Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary or type the term on which you want to search.

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micro

a common term in computing meaning: 1. a microprocessor.
2. a computer.
3. something extremely small.

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microcomputer

a computer in which the central processing unit (CPU) is the microprocessor. Home computers are microcomputers and are generally used by one person at a time.

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microprocessor

a silicon chip, or integrated circuit that contains a computer’s central processing unit (CPU). The microprocessor, (or simply processor), is considered the computer’s brain. Microprocessors are responsible for the way computers calculate, analyze and organize data. When evaluating a personal computer for home use, the speed which the microprocessor operates is among the most, if not the most important of considerations. The speed of the processor is measured in megahertz. see CPU.

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Microsoft Corporation

the world’s leading software company, started in 1975 by Paul Allen and Bill Gates when they developed operating software for the Altair, a home computer used mainly by hobbyists. The software pioneers were approached in 1981 to design an operating system for the IBM Personal Computer, and history was made with the introduction of Microsoft DOS. Today Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses and supports a wide range of software products for a multitude of computing devices. In a widely publicized antitrust lawsuit, the US Justice Department has ruled that the corporation is a monopoly and has ordered a breakup of the company. Microsoft has vowed to fight the ruling stating that to divide would hurt the company, the consumers that rely on their products, and the US economy. Many await the final disposition of the case.

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MIDI

(Musical Instrument Digital Interface) pronounced middy, a standard for the way electronic musical instruments interact. When a computer is equipped to play MIDI files it simply means there is a MIDI-capable sound card inside the machine. Most cards are able to play two types of sound: digital audio and MIDI. Though digital audio is a more pure method of sound reproduction, it requires a great deal of memory. MIDI files are more easily compressed and require significantly less memory. MIDI files are easily downloaded from the Internet. Often, when you hear music playing on a Website, it’s a MIDI.

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MIME

(Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) a standard for attaching files other than text to email. Such files include graphics, audio, spreadsheets, charts, graphs, and faxes. Modern email programs allow for both the sending and receiving of MIME.

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MIMO

(Multiple Input Multiple Output) pronounced "my-mo", it is the use of multiple transmitters and receivers (multiple antennas) on wireless devices for improved performance. When two transmitters and two or more receivers are used, two simultaneous data streams can be sent, which double the data rate. Multiple receivers alone allow greater distances between devices. The upcoming IEEE 802.11n wireless standard uses MIMO to, at a minimum, double the 54 Mbps speed of 802.11a and 802.11g to 108 Mbps.

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minimize

in Macintosh and Windows operating systems, as well as many software programs, a button found in the upper right hand corner of the screen (in most cases, but not always) that, when the user places the mouse cursor on it and clicks, it decreases the size of the current window so the window is no longer visible on the computer screen.

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MiniSD Card

in 2003, the miniSD was introduced with a 40% less footprint, and capacities increased from an initial 64MB to 1GB by 2005. Electrically as well as software compatible with the full-size card, a miniSD card can fit into a regular SD slot via an adapter.

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MIPS

(Million Instructions Per Second) a somewhat dated way of measuring the speed of a computer determined by how many instructions the machine can process per second.