value added reseller
A distributor that relabels another product or modifies it for resale. VAR's purchase their equipment from original equipment manufacturers.
vanilla
Any system in its original, unexpanded configuration. Also used to identify some A2000 keyboards, in contrast to "cherry" keyboards.
vaporware
Software or hardware that is announced publically and never released.
· Companies often announce products in response to their competitors before such products are ever designed. This is done to confuse consumers and attempt to slow sales of competitors' products.
variable
An area of memory, identified by a name or label, used to store a specific type of data.
variable speed drive
A type of disk drive that alters its rotational speed while reading data, to allow for differing data densities.
· Macintosh computers use variable speed drives for 400k and 800k floppy disks.
vector
A line in three dimensional space which is used in defining the direction a surface is facing, or the direction an object is travelling.
vector graphics
Three dimensional graphics, mostly compromised of lines, used in games and 3D modeling.
verify
The act of inspecting data that is recorded to media, proving whether the data is stable and accurate.
version string
A string of characters that provides information
about a file, such as the version, revision, and date of creation. The version string may be accessed using the AmigaDOS Version command.
vibrato
An audio effect that causes a sound to vibrate.
video
A visually displayed sequence of images, and the processes involved with producing and displaying such images.
Video CD
A video compression format designed to store over an hour of video and audio on a compact disk, playable on home computer systems and CD consoles.
videodisk
A disk format that uses removable hard disks to store video information. Videodisks require special videodisk players or combination players.
video RAM
Any RAM used specifically for graphics or video, such as used on IBM compatibles or graphics boards.
video slot
An expansion slot that permits access to video devices and Zorro slots simultaneously.
Video Toaster
An Amiga hardware device used in video production.
Video Toaster User
A magazine devoted to Video Toaster enthusiasts.
video wall
A large monitor or grid of monitors, often several feet wide, used to display images.
viewer
A program used to read a text file or display a picture. Such programs, such as MultiView, do not modify the file from the disk, but merely load it into memory.
virtual
Information or systems that allow more storage area than is apparant to the user.
· Virtual screens are only partially viewable onscreen, and must be scrolled around to reveal hidden areas.
· Virtual memory uses disk space to temporarily store RAM information, allowing a system to increase RAM in exchange for disk space.
virtual memory
A technique that allows for RAM to be stored on
the hard disk, temporarily, until it is needed. This allows RAM to equal the amount of free hard disk space, or a preset limit.
virtual reality
The use of computers to create three dimensional spaces which users can interact with.
virus
A harmful program purposely written by a programmer to inflict harm to a computer system, or to annoy a
computer user. Viruses are transmitted from the original programmer via floppy disks, files, and disk backups.
VRAM
A type of RAM chip, not to be confused with Video RAM, used in high performance systems.
voice
Access to an audio channel for audio output.
voice mail
Voice answering systems, using computers, that support mailboxes for various employees, and extension dialing capabilities.
voice recognition
The act of understanding human speech, using software such as VCLI or VoiceShell, and an audio digitizer.
voice synthesis
The act of producing speech using the computer,
using predefined voices built into the operating system. All Workbench 1.3, 2.04, and 2.1 systems should support voice
synthesis through the narrarator.device, while Workbench 3.0 users do not have access to voice synthesis without third party software.
volatile
A type of storage which loses information, such as when the power is turned off. Most RAM is volitile, while hard disks are non-volatile.
volume
A name or ID associated with a hardware storage device, such as a hard drive.