FACTOID: Not really a computer definition, but interesting and applicable anyway.  A factoid (as opposed to a fact) is a piece of unverified or possibly inaccurate information that is presented, usually by the press, sometimes for advertising purposes, as factual and which, by virtue of frequent repetition, becomes accepted, even if not verified.  Kind of like an urban myth that may be repeated so often that people come to believe its veracity. [In general, the -oid suffix normally means “resembling” to the words it attaches to.]

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions.  A list of questions and their answers commonly used on the web (such as the FAQs page of this site) to provide the same, frequently requested, information to many users.

FARMVILLE: One of the most popular on-line SIM games, developed by Zynga,  available as an application on Facebook and the iPhone and Android platforms.

FAT: File Allocation Table.  One of the two most common file systems on Windows hard disk drives (actually FAT32, the 32 referring to 32 bit system), the other being NTFS.  The file allocation table is an area on a hard or other disk where information is stored about the physical location of each piece of every file on the disk and also about the location of unusable areas of the disk. FAT limits file names to the “8.3 Format” - 8 characters plus a three caracter extension, which can be shortened by use of a tilde (“~”).  The name is automatically converted by FAT to uppercase.  Most computers now use NTFS format.  See also File System.

FAT CLIENT: A full PC, with drives, Internet connectivity and loaded software so that it can operate on a stand-alone basis.  Opposite of a THIN CLIENT PC.  Different from a VIRTUAL PC or a WEB-ENABLED PC.

FAVICON: A small graphic that is associated with a page or Website.  Web developers insert these FAVorite ICONs as a way to customize their sites in web browsers such as Internet Explorer, which calls bookmarked sites “favorites”.

FAVORITE: See Bookmark.

FCoE: Fibre Channel over Ethernet.  This is a standard for using the Fibre Channel protocol over Ethernet networks.  It’s use is to enable Storage Area Network (“SAN”) traffic to be transported over Ethernet networks, through Ethernet cards, cables and switches to route Fibre Channel traffic at the link layer, and uses Ethernet to transmit the FC protocol.  Mainly for larger business computer systems.

FDD: Floppy disk drive (see below).

FDE: Full Drive Encryption.  See Opal for federal standard.

FDD or FDCC: Federal Desktop Core Configuration.  A mandate composed of over 300 settings designed to increase security on WinXP and Vista computers involved in Federal contracts.  For more, see this LINK.

FED: As in the Federal Government.  Their computer systems have special security, compatability and interoperability concerns.  Click HERE for more info.

FEED: A web format (sometimes known as a syndicated feed) to which users subscribe to obtain frequently updated content, such as news or information about a specific subject (wine, horse racing).  If the site contains multiple feeds, it is known as an aggregation, a service provided by an aggregator.  There is a difference between this type of “web feed” and the term RSS.  RSS, which stands for “Rich Site Summary,” is just one type of feed, in addition to HTML and other types of feeds.

FEDERATED IDENTITY: A centralized identity management system, created to assemble a person’s user information, which is stored across multiple data management systems, usually joined together by use of a common “token” such as the user’s name.  For example, John Jones could be traveling from NY to Hong Kong, stopping over in San Francisco.  His flights, rental cars, hotel reservations can all be made across multiple networks.  He gives his identity to the airline, which shares its trust with the car rental agencies, hotels, etc.

FEMTOCELLS: Small cellular base stations which use the same standards and protocols as external telephone company “macro” cells, that are installed in homes and offices which connect to a telephone service provider’s network via broadband. Femtocells, such as Verizon’s Wireless Network Extender, make it possible to use cellphones both outdoors and indoors, so that calls are smoothly handled between inside and outside cells as the user moves locations.  AT&T, Comcast and Sprint are working on or have similar femtocells as Verizon.

FIBRE CHANNEL: A technology for transmitting data between computer devices at data rates up to 4Gbps, 3 times faster than SCSI, making it particularly useful for connecting networks to storage devices.  Devices can be almost 6 miles apart if optical fibre cable is used, but it is not required and can work over coaxial cable or twisted pair cable as well. As well as over the Internet (“FCoE” - fibre channel over ethernet).

FILE:  The lowest common denominator unit of storage on a computer’s hard drive.  If it’s SAVED, it’s in a FILE!  A file can hold anything - a letter, a list, a video, a photo, even a program.  Of course, all of these files are just sequences of raw data until they are interpreted by the right program.  Each file may or may not have files within them which may in turn contain one or more saved items (e.g. My Pictures, within My Documents).  Groups of files can be stored in folders.  A file extension (see definition) is the usually three digit suffix (although, depending on the O/S and the program, it can be much longer) appended to the filename, after a period, which usually indicates the program used to create (and therefore reopen) it.  Files are organized into sections of the hard drive known as directories.

FILE SHARING:  The concept of sharing music, video, movie and other types of files across the Internet using peer-to-peer software which allows a user to download the file(s) directly from another user on the network having the same software.  Examples:  Napster, Limewire, Morpheus, Gnutella, Vuzo, BitComet, Frostwire, uTorrent, etc.  The downside is that it is may often allow the download of copyrighted content, which is illegal.  Also, because you are obtaining information from other computer users who may not be particularly diligent about virus protection, there is a great risk of exposing your computer to harmful viruses.

FILE SYSTEM:   All hard drives use a file system, which organizes all the files on the disk. The file system is created when you initialize or format your hard disk. It  sets up the root directory and subsequent directories beneath it. The  file system allows you to create new files and folders, which are added  to different parts of the "file tree" on your hard disk.  For example, your hard disk probably has separate folders for  programs, documents, pictures, music, and movie files. Within these  folders, there are likely other folders that further organize your files. All these folders (or directories) are organized by your computer's  file system. There are also several folders your computer's operating system uses to store system files, such as startup data and system references. Some of these folders are invisible to the user, but are nevertheless recognized by the computer's file system.  Older Windows machines used a file system called FAT32, while newer Windows computers use NTFS. Macintosh computers used the HFS file system for a long time, but now use an updated version of HFS, called HFS+.   Then there are other file systems like GPT and UEFI.   Linux uses Ext2 or Ext3, and Unix uses UFS (“Unix File System). Some file systems have an MBR, some don’t.  Not all file systems are compatible with every O/S, and only one file system can be on each hard drive.

FILTERS:   Device filters.  Filters define which operating system “clients” will install particular hardware on a computer.  Commonly used for installing CD/DVD drives; imapi and Redbook are used for audio and burning from within Windows.

FIOS: Stands for “Fibre Optic Service”.  This is a data communication service which provides the highest speed broadband connection currently available via cables that transmit pulses of light, rather than the electrical signal that is used in copper wiring such as telephone, DSL or cable.  Currently provided by Verizon, it is FIOS is called a FTTP service, meaning “Fibre to the Premises,” to be distinguished from fibre to the node, where copper cable is run from the street to the home or office and is therefore less efficient. Click HERE to learn more about FIOS.

FIPS:  The Federal Information Processing Standard.  This Standard consists of many elements, among them the approved encryption algorithms.  Click HERE for an example of a FIPS certificate.

FIREWALL:  Basically, a system designed to control access between two networks.  It is designed to protect your network from unwanted traffic or intrusions, just like you want a lock on your front door at home to protect against unwanted intruders.  Firewalls can be either software (i.e. packet filters, application gateways, proxy servers) that run on an operating system, or hardware devices (like many routers).

FIREWIRE:  A type of port into a computer, similar in size to a USB port, for connection of peripherals.  Originally developed by Apple and Texas Instruments as an alternate for SCSI connections, firewire is now found on most PCs as well. Firewire allows for the connection of up to 63 devices (vice 127 for USB) and uses the IEEE 1394 Standard, and supports hot swapping.  IEEE 1394b, which became available in 2003, provides 800, 1600 and 3,200 Mbps speeds, increases cable distance to 100 meters and can use glass or plastic fibre or ethernet cable.  Click HERE for a photo of the connector.  The universal firewire symbol is shown above.  It was created by the group at Apple computer who developed it, the three prongs represented video, audio and data.  For unknown reasons, the original red symbol was later changed to yellow or just plain black-and-white.

FIRMWARE:  The software that is embedded onto a piece of hardware (usually written to the read-only memory (“ROM”) or an EEPROM (“Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory”) in order to control that hardware. Firmware can be upgraded, either to update drivers, add functionality or fix bugs for the equipment. For example, routers have firmware.  This type of memory is usually non-volatile memory, meaning that it is used to store small amounts of data that must be saved even when the power for the device is removed.

FISMA:  The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002, a federal law enacted as part of the Electronic Government Act of 2002, the purpose of which is to protect government information, operations and assets against natural or manmade threats.

FLASH:  A type of multi-media software (developed in 1993 by Jonathan Gay of Silicon Beach Software and eventually purchased by Macromedia in 1996 and which is currently marketed by Adobe Systems) which is extremely popular for adding animation and interactivity to web pages.  The (free) Flash Player software powers most of the web’s intro screens, video shorts, inserted commercials, dancing typography and interactive graphics, and is installed on 98% of personal computers (and most mobile phones, with the notable exception of the Apple iPhone) worldwide.  [Steve Jobs said that the iPhone doesn’t use Flash, but instead uses HTML5, because he believes that Flash doesn’t work well with mobile devices and drains the battery too fast.]  Files developed in Flash format usually have the .swf file extension.  While Flash is the predominant video standard online, the introduction of the iPad by Apple left gaping holes where Flash was not supported, thus pushing the (open standard) alternative HTML5 format forward.

FLASHING THE BIOS:  A holdover from early computer days, when some BIOS chips had a little clear window on top and could be erased with a strong flash of ultraviolet light.  Now, the process of loading a new program into the BIOS’s RAM in order to expand, improve or repair it is called “flashing the BIOS.”  Generally, updating the BIOS falls into the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it category”.

FLASH MEMORY:  A type of computer memory that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed, used primarily on memory cards (cameras, PDA’s, cellphones) and USB drives.  Flash memory is non-volatile (requires no  external power), shock resistant (unlike a disk drive), and is electronic, storing information in an array of memory cells made from floating-gate transistors.  There are two main types of flash memory: NOR and NAND (“Not AND,” most common) , both of which were invented by Dr. Fujio Masouka in 1984 while working for Toshiba.  The name “flash” was coined by a colleague because the erasure process of the memory contents reminded him of the ‘flash” of a camera.  There are some limitations on the number of erase/write cycles (about 100,000), but these limitations are currently being addressed. See also, SSDs (which, due to their firmware and load leveling software, are not subject to such limitations). More recently, SLC (“Single Level Cell”), a type of NAND flash memory that is commonly found in high performance USB memory cards.  It offers lower power consumption and faster transfer speeds when compared to multi-level (“MLC”) cards because it works by storing one bit in each cell. Then there is PCIe memory cards, another new technology.

More recently, a company named Spansion (a joint venture between AMD and Fujitsu) has developed a new class of flash memory called Eco-RAM, which is said to combine the best attributes of both NOR and NAND RAM.  Eco-RAM, which is in beta-testing presently, could result in an updated version of flash memory to replace DRAM chips, which offer fast access to data but consume an inordinate amount of power because it stores each bit of data within an integrated circuit.  Since capacitors leak charge, the information fades unless the capacitor charge is refreshed periodically, which is why DRAM uses so much power.  Also, it is expensive to produce and the highest capacity form that can be acquired is only 4Mb.  Eco-RAM will be less expensive in the long run and can be acquired in DIMMs of up to 32Gb of capacity.   Another new technology is PCM (phase-change memory), a key component of rewritable CDs and such.    Because each PCM cell can hold multiple bits of data securely, they can store as much data as a NAND chip but deliver speeds 100 times faster. See, RAM explained.

FLICKR:  One of the earliest Web 2.0 applications, primarily a photo, image and video hosting (sharing) website and online community.  Developed in 2004 by Ludicorp (originally for an on line multiplayer game, Game Neverending) and acquired in 2005 by Yahoo, it boasts the posting of 3 billion images.  The site is both paid and free (to a limit).

FLOP:  Stands for “floating point operation”.  Expressed as “per second”, this is a unit or measurement of processing power in floating point units or “FPUs”.  One gigaflop is equal to one billion flops per second.

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE: The first computers didn’t have hard disk drives (“HDDs”). They had drives which read square disks made of a circular magnetic film encased in a square light cardboard (later plastic) case.  They were called “floppy” disks because they were actually not very rigid and flopped over when held near the edge.  They were also quite thin, hence the phrase “do not fold, spindle or mutilate” which was also applicable to the keypunch cards of that era.  Staple it, for example, and the data would be lost, because the staple added holes which confused the reader.  The original size of a FDD, as invented  by IBM, was 10” square, which was later reduced to 8”, then again to 5.25”, and finally 3.5” (when it became encased in rigid plastic).  While widely used in the 1970s and 1980s for storage, the FDD has been largely superceded by flash drives, CD/DVDs, and e-mail transfer.

FLYWHEEL: An alternative to battery-powered UPSs, used mainly in larger server centers. Batteries tend to be large, heavy and filled with toxic materials, and last for about 2500 hours.  Flywheels, which maintain consistent rotation without sustained effort, storing power for use when power is interrupted, tend to last roughtly 20 times longer at one-tenth the size and are much more reliable at a lower cost.

FMC: Stands for “Fixed Mobile Convergence”.  This refers to the seamless connectivity between fixed and wireless telecommunications networks.  The newer cell phones, for example, can automatically switch between your office’s wireless network and cell towers (Wi-Fi) once you leave the office.

FOIP: Stands for Fax Over IP.  Similar to VOIP for phones, FOIP refers to the process of sending and receiving faxes over a VOIP network (via T38, a protocol devised in 1998 to send Group 3 faxes over a computer data network).

FOLED: Stands for “Flexible Organic Light-Emitting Display.  See, LED.

FOLKSONOMY: See TAG.

FOLDER:  A location in which various files are stored (in computerese, a “directory”).

FONTS: A design for a set of characters.  It is a combination of not just the typeface, but also other qualities such as size (measured in points, 1 inch = 72 points), kerning (spacing between characters), scalability (ability to easily change size), pitch (characters per inch or spacing between pixels), ligatures (special characters that combine two or more characters) and proportion (character widths vary according to their shape) to name several. There are two methods used to represent fonts on computers.  The first is bit-mapping, where the computer stores and accesses stored bit-mapped images of each size and attribute for each font.  The second uses vector graphics to define each font geometrically so that each font can be displayed in any size or attribute (“scaled”). The most widely used scalable font systems are PostScript (by Adobe) and TrueType (from Microsoft).

FOOTPRINT: Refers to the general size of something, whether physical or virtual.  Just as your human footprint varies in size from others, the physical space taken up by a piece of computer hardware has specific width, length and depth measurements which must be taken into consideration when locating it in a home or office. Virtual types of footprint may include,not only physical size, but also energy (the amount of power a given piece of equipment consumes), heat (defining how many BTUs it will take to cool off the equipment), carbon (emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide), and other elements.

FORMAT: This word is used both as a noun and a verb.  As a verb, to format a disk, means to “prepare” a disk for data, usually destructively, i.e. by erasing the existing data on the disk.  Disks can be formatted for various computer operating systems, such as Windows, Mac and Linux.  As a noun, format refers to the manner or sometimes the program (e.g. Excel, Word Perfect) that arranges the data for computer input or output, such as fields and margins, in a certain manner.  Usually, but not always, the format shows in the file extension for the data (e.g. .wpd = Word Perfect; .xls = Excel 2010, etc.)

FORM FACTOR: The physical layout of a motherboard respecting the relative position of the adapter card expansion slots, the number of slots, the size of the board and the orientation of the board in the computer chassis;  Most common are the Baby AT (BAT), ATX (most common today) and MicroATX.

FORTRAN: Stands for FORmula TRANslation, a third-generation (a/k/a/ 3GL) programming language that was designed in the 1950s for use by engineers, mathematicians and other scientific users; largely displaced now by C++.

FORWARD COMPATIBILITY: The ability of a newer version of a software program to use data produced by an older version.  Similar, but not the same as extensibility, in which the older data will be fully compatible with all of the features of the newer software.  The term is often misused:  For example, Outlook 2003 is “forward compatible” with Outlook 2007, meaning that Outlook 2007 can open files created with Outlook 2007.  Outlook 2007 is “backward compatible” with Outlook 2003, meaning that Outlook 2007 can open files created with Outlook 2003.

FORWARD SLASH: The “/” key on the keyboard.  Also sometimes called a virgule.

404: Slang for “Clueless”, as in “Don’t ask Joe about that...he’s so 404!”  Derived from the error message received when you go to a web page that cannot be found  [“ERROR 404: Page Not Found”].

420: Slang for “pot smoker”.  Originated at San Rafael High School (CA) in 1971, where a group of pot smokers who called their group the “Waldos” got together to smoke pot at precisely 4:20 pm at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur.  This has absolutely nothing to do with computers, although it may appear in dating chat rooms, just another number with an interesting explanation.

FOURSQUARE: A location-based social networking app that allows a user to “check in” at various venues using their cell phones and other devices, sometimes earning rewards.  Created in 2009 by Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai at NYU.

FPU: Floating Point Units.  See Flops, above..

4C ENTITY, LLC: The digital content copyright protection technology licensing organization composed of IBM, Intel, Panasonic and Toshiba which developed the CPRM protection technology for SD Memory Cards.

FRAME:  In web design, a frame is a page element used to create a window region, often with its own name, which displays separate page content.  When more than one frame is used to compile a page, it becomes part of a  “frameset.”

FRAME RELAY:  A networking protocol that’s used to link networks that are geographically separated, usually Wide Area Networks (“WANs”).  For example, a frame relay migt be used to connect a home office in Miami to a branch office in New York.  Data is put in a variable-sized unit called a “frame” and leaves any necessary error correction (retransmission) up to the end points, thus speeding up data transmission.  For most services, the network provides a permanent virtual circuit (“PVC”) , meaning that the customer sees a continuous dedicated connection without having to pay for a full-time leased line.

FREENETS: See, WAR DRIVING.

FRICTIONLESS SHARING: A term coined by Facebook to champion when rolling out changes to the site in 2011 such as Timeline.  The term, which is hated by privacy advocates, means that Facebook automatically shares all of your on-line information throughout the entire internet (and, most particularly, Facebook’s advertisers) without any requirement that you click on a “like” or “share” bottom.  You can, of course, opt out - that is, if you can find out where.

FRONT END: In corporate computing environments, this part of the computer system is where the client part of the programs (the “user interface” where the data is entered) reside.  The BACK END is the server which manages the data which is input at the front end, performing order management, inventory, supply processing, etc.

FTP: Stands for “File Transfer Protocol”.  This is a program to transfer files across the internet, generally used to upload files to an internet site. See also, SFTP, more secure than FTP for file transfers.

FUBAR: Stands for “Fouled Up Beyond All Repair”.  See also, SNAFU, a similar vintage acronym.

FUNCTION KEYS (F1 through F12): See the explanation and history of these keys at FAQs.

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