glossary of internet terms - m

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

Macros - In the context of software, an automated series of commands or operations that can be run at anytime. For example, if you always carry out a series of operations on your text to put it into a certain typeface and size, then you can set up a macro to perform this function. In photography, a macro mode allows for close-up shots without distortion.

Magic wand - In image-editing, a feature that automatically selects an area of similar colour or tone.

Magnetic shielding - Material that shields loudspeaker magnets, preventing them from interfering with nearby PC or TV screens.

Mail server - The computers at your ISP that handle email coming into your account as well as all the email you send out.

Mailbox (or inbox) - The folder in your email application that stores your incoming messages.

Mailing list - A service provided by special interest groups that sends regular email updates to its (usually free) subscribers.

Mail-merge - A useful tool included in most word-processing applications that allows you to create multiple documents based on data from another source, usually a database program. Mail merge is particularly useful and time-saving when you want to send the same letter to a group of people whose addresses are kept in your database.

Malware - A generic term for software designed to perform harmful or surreptitious acts.

Masks - In image-editing, a feature that allows certain parts of an image to be blocked off. Masked sections are immune to any changes you might make to the entire image.

Master pages - In desktop publishing software, anything such as headers, logos or guides placed on a master page will appear on every page in the publication.

Mb (megabyte) - A measurement of storage capacity, usually for computer memory. 1Mb is equal to 1,024Kb (kilobytes).

Mb/s - Short for Megabytes per second, which is a measure of data transfer speed.

Mbit/s (megabits per second) - A measure of data-transfer speed. A megabit is one million bits.

MBR - Master Boot Record. Part of a hard disk read by a computer as soon as it is switched on. The MBR contains information about which hard disk to boot from.

Megapixel -
A measure of the level of detail recorded by digital cameras ? one megapixel means an image made from one million tiny dots (pixels).

Membrane keyboards - A type of keyboard that has a plastic membrane grid under the keys. Membrane keyboards tend to have a soft, quiet action.

Memory (or RAM) - Random Access Memory is the computer's temporary storage area, measured in megabytes (Mb). Anything written to memory will be lost when the power is switched off. Windows 95 needs at least 16Mb to work properly, and double that again to work smoothly. For Windows 98 and beyond, consider 64Mb as a realistic minimum.

Memory cards - Small cards that can store many megabytes (Mb) of computer data or documents. Often used as a removable storage medium in digital cameras and palmtop computers.

Memory stick - A type of proprietary memory card designed by Sony. Used to provide slot in, removable storage, for devices such as digital cameras.

Message board - An internet-based equivalent of an actual message board, where people can post and reply to messages 'posted' by other people.

MFD (multifunction device) - A machine that combines any or all of the functions of a copier, fax, printer and scanner.

MHz (Megahertz) - A measure of how fast the processor in your PC works ? 800MHz Pentium III, for example. As a rule of thumb, the higher the number the faster a PC will be.

Mic in - Sound cards have different sockets at the back so you know what plugs in where. The mic in socket is for the microphone.

Microswitched keyboard - A type of keyboard where each key has its own tiny switch ? these being the microswitches. The switch sits underneath its key. The action that this gives the keyboard is often described as ?clicky?.

MIDI - Stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which is a standard for controlling electronic musical instruments by computer. One MIDI instrument can be used to control and communicate with another, so that music created on one can be edited on another.

Midrange - Sound frequencies in the middle of the audio spectrum.

MIME - Stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, which is a standard for sending files and other data that is not plain text in mail messages over the internet.

MiniDisc - Looks like a small floppy disk, but can record up to 74 minutes of digital sound using compression. Used in personal stereos and in-car entertainment systems

MiniDV - The Digital Video (DV) tape format for digital camcorders.

Mirror site - A duplicate of a website, usually in a different location, intended to share the load in times of heavy use. Shareware download sites use mirror sites for this very purpose.

MMC - MultiMedia Card. A postage stamp-size solid-state memory card used by some digital cameras and MP3 players. See also SD card.

MMS - Multimedia Messaging. Sending and receiving pictures to and from a mobile from.

MMX - Stands for Multimedia Extensions, a special set of multimedia enhancements built into some early Pentium processors and designed to improve the performance of multimedia applications and games.

Modem - A device that enables two computers to communicate with each other over a telephone line. A modem is usually needed to connect to the internet.

Moderator - User who controls who can speak in a moderated chat room.

Modulation - Way of varying aspect of a sound, such as vibrato or tremolo.

Moiré (Moire) - These are interference patterns that may be visible when a monitor displays certain images or patterns. Moiré is a nuisance that can generally be resolved by changing the background colour.

Motherboard - The main circuit board inside any PC into which every other component connects to and communicates through.

Mouse pointer - Also known as the pointer, this is what you see on screen when you move your mouse. It usually looks like an arrow.

MP3 - A standard for compressing digital audio. The sound quality of an MP3 file is close to that CD audio but requires only a fraction of the storage space.

MPEG - Stands for Motion Picture Experts Group, and describes a method of compressing digital video. MPEG-1 compression gives VHS-quality vide, while MPEG-2 compression gives high-quality video with CD-quality sound. MPEG-2 compression is used for DVD movies.

MTU - Stands for maximum transmission unit, which is the largest collection of data bits that a computer network can transmit.

Multimedia - Implies that either hardware (such as your PC) or software is capable of handling both video and sound.

My Computer - Usually you will find an icon labelled 'My Computer' in the top-left corner of your Windows desktop. Double-click on this and a Window will appear, containing icons for any disk drives you have connected to your PC, as well as any printers you have installed.
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