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EBU (European Broadcasting Union): The largest professional society of audio engineers in Europe.

email: Short for "electronic mail," email is the transmission of messages over computer networks.

email spoofing: The practice of changing your name in an outgoing email so it looks like the email came from somewhere or someone else. Spammers generally use spoofing to prevent people from finding out who they are. It's also used by general malcontents to practice mischievous and malicious behavior. However, spoofing can be a legitimate and helpful tool for someone with more than one email account.

emoticon: Punctuation characters that suggest how an email should be interpreted by indicating the writers mood. For example, a :-) emoticon indicates that the message is meant as a joke. The name is short for emotion icon. An emoticon is also called a smiley.

encryption: The translation of data into secret code for security purposes.. To read an encrypted file, you must possess the secret key or password that unlocks the encryption.

envelope: The dynamic shape of a sound over time, commonly characterized by its attack, decay, sustain, and release.

equalizer (EQ): An amplifier that can boost or cut specific frequencies.

Ethernet: A LAN (local area networking) protocol. Ethernet is used to network, or hook computers together so they can share information.

expander: A processor used to expand the dynamic range of a signal.

FDISK: A DOS and Windows utility that is used to partition a hard disk, which is necessary before high-level formatting

fast Ethernet: The same thing as Ethernet, only ten times faster.

file extension: Extensions identify the type of file to which theyre attached. All programs and almost all data files use extensions, which are separated from the file name with a dot. For example, LETTER.DOC is a Word document. NOTEPAD.EXE is a text editor program that comes with Windows. Before Windows 95, an extension could only have up to three letters or digits, and that has remained the case as a matter of convention.

filter: A type of equalizer that is designed to pass or cut specific frequencies.

firewall: A method of protecting one network from another network. A firewall blocks unwanted access to the protected network while giving the protected network access to networks outside of the firewall.

FireWire: A high-speed bus. FireWire is a serial connector, like USB, and allows you to add peripheral devices to your computer very easily, without having to open the box. FireWire, however, can transmit data 30 to almost 40 times faster than USB. That makes it very good for tasks like getting video off a camcorder. For most devices, you don't need that much speed, but if you wanted to add a very fast hard drive to your PC, FireWire would be an excellent solution. FireWire was originally developed by Apple, and is now also sold under the names iLink and IE-1394.

flame: To communicate emotionally and/or excessively via electronic mail. In other words, to insult someone online.

flutter: High-frequency variations in pitch of a recorded waveform due to fast speed variations in a recorder or playback machine. Or: Originally, and more formally, any variations (fast or slow) in pitch of a recorded tone due to speed fluctuations in a recorder or playback unit.

fly in: To add sounds into a mix or recording that have no time code or synchronization, also called wild tracks.

FireWire: A high-speed bus. FireWire is a serial connector, like USB, and allows you to add peripheral devices to your computer very easily, without having to open the box. FireWire, however, can transmit data 30 to almost 40 times faster than USB. That makes it very good for tasks like getting video off a camcorder or transferring audio data. For most devices, you don't need that much speed, but if you wanted to add a very fast hard drive to your PC, FireWire would be an excellent solution. FireWire was originally developed by Apple, and is now also sold under the names iLink and IEEE-1394.

freeware: Software that has been made freely available by the author. Unlike open-source software, the author retains the copyright, which means that the application cannot be modified without the author's consent.

FTP (file transfer protocol): A series of protocols or rules that define how to transfer files across the Internet. FTP is a very popular way to send files across the Net. To use it you must have an FTP server and client.

full duplex sound card: A sound card that can make sound and receive sound at the same time. You can talk and listen at the same time, just like on a telephone. Walkie-talkies are half duplex: You press the button to talk, but you can't talk and listen at the same time. Almost all sound cards sold in the last four or five years are full duplex.

gain: Amount of amplification, measured in decibels.

gate: A signal processor that only allows a signal to pass if it is above the set threshold.

GIF (graphics interchange format): An 8-bit (256 color) graphics file format developed by CompuServe that lets users transfer images to one another over computer networks, including the Internet. GIFs are widely used on the Web because they compress well.

gigabyte (G or GB): 1,024 megabytes.

GPS (Global Positioning System): A system of 24 satellites for identifying earth locations, launched by the U.S. Department of Defense. By triangulation of signals from three of the satellites, a receiving unit can pinpoint its current location anywhere on earth to within a few meters.

With GPS, the "James Bond" style of on-screen, mobile map reading became a reality by the mid-1990s. By 2000, in-the-dash GPS-based "navigation systems" were standard or at least an option in luxury cars, and third-party systems are available for all cars. Such systems include a CD-ROM reader or hard disk that reads the digital maps that guide you to your destination city or street address. They can even take you to the nearest gas station, hotel, restaurant and many other points of interest. Newer DVD-based systems provide coverage of the entire U.S. and are amazingly accurate and helpful. In time, built-in navigation systems are expected to be an option for all classes of cars. See GIS glossary.

GUI (graphical user interface): A picture-based system of interaction between people and computers. A GUI lets you interact by using a mouse rather than by having to type in keyboard commands.

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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