a.out --
The default name of a compiled
object file, pronounced ``a-dot-out''.
Historically, an abbreviation for ``assembler output''.
a.out is the default name produced by the
cc(1)
command.
abortive release --
(programming)
An abrupt termination of a transport connection, which can result
in the loss of data.
absolute mode --
A method of changing file
permissions
using 3-digit octal numbers. For example, to add group
write permission on a file called report using
absolute mode, type chmod 664 report.
You must be root or the owner of the file
to change permissions on that file. You can also change
permissions using
symbolic mode.
absolute pathname --
A pathname for a file or directory that begins at the
root directory. Every absolute pathname begins
with a slash character (/), which stands for the
root directory. See also
pathname
and
relative pathname.
accelerators --
Keystrokes that allow you to select menu items using the keyboard
instead of the mouse.
Accelerator keys are listed to the right of their menu items.
accelerator keys --
See
accelerators.
access permission --
Access checking is performed whenever a subject (a process)
tries to access an object (such as a file or directory).
Permission to access an object is granted or denied on the basis of
``mode'' bits. These bits define the access permissions
and can be changed by the file's owner using the
chmod(1)
command.
Running ls -l lists the permission bits before the file name(s).
account --
The identification that you use to log in to a system.
Accounts are set up by the system administrator and
identify the files and directories to which you have
access.
active window --
The window that currently accepts and displays mouse and
keyboard input; it is identified by a solid
window frame instead of a stippled one or by a special
color.
The exception to this window frame rule is when the Desktop
itself is active. Only one window can be active at a
time. If there is no active window, anything that you
enter from the keyboard is ignored (except accelerator
keys).
adapter --
A hardware card or board that allows one hardware component to
communicate with another.
address --
The unique string of characters that identifies a user in
e-mail. On a single computer, the address is the user's
account name.
On a network of computers, the address includes the network
address for the user's home computer in addition to the
account name.
administrator --
See
system administrator.
agent --
SNMP software running on a network device
which retrieves or changes network management information at
the request of an SNMP client. This may involve ``get''
or ``set'' operations on
MIB
information maintained by SMUX peers.
alias --
1. A mail alias is a name that
the mail transport agent
translates into a corresponding e-mail address or a list of
mail addresses.
Using an alias, you can specify a single name to represent
a group of mail users. See also
alias loop.
2. A name assigned to a command sequence; when the alias is
processed by the shell, the command sequence is substituted
for it. (See also
mail alias,
alias loop,
and
command alias.)
3. (programming) A short name that can be used in FMLI
scripts in place of a long pathname or a list of paths to search.
An FMLI developer defines aliases in an alias file.
Alias definitions have the format alias = pathname.
alias file --
(programming)
A script which contains alias definitions, each on a separate line.
An alias file is optional, but if one is written, it must be named as
an argument when fmli is invoked.
alias loop --
A state that occurs when an alias includes a member alias
of which the original alias is a member (for example, alias
B is a member of alias A, and alias A is a member of alias
B). See also
alias.
alignment --
(programming)
The position in memory of a unit of data, such as a word or half-word,
on an integral boundary.
A data unit is properly aligned if its address is
evenly divisible by the data unit's size in bytes.
For example, a word is correctly aligned if its address is divisible by four.
A half-word is aligned if its address is divisible by two.
allocation unit --
A group of consecutive blocks on a filesystem
that contain resource summaries,
free resource maps, inodes, and data blocks.
The ``allocation unit'' is equivalent to the
UFS ``cylinder group''.
alternate keystrokes --
(programming)
A sequence of keystrokes, usually beginning with a <Ctrl>
key and consisting entirely of keys that are standard on all
keyboards, which cause the same action to occur a s
when a named key is pressed.
Alternate keystrokes are necessary because many keyboards do not
have a complete set of the named keys used by FMLI applications.
anchors --
1. Hypertext links allowing you to link parts of one
file (text and images) to another
document (or an image). When text is used for an anchor, it
is usually set off by color, underline or both to indicate
that it is a hypertext link.
2. (programming) Either end of a Scrollbar widget or
a Slider widget.
The part of the widget that remains fixed while the elevator
or drag box moves along.
ANSI --
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
establishes standards in the computing industry
from the definition of ASCII to the measurement of
overall datacommunications system performance.
ANSI standards have been established for the Ada,
FORTRAN, and C programming languages.
API --
(programming)
Application Programmer Interface.
application --
A computer program that performs a particular task. Word
processing, spreadsheet, and database programs are all
applications.
application program --
See
application.
Apply button --
A button in some dialog boxes that implements your changes
but does not save them for your next Desktop session.
Click on the Apply button with mouse button 1 to apply your
changes for the current session only.
archive --
1. To place a file or group of files in a form convenient for
storage on backup media such as floppy disks or tape.
Normally, you archive backup files or files that are
important but not often used.
See also
backup.
2. (programming)
An archive, or statically linked library, is a collection
of object files each of which contains the code for a function
or a group of related functions in the library.
When you call a library function in your program, and
specify a static linking option on the cc command line,
a copy of the object file that contains the function is incorporated
in your executable at link time.
argument --
A word you type on the command line that is separated
by a space from the command itself. A command can have more
than one argument. Arguments tell a command how to you
want it to work. For example, lf -a; the
-a option tells the lf file listing
program that you want it to show all files.
These types of arguments are also known as options or
flags. Arguments can also tell a command what you want it
to work on. For example, lf -a /tmp/spell.out
tells lf to list the file
/tmp/spell.out if it exists.
See also
option.
ARP --
Address Resolution Protocol.
array --
(programming) A data structure consisting of zero or more array elements,
equivalent to variables, which are referred to by the name
of the array and the subscript (index
number) of the desired element. Some operations can be
applied to all the elements in an array at the same time.
arrow keys --
The four arrow keys on the keypad control cursor movement
in text fields.
In an application, the effect of these keys can vary, but
generally they move the cursor up, down, left, and right.
ascending order --
The default order in which files and directories are
displayed.
Ascending order displays files alphabetically (A before B
before C, and so on), and directories precede files.
Numbers precede letters (smaller numbers before larger
numbers) and Capital letters precede lowercase letters.
ASCII --
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange
is a standard way of representing characters on many
computer systems. ASCII is a 128 character set.
The term ``ASCII file'' is often used as a
synonym for ``plain text file'' (which is actually based on
ISO Latin 1, not ASCII), a file without
any special formatting, which can be viewed using UNIX
system utilities such as
cat(1),
more(1),
and
vi(1).
When referring to ASCII, many people erroneously include
all the characters in the IBM PC extended character
set. This set consists of 254 letters, technical symbols, graphics block
characters, and 32 control characters that you do not usually see. The
characters with numbers above the original 128 ASCII
characters are sometimes referred to as higher-order ASCII
characters, but an ASCII file is a file containing only the 128
original ASCII characters.
asm macro --
(programming)
The macro that defines
system functions used to improve driver execution speed. They
are assembler language code sections (instead of C code).
ASN.1 --
Abstract Syntax Notation One. The OSI language for
describing abstract syntax; ASN.1 is used in SNMP
messages.
assembler --
(programming)
An assembler is a program that accepts instructions
written in the assembly language of the computer
and translates them into a binary representation of the
corresponding machine instructions.
Assembly language is a programming language that
uses symbolic names to represent the machine instructions
of a given computer.
Because each assembly language instruction usually has a
one-to-one correspondence with a machine instruction,
programs written in assembly language are
not portable to different machines.
asymmetric multiprocessing --
A multiprocessor system is asymmetric when one processor
controls
all the others.
asynchronous --
(programming)
An event occurring in an unpredictable fashion.
A signal is an example of an asynchronous event.
A signal can occur when something in the
system fails, but it is not known when the failure will occur.
asynchronous execution --
(programming)
The mode of execution in which Transport Interface routines never
block while waiting for specific asynchronous events to occur,
but instead return immediately if the event is not pending.
attachment --
A special item that is associated with a
multipart message.
One or more attachments can be included in a single mail message.
An attachment can contain ASCII text,
non-ASCII text, data from a spreadsheet or a word
processor, a graphical image, or even audio or video
information.
attribute --
Attribute bits are set on a file to control which
users have permission to read, write, or execute it.
See
permissions.
authentication --
Verification of the client machine and logname of an incoming
request.
authorization --
Allowing or disallowing user access to a service.
automatic call unit (ACU) --
A device (usually a modem) that is capable of placing outgoing calls on a
telephone line. The ACU designation in the
/etc/uucp/Systems file
indicates that a remote system can be reached by telephone over any
ACU connected to your system.
automatic data --
(programming)
Data that is persistent only during the invocation of a procedure.
Automatic data describes data belonging to a process.
Automatic data occupies the stack segment.
See also
static data.
awk --
(programming) A simple programming language used principally for
searching text files and extracting information from them.
You can use awk as a powerful tool from the command
line, or write short programs in it.