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Computer Terms
Attachment
When you send an e-mail to someone, it is usually possible to attach
a file to it. This attachment ends up on the recipients computer in a
special directory or folder. Many e-mail programs include a link to the
attachment at the end of the e-mail itself.
Sometimes an attachment can get corrupted during transfer. This is because
various e-mail systems handle them slightly differently. For example,
sending an attachment from an AOL user to a non-AOL user can cause problems.
The best way to overcome such problems is to zip the
files first.
Auditory Prompt
Auditory prompts are prompts that you assign to individual keys, to
a row or column of keys, or to a quadrant of keys. The Pathfinder will
speak the prompts when Auditory Prompts is turned On. Spoken prompts help
you to learn the location of different keys on the keyboard and what particular
sequences contain. You can hear prompts through the speaker in the Pathfinder
or you can plug an earphone into the earphone connector on the top of
the case.
Baud Rate
A computer is really just a box that sends pieces of information from
place to place. The faster that information is sent, the better the computer.
When you send information from one computer to another, you use something
called the BAUD RATE to indicate the speed. The Baud Rate is the computer
equivalent of "miles per hour" except that it's more like "pieces
of information per second."
When two computers talk to each other, they need to recognize each others
baud rate. Imagine driving at 35 m.p.h. and wanting to pass a burger to
the person in a car you are overtaking. You both need to be at 35 m.p.h.
to do it successfully. If they are doing 20 and you are doing 70, try
throwing the burger successfully through the window!
GIF - Graphics Exchange Format
This is a type of image file used extensively on the Internet. It is
best to use the GIF format if you are placing graphics such as logos,
banners or cartoons. You can also use animated GIFs.
JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts group
This is an image file used extensively on the Internet. It is best used
for photographic or similarly realistic images on web sites. Otherwise,
try using GIFs on the web.
Kilobyte (K or Kb)
This is a measure of memory in a computer. A byte is a single piece
of information and a kilobyte is 1000 pieces of information. Actually,
its 1024 pieces, but for most purposes, you can go with 1000.
Macro
A macro is a list of instructions, sort of like a recipe. For example,
<CLEAR-DISPLAY> is an instruction; <SPEAK-DISPLAY> is an instruction;
{<SPEAK-DISPLAY><CLEAR-DISPLAY>} is a macro. In the Pathfinder,
you can make macros that do a number of things and store them under symbol
sequences.
Megabyte (Mb)
This is a measure of memory used in a computer. It is 1000 kilobytes,
which makes it big. My first computer was called a Commodore Pet 2000
and it had 7K of memory in total and was the latest and greatest in desktop
computing - why, it even had a built-in cassette tape recorder. Things
have changed since 1977!
MTI file
All the vocabulary stored in a Pathfinder can be saved to a computer
using a special piece of software called the Memory Tranfer Interface.
The file that you save is called an MTI file. The MTI files is different
from the MTI program in the same way that a Microsoft Word document is
different from the Microsoft Word program itself.
Zipping
This is a way of making files (a) smaller and (b) easier to transfer
over the Internet. To zip and unzip files you need to have a special program,
such as "WinZip" on Windows machines or "ZipIt" on
the Macintosh. When you send a file as an attachment
to an e-mail, zipping it first will make it more likely that it will get
to the recipient without being scrambled!
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