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Adware
Adware is free software that is supported by advertisements. Common adware programs are toolbars that sit on your desktop or work in conjunction with your Web browser. They include features like advanced searching of the Web or your hard drive and better organization of your bookmarks and shortcuts. Adware can also be more advanced programs such as games or utilities. They are free to use, but require you to watch advertisements as long as the programs are open. Since the ads often allow you to click to a Web site, adware typically requires an active Internet connection to run.
Most adware is safe to use, but some can serve as spyware, gathering information about you from your hard drive, the Web sites you visit, or your keystrokes. Spyware programs can then send the information over the Internet to another computer. So be careful what adware you install on your computer. Make sure it is from a reputable company and read the privacy agreement that comes with it.
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BIOS
BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. The BIOS is a program pre-installed on Windows-based computers (not on Macs) that the computer uses to start up. The CPU accesses the BIOS even before the operating system is loaded. The BIOS then checks all your hardware connections and locates all your devices. If everything is OK, the BIOS loads the operating system into the computer’s memory and finishes the boot-up process.
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BIT
BIT comes from the phrase “Binary Digit”. A bit is a single digit number in computing (a zero or a one) and is the smallest unit of information in computing and telecommunications. A full page of text is composed of about 16,000 bits.
It is important not to confuse bits with bytes. Both are used to measure amounts of data, but it takes eight bits to make one byte. The most common area where bits are used instead of bytes is in measuring bandwidth (in bits per second). Why? Probably because it makes your Internet connection sound faster than it really is.
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Bloatware
“Bloatware” is a term used to describe the tendency of computer programs to be large in size, or have many unnecessary features. These “features” tend to use more system resources than necessary and offers little to no benefit to the end user.
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Botnet
A botnet (also known as a zombie army) is a number of Internet computers that have been unknowingly set up to forward transmissions (including spam or viruses) to other computers on the Internet. The infected computers are also known as zombies – a computer “robot” or “bot” that serves the wishes of some master spam or virus originator. Botnets currently pose the biggest threat to the Internet.
The main drivers for botnets are for recognition and financial gain. The larger the botnet, the more ‘kudos’ the herder can claim to have among the underground community. The bot herder will also ‘rent’ the services of the botnet out to third parties, usually for sending out spam messages, or for performing an attack against a remote target.
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Computer Support
Computer Support is defined as a range of services providing assistance with computer products. In general, computer support services attempt to help the user solve specific problems with their computer or network—rather than providing training, customization, or other support services. With the increasing use of technology in modern times, there is a growing requirement to provide computer support.
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Cookies
A cookie is a small file that a website automatically stores on your PC when you browse certain Web sites. Cookies are stored as text files on your hard drive so websites can access them when you return. It’s nothing more than a small amount of data generated by a website and saved by your web browser. Its purpose is to remember certain preferences such as username (sometimes password), shopping cart information, etc. Oftentimes the term cookie is used in a derogatory manner. It’s true purpose is to save the user time by helping the website remember the information so that you don’t have to re-enter the information when you return to the site or if you get disconnected.
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