody)
MP3 = (See Audio.) Alternatives for creating MP3 audio files are given at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/book99q4.htm#MP3
MPC= A Multimedia PC refers to combinations of PC hardware that meet multimedia hardware-combination (e.g., audio and video boards for computers) standards set by the Multimedia Marketing Council to make multimedia hardware products of vendors more compatible. The MPC1 Level 1 standard requires a 386 PC with a minimum of 2 Mb of RAM. The MPC2 Level 2 standard requires a 486SX or greater PC with 4 Mb of RAM. A variety of PC manufacturers use the MPC trademark. Consumers can then be assured that MPC hardware from one vendor will be compatible with hardware of another vendor. Also, software written for MPC hardware should run on any MPC equipment. The term is generally used in conjunction with CD-ROM multimedia hardware. A CD-ROM player, for example, should run on a computer with an MPC trademark provided the player is MPC compatible. It is probably best not to invest in multimedia PC hardware that is not compatible with MPC standards. In the future, MPC standards will dwindle in importance as more and more vendors build audio and video hardware on the motherboard rather than as boards to place into expansion slots. However, Spanbauer (1993b), p. 42) observes that MPCs will "hang on" into the near future due to the number of computer manufacturers that find them to be lower cost and lower price alternatives. Brown and Lombardi (1994) review the new Level 2 MPC upgrade kits and provide consumer ratings of the vendor alternatives. A review of hardware options is given in NewMedia, July 15, 1996, p. 19. (See also MIDI and MCI)
MPC upgrade= (See Multimedia upgrade)
MPEG= Moving Pictures Experts Group systems boards and compression standards (e.g., MPEG-2 and MPEG-1) for the most popular emerging form of compressed full-motion video standard for computer file storage. MPEG compression requires MPEG playback boards and/or MPEG authoring boards such as the Optibase MPG-1000 digital video codec (compression/decompression) board (800-451-5101). Although MPEG-2 is superior to MPEG-1, MPEG-2 requires at least quad speed CD-ROMs that, thereby, limits the use of MPEG-2 in the commercial market. MPEG-2 works much better with CD-DVD. However, even MPEG-1 is considered a better video compression alternative than its competitors. Full-motion video at over 30 frames per second takes up so much digitized storage that video must be compressed to make it more useful in hypermedia. In 1996, Miro Computer Products (415-855-0955) introduced the first JPEG video capture card for less than $1,000 that will encode (capture) video in compressed MPEG format. MPEG video files have an mpg file extension and will not run on computers that do not have special MPEG playback hardware/software installed. MPEG playback hardware is becoming standard in most new computer models. (See also Active video, Compression, DVI, Indeo, Video, Video for Windows, QuickTime, MCI, Ultimedia Video, and JPEG) Also, a digital video standard developed by the Motion Pictures Experts Group.
mpg= (See MPEG)
MS-DOS= (See DOS)
MS-Windows= (See Windows)
MTS/SAP= Multichannel Television Sound and Second Audio Program dbx system for compressing stereo audio in a technical fashion too complicated to explain here. (See also dbx)
MUDs, MOOs, MUSes and MUSHes= Multi-User Dimensions or Multiple User Dungeon, or Multiple User Dialogue. These are extensions of Dungeons and Dragons that seduced "adolescents" into a network world of imaginary places. Now there are serious social and education MUDs. Some of the many types are reviewed in Basic Information About MUDs and MUDding. There are extensions such as Multi-user, Object-Oriented MOO applications that, along with MUDs, have become serious educational experiments and applications. For example, Conlon (1997) reports on the MOOville writing workshop for over 2500 students per semester at the University of Florida. Click here for a summary of it in Jensen and Sandlin (1997). Another less extreme extension is the MUSH which, like a MUD, is an electronic space in which multiple persons (players, users, students) socialize, create "worlds," and interact in gaming or serious episodes. For a discussion of the history and applications of MUSHes, see The Mush Manual by Lydia Leong. Also see MUDs, MOOs, and Muses. The variations differ more in terms of underlying codes than in purpose and application.
For an early overview of MUDs see Germain (1993). The addictive powers of MUDS and the fantasy world of LambdaMOO are discussed by Hafner (1994). MUDs and extensions such as MOOs and MUSHes are no longer viewed as merely interactive games. They have become serious paradigms for education and training. For a summary of MOOville and its outcomes see Chapter 2 of Jensen and Sandlin (1997). MUDs are particulary intriguing as education paradigms for reaching students who perform poorly in traditinal classroom settings. (See also Games)
Multimedia= The ability to combine audio, visual, and possibly other types of hardware into a presentation. For example, a "multimedia" classroom will typically have projection hardware and switching controls that make it easy for teachers to switch back and forth between computer projections, videotape projections, audio CDs, 35mm slides, videodiscs, CD-I players, etc. Although hypermedia presentations may require multimedia facilities, the two terms are not synonymous. Hardware and software options are discussed in considerable detail in Chapter 3. Career opportunities in authoring multimedia are discussed by Jerram (1994a). Courses, trade shows, and literature on learning how to author multimedia works are summarized by Lindstrom (1994). At the moment, multimedia hardware technology is in a greater state of change. For a discussion, see Document 7 at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen. Brickman and Manning (1995) discuss how student laboratories might be designed for multimedia technologies. (See also Video/audio networking and Hypermedia)
Multimedia database= (See Database)
Multimedia upgrade= Hardware additions (usually insert boards or plug-and-play devices) to computers that make some aspect of multimedia operational. The lowest form of upgrade is an audio upgrade kit. This is usually followed by a digital video upgrade kit. Other upgrades may include CD-ROM players, videodisc players, video scan converters, mixers, speakers, video editing systems, etc. Common upgrades meet MPC standards. (See also MPC and Multimedia)
Multimedia Video Processor= A DSP multimedia processing chip from Texas Instruments that is claimed to be 20 to 50 times more powerful than Intel's Pentium according to Information Week, March 14, 1994, p. 10. The MVP processor combines parallel-processing, DSP, and RISC technology.
Multisession recording= Creating a disk in several stages rather than all at once. (See also Single-session recording and CD-R)
Multitasking= Execution of programs simultaneously on a single computer. In newer operating systems, two or more programs may be running "in the background" while the user is concentrating on another program running "in the foreground." Limits on how many programs can be run at the same time depend more upon hardware capacities, especially RAM amounts. Most operating systems now have multitasking capabilities. Multitasking differs from multiloading in which RAM contains multiple programs that can only be run one at a time. (See also Operating system)
N-Terms
Nano Machines and Microbes (See Security)
Nanotechnology --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ubiquit.htm
Napster/Gnutella = software for sharing files over the Internet. The cover story entitled “The War Over Napster” by Steven Levy appeared in the June 5, 2000 issue of Newsweek Magazine, pp. 46-53. Although most of the controversy over Napster concerns copyright and royalties, the way in which Napster broadcasts online directly from multiple servers to a single user is revolutionary and should be of great interest to accountants and financial analysts. In essence, every browser becomes a server for whatever files a person wants to share with the world. This is a very complicated issue that in tantamount to a paradigm shift in web serving, searching, and file sharing. See http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/napster.htm. Also see P2P.
Native= The availability of a software package written directly for an operating system as opposed to running in emulation under some type of translation process. Emulation usually runs slower and possibly less effectively than native versions. For example, Word Perfect and Microsoft Word have native versions for both Power Mac and Windows Chicago operating systems. Most Windows and DOS programs must be run in emulation on PowerPCs such that the speed advantages of the PowerPC are virtually lost due to not being able to run in native form. Francis (1994) reports that the main drawback that is holding down sales of Apple Corporation' s Power Mac is that "no one is building mainstream (native) productivity applications for the Power Mac." Whether or not Windows Chicago is truly better than the IBM and Apple competition operating systems may be a moot point if there are over 40 million Windows users that have installed or soon will install Windows Chicago. Market share determines the number of native software applications being developed for operating systems. Mac, UNIX, and other operating systems are losing the native software development war to Windows Chicago and Windows 2000. Windows Chicago is almost certain to become the PC operating system standard of choice until its upgrade called Windows Cairo rolls off the line and/or Windows 2000 with upgraded object-oriented programming features become the operating systems of choice among users having newer hardware speed and memory components. (See also Operating system)
Navigation= The navigation of a reader or user through learning and entertainment materials such as electronic books, courseware, and networks. (See also Hypertext and Hypermedia)
NC= Short for network computer. Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison popularized this term for a simple device connected to the Internet that can do many tasks associated with PCs, but for a fraction of the cost. A good review as of the end of 1996 is provided in Information Week, November 18, 1996, pp. 14-16. For interactive computing on the web, see Distributed Network Computing.
NCSA= National Center for Supercomputing Applications, 605 E. Springfield, Champaign, IL 61820 (217-244-0072). This University of Illinois center produces high-end video imaging of art and scientific data. The NCSA also develops software for multimedia education and research. (See also Mosaic)
NetBIOS= A network communication protocol that NetWare can emulate.
Netcasting = (See Castanet.)
NetWare= A network operating system produced by Novell Incorporated.
Network address= A hexadecimal number used to identify a network cabling system.
Network computer= (See NC)
Networks= Linkages between computers allowing data and other digitized information to be transmitted between computers. Networks may be local, regional, national, or international. Commercial vendors such as Prodigy, America Online, CompuServe, and World of Boston provide relatively user friendly instructions about how to use networks. Internet users no longer have to acquire greater expertise in Unix coding for creating web documents and FTP usage. For a summary of alternatives, see Document 6 at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen. For a sampling of professors who use network technology for courses, go to Document 4 at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen . Alternatives such as email, BBS services, and Groupware for networked PC instruction are compared at Texas A&M University by Klemm and Snell (1994). They conclude that desktop conferencing is the best alternative and compare alternative vendor products for such purposes. For accounting educator Internet networks see also ANet, International Internet Association, PIC-AECM, and RAW. Prentice-Hall was the first publishing company, to our knowledge, to offer an interactive two-way network dialog between adopters of selected textbooks and the authors of those books, including a bulletin board of latest readings related to the text, abstracts of related literature, and classroom aids (see ABKY for an illustration). CD-ROMs can be used on network servers using new hardware described in PC Computing, December 1994, p. 144. (See also America Online, DAB/DAR, Delta Project, CompuServe, eWorld, Interchange, Prodigy, LAN, Video/audio networking, Video server, Internet, and SLIP)
Newsgroups = (See Newsgroups)
NexGen= Next Generation microprocessor RISC chip from Alaris (a venture company formed with seed money from Compaq, Olivetti, Paine Webber, and others) that was independently designed from Intel chips but is aimed at being equal to or better than the best Pentium alternatives from Intel. Alaris may be contacted at Phone 510-770-5770 or Fax 510-770-5769. Major manufacturers such as IBM and Compaq are offering NexGen alternatives to Pentium. At present, NexGen can deliver most performance efficiencies of the best Pentium alternatives at significantly lower prices. (See also RISC and Pentium)
NEXTStep= An operating system developed by Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer. For a comparative analysis with other current operating systems see PC/Computing Special Report (1994). NEXTStep is a leader in GUI interfaces and has some native applications software such as Word Perfect and Mathematica up and running. The future of NEXTStep was uncertain until Apple Corporation purchased the OS for $400 million in 1997 with the intention of making it the core of the future Mac and PowerMac operating systems. a revolutionary operating system from Apple Corporation that is based upon NEXTStep technology. Apple plans to deliver two operating systems for the next several years. First will be the Mac OS, which we will continue to upgrade and improve to support the current Macintosh customers worldwide, approximately 60 million users. Second will be a new OS based on NeXT Software's operating system technologies, NEXTStep and OPENStep. The powerful and advanced NeXT technologies are years ahead of competitive offerings, and will provide the foundation for a new OS, code-named Rhapsody. In addition to leveraging the NeXT technologies, Rhapsody is designed to run Mac applications through a Mac OS compatibility environment. Rhapsody's user interface will combine elements from both the Mac OS and NEXTStep, but will be closer in look and feel to the Mac OS Finder. We realize that customers need a consistent interface in the two operating systems to deploy them throughout a single organization. It's important for training and ease of use. One of the advantages of NeXT's technology is the easy support of multiple user interface paradigms. (See also Operating system and Rhapsody.)
NFS= The abbreviation for Network File System, NFS is a protocol suite developed and licensed by Sun Microsystems that allows different makes of computers running different operating systems to share files and disk storage.
NIC= The abbreviation for Network Information Center, NIC is an organization responsible for supplying information for component networks that comprise the Internet.
NIC= The Network Interface Card is a circuit board that is installed in the file server and workstations that make up the network. It allows the hardware in the network to send and receive data.
Nintendo/SGI Media Cartridges= Refer to data storage cartridges that are much faster than present CD-ROM alternatives for storing computer games, audio, and video files. The outlook for CD-ROM in the long haul is not so rosy. Billups (1994), p. 100 predicts the following:
As a lingering vestigial remnant of the mechanical age, the CD-ROM has no place in a fully digital communications environment and is no doubt destined to the same scrap heap as the eight-track. The new Nintendo/Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) media environment, for instance, uses a silicon cartridge that is two million times faster than CD-ROM. The storage capacity of this new environment has doubled in the last two months and the price unit has dropped more than half. By the time it hits the market it will set a new standard overnight.
In our viewpoint, however, the CD-ROM will remain the standard until better alternatives can be recorded as simply and as cheaply in homes and offices as CD-ROM discs can now be mastered (burned) for less than $20 per disc on desktop recorders costing less than $3,000. (See also Games)
NOC= The abbreviation for Network Operations Center, NOC is the organization responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Internet's component networks.
Node= A workstation, file server, bridge, or other device that has an address on a network.
Non-core= Those Chapter 3 attributes commonly found in course authoring systems that are not part of the core attributes of course management systems (CMS). (See also Authoring and CORE)
Nonlinear presentation= (See Hypermedia and Timeline presentation)
Notebook computer= A portable computer about the size of a standard ring binder notebook. Original laptop computers were about the size of a briefcase. Notebook computers later emerged that could be carried inside a briefcase. Next, sub-notebook computers were introduced that could be carried inside a suit pocket, although the most popular models presently are notebook size portables. Multimedia versions are slightly larger and heavier. Although notebook computers do not have expansion slots for hardware modifications, SCSI, Ethernet, ISBN, video caputure, and other hardware options are available on PCMCI cards. Also, docking stations allow notebook computers to have most of the features of desktop computers, including expansion slots. (See also Docking station, PDA, and PCMCIA)
Novell= A company based in Provo, Utah, that produces the NetWare network operating system.
NNTP = (See Internet Messaging).
NPTN= National Public Telecommunication Network in Cleveland that is dedicated to making communication, bulletin boards, and networking services freely available through linkages of privately funded sources. (See also Freenets)
NREN= National Research and Education Network (NREN). In December 1991, the U.S. Congress passed the High Performance Computing and Communications Program. This will expand international networking to thousands of times its present capacities and uses. Although intended primarily for research and education, the NREN will carry commercial traffic in research and education in addition to the types of noncommercial traffic carried presently on the Internet. The NSFNet is now referred to as the "Interim NREN. (See also Internet)
NSFNet= National Science Foundation Network connecting research universities and other research centers in the United States. (See also NREN)
NSP = Native Signal P rocessingsoftware from Intel that improves multimedia playback.
NTSC= National Television Standards Committee standards adopted in the 1960s by most nations in the Western Hemisphere, Japan, and other parts of Asia. These standards differ from PAL and SECAM standards in other parts of the world. For example, videotapes recorded under NTSC standards will play on videotape players sold in the United States and Canada. NTSC videotapes will not, however, play in European countries which have not adopted the NTSC standards. (See also PAL and SECAM)
NYSERNet= An Internet network that links rural libraries with a high speed communications network. This network is a nonprofit, equal-access network that has strong backing from major computer vendors and publishing firms. For details see EDUCOM Update, July/August 1993, pp. 3-4.
O-Terms
Object linking and embedding= (See OLE)
Object-Oriented Database Systems
Object-oriented database systems are quite different from the extremely relational database systems (e.g., MS Access, FoxPro, DBase, etc) that are extremely popular today. I will begin this module with a quote from my favorite online textbook in accounting information systems (that I adopt each year for my ACCT 5342 course):
Emerging database systems concepts
We conclude this chapter with a brief discussion of an emerging concepts relating to database systems. Object-oriented (OO) approaches to modeling and implementing database systems are becoming increasingly popular. This approach employs object-oriented modeling (OOM) techniques to model the domain of interest and then implements the resulting model using an object-oriented database management system (OODBMS). The object-oriented approach focuses on the objects of interest in the domain. Customers, vendors, employees, sales orders, and receipts are all viewed as objects that have certain attributes. OOM involves identifying the objects of interest, their attributes, and relationships between objects.
A critical feature unique to the OO approach is that an "object" package includes both the attributes of the object and the methods or procedures that pertain to that object. The methods might dictate how the object's attributes are modified in response to different events, or how the object causes changes in the attributes of other objects. Thus, a key difference between the database models described earlier and the OO approach is that OO models combine data (attributes) and procedures (methods) in one package, i.e., the "object." This feature of OO models is referred to as encapsulation - attributes and methods are represented together in one capsule. Another powerful feature of OO models is inheritance. OO models depict the real world as a hierarchy of object classes, with lower level classes inheriting attributes and methods from higher level classes. Thus, lower level object classes do not need to redefine attributes and methods that are common to the higher level object classes in the class hierarchy.
An OO model contains all details needed for implementation and object-oriented DBMS are powerful enough to represent all the information contained in the model. However, most organizations that have made heavy investments in RDBMS see little need to migrate to OO environments. While OO modeling methods are available, there is no consensus regarding the "best" method to use. Finally, although OODBMS are beginning to become commercially available, they have not gained much acceptance in the marketplace probably due to their relatively high cost and poor performance in comparison to RDBMS. Gemstone, ObjectStore, VBase, and O2 are some examples of OODBMS.
Accounting Information Systems: A Database Approach
by Uday S. Murthy and S. Michael Groomer
For more information go to http://www.cybertext.com/
Next I will repeat a great illustration pointed out in the message below from Alexander Lashenko:
Hello Bob,
Take a look at http://www.sanbase.com/cx.html
It's an original object-oriented DBMS with web interface. Looks very nice.
Regards,
Alex.
Alexander Lashenko [alashenko@cryptologic.com]
Also see Database.
OCR= Optical Character Recognition software and hardware used to interpret scanned symbols into characters of text or numbers recognized as something other than mere graphics images. The term is commonly used in such software as OmniPage Pro (800-535-7226) to indicate options of translating scanned words and numbers into computer text files that can be read by word processing and spreadsheet software. For a review of options, see Molinari (1995). (See also Scanner)
ODBC= Open Database Connectivity support. Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) refers to a standard for accessing different database systems in Visual Basic and Visual C++. Applications in most any software (e.g., Asymetrix ToolBook) can submit statements to ODBC using the ODBC type of SQL. ODBC then translates the code for use in common database systems such as Access, Paradox, dBase, Text, Excel and Btrieve databases. ODBC is based on Call-Level Interface and was defined by the SQL Access Group. Microsoft was one member of the group and was the first company to release a commercial product based on its work (under Microsoft Windows) but ODBC is not a Microsoft generated standard. ODBC drivers and development tools are available now for Microsoft Windows, Unix, OS/2, and Macintosh. See http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/260wp/260wp.htm#ODBC.
OKI = Open Knowledge Initiative
For more detail see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI
OKI and OCW: Free sharing of courseware from MIT, Stanford, and other colleges and universities.
"CourseWork: An Online Problem Set and Quizzing Tool," by Charles Kerns, Scott Stocker, and Evonne Schaeffer, Syllabus, June 2001, 27-29. I don't think the article is available online, although archived table of contents for the June edition is at http://www.syllabus.com/syllabusmagazine/magazine.asp?month=6&year=2001
"MIT's Superarchive," by Sally Atwood, Technology Review, November 2002 --- http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/atwood1202.asp
A digital repository will revolutionize the way research is shared and preserved.
Every year MIT researchers create at least 10,000 papers, data files, images, collections of field notes, and audio and video clips. The research often finds its way into professional journals, but the rest of the material remains squirreled away on personal computers, Web sites, and departmental servers. It’s accessible to only a few right now. And with computers and software evolving rapidly, the time is coming when files saved today will not be accessible to anyone at all.
Until recently there has been no overall plan to archive or preserve such work for posterity. But true to its problem-solving nature, MIT has come up with a solution. In September the Institute launched DSpace, a Web-based institutional repository where faculty and researchers can save their intellectual output and share it with their colleagues around the world and for centuries to come. The result of a two-year collaboration of the MIT Libraries and Hewlett-Packard, DSpace is built on open-source software and is available to anyone free of charge. But it’s even more important to note that many believe this groundbreaking effort will fundamentally change the way scholars disseminate their research findings.
OLAP = Online Analytical Processing database design in which data can be analyzed from a multidimensional point of view. A great example is given online at the FedScope Website of the U.S. Government. Whereas a relational database can be thought of as two-dimensional, a multidimensional database considers each data attribute (such as product, geographic sales region, and time period) as a separate "dimension." OLAP software can locate the intersection of dimensions (all products sold in the Eastern region above a certain price during a certain time period) and display them. Attributes such as time periods can be broken down into sub-attributes.
I stumbled upon a rather unique website that organizes data in a way that may interest some of you. It has possibilities for online training and education site designs. The site is called FedScope from the Office of Personnel Management of the U.S. Government --- http://www.fedscope.opm.gov/index.htm
I stumbled upon a rather unique website that organizes data in a way that may interest some of you. It has possibilities for online training and education site designs. The site is called FedScope from the Office of Personnel Management of the U.S. Government --- http://www.fedscope.opm.gov/index.htm
FedScope is an On Line Analytic Processing tool which provides a free and easy way to access and analyze a large array of Federal employment data on your own.
FedScope uses multidimensional data sources called "Cubes". A FedScope cube brings together 13 key dimensions (data elements) on the Federal workforce and lets you explore any combination of the data: up, down, and across the dimensions.
You can easily
use our shortcut canned reports that we've provided in this application.
free-style with our OLAP tool to create your own reports.
export data to your favorite software (i.e. Excel Spreadsheet) for analysis and presentation.
export reports to Adobe Acrobat PDF for printing.
Online Glossary of Online Terms from the Office of Personnel Management of the U.S. Government --- http://www.fedscope.opm.gov/glossary/index.htm
(This glossary has a somewhat unique design for online users.)
Another OLAP-type approach entails pivot table analysis in Excel spreadsheets. You can download sample pivot table illustrations from Microsoft Corporation's financial statement Website at http://www.microsoft.com/msft/tools.htm . To slice and dice these pivot table reports, the Excel spreadsheets containing the data must be downloaded into an Excel program (which in reality makes this no longer an "online analytical process." After doing so, the pivot tables can be manipulated and users can prepare their own custom charts, other pivot tables, etc. This is very useful, but is not as neat and tidy as the truly online Cube OLAP approach available at the Fedscope site note above.
OLE= Object Linking and Embedding standards established by Microsoft Corporation for Mac and Windows operating systems. In 1997, Microsoft declared that OLE no longer stands for object linking and embedding (seeActiveX and CORBA ). Before 1997, however, OLE standards allowed the creation of links between documents and the embedding of documents in multiple applications. The OLE standards are designed to be "dynamic" in that as changes are made in an object in one document, the changes are simultaneously made automatically in all linked documents. For example, in pasting from the clipboard, authors choose the Paste Link or Paste Special command rather than the Paste command in the Edit menu. Pasting in this way creates a dynamic link between the source document and the destination document. OLE also supports embedding which embeds the source document (or a portion of the document) into the destination file such that the two documents become a "compound" file. Embedding is often used where a server file (creating embedded items) and client files (receiving embedded files) are in the system. In contrast to OLE linkages, OLE embedding edits in client files will not alter server files. This is not the case with OLE linkages, where any changes in a linked file will change all other linked files. Most word processor and spreadsheet software options have OLE capabilities. (See ActiveX, CORBA, and Java)
OLE/DCOM = (See CORBA )
Online= (See also Networks)
OLTP = On-Line Transaction Processing in database management systems. See Database.
On-the-fly recording= Sending data from your hard disk directly to the CD-R burner, without creating a physical image file first. (See also CD-R)
Ontology Web Language --- See OWL
Open= a public standard in computer contexts that is the opposite of "proprietary." Open refers to software and hardware made from published specifications that anyone can copy --- so customers have choice among multiple suppliers that compete on price and innovation. (See also Cross-platform)
Operating system= The master control software system that serves as a foundation for applications software. Examples of past, present, and forthcoming operating systems include MS-DOS, Amiga DOS, Windows, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Chicago, Windows Cairo, OS/2, Workplace OS, Apple/Mac Systems 7 and 8, Taligent (Pink), PowerOpen, NEXTStep, Rhapsody, Unix, SCO, AIX, HP/UX, HP/MPE, SCO Open Desktop, Solaris, and UnixWARE (Novell). A second class of operating systems is known as real time processing. These are used more for on-the-fly control systems such as aviation control systems and military applications. Examples include the Intel Multibus and iRMX operating systems. For a comparative analysis of the 32-bit options, see PC/Computing Special Report (1994) where it is concluded that there are advantages and drawbacks of each option and no clear optimal choice at this juncture in time. For 10 years, Apple Corporation would not license its proprietary Mac operating system to other manufacturers. However, in 1994 Apple announced that it would license its System 7 operating system to other vendors on PowerPC computers. In 1997, plans for Copeland and Gershwin upgrades were abandoned in favor or Rhapsody. Apple's hopes are riding heavily upon the evolution of a new operating system called Rhapsody that is a revolutinary operating system based upon NEXTStep technology. This may help to overcome the problem that Apple Corporation's market share has declined to less tan 5% of the desktop computing market and an even smaller percentage of the laptop/notebook computer market. The new licensing agreement is designed to cut into the huge market share of Windows operating systems from Microsoft Corporation. However, Microsoft Windows still remains the market share choice. Then along came Linux to challenge the Microsoft's operating systems. Linux (pronounced Leenicks) is a freely-distributable implementation of UNIX that runs on a number of hardware platforms, including Intel and Motorola microprocessors. It is very popular among computer scientists who have freely given their time to develpment of Linux.
The Linux home page is at http://www.ssc.com/linux/ .
"The Penguin Is Popping Up All Over Linux is fast breaking out of its original stomping ground in servers and into cell phones, cars, telecom gear, consumer electronics...," Business Week Online, March 30, 2004 --- http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2004
/tc20040330_8251_tc167.htm
UNCOUNTED MILLIONS.
Sound familiar? It should. To a degree, the same dynamics are propelling Linux' swift rise in the server OS market. Linux had a 7% share of that market in the fourth quarter of 2003 according to Framingham (Mass.) tech tracker IDC. But this number may not reflect the tens of millions of free versions of Linux that system administrators have downloaded and installed themselves. And year-over-year, Linux posted a 63% increase in market share, by far the biggest increase for any server OS.
This rapid growth in part reflects Linux' rapid move into the embedded operating system market. Until recently, makers of proprietary operating systems mainly worked that sector. The largest among them, Wind River (WIND ), attained close to 50% market share but remained far from dominant, as no one company could create products to span the thousands of types of processors that run embedded software. In fact, many device companies -- in aerospace and defense in particular -- have kept their development and code in-house.
As Linux has begun to mature, however, electronics makers have started to focus on its advantages. By incorporating it, they can minimize the number of operating systems they use in products to boost efficiency -- and thus free their programmers to concentrate on work that adds value to their products.
LinspireTM (formerly Lindows) is a full-featured operating system like Microsoft Windows XP or Apple Mac OSX. Linspire offers you the power, stability and cost-savings of Linux with the ease of a windows environment. In addition, Linspire features exclusive CNR technology that makes installing software on Linspire fast and easy -- simply find the software you want in the CNR Warehouse, then click and run it! Watch a 5-minute Flash Demo to quickly learn more about Linspire and CNR --- http://www.linspire.com/lindows_sales_intro.php
(See also Cross-platform, Lindspire, Amiga, Windows, Windows XP, DOS, Windows Cairo, Windows Chicago, Windows 2000, Mac, Alpha processor, Mozart, Copeland, Gershwin, Native, OS/2, Wintel, and Rhapsody.)
Apple Corporation's operating system for its Mac OS X servers is called "Darwin." Apple announced that it will make the Darwin source code available to developers. It is a variant of UNIX.
News from Microsoft --- http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/migrate/unix/default.asp
As the Windows platform continues to evolve to address changing business computing needs, many organizations currently on UNIX platforms are turning to Windows to run their new client and server business applications. They're discovering that moving to the Windows platform does not require abandoning existing investments in UNIX applications and infrastructure.
This section explains why customers should consider migrating to Windows from UNIX. It also provides detailed information for IT professionals and developers on how to move from UNIX systems to Windows XP, Windows 2000, and the upcoming Windows .NET Server and Microsoft .NET Web services platforms.
Why Migrate to Windows from UNIX and Linux
How to Migrate to Windows from UNIX and Linux
Migration Tools and Resources
Optical character recognition= (See OCR)
Optical drive= Any medium or device using a laser beam for accessing data stored on an optical disc. Typical optical drives are CD drives and videodisc drives. However, there are many types of optical drives including those that can be written on and re-written on much like floppy discs or computer tape. To date, most optical drives have slower access time than magnetic drives. (See also CD and Videodisc)
Optical scanner= (See OCR)
ORB = (See CORBA )
OS/2= Operating System 2 introduced by IBM Corporation in 1992 and upgraded to OS/2 Warp in 1994. This is the first 32-bit processing system designed for PCs. It beat its rival Microsoft Windows 2000 to the market by almost two years. In early 1994, neither Windows 2000 nor OS/2 have made a huge dent in the DOS and Windows market. For example, there were only four million OS/2 adopters and 250,000 Windows 2000 adopters at the end of 1993 in comparison with over 40 million Microsoft Windows adopters. As older PCs are replaced by higher speed PCs with more memory, 32-bit processors will become more popular. OS/2 gets some high praises when compared with current 32-bit alternatives in PC/Computing Special Report (1994). At issue is whether OS/2 or Windows 2000 or Pink or some other operating system will saturate the market (after DOS, Windows, Apple/Mac, and Windows Chicago stubbornly fade from the scene). OS/2 is a very reliable operating system that requires less PC capacity than Windows 2000. However, Windows 2000 has more networking utilities that may give it the competitive edge in the future. Until software vendors offer a wider array of options for either OS/2 or Windows 2000, the operating systems most widely used worldwide will continue to be DOS, Windows, and Windows Chicago. An alternate IBM operating system called Workplace OS combines the object-oriented Workplace with the OS/2 operating environment. Since OS/2 Warp has such a small market share, developers are not generating significant native software applications that run more efficiently in OS/2 vis-a-vis Windows. In CD-ROM Today, February 1995, pp. 40-51, OS/2 Warp performance is evaluated and a forecast is made that IBM will abandon OS/2. Although OS/2 Warp runs DOS applications better than MS-DOS itself, it is very slow when trying to run Windows applications. Neither Apple Corporation nor IBM Corporation have been able to significantly gain market share against Microsoft Windows. (See also Ultimedia Video, Operating system, DOS, Windows, Windows Chicago, and Windows 2000)
OS 8 = (See Copeland)
OSI Model= The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model for describing network protocols was devised by the Internet Standards Organization. It divides protocols into seven layers to standardize and simplify definitions.
OTM = (See CORBA).
Outernets= Systems of computer networks that are not bundled on the Internet but nevertheless can be accessed to the Internet through gateways that translate outernet protocols into Internet protocols. The worldwide system of gateways is called the "Matrix" or "the Net". (See also Internet)
OWL = Ontology Web Language (OWL)
The main link for Web Ontology is at http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/WebOnt/
The OWL Web Ontology Language is designed for use by applications that need to process the content of information instead of just presenting information to humans. OWL facilitates greater machine interpretability of Web content than that supported by XML, RDF, and RDF Schema (RDF-S) by providing additional vocabulary along with a formal semantics. OWL has three increasingly-expressive sublanguages: OWL Lite, OWL DL, and OWL Full.
Also see RDF at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/XBRLandOLAP.htm#RDF_Extended
It is interesting how OWL had an entirely different meaning at one time. OWL was the first commercial hypertext course management system in a box following OWL Corporations training development efforts for the U.S. Navy. OWL died when DOS faded. You can read the following at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/290wp/290wp.htm
P-Terms
P2P= Peer to Peer Networking. Not just a chaotic haven for Napster fans, peer-to-peer networking is getting praise from the button-down side of e-commerce for the business problems it can solve. http://www.eweek.com/a/pcwt0012201/2663715/
For my Threads on the Napster/Wrapster/Gnutella/Pointera/FreeNet Paradigm Shift in Web Serving and Searching, go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/napster.htm
Packet= A discrete unit of data bits transmitted over a network.
Paintbrush software= Software used to create new or modify imported graphics images and photographs. Options and prices vary widely. Important features to look for are the variety of filters that enable importing a wide variety of types of graphics images, the ability to resize and change aspect ratios of pictures, and the layering of objects in an image such that images behind layers can be recovered (this is a feature of Adobe Photoshop that is not available in most other software options). Alternative software features and options are reviewed in the annual NewMedia Tool Guide from NewMedia magazine in the 1995 edition. 2-D graphics software options are listed on pp. 40-43.
Photoshop 7.0 Overview Adobe's Photoshop 7.0 has officially hit the shelves! Evany takes a whirlwind tour of new features like the File Browser, Healing Brush, and the beefier Brush palette, then shares her opinions --- http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/02/16/index1a.html
For a great alternative that is easier to use than Adobe Photoshop, much less expensive, and far less demanding of computer power, try Paintshop Pro from JASC --- http://www.jasc.com/
(See also Animation and Texture)
PAL= Phase Alternation Line television standard for most western European nations. For example, videotapes recorded under PAL standards will not play on the NTSC tape players found in the Western Hemisphere and Asia. (See also NTSC and SECAM)
Palette = A table of available simultaneous colors that paints pixels on the screen.
Panning =
Video: Panning effects are created by moving the "camera" (usually from side to side) while keeping the subject in the viewfinder. Zooming entails making the image more or less magnified.
Audio: Positionings of sounds to the left or right in a stereo sound field, creating the effect of different instruments playing in different parts of the room. You must be able to control panning in order to take advantage of the stereo capabilities of high-end synthesizers and some MPC boards.
Paradox= A relational database PC system from Borland International. See GainMomentum, Relational database management, and 4GL Database Languages.
Parallel processing = (See Multitasking)
Parser = a program that receives input from sequential source program instructions, interactive online commands, markup tags, or some other defined interface and breaks them up into parts (for example, the nouns (objects), verbs (methods), and their attributes or options) that can then be managed by other programming (for example, other components in a compiler). A parser may also check to see that all input has been provided that is necessary. See HTML.
Password= A secret word used to identify a user.
Patch= A set of tone-generating parameters that determine the instrument imitation (flute, violin, etc.) of a synthesizer.
PC= A Personal Computer that is compatible with the IBM desktop computers. PCs that are not manufactured by IBM Corporation are typically referred to as "clones." Generally, programs written on any PC will play on another PC. Most PC users now run under Microsoft DOS or Microsoft Windows operating systems. Newer and more advanced processors include OS/2 from IBM and Windows 2000 from Microsoft Corporation. Programs written on a Mac operating system will not usually run on a PC. Differences between Mac and PC computers have led to constant frustrations for authors since there is no single standard for authoring materials that can be used across the computer market. This is especially frustrating for authors of CD-ROM learning and entertainment materials. PC computers using the early Intel 8088 processor were called XT models. The XT's gave way to the AT models containing the 80286 or higher level Intel processors. Now the model names usually contain the processor specifications such as Intel 386, 486, and Pentium designations. The top-rated PCs at the end of 1994 are Dell Dimension (Rank 1), Micron PCI (Rank 2), Gateway P% (Rank 3), and IBM ValuPoint (Rank 4) according to PC Computing, December 1994, p. 126. Two pages later, that same magazine ranks the best-buys in portables as TravelMate 4000M from Texas Instruments (Rank 1), Latitude XP from Dell (Rank 2), and ThinkPad755C from IBM (Rank 3). (See also Bus, Amiga, Mac, SGI, SUN, and PowerPC)
pcd= (See Photo CD)
PCI= (See Bus)
PCM= Pulse Code Modulation of audio waveform sampling that records actual values rather than the ADPVM difference between samples. This decreases fidelity with higher resolution than ADPCM. (See also Audio and ADPCM)
PCMCIA= Personal Computer Memory Card International Association defined standards for memory card external slots (ports) to peripheral devices such as fax modems. PCMCIA slots are common in printers, and notebook/laptop computers, but these "slots" have been troubled technologies from the start. Before buying a computer with PCMCIA slots, readers are advised to read Doe (1994) and Smarte (1994) regarding the problems and hopes for improvements in the future. Doe (1994), p. 172 states that: "User outrage about this incompatibility has scared many people away from PCMCIA." The Type I slots are 3.3 mm thick and serve mainly as memory cards. The Type II slots are more input/output compatible with fax modems and LAN adapters. The Type III slots are 10.5 mm thick and can be used for porting to some auxiliary storage devices such as external hard drives. One problem is that some vendors who claim to have Type III slots are really manufacturing with only Type II slots stacked on top of each other giving rise to a .5 mm incompatibility difference. There is also some doubt whether PCMCIA technology can be expanded to 32 bit and 64 bit processors of the future. Smarte (1994), pp. 204-205 compares performances of leading PC models on various PCMCIA attributes and functions. Readers might especially want to note how many of the computer models "fail" with respect to SCSI performance using PCMCIA slots. Smarte (1994), p. 208 also provides a small glossary of PCMCIA terms. For example, "CIS" depicts Card Information Structure of formatting and data organization on the card. "Plug and play" is a feature that allows changing of cards without having to reboot the system. Smarte (1994), p. 215 also provides a listing of new PCMCIA technologies and their vendors.
PCS= (Wireless Glossary of Terms)
PCTV= (See Information highway)
PCX= (See Graphics)
PDA= Personal Digital Assistant pocket-sized devices for recording of typed or handwritten messages that can later be ported to computers. See Wireless Glossary of Terms. The most innovative device was the Newton developed and later abandoned by Apple Corporation. Two leading devices that emerged are linked below:
The Psion Series gives you the computing power that you need without the excess weight. It has a touch type
keyboard and full page width touch-sensitive screen, yet weighs less than 13 ounces (or less than 360g), has around 35 hours of battery life and fits into your pocket. The Psion handheld computer is compatible with all leading Windows 95/NT4 word processors, spreadsheets and databases, and synchronizes with schedule and contacts software on your desktop PC, including Microsoft, Lotus, Corel, WordPerfect and other applications. PsiWin 2 - included as standard - docks your Psion to your PC. See http://www.psion.com/series5/index.html
The market share leader in the latest PDA devices is Palm. The Internet connections to the world are wireless and use only AAA batteries. I wish it had a keyboard when it is not connected to a PC. But theres are some great features in spite of not having a keyboard. For a Palm product review, see http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/all/990521palm .
The Palm home page is at http://www.palm.com/ .
PDA and PDF= Portable Document Aassistant PostScript formatting technology that attempts to provide a viable way of exchanging documents across operating systems and different types of software. The of the best known PDA option is the Acrobat tools from Adobe Corporation that gives rise to PDF documents in Protable Document Format file extensions. Acrobat also provides other utilities such as the Distiller tool that translates PostScript files into a PDF format, the Exchange tool that facilitates insertion of hypertext linkages, the PDF Writer containing printer drivers, and other utilities. For a review of Acrobat, go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/wwwsoft.htm. Also see Cross-platform.
I have been playing a little more with Version 4 of Adobe Acrobat. The most common way to generate an Acrobat PDF file is to create a document in a word processor (say a DOC file) or a spreadsheet (say a XLS file). With Adobe Exchange installed, you can simply save a second copy of the document as a PDF file. In the past, I pretended there was a glass barrier in which the original images were behind the glass (and could not be modified with Adobe Exchange) versus Acrobat Exchage things that you could do in front of the glass (such as add annotations, hyperlinks, bookmarks, audio, video, etc.). Prior to Version 4, any changes in content of the file behind the glass could not be made using Adobe Exchange. Version 4, however, allows certain types of changes such as "touching up" words, insertion of pages, and renumbering of pages. However, most serious modifying and editing of text or data are still best accomplished by returning to the word processor or spreadsheet program. For example, if I added text in a sentence I could not get the longer sentence to easily wrap around and adjust the lines for the added text. Have any of you found a way to make such text wrappings automatice in PDF text editing?
Version 4 of Adobe Acrobat (particularly the Adobe Exchange module) certainly makes it easier to publish web documents in PDF form rather than HTML or dome other DTD. Version 4 is a significant upgrade. The main advantage is that the original document produced on a word processor or spreadsheet program does not have to be edited and touched up in the same manner that an HTML conversion often requires fixing up and images. For example MS Word tables and Excel tables do not have to be fixed up in a PDF file, but these tables almost always have to be fixed up following a conversion to a HTM file. Images do not have to be stored in separate files like they do for HTML documents. Another advantage arises in that the hard copy printout of the PDF file is nearly perfect in terms of looking just like the original DOC or XLS printout.
But there is one huge disadvantage of a PDF document on the web that is often overlooked. That disadvantage is that a PDF document cannot be scanned by web search engines such as Altavista, HotBot, and Lycos. If authors want to have their work picked up by search engines, one possibilty is to publish a summary of the PDF document in a separate HTML document. Include lots of key words and text in the HTML document that will motivate users to click on the hyperlink to the PDF file.
Adding (limited) text editing capabilities will not be viewed happily by all authors. For example, PDF files are often the files of choice by corporations issuing annual reports. A main reason is that they print so nicely from PDF files. Another reason in the past, however, was that users could not modify the text in a PDF file. With Version 4 of Acrobat Exchange, however, readers can change text, insert pages, import other PDF files, repaginate, etc. PDF authoring no longer comforts authors that their documents remain "Pretty Decidedly Fixed" after they are downloaded by users.
From Information Week Newsletter on March 6, 2001
The future is wireless, or so we're told. While vendors work out the formula for devices and services that will put wireless clients into every consumer's hands, at least one wireless networking technology has moved out of the early-adopter stage. Wireless Ethernet, defined by the 802.11b standard, is coming into its own as a common technique to connect clients to networks. It is this genuine maturity that new technologies are pushed to achieve. This is the magic place on the product life curve when companies can begin ordering and installing the technology as a solution rather than as an experiment.
We took five separate 802.11b systems to the Review Bunker at the University of Hawaii's Advanced Network Computing Lab to see whether these products truly are as mature as they seem. We wanted to see whether the wireless networking systems would be easy to integrate into an existing network and easy to forget once they were installed. In short, we wanted to find out whether wireless networking systems can replace standard 10Base-T with no performance or management penalties for users and administrators.
Five companies accepted our invitation to this lab test. Cisco, Enterasys Networks, Intel, Proxim and Symbol Technologies brought network access devices, management software and wireless PC cards to the Review Bunker and helped us put the systems through their paces. In the end, we found that there's a lot of good news in wireless networking, along with one little detail that will cause you some trouble. --Curtis Franklin
Read on to find out how they performed: http://update.internetweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eCoW0Bdl6n0V30LWBN
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Providers Overcome Bluetooth Blues
Bluetooth--a technology that backers in the wireless and computer industry promise will enable cheap, short-range wireless networking--is set to become a reality after more than two years of development.
By this summer, wireless operators will be selling phones with Bluetooth transceivers, small chips that can communicate at distances up to 30 feet and wirelessly connect to PCs and PDAs.
Wireless service providers are excited about the prospects. They expect gadget fans and road warriors to use their cellular networks to connect Bluetooth-enabled devices to the Internet and corporate LANs.
The coming of age of Bluetooth means more traffic over the network and more demand for wireless services, say wireless operators. --Jonathan Collins, tele.com
Read on: http://update.internetweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eCoW0Bdl6n0V30LWCO
Pentium= A CISC high speed processor that followed the 486 processors of Intel. The Pentium runs much faster than the 486 in most instances and, thereby, is a better alternative for graphics, audio, and video processing. It is also better suited to newer operating systems such as Windows Chicago and Windows 2000. Early versions tended to overheat and had an unknown life and reliability. Later versions of Pentium processors such as the P54C overcame all doubts about Intel's ability to produce a cool running CISC processor at speeds up to 100 MHz and plans to produce even faster Pentiums. These newer versions dispel all doubts about "Intel's aim to crunch the PowerPC" according to Information Week, February 21, 1994, p. 60. The comparative advantages, and they are serious advantages in the market, are the ability to run DOS and Windows applications in direct rather than emulation form in Pentium processors. This is not the case with PowerPC alternatives. Also, some users prefer CISC to RISC. (See also Mulimedia Video Processor, NexGen, RISC, and CISC)
Peripheral Component Interconnect= (See Bus)
PERL = (See CGI.)
PersonaLink Service= (See PDA)
Phase Change Dual (PD)= A technology for recording rewritable compact discs that was developed by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. of Osaka, Japan. The PD phase change on tiny disc crystals is achieved with a laser beam burning that makes them more or less reflective. The PD rewritable discs, however, cannot be read on standard CD-ROM players. This limits the market for developers. However, the rewritable feature has many useful attributes. The capacity of a PD disc is currently 650 MB and the player/recorder sells for less than $1,000. (See also CD)
PHP = a server-side, cross-platform, HTML embedded scripting language. This may sound a little foreign to all you folks coming from a non-Unix background, but PHP doesn't cost anything. The PHP web site is at http://www.php.net/ . Also see Shell.
Photo CD= A CD that contains up to 100 high quality photographs developed by Kodak from 35 mm film directly onto a CD-ROM or a CD-I disc. PhotoCD files generally have a pcd extension and can be played back on Kodak software. New Photo CD Portfolio and Create-It software from Kodak (800-CD-KODAK) facilitate presentations such as classroom lectures and outside presentations to be pressed to Photo CDs. However, the Photo CD disc only stores graphics images (including text stored as a graphic) and will not store files that can be executed in computer software such as playing back a ToolBook book or HyperCard stack or storing a Lotus or Excel spreadsheet file. (In contrast, a CD-ROM disc will store computer files that can be read into execution files.) Reading of such discs requires special software. Also, CD-ROM drives have to be sufficiently fast (e.g., double or triple speed) to playback Photo CD discs. CD-I and related machines that play on television sets rather than computers will also play Photo CD discs. For a guide to Photo CD usage see Brannon (1993). For the Photo Factory software package see Multimedia Store in Appendix 6. A production guide is provided by Larish (1993). (See also Dry camera and Video from digital (DV) camcorders)
Photography= (See Dry camera)
Phreaker = the skilled saboteur who relies on guile and the fallibility of employees in an information system. Employees do not necessarily have to be co-conspirators. The phreaker takes advantage of their innocence and trusting nature. The term is used in contrast to a hacker and a cracker. A hacker is a person who relies only upon technology to hack into the system (e.g., by breaking the encryption code.) Whereas a hacker usually breaks in without intention to harm the system or for personal gain, a "hacker" turns into a "cracker" when the intention becomes more sinister. A "phreaker" may do some hacking or cracking, but the to be a phreaker the saboteur must also rely upon human fallibility. (See also firewall.)
PIC-AECM= Pacioli International Centre for Accounting Education using Computers and Multimedia, Loyola College in Maryland, 4501 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21210-2699 Phone: (410-617-2478), Fax: (410-617-2006) email: pacioli@Loyola.edu. The AECM-L mailing list is also available. A description of services is contained in the CETA Newsletter, June, 1994. (See also ANet, International Internet Association, and RAW)
Pink= A forthcoming Taligent multi-platform operating system jointly backed by Apple Corporation and IBM as the next generation of operating systems. The "multi-platform" feature will permit running DOS, Windows, OS/2, Apple/Mac systems, Unix, and PowerOpen. (See also Operating system)
PIP= Picture-In-Picture that can simultaneously display two TV images on the same screen, including images from two separate TV tuners or a TV tuner and VCR tape deck. (See also POP and Video)
Pitch bend= Gradual change in a tone's frequency (highness or lowness). For example, this can be used to create effects like vibrato or to produce more natural note attacks on some instruments.
Pixel= The rectangular "dots" that comprise the smallest units of screen color variations. The more pixels that the computer can display per square inch of screen, the higher the resolution of graphics images on the screen. Older CGA resolutions had such large pixels that outlines of individual pixels could be seen in the graphics images. Higher resolutions such as those in Super VGA make it harder to detect pixels without zooming enlargements of parts of the screen. Larger numbers of pixels make graphics modification tasks more tedious.
Platform= Another word with many meanings. A platform can be a chip, a computer, an operating system, an application--or any combination of them. But it usually refers to a collection of technology that software companies use in making new products. (See also Operating system)
Plug and play= A phase that can have a variety of meanings in different contexts. In the most general sense, it means ease of setup and operation such as when a device can simply be plugged into power and run with ease. In the area of PCMCIA cards, the term means that cards can be removed and replaced with other cards without having to reboot the system. Details of plug and play are given in White (1994). (See also PCMCIA)
Plug-in= Has a meaning that can vary with context. The most common meaning in WWW browsers is reader (runtime, playback, view) software that will "plug" into the browser such that when a file extension (e.g., PDF, TBK, WAV, AVI, MOV, etc.) is encountered the browser will view or download the file automatically and run that file. Most plug-in readers are free. Examples include the PDF Acrobat reader from
POP= Picture-On-Picture that entails wide-screen viewing of up to three TV images simultaneously on 16:9 wide-screen TV. (See also Wide-screen TV, PIP, and Video)
POP3 = (See Internet Messaging).
POP = An acronym for Point of Presence, POP is a service provider's location for connecting to users. Generally, POP refers to the location where people can dial into the provider's host computer. Most providers have several POPs to allow low-cost access via telephone lines.
PORTAL =
A "one-stop" place of information and services for some topical area or grouping of related topical areas. Following on the heels of my featured knowledge portal in my August 22, 2000 New Bookmarks comes a featured review of "Portals in Higher Education," by Michael Looney and Peter Lyman, Educause Review, July/August 2000 --- http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm00/erm004.html
A few selected quotations from the Looney and Lyman article are given below:
WHAT ARE PORTALS?
Let’s start with a simple definition, and then explore some of the variations of portals. At the most basic level, portals gather a variety of useful information resources into a single, “one-stop” Web page, helping the user to avoid being overwhelmed by “infoglut” or feeling lost on the Web. But since no two people have the same interests, portals allow users to customize their information sources by selecting and viewing only the information they find personally useful. Some portals also let you personalize your portal by including private information (such as your stock portfolio or checking account balance). Put simply, an institution’s portal is designed to make an individual’s Web experience more efficient and thereby make the institution as a whole more productive and responsive.
. . .
The two most popular consumer portals are AOL and Yahoo! AOL ( http://www.aol.com ) has over twentyfive million users averaging 12 minutes per session.2 Yahoo! ( http://www.yahoo.com ) has over twentytwo million users averaging nearly 25 minutes per session and is the classic directory portal that most other portals have imitated. Portals often seem similar from one site to another because publishers of generic consumer information, such as InfoSpace ( http://www.infospace.com ) and MyWay ( http://www.myway.com ), license the same information services to many dot.coms. College.com companies may license these information to companies as B2B (business-to-business) enterprise or use them on student-oriented web pages as a B2C (business-to-consumer) enterprise.
. . .
According to the Delphi Group’s published survey results, 55 percent of Fortune 500 companies are already using an enterprise portal or have plans to develop one in the near future. Enterprise portals are intended to assist employees to be more efficient and productive by centralizing access to needed data services—for example, competitive information, manufacturing and accounting data, 401K information, and other human relations data. Enterprise portals often include news, weather, and sports feeds as a benefit for the employee, giving these portals the appearance of a community portal.
Examples of campus portals:
Some campuses have already started developing educational portals to accomplish these goals. The University of Washington has developed MyUW ( http://myuw.washington.edu ). This portal site uses information in innovative ways that enhance the educational mission, personalizing student data (student debit-card totals, student course information) and providing faculty with ideas and resources for new uses of technology for teaching. The UW portal seems to have the mission of creating an online community encompassing a diverse and complex on-and off-campus environment. And the MyUCLA site ( http://www.my.ucla.edu ), one of the oldest in higher education, provides a classic directory-style portal, ranging from new modes of accessing campus administrative data to relevant feeds from the UCLA Daily Bruin.
My main objection to a portal is that is requires user log-in. This makes it difficult to locate documents within using search engines like Google. I might never have been "discovered" if my Web site was instead a portal requiring a log-in at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/
"Why Are Portalized University Home Pages Rare? by Joe St Sauver, Syllabus, March 2004, pp. 21-24 --- http://www.syllabus.com/article.asp?id=9022
What's a Portal Anyway?
A good defining answer to "What's a portal?" has always been elusive, but operationally it is a Web site that:
Requires users to log in. A login allows users to customize the portal to best reflect their interests --- interests that could then be recalled during subsequent logins.
Is inclusive enough to act as the user's default Web start page, providing access to all the major tools the user wants or needs to work online.
Is tightly integrated with existing administrative systems such as Banner, and existing teaching and learning systems such as Blackboard or WebCT.
Straight forwward, secure Web sites that many have deployed --- sites that allow users to perform administrative tasks online such as registering for classes or looking up grades --- are generally not considered to be portals, because users will not routinely log in to sites of that sort unless they have a specific administrative task to accomplish, and it is extremely unlikely that anyone would make one of these secure administrative Web sites their default home page.
"Facing the Portal: A conversation with Annie Stunden (University of Winconsin-Madison's CIO)," Syllabus, March 2004, pp. 8-14 --- http://www.syllabus.com/article.asp?id=9021
Syllabus: What would you say are the most important lessons learned from your experience with your portal?
Annie Studnen: We learned that on a campus as big as ours, fostering the collaboration of the campus community is one of the most important things, and one of the hardest. We’re a very distributed environment so people can sort of do what they want to do. There’s very little top-down direction that dictates what you have to do. Our chancellor was certainly interested in having a portal, or at least something that looked like a portal, on campus. But we needed to champion this actively, to get people willing to put the information that they felt ultimately responsible for into the portal. That was the hardest part. We know how to do the technology. The people work is harder. Folks on campus felt that if they put the information that they were responsible for—think about student records information, for example—in the portal, that they were, in some way, losing control.
An issue still floats out there about how the portal is governed. Student Affairs manages the student information system, Finance manages the financial system, and the Graduate School manages the grants management system. But who manages the portal? Is it that awful technology organization you never trust? —Read: “Why should they be calling the shots on this?”
Well, if the central technology organization is not calling the shots, in concert with some kind of campuswide advisory or governance body, where else can you put the responsibility so that the portal does not become one-department centric? And the whole point is to keep the portal a campus portal, not a teaching and learning portal, not a student information system portal, not a payroll portal, but a campus portal. This remains a challenge, because distributed governance is hard. Regardless, our campus portal is becoming more and more accepted—we’re getting something like 70,000 hits a day.
The best and most imaginative campus portal did not survive. I contend that the Fathom knowledge portal at Columbia University extended well beyond the objectives and strategies of other campus portals do date. The Fathom portal was leading partners such as the Smithsonian and the New York Public Library for heavy input of knowledge into the portal. It was called Fathom --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/book00q3.htm#Fathom
An Internet/Web portal with 14 channels on marketing and e-Commerce --- http://www.internet.com/home-d.html
Internet Technology
Ecommerce/Marketing
Web Developer
Windows Internet Tech.
Linux/Open Source
Internet Resources
ISP Resources
Internet Lists
Download
International
International News
International Investing
ASP Resources
Wireless
Other examples of portals and vortals can be found at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/portals.htm
POTS= This is an acronym for Plain Old Telephone Service.
Power Macintosh= (See PowerPC)
PowerOpen= (See Operating system and PowerPC)
PowerPC= A revolutionary new desktop RISC computer emerging from a joint venture between Apple Corporation, Motorola, and IBM. Rupley (1994, p. 129) writes that: "PowerPC will remake the computer industry at its foundations." What is revolutionary is the ability of the PowerPC to run under Apple, OS/2, DOS, Windows, and Unix operating systems. This is a remarkably fast and cheap CPU using RISC chip technology. IBM was the first company to introduce the PowerPC notebook computer. For a time it looked like the PowerPC would indeed capture enormous chunks of market share from Intel, but then in hurried desperation Intel introduced its 90-MHz and 100-MHz O54C CISC processors. With the new CISC Pentiums and RISC NexGen alternatives selling at a much faster clip than Mac and IBM PowerPC processors, it appears that PowerPC will have a tough time selling to users other than Mac users who want faster processors for the Apple operating systems. Later versions of Pentium processors such as the P54C overcame all doubts about Intel's ability to produce a cool running CISC processor at speeds up to 100 MHz and plans to produce even faster Pentiums. These newer versions dispel all doubts about "Intel's aim to crunch the PowerPC" according to Information Week, February 21, 1994, p. 60. The comparative advantages of the Intel processors, and they are serious short-term advantages in the market, are the abilities of Intel processors to run DOS and Windows applications in direct rather than the emulation form used in PowerPCs and Macs. The main drawback of the PowerPC is that PowerPC users can only run DOS and Windows applications in emulation form such that all speed advantages of the PowerPC are lost. For this reason, the "PC" part of the tradename "PowerPC" is somewhat misleading since most PC users run under DOS and/or Windows operating systems. Certainly users who prefer to stay in a DOS and/or Windows operating system are advised to stick with the 486, Pentium, or some other CPU alternative that does not require emulation. When applications vendors bring applications to market in PowerOpen, Pink, and planned PowerPC native software, Intel and NexGen may lose market share to PowerPC, but this probably will not happen to a major extent in this century, largely due to the fact that PowerPC requires replacement of existing computers with new PowerPC computers. Worldwide, this will not happen for years due to tight budgets in business and government. It will be years before software developers offer PowerPC native software anywhere close to the present Windows product lines. Francis (1994) reports that the main drawback that is holding down sales of Apple Corporation's Power Mac is that "no one is building mainstream (native) productivity applications for the Power Mac." IBM is also working with Apple to develop the PowerOpen operating system for the PowerPC. Taligent is developing the Pink operating system for the PowerPC. At the time of this writing the planned full line of PowerPCs is not available. It will only be a short time before portable (e.g., Tadpoles and PowerBooks) and multimedia PowerPC lines are produced, although demand for these portable versions leads to long delivery delays. Another drawback of the PowerPC is that the alliance between IBM and Apple was weakened somewhat by delays in developing a PowerPC that will switch back and forth between Mac and IBM operating systems (e.g., between Mac and OS/2 or Mac and Windows). Users still have to make that big choice between one operating system or another. Good news includes the current availability of some popular software packages designed specifically for the PowerPC such as WordPerfect native Power Macintosh. Bad news includes the decision of Lotus Corporation not to produce native PowerPC versions at the present time. Even more discouraging for PowerPC hopefuls are analyst forecasts of the pent up demand for Windows 95 and Windows 2000 that will probably lead consumers toward Intel and NexGen processors. At the moment, it's still a horse race between Intel and PowerPC with PowerPC far behind and waning hopes for a burst of speed. Francis (1994) reports that Moody's Investors Service Inc. placed Apple Corporation under review largely due to "concerns about the computer vendor's long-term operating performance and the viability of its technology strategy." A huge area of concern has been the tapering off of demand for the new Power Mac versions of the PowerPC. Apple's share of the PC market reached 14% in 1993, but has since slipped back down to less than 5%. Apple admits to losing the operating system war to Microsoft. In Information Week, November 11, 1996, p. 26 Marco Landi (Chief Operating Officer at Apple Corporatiion) is quoted as saying "We are not an OSS company. We've lost that battle." In 1997, Apple intends on moving more into the cross- platform basis for software for the Internet. (See Cross-platform. Market share determines the number of native software applications being developed for operating systems. Mac, UNIX, and other operating systems are losing the native software development war to Windows 95, 97, and Windows 2000. Windows 2000 is almost certain to become the PC operating system standard of choice until its upgrade called Windows Cairo rolls off the line and/or Windows 2000 with upgraded object-oriented programming features become the operating systems of choice among users having newer hardware speed and memory components. But for users who stand by their Power Macs, we recommend joining the Apple Multimedia Program (408-974-4897) that offers a variety of online services and other services that, in our viewpoint, are well worth the $750 price of membership. (See also Native, CPU, Pentium, CISC, RISC, Taligent, Operating system, Mozart, Copeland, Gershwin, and Mac)
PPP= Point-To-Point protocol used over serial lines that are necessary for phone line connections to computers. (See also ISP, SLIP, and Modem)
PPV= Pay-Per-View commercial selling of live-event TV such as PPV boxing events. PPV will probably become a much more lucrative business when the information highway comes to town. (See also Information highway)
Premastering/mastering software= The software layer that readies files for recording. This involves converting file structures to adhere to the ISO 9660 conventions, simulating the image on the hard disk as a CD-ROM, and sending the image to the CD-R drive. (See also CD-R)
Presentation= Presentation electronic "slide show" options such as SPC's Harvard Graphics, Gold Disk's Astound, Asymetrix's Compel, Microsoft's PowerPoint, Macromedia's Action, Micrografx's Charisma, Just-Ask-Me, On-The-Air, Lotus Corporation's Freelance, Word Perfect's Presentations, Special Delivery, Q/Media, Zuma Group's Curtain Call, and others are mentioned in Chapter 3 and listed in greater detail in Appendix 6. These, in conjunction with spreadsheet software (Lotus, Excel, Quatro Pro, etc.), are the most widely employed aids currently used by accounting professors according to survey results reported in Chapter 4. An extensive list of presentation software vendors and product attributes is provided in Appendix 6. Green and Green (1994) discuss how presentation software is becoming closer to authoring software. Jerome and Lee (1995) rate and compare presentation software alternatives with particular focus on multimedia features. Hardware options are reviewed in the NewMedia Tool Guide for 1995 ( pp. 105-112). For a review of presentation software options also see NewMedia Tool Guide for 1995 ( pp. 11-16), McCraken (1994) and Green and Green (1994). (The addresses and phone numbers of NewMedia, Multimedia World, and other periodicals are contained in Appendix 4.) The top rated options according to PC Computing, December 1994, p. 178 are PowerPoint from Microsoft Corporation (800-426-9400), Harvard Spotlight (Rank 2) from Software Publishing (800-336-8360), and Freelance Graphics (Rank 3) from Lotus Development (800-343-5414). Paintshow and photoshow options such as Micrografx PhotoMagic, MacPaint, Corel Draw, Publisher's Paintbrush, and Adobe Photoshop may be used for pictures but are cumbersome for group presentations but are often used for images imported into presentation, hypermedia, and CMS courseware. Robinson and Lee (1994) discuss the fine line between "authoring" and "presentation" software. Many presentation software vendors such as Gold Disk (Astound) are adding audio, video, and button navigation utilities. They also discuss options for crossing platforms between operating systems such as between Windows and Mac operating systems. (See also Projection and Authoring)
Print devices= Definition files for different types of printers to be used on a print server.
Print forms= Definitions of different types of paper size to be used on a print server.
Print job configurations= Complete descriptions of how a file is to be printed on the network.
Print queues= Definitions of the order in which and where a file is to be printed on the network.
Print server= A computer running a program that allows it to accept files to be printed from other workstations.
Processor= (See CPU)
Prodigy= A commercial network service that is a joint venture between Sears Roebuck and IBM. This service has improved some of its technical problems but it is also expensive according to Mossberg (1994a). NewMedia, January 1994, p. 31 has a brief summary of new features such as color-coded menus, digitized photos, Internet mail, TV listings, and travel services. (See also Networks, CompuServe, Internet, eWorld, Interchange, and America Online)
Projection= Display of computer and video images on monitors and screens. A "Multimedia Projectors Buyers' Guide" is provided in Multimedia World, June 1994, pp. 77-79. (Also see AB style switches, LCD and Three-beam-projector)
Protocol= Any formal description of message formats and the rules two computers must follow to exchange those messages. Protocols can describe low-level details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g., the order in which bits and bytes are sent across a wire) or high-level exchanges between allocation programs (e.g., the way in which two programs transfer a file across the Internet). Files on the Internet are transferred via what is known as FTP File Transfer Protocol. See World Wide Web for the common http protocol. See Internet Messaging for common protocols for sending messages across the Internet. (See also FTP and File transfer)
Pseudo web streaming= (See Web streaming)
Q-Terms
QuickRing= (See Bus)
QuickTake= (See Dry camera)
QuickTime= Animation and video files that originally were designed for by Apple Corporation for Mac computers. Next came the software for playing quicktime video on PC computers. In late 1996, Apple announced that it was letting go of its proprietary rights so that Quicktime could become an open-platform recording standard. Now PC users can record and well as play back Quicktime video. Various playback utilities, including the always popular QuickTime playback software, can be downloaded free from
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