• Computer glossary - B

    by
    computerguru
    Published on 01-26-2010 09:31 AM

    Baby AT — an outdated form-factor of the motherboard and the computer casing.

    Backbone — a part ofthe Internet or a global network between the main servers and routers.

    Background — a term used for a background program operation while a user is working with another application.

    Bad Clusters — structurally damaged hard disc clusters. Data recording and reading in these clusters become impossible.

    Banker Trojan — a harmful program which uses different ways to steal confidential customer information of banks, supplying services of online money transfer and credit payment platforms.

    Banner — an advertisement located on a web-page promoting products which may be or may not be connected to the main web-page, any link activation of it addressing to the advertiser’s website.

    BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) — a popular computer programming language. Designed be John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz in the mid 60-s. Typically, it’s an interpreting language due to which the program is translated and run within one operator.

    Batch files / BAT files — files with BAT extension enable operations automatization.

    BBS (Bulletin Board System) — an Internet system or a service enabling subscribers to read and reply the messages written by other users, for example, on forums or network conferences.

    Beta— inthesoftwareworld — apre-termtextsoftwareversionwhichcouldcontainerrors.

    BHO (Browser Helper Object) — a supplementary program launching automatically with an Internet browser and extending its functionality. Some of them are used for malicious purposes, for example, for tracing web-pages visited by users.

    BIOS (Basic Input-Output System) — agroupofprogramsenablingcomputerload.

    Bit — aminimumunitofdigitaldatacomputerworkswith.

    Boot / Master Boot Record — discareaorsectorcontaininginformationaboutthediscitselfoftheirpropertiesnecessaryforcomputerload.

    Boot disk / System disk — adisc(floppydisc, CD-ROM orharddisc), enablingcomputerload.

    Boot virus — avirusdamagingspecificallytheBOOTsectorbothoftheharddiscandthefloppydiscs.

    Bot — shortening from the term ‘robot’. It’s a program enabling remote control of the system without user’s knowledge or consent.

    Browser — aprogramenablingInternet-pagesobserving. The most popular: Internet Explorer, Firefox и Google Chrome.

    Buffer — intermediate memory area, storing temporary information transferred between two parts or devices (two components of one system).

    Bug — program error or failure.

    Bus — a communication channel between different computer parts: data bus, addresses, etc.

    Byte — unitofdigitaldatameasuring. 1 byteisasmuchas 8 bits.