| Word | Description |
| Object | This can refer to the objects in object-oriented programming or the objects in OLE (Object Linking and Embedding). In OLE an object is a piece of a document, a graphic, or some multimedia. In object-oriented programming an object can be a spell checker or a piece of a graphics program used to draw squares or circles. Do you remember the crazy story people used to try to tell about a word processor where you could pick all of your favorite pieces (favorite spell checker, grammar checker, text editor, font manager, etc.) and piece them together to form the ultimate customizable word processor? Well, those pieces are objects. |
| Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) | A standard for sharing data between applications. It has been around since Windows 3.1 and continues to improve. For example, if you cut a picture out of Paint and paste it into a word processor document, you are using OLE to properly put the data into your document. Of course, if it doesn’t work quite right you can blame OLE, or the program’s use of it. OLE allows objects to be linked to and embedded in other documents. Linking creates a link to the actual object; embedding puts a copy of the object into the document. You can usually access the program an object was created with in order to edit the linked or embedded object just by clicking on the object. This is much more advanced than just taking a screenshot of the data you want and pasting it into another program as a graphic that has no relation to the original data. |
| object-oriented | A method of software-development that groups related functions and data into reusable chunks. Properly handled, object-oriented programming can reduce development time on new projects. |
| Object-oriented technology | Technology–usually programming languages–designed to work with objects. |
| OC-12 (Optical Carrier 12) | A fiber optic connection that can handle 622Mbps, often used for the 622Mbps ATM protocol. |
| OC-192 (Optical Carrier 192) | A fiber optic connection that can handle 10Gbps connection speeds. |
| OC-24 (Optical Carrier 24) | A fiber optic connection that can handle 1.244Gbps connection speeds. |
| OC-255 (Optical Carrier 255) | A fiber optic connection that can handle 13.21Gbps connection speeds. |
| OC-3 (Optical Carrier 3) | A fiber optic connection that can handle 155Mbps, often used for the 155Mbps ATM protocol. |
| OC-48 (Optical Carrier 48) | A fiber optic connection that can handle 2.488Gbps connection speeds. |
| OC-96 (Optical Carrier 96) | A fiber optic connection that can handle 4.976Gbps connection speeds. |
| OCR | Stands for "Optical Character Recognition." This technology is what allows you to scan that paper you lost on your hard drive, but fortunately printed out, back into your computer. When a page of text is scanned into a computer without OCR software, all the computer sees is a bunch graphical bits, or an image. In other words, it has no idea that there is text on the page, much less what the text says. However, an OCR program can convert the characters on the page into a text document that can be read by a word processing program. More advanced OCR programs can even keep the formatting of the document in the conversion. |
| Octet | A group of eight bits, also called a byte |
| ODBC | Open Database Connectivity. Open standard developed by Microsoft aiming to provide a consistent interface to relational databases regardless of which database engine is used (e.g. SQL Server, Oracle or MySQL). In theory to migrate to another database should only require the installation of the appropriate ODBC driver for the new database. Whilst ODBC does successfully address many of the issues involved in migrating from one database to another, there are issues outside the scope of ODBC which can (for some applications) have serious implications when migrating databases. |
| OEM | 1. Original Equipment Manufacturer. The manufacturer or producer of computing equipment (hardware or software). 2. OEM software or hardware refers to software or hardware bundled with (or licensed for use with) OEM supplied equipment. OEM software is frequently distributed without a box or a manual, but is cheaper than non-OEM software. |
| Office Suite | The set of software products that are required by an office, most often comprised of a spreadsheet program, a word processor, a scheduler, and a presentation manager. Sometimes the suites will include a financial package and a database program as well. These are put together by a single company, so they are made to work with one another. |
| Offline | When a computer or other device is not turned on or connected to other devices, it is said to be "offline." This is the opposite of being "online," when a device can readily communicate with other devices. For example, if you try to print to your printer and you get one of those frustrating errors saying, "The specified printer could not be found," the printer is probably offline. You should check to see if the printer is connected properly and, yes, turned on as well. Offline can also mean not being connected to the Internet. When you disconnect from your ISP or pull out the Ethernet cable from your computer, your computer is offline. Some programs, such as Web browsers and e-mail programs, have an option to "Work Offline." This option disables the program's network connection, meaning no data can be transmitted to or from the computer. This option was more useful when most people used dial-up connections. They didn't want their computer automatically dialing their ISP whenever a program tried to access the Internet. However, since most people now have "always on" connections such as DSL and cable modems, there usually is no reason to work offline. |
| OLED | Organic Light Emitting Diode (Organic-LED). Low-power LEDs, based on carbon-based molecules instead of semiconductor technology. OLED displays can be brighter, lighter, more flexible and more efficient than traditional LCD displays. |
| On-die | This term is most often used when referring to the L2 cache on a microprocessor. It implies that the L2 cache itself is on the same single piece of silicon as the microprocessor. |
| One-Way Encryption | Irreversible transformation of plaintext to cipher text, such that the plaintext cannot be recovered from the cipher text by other than exhaustive procedures even if the cryptographic key is known. |
| One-Way Function | A (mathematical) function, f, which is easy to compute the output based on a given input. However given only the output value it is impossible (except for a brute force attack) to figure out what the input value is. |
| Online | In general, when a machine is "online," it is turned on and connected to other devices. For example, when a network printer is online, computers connected to that network can print from it. Other devices, such as scanners, video cameras, audio interfaces, and others are said to be online when they are running and connected to a computer system. Recently, however, the term "online" usually means being connected to the Internet. The connection can be through a phone line, using a dial-up or DSL modem, a cable line via a cable modem, or through a wireless connection. A computer can also be online via a connection to a computer network. Technically, computers that are on a network are online even if they are not connected to the Internet. But most networks are routed to a T1 line or other Internet connection anyway. When a computer or other device is not online, it is said to be offline. |
| online learning | Also referred to as distance education; courses offered online that do not require the student to be on campus for most or all class participation. Students can work with course materials at their own convenience or they can work collaboratively on class projects using tools like chat and discussion groups (bulletin boards). |
| OOP | Stands for "Object-Oriented Programming." OOP (not Oops!) refers to a programming methodology based on objects, instead of just functions and procedures. These objects are organized into classes, which allow individual objects to be group together. Most modern programming languages including Java, C/C++, and PHP, are object-oriented languages, and many older programming languages now have object-oriented versions.. An "object" in an OOP language refers to a specific type, or "instance," of a class. Each object has a structure similar to other objects in the class, but can be assigned individual characteristics. An object can also call functions, or methods, specific to that object. For example, the source code of a video game may include a class that defines the structure of characters in the game. Individual characters may be defined as objects, which allows them to have different appearances, skills, and abilities. They may also perform different tasks in the game, which are run using each object's specific methods. Object-oriented programming makes it easier for programmers to structure and organize software programs. Because individual objects can be modified without affecting other aspects of the program, it is also easier to update and change programs written in object-oriented languages. As software programs have grown larger over the years, OOP has made developing these large programs more manageable. |
| Open Firmware | pen Firmware is a type of firmware that some computer systems use when they boot up. It controls the processor and performs system diagnostics before the operating system is loaded. Open Firmware also builds the "device tree," which locates internal and external devices connected to the computer. Each device is then assigned a unique address so it can be used once the computer starts up. Several types of computers use Open Firmware, including PowerPC-based Macintosh systems, Sun Microsystems SPARC-based workstations, and IBM POWER systems. (Most Windows-based PCs use the BIOS for the same purpose.) Because Open Firmware is an "open" standard, devices that support Open Firmware can be typically be used in multiple Open Firmware-based systems. For example, identical PCI cards could be used in both Sun and Macintosh-based computer systems. |
| Open Relay | A mail server that will route e-mail from any originator without the need for authentication. Spammers will often search for open relays as a means to send e-mail because it makes them harder to track down. Most (if not all) mail servers can be configured to prevent them from being used as open relays. cf RNDR. |
| Open Source | Program code that is made available for view, reuse and modification by others, normally with no license fee or restrictions on use. |
| OpenGL | OpenGL, or the Open Graphics Library, is a 3D graphics language developed by Silicon Graphics. Before OpenGL was available, software developers had to write unique 3D graphics code for each operating system platform as well as different graphics hardware. However, with OpenGL, developers can create graphics and special effects that will appear nearly identical on any operating system and any hardware that supports OpenGL. This makes it much easier for developers of 3D games and programs to port their software to multiple platforms. So how exactly does OpenGL work? When programmers write OpenGL code, they specify a set of commands. Each command executes a drawing action or creates a special effect. Using hundreds or even thousands of these OpenGL commands, programmers can create 3D worlds which can include special effects such as texture mapping, transparency (alpha blending), hidden surface removal, antialiasing, fog, and lighting effects. An unlimited amount of viewing and modeling transformations can be applied to the OpenGL objects, giving developers an infinite amount of possibilities. |
| Operating System | Also known as an "OS," this is the software that communicates with computer hardware on the most basic level. Without an operating system, no software programs can run. The OS is what allocates memory, processes tasks, accesses disks and peripherials, and serves as the user interface. Thanks to operating systems, like Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, developers can write code using a standard programming interface, or API. Without an operating system, programmers would have to write about ten times as much code to get the same results. Of course, some computer geniuses have to program the operating system itself. |
| Optical Drive | In the real world, "optical" refers to vision, or the ability to see. In the computer world, however, "optical" refers to lasers, which can "see" and read data on optical discs. These discs include CDs and DVDs, which are made up of millions of small bumps and dips. Optical drives have lasers that read these bumps and dips as ones and zeros, which the computer can understand. Some common types of optical drives include CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD?RW, and Blu-ray drives. CD and DVD writers, such as CD-R and DVD-R drives use a laser to both read and write data on the discs. The laser used for writing the data is much more powerful than the laser that reads the data, as it "burns" the bumps and dips into the disc. While optical drives can spin discs at very high speeds, they are still significantly slower than hard drives, which store data magnetically. However, because optical media is inexpensive and removable, it is the most common format used for distributing computer software. |
| Optical Media | Media, in the computer world, refers to various types of data storage. For example, hard drives, CDs, DVDs, and USB drives are all different types of media. Optical media refers to discs that are read by a laser. This includes CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and all the variations of the two formats -- CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, Blu-ray, and many others. Optical media typically does not have as fast of a seek time as hard drives (the time it takes to access information on different parts of the disk), but it has many other advantages. Because optical discs are not based on magnetic charges like hard drives are, the discs are less likely to lose their data and have a longer shelf life -- around seven times longer than magnetic media. The discs are also more durable than hard drives and are much cheaper to produce, making them great for backups and for transferring small amounts of data between different computers. |
| OS | 1. Operating System. For example Unix, Linux, Windows. 2. Open Source. |
| OSD | OSD is short for "On Screen Display." An OSD is an onscreen menu included with most monitors that allows users to make adjustments to the display. Common OSD settings include brightness, contrast, and color calibration adjustments. Some monitors also include positioning settings and tilt control. You can activate the OSD by pressing the MENU button on the side of the monitor. Once the OSD appears, you can navigate through the menu options and make adjustments using the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons. |
| OSI | OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) is a standard description or "reference model" for how messages should be transmitted between any two points in a telecommunication network. Its purpose is to guide product implementers so that their products will consistently work with other products. The reference model defines seven layers of functions that take place at each end of a communication. Although OSI is not always strictly adhered to in terms of keeping related functions together in a well-defined layer, many if not most products involved in telecommunication make an attempt to describe themselves in relation to the OSI model. It is also valuable as a single reference view of communication that furnishes everyone a common ground for education and discussion. |
| OSI 7 Layer Reference Model | A reference model for communication protocols designed to allow open systems interconnection. The seven layers are: Physical Data link Network Transport Session Presentation Application |
| OSI layers | The main idea in OSI is that the process of communication between two end points in a telecommunication network can be divided into layers, with each layer adding its own set of special, related functions. Each communicating user or program is at a computer equipped with these seven layers of function. So, in a given message between users, there will be a flow of data through each layer at one end down through the layers in that computer and, at the other end, when the message arrives, another flow of data up through the layers in the receiving computer and ultimately to the end user or program. The actual programming and hardware that furnishes these seven layers of function is usually a combination of the computer operating system, applications (such as your Web browser), TCP/IP or alternative transport and network protocols, and the software and hardware that enable you to put a signal on one of the lines attached to your computer. OSI divides telecommunication into seven layers. The layers are in two groups. The upper four layers are used whenever a message passes from or to a user. The lower three layers (up to the network layer) are used when any message passes through the host computer or router. Messages intended for this computer pass to the upper layers. Messages destined for some other host are not passed up to the upper layers but are forwarded to another host. The seven layers are: Layer 7: The application layer...This is the layer at which communication partners are identified, quality of service is identified, user authentication and privacy are considered, and any constraints on data syntax are identified. (This layer is not the application itself, although some applications may perform application layer functions.) Layer 6: The presentation layer...This is a layer, usually part of an operating system, that converts incoming and outgoing data from one presentation format to another (for example, from a text stream into a popup window with the newly arrived text). Sometimes called the syntax layer. Layer 5: The session layer...This layer sets up, coordinates, and terminates conversations, exchanges, and dialogs between the applications at each end. It deals with session and connection coordination. Layer 4: The transport layer...This layer manages the end-to-end control (for example, determining whether all packets have arrived) and error-checking. It ensures complete data transfer. Layer 3: The network layer...This layer handles the routing of the data (sending it in the right direction to the right destination on outgoing transmissions and receiving incoming transmissions at the packet level). The network layer does routing and forwarding. Layer 2: The data-link layer...This layer provides synchronization for the physical level and does bit-stuffing for strings of 1's in excess of 5. It furnishes transmission protocol knowledge and management. Layer 1: The physical layer...This layer conveys the bit stream through the network at the electrical and mechanical level. It provides the hardware means of sending and receiving data on a carrier. |
| OSI Model (Open Systems Interconnection Model) | A way of representing the complexities of computer networking in a 7-layer model, ranging from the physical hardware of networking all the way up to how application programs talk to the network. The 7 layers are: physical, data link, network, transport, session, presentation, and application. The 7-layer OSI model can be used to help diagnose network problems. It is also used as a measurement of how well people know their networking. If you’re looking for a job in networking, you should familiarize yourself with the OSI model. |
| Outbox | An outbox is where outgoing e-mail messages are temporarily stored. While you are composing a message, most mail programs automatically save a draft of your message in the outbox. The message is then stored in the outbox until it is successfully sent to the recipient. Once the message has been sent, most e-mail programs move the message to the "Sent" or "Sent Messages" folder. While the terms "Outbox" and "Sent Messages" are often used synonymously, technically they have different meanings. Unlike the inbox, which is often overflowing with e-mail, the outbox often does not contain any messages. This is because all the messages that have been sent have already been transferred to the Sent Messages folder. You can think of an e-mail outbox much like the outbox at an office. Mail that is to be delivered is temporarily placed in the outbox until the mailman (or the designated office mail guy) picks up the mail and brings it to the post office. However, the messages in an e-mail outbox are typically delivered immediately (unless a connection to the outgoing SMTP mail server is not available). If only it was as easy to keep your inbox clean... |
| Output Device | Any device that outputs information from a computer is called, not surprisingly, an output device. Since most information from a computer is output in either a visual or auditory format, the most common output devices are the monitor and speakers. These two devices provide instant feedback to the user's input, such as displaying characters as they are typed or playing a song selected from a playlist. While monitors and speakers are the most common output devices, there are many others. Some examples include headphones, printers, projectors, lighting control systems, audio recording devices, and robotic machines. A computer without an output device connected to it is pretty useless, since the output is what we interact with. Anyone who has ever had a monitor or printer stop working knows just how true this is. Of course, it is also important to be able to send information to the computer, which requires an input device. |
| Overburning | The process of recording more than 74 minutes of audio or more than 650 MB of data onto a CD-R disk. There are software programs that allow you to do this, and now there is media that supports larger storage than the standard CD-R normally holds. |
| Overclocking | For some people, fast is never fast enough. In the world of computers, a fast processor can be made even faster by overclocking it. Overclocking involves increasing the clock speed of the computer's CPU past the rate at which it was originally designed to run. Some ways to overclock a processor include increasing the CPU's operating speed in the system BIOS or changing the hardware jumper settings for the processor. Modifying these settings may allow the processor to run faster than set by the manufacturer, which may increase the overall performance of the computer. However, since other settings, such as the memory speed, frontside and backside bus speeds, and other components are fixed, there may not be a significant increase in performance. Regardless of how overclocking is done, it potentially may cause problems with the computer. After all, when you overclock a computer, you are altering the manufacturer's design of the machine. For example, if there is not enough electrical current to to power the processor at the new rate, it may slow down or stop running completely. Also, if the heat sink cannot sufficiently cool the processor running at the faster rate, it may overheat, causing your computer to freeze or crash. This is actually a preventive measure, since the computer stops functioning when the CPU gets too hot. Otherwise, the CPU may literally fry itself and your overclocked processor may become an overcooked processor. In summary, overclocking a processor can be a risky endeavor. It is best left to computer enthusiasts who understand their hardware and are willing to accept the risks associated with it. Since overclocking voids your computer's warranty, don't expect the manufacturer to replace your cooked CPU for free. If you want a fast machine that is supported by the manufacturer, buying a fast processor to begin with is your best bet. |
| Overdrive | A processor upgrade sold by Intel that is used to upgrade an older processor to a newer, faster processor. |
| Overflow | This is when there is more information than can be properly handled. It is often used to describe the production of a number larger than a variable can handle. For instance, if you are expecting 10 digits but receive 11, that’s overflow. |
| Overload | Hindrance of system operation by placing excess burden on the performance capabilities of a system component. |
