by Joy Arrieta angelenensis@hotmail.com

Card Cage

A card cage is the internal area where new electronic circuit boards can be plugged in.

Ice

It is a page designed to display in a particular width Web browser window. It looks good in the width, but anything narrower truncates the display. Ice pages often have little messages that say "please set your browser window to this width"--or they automatically set the browser to the correct width, saving you the trouble.

Streaming video

Streaming video is the process of transmitting compressed sequences of video images and then decompressing and playing them on arrival. Streaming video lets you play a video over the Web without having to download the entire thing first. Unfortunately, unless you have a fast Internet connection (ISDN or faster), most streaming video looks more like trickling video.

Liquid

A "liquid" page is one in which all the elements align themselves to fit snugly within any size browser window--leaving no margin on the left or the right. Liquid pages always provide a full-screen presentation, but they can look really cramped in small browser windows.

TAPI

If a phone or related device is going to be controlled by or communicate with a computer, the programs involved want a standardized set of rules for exchanging information. The Telephony Applications Programming Interface (TAPI) is one such set.

Bluetooth

A new global specification for short-range wireless connectivity, the Bluetooth agreement lets portable and stationary communication devices connect to each other without cables. Support for Bluetooth is being built into a range of mobile phones, portable computers, desktop computers, handheld organizers, fax machines, keyboards, and other devices. Ideally this will mean you'll be able to share informatin easily among all those many mobile device, such as synchronizing your address book from one to the next.

Skins

A set of screen display specifications that changes the look of your interface without changing the basic menus and icons and whatnot is called a "skin." You can find lots of free skins online that can change the look of Windows and of the Macintosh OS. They can even change the look of particular programs, such as MP3 music players.

SSL

SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a way for two communicating Internet programs to keep their exchanges secret. SSL ensures encrypted and authenticated communications for Web browsers, newsreaders, and other such software. Many Web shopping sites use SSL connections.

X.509

X.509 is an international standard from the ITU-TSS (International Telecommunications Union-Telecommunications Standards Sector) that specifies how programs can use digital certificates to "authenticate." In English, that means it sets the rules for how a program can know exactly who sent a message. Browsers and e-mail programs can put this to use.

Game Port

Many PCs have a special port--a mechanical site with electrical wires for connection to other devices--for plugging in game hardware such as a joystick, flight stick or steering wheel. This port has 15 pins and is often part of the sound card.