ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
A form of broadband technology which utilises copper telephone wires such as the BT network. Cheaper to implement as it does not require the expensive process of fibre optic cabling used by Cable networks e.g. Telewest
Ad-ware
A piece of software, often installed maliciously, which generates adverts on your PC usually in browser pop-up windows
AMD (Advanced Micro Devices)
Direct rival to Intel Corporation, produces the Athlon and Sempron range of processors amongst others, and recently acquired graphics chip maker ATI
Anti-virus
Software designed to protect your computer against malicious code and programs known as viruses
Applet
Small programs that cannot be run independently and must be executed from within a container, e.g. a JAVA applet must be run from within a web browser
Application
Software that runs on your computer that the user interacts with to perform tasks, e.g. Microsoft Outlook is an application which a user would send emails with
Attachment
A computer file sent along with, or ‘attached’, to an email message. This is a common way for viruses to be distributed as they are often masked and opened innocently by unsuspecting users
