glossary of internet terms - g

A COMPLETE LIST OF DEFINITIONS OF THE TERMS USED THROUGHOUT OUR WEBSITE

Use the letters below to jump to a particular section or scroll down through the definitions.

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Gameport - The D-shaped socket found on most sound cards. This is used to connect game controllers and also doubles as a MIDI interface

Gamma correction - Correcting the overall brightness of an image to take into account differences between the way a PC reads an image and the human eye.

Gb (Gigabyte) - A measurement of storage capacity ? usually for hard disks. 1Gb is equal to 1,024Mb (megabytes).

Gbits/s - Gigabits per second. A measure of data transfer rate equal to 1024Mbits/s or 1,048,576Kbits/s

General protection fault - A fault that occurs when an application incorrectly accesses computer memory, causing the program to crash.

Generational loss - The loss in quality and detail that occurs every time you copy an analogue signal from source to another. Digital-to-digital copying does not involve any generational loss, unless it's through an analogue medium such as a video-capture card.

Geometry controls - Features to adjust the shape and size of the image displayed on a computer monitor.

GHz (gigahertz) - A thousand megahertz ? a measure of how fast the processor in your PC works.

GM (General MIDI) - A standard governing the set of sampled sounds used by all MIDI devices. A GM file created on one device will sound at least similar on another (the instrument samples may vary in quality but not in type).

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) - A mobile phone standard that provides an 'always on' connection with speeds up to 150Kbit/s (existing GSM phones manage 9. 6Kbit/s).

GPS (Global Positioning System) - Network of satellites orbiting the earth, and used to pinpoint an exact position on the planet. Used in modern in-car navigation systems and handheld GPS devices.

Gradient - The gradual change from one colour to another, as if created by an airbrush. Also known as a 'fountain fill'.

Graphic equaliser - A device for correcting undesirable noise output from audio equipment.

Graphics card - The part of a PC that displays the image you see on your computer's monitor. Some are more advanced than others, featuring connections for video recorders or other similar devices.

Graphics processor - A dedicated chip on a graphics card designed to controls the images displayed on a monitor.

Graphics tablet - An alternative to the mouse: you move a stylus over a small board just as you would a pen on a piece of paper. Ideal for applications where fine detail is involved.

GS - An extension to General Midi, offering more control over the way samples are played.

GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) - The digital mobile phone system used in the UK and many other countries.
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