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| WAN (Wide Area Network) | A computer network that covers an area larger than a single building. |
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| Warchalking |
This is marking outdoor surfaces
like sidewalks, brick walls and signposts with chalk marks that indicate that a
wireless network is available at that location. The markings indicate if the
area is openly accessible, is protected by a password, or is protected by other
security measures. Some people roam around cities and towns looking for
Warchalked locations where they can use their wireless laptop computer to hook
up to the Internet. As wireless networks become more common, warchalking is
becoming obsolete.
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| WAV (WAVeform Audio) | This is an audio format that is
standard for storing uncompressed audio files on a PC. WAV files are quite
large, but they are the main audio format used on Windows computers.
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| Wave Table | Uses recordings of actual instruments to produce sound that is more accurate and of better quality than an ordinary sound board. |
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| Web 2.0 |
This is the term used to describe
the second generation of the World Wide Web or Internet. It is focused on
interactivity and the ability for people to collaborate and share information.
It is used more as a marketing term than an actual term with precise meaning.
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| Web Browser | A program that provides an interface that allows you to connect to the World Wide Web. |
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| Web Bug | A graphic on a web page or in an email message that is designed to monitor you as you view the web page.
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| Web Page | One area of the World Wide Web. Comparable to a page in a book. |
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| Web Site | A site or area on the World Wide Web that is accessed by its own Internet address. Each Web site contains a home page and may also contain additional pages. Each Web site is owned and updated by an individual, company, or organization.
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| Web-Based Email | a type of
service that allows you to read, write, and store email on the World Wide
Web. This type of email has its own
interface that is similar to email programs such as Outlook Express.,
Thunderbird, and Eudora.
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| Webcam | A camera that allows viewing of live images through the Internet. |
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| WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) |
This is a method employed by
Microsoft to verify that the copy of Microsoft Windows installed on a computer
is a legitimate copy. Sometimes Microsoft performs this verification before
allowing that computer to download any updates or additional software from
Microsoft.
Older versions of Microsoft Windows, e.g. Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0 do not
require any type of WGA for downloading and installing Windows updates, however
Windows Genuine Advantage is built into Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Some false results that report legitimate copies of Windows as pirated
copies have made this a very unpopular system for the average computer user.
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| White Balance | The
function on most digital cameras that allows the user to correct for various
lighting conditions. The idea is for the White Balance to be adjusted so that
the white in the final photo appears to be pure white.
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| White List | A list of approved addresses is often referred to as a white list or safe list.
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| Wi-Fi (WiFi) | This is short for wireless fidelity and is
the generic name for any wireless network. A wireless network lets computers
communicate with each other and the Internet without "in the wall" cabling.
This technology has become very popular with home computer users because it
allows two or more home computers to share files, printers, and other equipment
without the mess and expense of wiring. It also allows more than one computer
to access the Internet at the same time from one account. Laptop computer users
are flocking to wireless networking because it gives them access to the
Internet from various locations. They can surf the Internet from a lounge chair
in the back yard as well as from various Hotspot locations.
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| Widescreen | A television or computer monitor that is wider horizontally than it is
vertically. Widescreen movies are typically shown in the 16:9 aspect ratio of high
definition television.
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| Widget/Gadget |
Obviously the terms gadget
and widget have many meanings. However, when talking about Window Vista or Mac
OS X, these are small applications that run on your computer desktop to give
you information and to interact with. Apple calls them Widgets and they have
been part of the Mac operating system for quite awhile. Microsoft calls them
Gadgets and they have become available with Windows Vista. Widgets or Gadgets
can give you the weather, tell you a joke, track a stock, show you the time,
and much more. Widgets for use with windows XP are also available from Yahoo!
at http://widgets.yahoo.com.
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| Wiki |
From a Hawaiian word that means "quick", a wiki is
a website that can be edited quickly by Web visitors. Such a collaborative
effort can produce a wealth of knowledge, but it can also contain errors. The
most famous wiki is Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com) which is an online
encyclopedia that is maintained, edited, and added to, by computer users from
around the world.
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| Wikipedia | Wikipedia is a wiki that is a full-blown encyclopedia that is edited and maintained by thousands of users around the world. If can be found at www.wikipedia.com.
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| Wildcards |
Wildcards can act as placeholders for missing characters in
filenames. Common wildcards are the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?).
These can be valuable when searching for filenames in the operating system.
They can often be used in search engines as well. For instance, searching Windows
for a file named s*.* will give you every file starting with the letter s.
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| Windows |
The most popular operating system for personal computer
which was created by Microsoft. Current versions include Windows XP and Windows
Vista. Older versions include Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT,
and Windows Me
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| Windows Genuine Advantage | see WGA
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| Windows Media Player |
This is digital media software developed by Microsoft that
comes on all Windows computers. It is used for plying audio and video and
viewing images. Windows Media Player can also copy from and to CDs.
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| Windows Vista | see Vista
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| Wireless | A
generic term that refers to any non-wired transmission of data. Although this includes radio, television, and
cell phones, it is most often used to refer to non-wired networked computers
and devices, such as keyboards and mice that are not attached to the computer
by wires.
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| Wizard | An
assistant or helper created by a software program to help the user perform tasks. The wizard guides you through the
task by prompting you for information which it uses to perform the task.
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| WMA (Windows Media Audio) | An audio format created by
Microsoft to compete with the MP3 format. WMA files are smaller, but unlike
MP3s, they have digital rights management built in.
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| Word (Microsoft Word) | Word is a word processing program
developed by Microsoft. It is currently the most popular word processor.
Although most people don’t use all of its functionality, Word is a powerful
program that can automatically create bibliographies, create table of contents,
prepare documents for mass mailings, allow users to collaborate on documents,
and perform many other complex tasks. It is a component of the Microsoft Office
Suite, but is also sold as a standalone program.
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| Word Processor | A piece of software used to create documents which are text oriented. |
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| Word Wrap | Word
wrap is a word processing feature that permits information to be keyed on
successive lines without having to tap the return/enter key at the key of each
line.
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| WordPerfect | WordPerfect is a word processor
that at one time was the most popular. It has been surpassed by Microsoft Word,
but it is still a full-fledged word processor with features that are comparable.
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| WordPress | This is one of the more popular publishing
systems for a blog. It will allow you to easily create a blog. |
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| Works (Microsoft Works) | Works is a home productivity
software suite created by Microsoft. It is less expensive than Microsoft
Office. It contains some similar programs like a word processor, a spreadsheet,
and a database, but these programs have fewer features than those in the full-fledged
Microsoft Office Suite.
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| World Wide Web | This term is often used synonymously with the word Internet; however it is actually a graphical interface for the Internet. |
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| Worm | A computer worm is a malicious
program that can replicate and run itself. Worms are generally considered
computer viruses; but unlike a virus, the worm doesn’t need to install itself
to the infected computer to run.
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| WYSIWYG (wiz-ee-wig) | stands for "What you see is what you get". It was originally coined as a computer term that meant what you see on the screen is what will print. This catch-phrase originated with the Geraldine character in the "Flip Wilson" show of the early 1970s.
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