Monday, August 7, 2000		Bits & Bytes

1. Bus : In a computer, bus is the data carrier and the data path, which is present on the computer’s motherboard that interconnects the microprocessor with attachments to the motherboard in expansion slots like hard disk, CD-ROM, VGA card, sound card etc.)

2. Motherboard: A motherboard is the most critical part of a computer, as the whole computer is based on it. It is the electronic board that contains the computer’s basic circuitry and components. On a typical motherboard, the circuitry is imprinted or affixed to the surface of the board and is usually manufactured in a single step. The most common motherboard design in desktop computers today is the AT, based on the IBM AT motherboard. A more recent motherboard specification, ATX, improves on the AT design.

3. Browser: A browser is a link between the computer and the Internet. It’s actually a programme that provides a way to look in and interact with all information on the Internet. A browser is a client programme that uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) to make requests of Web servers throughout the Internet on behalf of the browser user.

4. HTML: It is the standard language that a computer uses to interact with the world wide web. Technically, HTML or Hypertext Markup Language is a set of "markup" symbols or codes that are used in the files which are intented to be used on the World Wide Web using a web browser.

5. Hardware: Hardware refers to the physical parts inside a computer, telecommunications, and other information technology devices. Precisely, right from the box to the fine chips, everything forms a part of the hardware and thus includes cable-connectors, power supply units, and peripheral devices such as the keyboard and mouse.

6. RAM: RAM or random access memory is the component inside a computer, which is fixed on the motherboard, and where the operating system, all programmes, and currently used files keep the current data, so that they can be accessed quickly by the computer’s processor. RAM is much faster to read and write than the other kinds of storage in a computer like the hard disk, floppy disk, and CD-ROM.