COMPUTER JARGON
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ACCELERATOR:

  A hardware expansion that speeds up the CPU. An accelerator makes
everything move a lot faster. ie. maths-intensive software and some of the
higher level graghics programs, like morphing and raytracing programs are
more pleasing to use when it takes less time for their alloted tasks.

AGNUS:

  This is the chip that has the last say when all the other chips
want to access the Amiga's ChipRAM. Various versions of Agnus allow the
chips to access different amounts of memory. The latest version allows 2
Megabytes of memory to be allocated for use. Each chip has to take it's
turn with the ChipRAM.

AMIGADOS:

  Disk Operating System
  AmigaDOS provides the Amiga with basic functions necessary for the
computer to work.

ARCHITECTURE:

  This term refers to what a computer looks like on the inside,
rather than it's phisical design. The electronic configuration soto speak.

ARCHIVE:

  An Archive is compressed storage system. A number of selected files
may be archived(stored) into one file. (eg **.lha) .Archived files are very
space efficient but they must be unarchived before use. Some popular
Archivers on the Amiga are LHA, LZ, LHArc, Arc, Zoo

AREXX:

  This is a language a bit like BASIC, but a lot slower. It,s
advantage is that it can communicate with ARexx compatible programs,
swapping data and providing Macro functions for tedious and repetitive
operations. ARexx is the interprocess communication language which is
suplied with every new Amiga.

ASCII:

  The standard format for any text storage on the Amiga.

BAUD RATE:

  This refers to the maximum cps(characters per second) which can be
transmitted between two modems. For example; if you connect two modems at
2400 baud, the data will be transmitted at 240 characters per second.
Similarly to connect at 9600 baud will give you a maximum of 960 cps.
   Please take note; these baud rates are only the maximum. If you telephone
connection suffers from any interference then your transmission rate may be
retarded somewhat.
  One other point to remember is that if your modem is faster than the
one at the other end, you will only be able to recieve transmissions at the
slower rate.

BBS:

   Bulletin Board System
   A Bulletin Board is a program that sets a computer up to recieve
phone calls from other computers for the express purpose of transmitting
and recieving files; both text (eg. Netmail) and programs. Some BBS's ask
the callers to pay a fee to access thier files.

BEERWARE:

  Beerware is a similar concept to shareware in that allthough the
software is initially free; after a trial period you are meant to pay the
author if you like the program. Instead of giving the author money (as with
shareware) Beerware accepts as much beer you think the program is worth.

BITS:

  To grasp what you will read next, please read the piece about BYTES
first. Hope you're happy with the explanation about Bytes. Now for BITS. 
Each and every Byte is subdivided into 8 binary units known as Bits. 
ie. A Bit is one eighth of a Byte. The number of Bits your computer is 
capable of handling at the same time is equivalent to the amount of data 
your computer is capable of processing and a Bit is the very smallest piece
of data that can be represented in the computer's memory. (by a 1 or a 0.)
The A1200 and A4000 are 32-bit machines. Most home computers are 16-bit.
The greater the number of bits, the faster and more powerful your computer.

BLITTER:

  Block Image Transfer device
  Used for the transferance of large areas of memory from A to B, or
the combination of different areas of memory into one single image. Many
computer games use the blitter to generate large graphic shapes.

BOOT:

  To boot, means to read the information from floppy disk or hard
disk to start up the computer's system.

BRUSH:

  Whenever you draw a line in a paint package (ie. painting program)
you use a brush. The brush can be one or more pixels wide. This means you 
can draw a thin line or a thick line, depending on how many pixels wide,
your brush is.

BRIDGEBOARD:

  An IBM emulating device. A complete PC on a single card that
enables the use of standard PC cards and most PC software.

BUFFER:

  A buffer is a storage space allocated for the storage of
information before it is used by the computer. For example, your Amiga is
probably capable of outputing data faster than your printer is able to
print it, so most printers have a buffer in which to store the information
from the Amiga until it can be printed. Another example is, a copy program
uses a buffer when only one drive is used. The copy program uses a buffer
to store the information read from the source disk befor writing to the
destination disk.

BUG:

  A term used by programmers to describe an incorrect piece of code
within a program which stops the program operating in the correct manner.

BYTES:

  A unit of data that can be found at a particular memory address.
ie. A Byte is like a pidgeon-hole that is capable of storing a given amount
of information.

CD-ROM:

  Compact Disk Read Only Memory
  Because CDs store didgital data, they can be used fore computer
data as well as for music. A CD can store about 600 Megabytes of Amiga
data. This means one CD can represent up to 700 or more floppy disks of
infomation.

CD-ROM DRIVE:

  A drive that enables your computer to run programs stored on CDs
rather than floppy disks and also play normal audio CDs.

CDTV:

  Commodore Dynamic Total Vision
  A CDTV is basicaly an A500 that uses CDs rather than floppy disks.
With the added feature of being able to play audio CDs as efficienly as the
CD player in you HiFi cabinet. The CDTV is also capable of dispaying
graphics stored on audio CDs denoted with CD+G.

CHIP RAM:

  Memory accessible by the processor and the custom chips(Agnus,
Paula, Denise). Used to store all sounds and graphics. Programs can be
stored in chip RAM too, with the sacrifice of speed.

CLI:

  Command Line Interface
  The program which enables you to type commands to AmigaDOS for the
standard operations like copying and deleting files or listing a directory.
Shell is more commonly used now.

CLOCK SPEED:

  The speed at which the CPU operates, measured in MegaHertz(MHz),
which basicaly means `ticks of the clock per second'. This does not
necessarily show how powerful your computer is. You must also take into
consideration, how many bits of data your computer is capable of processing
at any one time. 
eg. The A1200 14MHz 32-Bit is more powerful than a PC 33MHz 16-Bit, 
especially when you cosider graphics applications.

CO-PROCESSOR:

  A co-processor is any processor that is not the central processing
unit(CPU). Denise is a co-prossor, so to a FPU or a DSP if added to your
Amiga.

COPPER:

  Co-processor
  This device is built into the Agnus chip and executes instructions
at the same time as the processor. Used to generate sublty coloured
backgrounds while the screen is being generated.

CPS:

  Chacters Per Second
  A measure of printer speed. ie. The number of characters your
printer is capable of printing per second.

CPU:

  Central Processing Unit
  The chip that makes all the decisions and tells everything else
what to do. Custom hardware can interupt the CPU if it's programs are in
chip RAM.

DENISE:

  This is the chip that controls the graphics display modes. eg.
Super High-res and productivity etc.

DIP:

  Dual In-line Package
  A memory chip(the original type) which looks like all chips used to
before the advent of surface mount technology and space-saving pin outs. A
typical DIP is a 256 x 4 DRAM, as used in the A590 hard drive and some
accelerator cards. The main problem with these chips is the actual process
of inserting them; the pins are easily bent.

DSP:

  Digital Signal Processor
  This is a special co-processor that can be used for many differant
calculations. Most commonly used for didgital sound processing.

ECHOES:

  Are different 'files' that contain messages from BBS users. Each echoe
deals with a particular subject so BBS users dont have to trudge through

mounds of messages of no intest to them to find what they do want to know.
  There are many specific Amiga echoes that travel throughout Australia or
around the world. Which means you can communicate with BBS users elswhere
on this globe for the price of a local call.
  These echoes are public, that is, anyone anywhere in the world can
read and write in them. There is another communication system for private mail,
called Netmail.

ECS:

  Enhanced Chip Set
  The redesigned custom chip set of the Amiga. First seen as part of
the A500+ then A600.

ENV:

  This is the directory used to store all environmental variables,
and is usually set up by the Workbench startup-sequence as a directory in
the RAM disk.

FAST RAM:

  Memory that is only accesible by the processor. Programs stored in
fast RAM run with more speed than those in chip RAM.

FIDONET:

  There are Bulliten boards throughout the world that collect messages
from their local users, then use the Fidonet system to transmit those
messages every night, to their destination at other BBS's. Each Fidonet BBS
recieves a packet of messages from the board behind it in the chain, stores
them for it's own users, adds messages from those users then awaits a call
from the BBS ahead of it in the chain to collect the resulting package.

FLICKER:

  Flicker occurs when the eye can see the display being redrawn.
ie. The computer physically redraws the screen many times every second and
the faster the display is refreshed(or redrawn every second) the less
flicker the eye expieriences.

FLOW CONTROL:

  Sometimes it is useful for the connection rate between your Amiga and
modem to be different from that between your modem and the remote modem. We
call this flow control. Suposedly to ensure your computer and modem don't
lose fragments of data between them.
  The most common flow control is RTS/CTS, which is hardware controlled,
and XON/XOFF controlled by software.
  Both the Amiga and your modem must agree on the settings used. These
can be set up using both the Amiga preferences and your terminal software
settings.

FPU:

  Floating Point Unit
  This can also be called a Maths Co-processor. eg. 68881 and 68882

FRAME GRABBER:

  A device for the capturing of live video data and coverting it into
computer picture data. The results are usually a lot better than those with
a video digitiser, which does the same job, except the video must be paused.

FREEZER CARTRIDGE:

  A device for the examination of programs while they are running.
Usually the cartridge has many built in utilities which help to obscure
it's other more sinister uses.

GIGABYTE:

  One Gigabyte (or one 'gig') represents 1,024 megabytes of memory.
eg. 1.2gig = 1,228.8 megabytes of memory available for use.

GUI:

  Graphical User Interface
  Basically; when you load workbench on the Amiga you are confronted
with the Amiga's GUI. (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers) Meaning that
contral of the computer is largely governed by the mouse and not the
keyboard.(ie. Point and click.)

HAM:

  Hold And Modify
  A graphics mode used by the Amiga to display 4096 colours.

HARD DRIVE:

  Basically a big disk for storing all the programs that you use,
including your workbench. A hard drive has a much faster access time than a
floppy disk. So a higher rate of productivity is gained.

ICON:

  Icons are the small pictures which some files and devices are given
to help you locate them on the Workbench.

IFF:

  Interchange File Format
  This is a standard way of storing pictures and sounds. Most art
programs can load and save pictures in this form. IFF was invented by
Electronic Arts and adopted by Commodore.

KICKSTART:

  This is the name of the set of programs that are run when the Amiga
is turned on. The Kickstart also contains many library functions for the
use of programmers. Version releases of Kickstart to date are 1.1, 1.2,
1.3, 2.0, 2.04, 2.05, 2.1, 3.0

KILOBYTE:

  One Kilobyte (or one 'k') represents 1,024 bytes of memory.
eg. 512k = 524,288 bytes of memory available for use.

MENU:

  A menu is a little list that drops down from the top of the screen
usually via. the depression of the right mouse button. The menu contains
elements known as items and may in turn contain further menus.

MORPH:

  Morphing is a digital effect that is relatively new to the Amiga.
It's the process of smoothly altering the shape and colour of an image or
scene to create a totally new image. This is a complex procedure in which
each part of the original image actually changes colour and position.

MFLOPS:

  Millions of floating point operations per second
  Unit of measurement used to determine the speed of an FPU.

MIPS:

  Millions of instructions per second
  Unit of measurement used to determine the speed of the CPU.

MEGABYTE:

  One Megabyte (or one 'meg') represents 1,024 Kilobytes of memory.
eg. 3meg = 3,072 kilobytes of memory available for use.

NETMAIL:

  If you want to send private messages to a particular person you
should use Netmail. You might find a BBS that doesn't handle Netmail, but
most BBS sysops will happily allow the transmission of Netmail, although
some ask a fee to do so.

PAULA:

  This is the sound chip. Paula can handle four channels of 8-bit
digital sound at speeds of up to 44kHz. This is about the same sample rate
of a CD.

PD:

  Public Domain
  Software that can be legally copied and distributed freely by
anybody is deemed to be PD. Pd is often called Freeware. Shareware and
Licenseware also come under the rough heading of PD.

PIXEL:

  The thousands of tiny dots that make up each screen are called
pixels.

POINTER:

  The pointer is the small sprite that follows the direction of the
mouse.(by default a red arrow) The look of the pointer can be and often is
re-designed.

ROM:

  Read Only Memory
  Memory that is used to store the kickstart. This memory cannot be
altered. ROMs have a permenent memory.

RAY TRACING:

  This is what they call the generation of realistic pictures by
using programs which allow the addition and use of variables pertaining to
the laws of nature. eg. gravity,wind etc.

RAM:

  Random Access Memory:
  Memory that can be altered and re-altered many times over. When the
computer is turned off, everything in RAM is lost. This is not permanent
memory like ROM.

SANNER:

  A scanner is a hardware divice for reading pictures from magazines,
posters etc. and converting them into computer graphics. Very handy for
desk top publishing.

SCRIPT FILE:

  A set of commands(saved as a text file) which you would otherwise
have to type into a CLI or SHELL by hand.

SHADOW ROM:

  Some accelerator boards have the option of allowing the use of some
32 bit Fast ram to store a copy of an alternate operating system. This is
an alternate option to using a rom sharer. 

SHELL:

  Shell is a more recent version of a CLI. which works exactly the
same way, but enables a little more flexability with many inbuilt commands.

SIMM:

  Single In-line Memory Module
  SIMMs are the easiest and most widely supported method of expanding
memory. Each SIMM contains eight or nine surface-mounted RAM chips on a
small printed circuit board.

SOUND SAMPLER:

  Is a hardware device that enables the conversion of electrical
music signals into computer sound. Even the capture of live sound via. a
microphone.

SPRITE:

  A graghic object that is independant of the screen. eg. mouse
pointers, enemy missiles etc.

STARTUP-SEQUENCE:

  This is the name of the script file found in the S directory which
is executed after a disk has booted. You use the startup-sequence to tell
your Amiga what you want it to do.

WINDOW:

  A Window is a box within the screen that usually has a title bar,
(that contains the window name) scroll bars,(to show the full extent of the
window and programs contained) and a resizing gadget in the lower right
hand corner. A typical example of a window is the one that appears when you
double-click on a disk icon.

WORKBENCH:

  Is the set of programs which sets up the custom 'Point and click'
interface on the Amiga screen. Not as keyboard intensive as CLI or SHELL,
but lacks the flexability of direct commands.

ZIP:

  ZigZag In-line Package
  Basically ZIPs mean a lot of memory in a small space. They do have
disadvantages though. 1- they are not as commonly supported as SIMMs
  2- ZIPs are more expensive than SIMMs.

ZORRO:

  This is the generic name for the Amiga's expansion connector. The
A1000, A500, A2000, A3000, and A4000 all use versions of this connector.
The A600 and the A1200 use a PCMCIA connector instead.