glossary of internet terms - h

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.

misc A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Hackers - People who break into other people's computers and networks, often in an attempt to steal sensitive information.

Hacking - The slang term used to describe illegal access of computer systems by unauthorised users.

Halftoning - In laser printing particularly, the simulation of a continuous-tone image (shaded drawing or photograph) with a series of dots.

Handheld computer - A small computer, about the size of a spectacles case. Handhelds usually have both a screen and keyboard in a folding case. The Psion Revo is an example of a modern handheld computer.

Handles - In the context of software, small blocks that appear at the sides and corners of a selected object in certain applications. Dragging a handle with the mouse usually resizes the object.

Hard disk - A high-capacity disk drive fitted in almost all PCs and used to store both applications and the documents and files they create. Hard disks are so-called because they use rigid magnetic disks to store data. Hard disk storage capacity is measured in gigabytes.

Hardware - Your computer set-up is split into two parts ? hardware and software. Software covers the programs that run on your machine, while hardware describes the physical components, like the monitor and keyboard.

HDCP - High-bandwidth Digital Content Provider. A method of protecting copyrighted digital entertainment content.

HD-DVD - A new format offering high-definition video on DVD-sized discs. Rival to Blu-Ray.

HDMI - High Definition Multimedia Interface. A specification that combines audio and video into one digital interfaces for use with DVDs,digital TVs and so on.

HDTV - High Definition Television.High-resolution, widescreen digital TV that requires both an HDTV broadcast and television

Header - A title that can be inserted at the top of the page, usually in a word-processor document.

Heatsink - a block of machined metal, usually aluminium, used to dissipate heat from a hot component, such as a processor.

Heuristic - A technique for assessing the probability of a file containing a computer virus. Useful for discovering previously unknown strains.

Hi8 (also Hi-8) - A good-quality, high-band video standard used by camcorders (a high-band version of Video 8).

High-band - Enhanced videotape formats, such as S-VHS, S-VHS-C and Hi8, which offer improved picture quality.

High-definition - Also known as high-def or HD for short,a high-definition picture has a superior resolution to that of normal TV or video,and therefore shows more detail.

Homepage - The first or main page of a website, usually containing links to more detailed sections or content.

Host - The PC that you set up as the 'base' or central PC in your home network. It is usually attached to the printer.

Host drive - When DriveSpace creates a compressed drive, it keeps part of it uncompressed ? the host drive. It's usually a very small part of the disk, but it contains important files that allows your newly compressed drive to work properly.

HSCSD - High Speed Circuit Switched Data. An enhanced version of the GSM digital mobile phone network that can transfer data at speeds up to 28. 8Kbits/s.

HTML (HyperText Mark-up Language) - The language used to create pages for a website. HTML code is written as text that is converted to a web page by a web browser.

Hyperlink - A clickable link on a web page or in a document that takes you to elsewhere, like to another website or a later page.

Hyperthreading - Technology developed by Intel that enables one of its newest Pentium 4 processors to behave as two processors for certain tasks, speeding up performance.
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