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cable modem: A device that connects your computer to the Internet via cable lines. See also: dial-up modem.

cache memory: The area of memory that stores the most recently accessed data. When a computer needs data once, chances are it will need it again, soon, so computer designers realized they could speed up the computer by storing the most recently accessed data in a high-speed storage area. Most caches are FIFO (first in, first out). This means that as the cache fills, the older data is thrown out. This makes sense because you want the most recently accessed data available. There are several types of cache on your computer, including application cache, disk cache, hardware cache, and processor cache.

CD-ROM player: A device that plays compact discs or runs computer programs stored on a compact disc.

CD-R (compact disc recordable): A type of CD that can be recorded to. With proper formatting, it can used to create a disc that will play in most CD players.

CD-RW (compact disc rewritable): A type of CD that can be recorded, erased, and rewritten to by the user. A CD-RW disc cannot be placed in a conventional CD player.

censorware: Software that blocks certain types of Internet traffic such as pornography from being accessed by the user.

CGI: (common gateway interface): A standard way for a Web server to pass a Web user's request to an application program, receive data back from that program, and forward it to the user.

chip: A small piece of semiconducting material (usually silicon) on which an integrated circuit is embedded. A typical chip is less than a square inch in size and can contain millions of electronic components (transistors). Computers consist of many chips placed on electronic boards called printed circuit boards.

circuit board: A thin plate on which chips and other electronic components are placed. Computers consist of one or more boards, often called cards or adapters.

clustering: Connecting two or more computers to behave as a single computer. Thanks to clustering, two or more computers can jointly execute a function, activity can be distributed evenly across a computer network, and systems can respond gracefully to unexpected failures.

CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor): Pronounced "see-moss," a CMOS is a small, 64-byte, memory chip on the motherboard that stores information your computer needs in order to boot up.

Comdex: A trade show in which IT professionals have convened twice yearly for the past 20 years to unveil new products, announce burgeoning technology trends, and schmooze with other geeks from around the world. Since the trade shows' humble beginnings in 1980, Comdex has grown into the computer industry's premiere US event.

compressor: A signal processor that reduces the gain of a signal by a set ratio once it exceeds the set threshold.

computer: A programmable device that can store, retrieve, and process data. Computers can store pre-recorded lists of instructions, which we call programs. The computers brain is the microprocessor, which is capable of doing math, moving data around, and altering the data after storing it in binary code. Most computers have a fast, short-term storage medium and a slower, long-term storage medium. The faster storage medium, known as RAM, is used to store information temporarily while you work and run applications. The long-term, permanent storage is your hard drive. In order to feed the computer information and tell it how to process the data, you need input devices such as your mouse and keyboard. The monitor, or output device, displays the results.

condenser microphone: A type of microphone that uses an electrostatic diaphragm rather than an electromagnetic one. Generally, the microphones have a much better frequency response.

controller: Any MIDI device that can be used to control any other MIDI-capable device. Generally, controllers are in the form of a keyboard, but they can also be drum pads, mixer controllers, and so on.

cookie: Information a website puts on your hard disk so it can remember something about you at a later time. Typically, a cookie records your preferences when using a particular site. Cookies are commonly used to rotate the banner ads that a site sends so that it doesn't keep sending you the same ad. They can also be used to customize pages for you based on your browser type or other information you may have provided the website. Originally designed to aid users by giving them access to customized material via the Web, cookies have drawn the ire of some consumer groups, which claim they are sometimes used to gather information about users without their consent.

CPU (central processing unit): A complex silicon chip that acts as a computer's brain, taking requests from applications and then processing, or executing, operations.

crossover: An electrical circuit designed to separate an audio signal into different frequency ranges that are then routed to the appropriate speaker (such as a subwoofer).

Don't see the word you want? Let us know at techglossary@techtv.com. For links to other resources, go back to the glossary's start page.

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