Appendix Glossary G

In the left margin you will find links to the glossary categorised alphabetically. Some of the pages are quite long and may take a few moments to load if you use a modem. This glossary is always being updated.

Glossary - G

G - Short for gigabyte.

Garbage In Garbage Out - (GIGO) A somewhat dated phrase meaning the conclusion reached by a computer can only be as good as the quality of the data that was used to reach the conclusion.

Gateway - A gateway is node that translates between two otherwise incompatible networks or network segments. Gateways perform code and protocol conversion to facilitate traffic between data highways of differing architecture, for example Ethernet and Token Ring.

GB - 1,000 Megabytes. A measure of storage space. Hard Drives now are measured in GB capacity.

Geek - The sort of person who would get really excited at the prospect of using a text editor on a 900 megahertz workstation to write out the definitions of technical terms.

GHz - Short for gigahertz.

GIF - "Graphic Interchange Format" GIF is the most common image file format for displaying pictures on web pages. A GIF file is capable of storing image data in a highly efficient way and is universally recognised by web browser software. Incidentally, the "G" in this acronym is to be pronounced with a hard sound, like "gag." A graphics file format created by the CompuServe online information service. GIFs work across platforms (Mac, PC and UNIX). Most Web browsers can display images saved in the GIF format. This is a type of image file known for being compact. Its file name ends with the characters .gif or .GIF. They are good for buttons and graphics that require clear text, and can also contain animation. However, they can only display 256 colours. All browsers can display .gif files.

Gigabit - Approximately 1 billion bits, or exactly 1 bit x 1,0243 (1,073,741,824) bits.

Gigabyte - A unit of data storage equal to approximately one thousand megabytes, or one billion bytes. As with other units of mass data storage, the precise size of a gigabyte is expressed by a number that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue (1,073,741,824 bytes to be exact).

Glitch - A small problem or malfunction associated with a computer hardware or software, though the term has evolved to include problems in many circles.

Gopher - A Gopher site has a hierarchically organised collection of documents, usually readable text files.

GPRS (General Packet Radio Switching) - A wide-area wireless standard, not yet in common use but expected to gain in popularity in 2001 and beyond.

Graphics Adapter - This piece of hardware controls the monitor. The three basic types of graphics adapters are: CGA, EGA and VGA.

Greyscale - The use of various shades of grey along with pure black and white to produce an image.

Green PC - A computer designed to minimise the use of electricity it uses. It usually shuts down after a predetermined amount of idle time.

GUI - "Graphical User Interface" Though the use of a GUI, one may operate a computer by interacting with pictures and menus on the screen, as opposed to entering commands directly through the keyboard. The use of a GUI requires an input device in addition to the keyboard (such as a mouse, trackball, touchscreen, or stylus pad). The term GUI is usually pronounced "gooey", which makes it particularly fun to slip into conversation.