Computer terms and definititons

This page is dedicated to computer, network, internet, and parts terms and jargon.

In my experience in IT, I spend a lot of time defining what different things are. When I was building a new website, I decided to make this page so that I could send clients links to more in-depth and specific information. Better yet, in an ideal world, individual definitions will have helpful links to other resources, videos and images which I will add as this list expands.

The goal of this page is to be able to send a quick link to a particular piece of information, especially for those who are unfamiliar with tech jargon. This list will be added as I go.

Computer

Let's start with some bare bones information, and move up in complexity from there.

A computer is a machine that processes information, and in broad terms, displays that information on a screen, and is interactable via a series of input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen. For the purposes of these definitions, computers are a low level of obsfucation, laptops, phones, a smart fridge, smart TV, even a bus stop with digital displays are all computers. Think of it like a rectangle and square situation. Not all computers are laptops/phones/something else, but all of those devices are computers (mostly, things get complicated when you start to talk to electrical and itegration engineers).

Mouse

Herein lies why I'm making this page in the first place. A mouse describes roughly four or five different things. First is the little black and white triangle on your screen that shows you where you're clicking, sometimes called a "pointer". Second is the physical device that you use to move the aformentioned pointer. This can take several different forms, a traditional laser mouse that is physically moved around a desk or workspace to move the pointer, another is a trackball, Lenovo devices also have a small pad between the G, H, and B keys to move it around, and finally, most laptops have a trackpad, which is used by running your fingers across its flat surface to move the pointer. This all may seem simple to those with computer experience, but you don't know what you don't know, so I'm defining from the beginning.

Keyboard

Keyboards are a lot more cut and dry than mouses. They usually come as a separate device that is plugged in via USB, sometimes via Bluetooth. Most laptops have them integrated into the computer itself. The keys are normally laid out in typewriter standard, historically so that people who could already type could make the switch to digital seamlessly. This keyboard layout is now known as QWERTY (the first six letters of the top row in order). Other layouts, like DVORAK exist for specific purposes, but will be extremely rare in day-to-day life. Keyboards vary in shape and size, usually to the owners preference. There exists in computer enthusiasts a sub-culture of keyboard enthusiasts, who will nitpick just about every part of the hardware.

Plugs and Connectors

USB

USB, short for Universal Serial Bus (almost always called USB, sometimes USB-A, don't sweat it), are probably the most common universal connector that exists to-date. There are, unfortunately, four sub-flavors of USB: USB 1.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1, and finally USB 3.2. All USB female plugs (the recieving side of the plug) are backwards compatible with previous versions, but not all USB female plugs are forwards compatible. It truly depends, and that sucks. What's worse is that they are nutoriously difficult to tell apart.

How to tell the difference: USB 1.0 and 2.0 are nearly identical. If there's a thick layer of dust, it may be 1.0, but most devices are cross-compatible between these two systems, the main difference is data transfer speed. What USB 1.0 and 2.0 have in common is the number of contact pins, both having four. You can see them if you look down the barrel of the connector. Most USB 1.0 and 2.0 plugs have black plastic separating the outside plate and the pins. USB 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 are all of a similar class, each a minor improvement on the last. The biggest physical difference between USB 2.0 and 3.0 are the number of pins, USB 3.0 having eight pins (the final four being seated on a second row in the back of the plug). The easiest way to tell is color. In general,* USB 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 have either dark blue or red separating the outside plate and the connectors. This is not a hard and fast truth, but is an easy way to check at a glance.

USB-C

USB-C, an improvement on the old USB-A plug, will probably soon be the most common connector in the world, especially since the EU has adopted the connector as the required default for phone charging and data transfer. USB-C has far more pins than USB 3.0, and is capable of far more, network, data transfer, high power charging, video transfer, audio transfer, quite a bit more. While it deserves some of the praise that it gets, it comes with some caviats. The plug type is standardized, but the components on-board are not, and not all USB-C plugs are created equal, and it's even harder to tell the difference than with USB.

Attached to this section will be a handy chart from Wikipedia, mostly useful in terms of shopping, and less useful for identifying ports after the fact. Ports should be labeled, but many aren't, especially ones that come from third-party manufacturers. (Not to bash third-party manufacturers, I use a lot of cheap hardware, since I know when and how to skimp when I do, but not all ports are created equal).