Posts made by Marquetta

An expression of disgust or dismay. See [damn].

An acknowledgement of something bad or unfortunate.

Near Synonyms: [this sucks], [sucks]

See examples for proper usage.

Stands for Peer to Peer. In a P2P network, the peers are computer systems which are connected to each other via the Internet. Files can be shared directly between systems on the network without the need of a central server. In other words, each computer on a P2P network becomes a file server as well as a client.

The only requirements for a computer to join a peer-to-peer network are an Internet connection and P2P software. Common P2P software programs include Kazaa, Limewire, BearShare, Morpheus, and Acquisition. These programs connect to a P2P network, such as Gnutella, which allows the computer to access thousands of other systems on the network.

Once connected to the network, P2P software allows you to search for files on other peoples computers. Meanwhile, other users on the network can search for files on your computer, but typically only within a single folder that you have designated to share. While P2P networking makes file sharing easy and convenient, is also has led to a lot of software piracy and illegal music downloads. Therefore, it is best to be on the safe side and only download software and music from legitimate websites.

Stands for Network News Transfer Protocol. For a message to be posted to a newsgroup, it must be sent through this protocol that interacts between news servers and newsreader programs. NNTP is basically the software foundation of a newsgroup server. It is what queries, distributes, posts, and retrieves news articles. Not too exciting, I know. But what do you expect -- this is computer terminology.

Multicasting is similar to broadcasting, but only transmits information to specific users. It is used to efficiently transmit streaming media and other types of data to multiple users at one time.
The simple way to send data to multiple users simultaneously is to transmit individual copies of the data to each user. However, this is highly inefficient, since multiple copies of the same data are sent from the source through one or more networks. Multicasting enables a single transmission to be split up among multiple users, significantly reducing the required bandwidth.
Multicasts that take place over the Internet are known as IP multicasts, since they use the Internet protocol (IP) to transmit data. IP multicasts create multicast trees, which allow a single transmission to branch out to individual users. These branches are created at Internet routers wherever necessary. For example, if five users from five different countries requested access to the same stream, branches would be created close the original source. If five users from the same city requested access to the same stream, the branches would be created close to users.
IP multicasting works by combining two other protocols with the Internet protocol. One is the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP), which allows users or client systems use to request access to a stream. The other is Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM), which is used by network routers to create multicast trees. When a router receives a request to join a stream via IGMP, it uses PIM to route the data stream to the appropriate system.
Multicasting has several different applications. It is commonly used for streaming media over the Internet, such as live TV and Internet radio. It also supports video conferencing and webcasts. Multicasting can also be used to send other types of data over the Internet, such as news, stock quotes, and even digital copies of software. Whatever the application, multicasting helps reduce Internet bandwidth usage by providing an efficient way of sending data to multiple users.

Computer networks are complex systems, often routing hundreds, thousands, or even millions of data packets every second. Therefore, in order for networks to handle large amounts of data, it is important that the data is routed efficiently. For example, if there are ten routers within a network and two of them are doing 95% of the work, the network is not running very efficiently. The network would run much faster if each router was handling about 10% of the traffic. Likewise, if a website gets thousands of hits every second, it is more efficient to split the traffic between multiple Web servers than to rely on a single server to handle the full load.
Load balancing helps make networks more efficient. It distributes the processing and traffic evenly across a network, making sure no single device is overwhelmed. Web servers, as in the example above, often use load balancing to evenly split the traffic load among several different servers. This allows them to use the available bandwidth more effectively, and therefore provides faster access to the websites they host.
Whether load balancing is done on a local network or a large Web server, it requires hardware or software that divides incoming traffic among the available servers. Networks that receive high amounts of traffic may even have one or more servers dedicated to balancing the load among the other servers and devices in the network. These servers are often called (not surprisingly) load balancers.
Clusters, or mulitple computers that work together, also use load balancing to spread out processing jobs among the available systems.

An interpreter is a program that reads and executes code. This includes source code, pre-compiled code, and scripts. Common interpreters include Perl, Python, and Ruby interpreters, which execute Perl, Python, and Ruby code respectively.
Interpreters and compilers are similar, since they both recognize and process source code. However, a compiler does not execute the code like and interpreter does. Instead, a compiler simply converts the source code into machine code, which can be run directly by the operating system as an executable program. Interpreters bypass the compilation process and execute the code directly.
Since interpreters read and execute code in a single step, they are useful for running scripts and other small programs. Therefore, interpreters are commonly installed on Web servers, which allows developers to run executable scripts within their webpages. These scripts can be easily edited and saved without the need to recompile the code.
While interpreters offer several advantages for running small programs, interpreted languages also have some limitations. The most notable is the fact that interpreted code requires and interpreter to run. Therefore, without an interpreter, the source code serves as a plain text file rather than an executable program. Additionally, programs written for an interpreter may not be able to use built-in system functions or access hardware resources like compiled programs can. Therefore, most software applications are compiled rather than interpreted.

A Liverpudlian word for a bump/lump on the head after an injury, commonly referred to elsewhere as an egg.

Hyper-threading is a technology developed by Intel Corporation. It is used in certain Pentium 4 processors and all Intel Xeon processors. Hyper-threading technology, commonly referred to as HT Technology, enables the processor to execute two threads, or sets of instructions, at the same time. Since hyper-threading allows two streams to be executed in parallel, it is almost like having two separate processors working together.
While hyper-threading can improve processing performance, software must support multiple processors to take advantage of the technology. Fortunately, recent versions of both Windows and Linux support multiple processors and therefore benefit from hyper-threading. For example, a video playing in Windows Media Player should not be slowed down by a Web page loading in Internet Explorer. Hyper-threading allows the two programs to be processed as separate threads at the same time. However, individual programs can only take advantage of Intels HT Technology if they have been programmed to support multiple processors.

Most Web navigation is done by clicking text-based links that open new pages in a Web browser. These links, which are often blue and underlined, are referred to as hypertext, since they allow the user to jump from page to page. Hypermedia is an extension of hypertext that allows images, movies, and Flash animations to be linked to other content.
The most common type of hypermedia is an image link. Photos or graphics on the Web are often linked to other pages. For example, clicking a small thumbnail image may open a larger version of the picture in a new window. Clicking a promotional graphic may direct you to an advertisers website. Flash animations and videos can also be turned into hyperlinks by embedding one or more links that appear during playback.
You can tell if an image or video is a hyperlink by moving the cursor over it. If the cursor changes into a small hand, that means the image or video is linked to another page. Clicking the text, image, or video will open up a new location in your Web browser. Therefore, you should only click a hypertext or hypermedia link when you are ready to leave the current page. If you want to open the link in a new window, you can usually right click the link and select Open Link in New Window.

Computer hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer and related devices. Internal hardware devices include motherboards, hard drives, and RAM. External hardware devices include monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, and scanners.
The internal hardware parts of a computer are often referred to as components, while external hardware devices are usually called peripherals. Together, they all fall under the category of computer hardware. Software, on the other hand, consists of the programs and applications that run on computers. Because software runs on computer hardware, software programs often have system requirements that list the minimum hardware required for the software to run.

When you save data or install programs on your computer, the information is typically written to your hard disk. The hard disk is a spindle of magnetic disks, called platters, that record and store information. Because the data is stored magnetically, information recorded to the hard disk remains intact after you turn your computer off. This is an important distinction between the hard disk and RAM, or memory, which is reset when the computers power is turned off.
The hard disk is housed inside the hard drive, which reads and writes data to the disk. The hard drive also transmits data back and forth between the CPU and the disk. When you save data on your hard disk, the hard drive has to write thousands, if not millions, of ones and zeros to the hard disk. It is an amazing process to think about, but may also be a good incentive to keep a backup of your data.

Stands for Globally Unique Identifier. A GUID is a 128-bit (16 byte) number used by software programs to uniquely identify the location of a data object. Some examples of data that include GUIDs are streaming media files, Windows registry entries, database keys, and various file types. GUIDs are typically written in hexadecimal notation, containing 32 digits, and may look something like this:
{12345678-9012-3456-7890-123456789012}
Globally unique identifiers are also the basis of the GUID Partition Table (GPT). This is a hard disk partitioning scheme proposed by Intel as part of the Extensible Firmware Interface. It is used by Windows PCs as well as Intel-based Macintosh computers. GPT uses GUIDs to define the different partitions on a hard drive. Some examples include the boot partition, the file system partition, and the data partition. Each operating system that supports the GPT partitioning scheme uses specific GUIDs to label each partition.

Gigaflops is a unit of measurement used to measure the performance of a computers floating point unit, commonly referred to as the FPU. One gigaflops is one billion (1,000,000,000) FLOPS, or floating point operations, per second.
The term gigaflops appears to be plural, since it ends in s, but the word is actually singular since FLOPS is an acronym for floating point operations per second. This is why gigaflops is sometimes written as gigaFLOPS. Since gigaflops measures how many billions of floating point calculations a processor can perform each second, it serves as a good indicator of a processors raw performance. However, since it does not measure integer calculations, gigaflops cannot be used as a comprehensive means of measuring a processors overall performance.

Stands for Fully Qualified Domain Name. An FQDN is a domain name that includes a hostname. For example, the URL www.techterms.com is an FQDN since it contains a hostname (www) and a domain (techterms.com). The domain name techterms.com is not fully qualified because it does not include a hostname.

An FQDN can be broken down into three parts:

A fully qualified domain name has the format [hostname].[domain].[tld]. The hostname can be used to specify different services and protocols for a single domain. For example, mail.example.com is often the required FQDN format when configuring the SMTP server for an email account. The FQDN ftp.example.com is commonly used when connecting to an FTP server. Name servers must be FQDNs and typically use the naming convention ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com.

Subdomains used as website addresses are also fully qualified domain names. For example, CNET uses the www.cnet.com as its main website address, but uses the subdomain download.cnet.com for its download hosting website. The FQDN download.cnet.com uses the same HTTP protocol as www.cnet.com, but directs visitors to a different website.

NOTE: Many websites no longer include www in their URLs and therefore are not fully qualified domain names.

an almost useless hard-on. the state of a [dick]between flaccid and proudly erect

Originated on the GameArena messageboards (www.gamearena.com.au) and was short for Secret Language Of Women. It started off as a thread in which a widely distributed email containing satire of what women mean when they say certain phrases was posted.
The thread has spawned duplicates after each subsequent thread was locked and is today a haven for Telstra employees to converse as its not blocked by their company firewall.

The thread titles of SLOW vary and usually involve a pun or something that incorporates the word slow.

the entire act of scapegoating. more.. the plan.

Stands for Downloadable Content. DLC refers to additional content that can be downloaded within a video game. It has become a common feature in PC, console, and mobile games.
The most common type of downloadable content is extra maps or levels that extend the gameplay of the original game. For example, Activision provides Modern Warfare players with new downloadable levels every few months. The company also releases new songs for its Guitar Hero series on a regular basis. By downloading new levels or songs, players can continue to enjoy new challenges after completing the original game.
Another popular type of DLC includes extra items that can be incorporated into the game. For instance, Capcom allows Street Fighter IV players to download custom outfits for their favorite players. Microsoft provides additional vehicles that can be downloaded by Forza Motorsport 3 users. Epic Games provides Gears of War 3 players with new characters that can be added to the game.
While some downloadable content is offered for free, most DLC must be purchased. The cost of downloadable content packs is typically much less than the price the original game, though multiple DLC purchases may surpass the cost of the game itself. Therefore, DLC has become a common way for software developers to generate a continual long-term revenue stream from video games.
NOTE: While DLC first became popular on gaming consoles, it soon progressed to PC games, and then to mobile devices. Now, many mobile apps offer in-app purchases, which is synonymous with DLC.

Data mining is the process of analyzing large amounts of data in order to discover patterns and other information. It is typically performed on databases, which store data in a structured format. By mining large amounts of data, hidden information can be discovered and used for other purposes.
A credit card company might use data mining to learn more about their members buying habits. By analyzing purchases from cardholders across the United States, the company may discover shopping habits for different demographics, such as age, race, and location. This information could be useful in offering individuals specific promotions. The same data may also reveal shopping patterns in different regions of the country. This information could be valuable to companies looking to advertise or start businesses in specific states.
Online services, such as Google and Facebook, mine enormous amounts of data to provide targeted content and advertisements to their users. Google, for example, might analyze search queries to discover popular searches for certain areas and move those to the top of the autocomplete list (the suggestions that appear as you type). By mining user activity data, Facebook might discover popular topics among different age groups and provide targeted ads based on this information.
While data mining is commonly used for marketing purposes, it has many other uses as well. For instance, healthcare companies may use data mining to discover links between certain genes and diseases. Weather companies can mine data to discover weather patterns that may help predict future meteorologic events. Traffic management institutions can mine automotive data to forecast future traffic levels and create appropriate plans for highways and streets.
Data mining requires two things — lots of data and lots of computing power. The more organized the data, the easier it is to mine it for useful information. Therefore it is important for any organization that wants to engage in data mining to be proactive in selecting what data to log and how to store it. When it comes to mining the data, supercomputers and computing clusters may be used to process petabytes of data.