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| There are 17 entries in the glossary. |
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| U.S. Atomic Clock |
Called NIST-F1 and created by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the U.S.
atomic clock resides in Colorado. It is capable of keeping time accurate to
about 30 billionths of a second per year.
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| Ubuntu |
From a Zulu word meaning “selfhood through community and
sharing,” this is a popular free version of the Linux operating system.
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| Ultraviolet (UV) Rays | The
part of the sun’s spectrum that are invisible to the human eye. UV sunlight in excessive amounts has been
shown to be harmful to human skin.
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| Undo Button |
The icon or button in a software
application that allows you to reverse, or undo your last action. The icon for
undo is usually a backwards facing curved arrow. In most programs, the shortcut
key combination is CTRL+Z. Pressing both of these keys together will undo you
last action and may help get you out of trouble easily.
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| Uninstaller | A software program which removes or uninstalls other programs. |
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| UNIX | An operating system that runs many of the large computer systems. |
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| Upgrade | To improve your computer system by installing new components. Also to install a new version of the software that you are already using to gain new features and improvements. |
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| Upload | To move or copy a document, program or other data from your computer to the Internet or another computer. The opposite of download. |
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| UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) | A power supply that includes a battery to maintain power in case of a power outage or interruption. A UPS, powered by its own battery, keeps the computer and any peripherals plugged into it running for several minutes. This gives the user time to save data and shut down correctly. Some UPS units come with software that can automate the shut down procedure. Typically a UPS also functions as a surge protector.
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| Upstream Speed | The speed at which information is sent over the Internet. The speed is sometimes shown as X/Y where X is the downstream speed and Y is the upstream speed. |
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| URL (Uniform Resource Locator) | A system for addressing Internet sites. |
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| USB (Universal Serial Bus) | USB, which stands for Universal Serial Bus, is a new way of connecting external devices to a computer. There are several appealing factors about a USB. First it is faster than the connection most of us are now using. PCs traditionally come with two types of ports, the serial port and the parallel port. USB allows data to be transferred from the connected device to the computer much faster than either of these two older ports. In fact, USB is about 10 times faster than a parallel port. Next a USB device is generally much easier to install. Most new computers, including Macs, have USB ports. To use a USB device with a Windows PC, you must be running the second version of Windows 95, Windows 98, or a newer version of Windows, such as Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
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| USB Flash Drives | are
small devices that plug into the USB port of the computer and can hold a lot of
storage. They are also called “pen
drives,” “keychain drives,” “key drives,” “USB keys,” “USB sticks,” and “memory keys.”
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| USB Hub |
A device that allows multiple USB
devices to be plugged into a single USB port. USB hubs are often used to attach
mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, microphones, and other devices to a computer
when that computer has a limited number of USB ports. A hub can be powered or
can get its power from the USB port itself.
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| USB2 | USB2 or 2.0 is a faster version of the original USB port, which allows external peripherals, such as printers, cameras, and scanners to be attached to a computer. USB 2.0 speeds up USB performance as much as forty times the speed of the original USB connection (12 Mbps) to reach speeds of 480 Mbps (megabits per second). USB2 uses the same cables and connectors as USB1 and is both forward and backward compatible with USB1. USB2 is capable of running USB1 devices, and USB2 devices can be used with USB1 enabled computers (at USB1 speeds).
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| Usenet | A worldwide bulletin board system that can be accessed through the Internet or through many on-line services. It contains thousands of newsgroups that cover many varied topics. |
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| Utility Programs | A program that helps you perform necessary maintenance or correct problems with your computer system. Disk backup and anti-virus programs are utility programs. |
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