Computer terms are often on the verge of obsolescence by the time they find their way into the dictionary. Used a dot matrix printer lately? Because of the rapid introduction of terms, it's sometimes difficult to locate the correct spelling, plural, or case.

The first part of this section covers terms not always found in the dictionary. The second part examines proper display of computer-related titles.

Terms

API or application program interface
applet
ASCII or American Standard Code for Information Interchange

baud
bit
button bar
byte

cascading menu
CD-ROM
central processing unit or CPU
CGI or Common Gateway Interface
check box
compact disc or CD
computer-based training
crosshair
cursor

database
desktop
dialog box
DirectX
diskette
document window
domain name
DOS or disk operating system
double-click
drag-and-drop
DVD or digital video disc, also digital versatile disc

e-mail or email

FAQ or frequently asked questions
fax/modem also fax modem
FTP or file transfer protocol
floppy disk

GUI or graphical user interface

hard disk
hard drive
hardware
HDTV or High-Definition Television
horizontal scroll bar
HTML or hypertext markup language
HTTP or hypertext transfer protocol
hyperlink
hypertext

I-beam
insertion point
Internet
intranet
ISO or International Organization for Standardization
ISP or Internet service provider

Java
JavaScript

keyboard
kilobyte or KB

Linux

Macintosh or Mac
megabyte or MB
menu bar
modem or modulator-demodulator
mouse (pl. mice or mouses)
mouse pointer
MPEG or Moving Picture Experts Group
MS-DOS or Microsoft disk operating system

online
operating system or OS
optical character recognition or OCR
option button

Pentium
personal computer or PC
plug-in
pointer
pull-down menu

radio button
RAM or random access memory
Recycle Bin
remediation
ROM or read-only memory

scroll arrows
scroll bars
SGML or Standard Generalized Markup Language
software
spreadsheet

TCP/IP or transmission control protocol/Internet Protocol
text box
title bar
toolbar
trackball
trash can

URL or uniform resource locator
UNIX
Usenet

vertical scroll bar

Web site
Windows NT
Windows 2000
word processor
World Wide Web or WWW or the Web
WYSIWYG or what you see is what you get

XML or Extensible Markup Language

One finally terminology note: many applications or devices combine multiword titles into one word, without adjusting the capitalization. This leaves you with a floating capital letter (called an intercap), as in PowerPoint, JavaScript, and PowerBook.

Titles

Web site titles appear in normal text. When practical, link the page to its respective target:

Writing for Multimedia
CNN Interactive
Amazon.com

Specific URLs and e-mail addresses are italicized when they appear in print publications. However, on the Web, they should appear in normal text, and should link to their respective target locations:

http://www.yahoo.com
askbill@microsoft.com

Specific articles that are part of Web sites appear in quotation marks. When practical, link the title to its respective target:

“As We May Think” by Vannevar Bush
“Future Schlock” by Michael Butzgy

Books that appear on Web sites are italicized. When practical, link the title to its respective target:

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
A Confederate Soldier in Egypt by W. W. Loring

Software titles appear in normal text:

Adobe Photoshop
Microsoft Word
Windows 98

Creative or reference works on CD-ROM are italicized:

Microsoft Dinosaurs
The Civil War Experience
Doonesbury Flashbacks

Game titles are italicized:

Pong
Duke Nukem 3D
Tomb Raider