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H
hacker
This word has evolved to mean an unauthorized user; that is someone who becomes a user of a computer system without permission. Hackers have acquired a bad reputation as some have copied sensitive information, caused disruption of systems by introducing errors or used the access to criminally defraud others. In a non-derogatory sense, a hacker is a person involved in the intricacies of computers and programming. With the introduction of the internet in the 70s and 80s in US Universities, hackers became a clearly-defined group with their own ethos. A Hacker may or may not understand others' rights of ownership or privacy of information. Most hackers, however, believe that information sharing is a power for positive good.
half-duplex
Two-way transmission, one way at a time.
halftone
A printed reproduction of a photograph that is a set of tiny dots of different sizes and appears as shades of gray.
hard disk
A large storage device usually fixed into a computer or computer network. The disks in a hard disk unit spin at 60 revolutions per second or more and the heads, which read or write data on the disk, float on a cushion of air above the disk at a distance of about one thousand of a millimeter. These units are sealed to prevent dust particles from entering the system and scratching the disk surface.
hardware
The physical components of a computer system, including any peripheral equipment such as printers, modems, and mice.
hardware address
(See "network address".)
hertz
Abbreviated Hz. A unit of measurement that measures how often a periodic event, such as a waveform, occurs. One hertz equals one cycle per second. Frequency is often measured in kilohertz (KHs, 1000Hz), megahertz (MHz, 1000 KHz), gigahertz (GHz, 1000MHz), or terahertz (THz, 1000 GHz).
hexadecimal (hex)
Numerical system based on 16 rather than the 10 in the decimal system or 2 in binary. The numbering starts at 1, goes to 9, then A B C D E F (F=15).After 'F', '10' would then be the first double digit number, and represents the decimal value 16. For programmers, the hexadecimal system makes it more convenient to handle the large binary numbers encountered in computer systems.
hidden files
Files, such as IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS, that are not displayed when the DIR command is used in MS-DOS so that they cannot be changed.
hierarchical
The organization of data into levels of detail. Lower levels have more details than the levels above, and higher levels summarize the data lower down. Hierarchical databases are found on many terminal/host systems.
high resolution
Good-quality, clearly-defined screen images.
high voltage regulation
Ability of the high voltage to respond to changes in beam current. Good high voltage regulation means a stable display even when changing between different intensity levels.
high-density disk
A floppy or microfloppy disk that holds more information than a double-density disk or a standard floppy or microfloppy.
home page
The main document relating to an individual or institution that provides Internet services.
horizontal back/front porch
The left and right borders between the raster and the image or active display.
horizontal scanning
The movement an electron beam traces across horizontal phosphor dots on the CRT.
hot java
An Internet (WWW) language which allows the page developer to incorporate programming as well as the usual page-design and page-transfer buttons. These pages, therefore, can become "intelligent," responding to users rather than just displaying information and forwarding the user on to other pages.
HTML
On the Internet, Hypertext Markup Language, a Language used to write a 'page' for display. The language is simple and provides only 'format' and 'go to' -type features.
Several glossary definitions supplied and copyrighted by:
Microsoft® Corporation. To order the Microsoft Press Computer Dictionary, call Microsoft Press at 800-MSPRESS.
MDA Computing Ltd. For MDA Computing�s complete glossary of terms, go to www.mdagroup.com.
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