F

f2f
Chat room abbreviation for "face to face."

factorial
The product of all integers from 1 up to a specified number. The factorial of a number n is symbolized by an exclamation point: !. For example:
2! = 2x1 = 2
3! = 3x2x1 = 6


fail-safe
Action(s) put into place to prevent a potential disaster from occuring.

fair use
In copyright law, a limited kind of use of copyrighted material that does not require the copyright holder's permission.

false positive
This occurs if there is a claim of network intrusion but one did not occur.

fanfic (fan fiction)
Stories written by fans of a television series, movie, or book.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
A file of often-needed information in question-and answer format.

fast exploitation
This occurs when a computer problem or a computer attack is fast acting, thus giving security experts little time to analyze it, warn the Internet community about it, or protect their computer systems from it.

FAT (File Allocation Table)
The part of the hard drive disk that contains information about the sizes and locations of the files.

FAT 16
The original form of the FAT file system used by DOS and its predecessors.

FAT 32 (File allocation Table, 32 bits)
A modified form of the FAT file system that was introduced by Windows 98 and some late releases of Windows 95. FAT 32 allows each disk to be divided into a larger number of clusters; thus, space can be allocated in smaller units and used more efficiently.

favorites
Recorded addresses on the World Wide Web. Web browsers normally let the user record the addresses of frequently visited web pages in order to go directly to them without having to type the full web address or use a search engine.

fax
A method of transmitting copies of paper documents over telephone lines by converting the appearance of the document into an electronic signal.

fax braodcasting
Sending the same message by fax to multiple recipients, one after another.

fax modem
A modem that can transmit FAX messages as well as computer-to-computer connections.

FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
The agency of the U.S. government that regulates all equipment that produces radio-frequency signals, including computers.

Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002
Act established in the United States giving the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the mandate to coordinate information security standards and guideleines produced by civilian-based agencies.

fiber-optic cable
Cable consisting of glass fibers, allowing for significantly higher transfer speeds compared to copper wire. Data are transmitted in the form of light pulses injected by a laser. Fiber-optic cables allow for longer distances between connection points.

file and print sharing
A feature introduced to the Windows operating system with Windows 95, allowing users to share files and printers among machines.

file format
A way of arranging information in a file.

file management system

Software allowing you to keep track of your computer files.

filename

The name of a file.

file server
A computer that provides file access for other computers through a local-area network.

fill
The color of an object.
film recorder
A device for recording computer-generated images on film in a camera.

filter
In paint and photopaint programs, a tool for modifying the image.

find
The operation of searching a file or web page for a particular word or string of characters.

Finder
The module of the Macintosh operating system that controls file management and launches application software.

fine-grained security
A security model allowing the user to control the specific level of access that a particular program has to the computer.

finger
A software tool used by system administrators to find information about people or hosts, particularly whether another users is logged on to the Internet.

fingerprinting
A means of ascertaining the operating system of a remote computer on the Internet.

Firefox
A popular free web browser introduced in 2004 by Mozilla.

firewall
A link in a network that relays only data packets clearly intended and authorized to reach the other side.

FireWire
A high-speed serial bus standard more formally known as IEEE 1394, and similar in function to USB, but faster.

firmware
Software that is stored in some fixed form, such as read-only (ROM) memory or flash memory.

first-generation computers
The computers that were built in the late 1940s and early 1950s, using vacuum tubes as switching elememts.

first-person shooter
A type of computer game in which the player pretends to shoot a gun and sees everything as it would appear to the person doing the shooting.

fishing
The act of pulling a cable through the interior of a wall, or through some other inaccessible space, by using a fish tape.

fish tape
A tool for pulling cables through inaccessible spaces.

fit text to path
A draw program command that warps the baseline of a line of text so that it follows the shape of a specified line.

fix
A solution to a software defect.

fixed disk
A disk drive that cannot be removed from the computer in normal use.

fixed-pitched type
Type in which all letters are the same width.

fixed-point number
A number in which the position of the decimal point is fixed.

F keys
Function keys.

flame
An angry, ill-considered e-mail message or newsgroup posting.

flame war
An angry, uninformative quarrel in a newsgroup or other electronic discussion forum.

Flash
A program developed by Macromedia, Inc., to produce multimedia web content and presentations.

flash memory
a type of EEPROM that can only be erased in blocks.

flash memory card (flash card)
Generic term for a card containing flash memory for non-volatile storage.

flatbed scanner
A scanner in which the object to be scanned is held flat against a piece of glass.

flat-file database
A database like a relational database except it has only one table.

flat-panel monitor
A flat, thin computer screen like that of a laptop computer, using LCD technology.

flat-screen monitor
A computer screen that is flat.

flavor
A variety or type of something.

fleuron
A decorative typographic ornament.

flip-flop
An electronic circuit that can switch back and forth between two state (0 and 1) and will remain in either state until changed.

flip horizontal
A command that creates a mirror image of the original object. The image still appears right-side up, but left and right are reversed.

flip vertical
A command that turns an image upside down, but maintains the image left-right orientation.

floating illustrations
Illustrations that should appear near, but not necessarily at, specified positions in a text.

floating-point number
A number in which the decimal point can be in any position.

flooding
Vandalism occuring in cyberspace and resulting in Denial of Serice to authorized users of a Website or a computer system.
FloodNet
A java applet that can be used to create a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.

floppy disk drives
A disk drive for diskettes (floppy disks).

FLOPS (floating point operations per second)
flowchart
A chart consisting of symbols and words that completely describe an algorithm.

flush
1. Flat against a margin.

2. Finish an output operation by emptying the buffer in which the information is stored while waiting to be output.

flush left
An arrangement of text with each line starting at the same horizontal position, making a neat left edge.

flush right
An arrangement of text with each line of type ending at the same horizontal position.

fly-out menu
A secondary menu that appears to the side when you select an item on the primary menu.

FM synthesis (frequency modulation synthesis)
A technique of synthesizing musical sounds by using one waveform to modulate the frequency of another waveform.

FOAD
Impolite email abbreviation for "f... off and die," where the first word is not used in polite company.

FOAF (slang: friend of a friend, an unidentified piece of information)
focal length
The distance from a lens to the focal plane, or in the case of a multi-element lens, the focal length of a simple lens that would form the same size image.

focus
The part of a dialog box that is ready to receive input from the keyboard.

folder
A directory of a group of programicons.

font
A complete collection of characters in a consistent style and size.

foot
The bottom of a page.

footer
Text that is place at the bottom of each page of a printed document.

footnote
A short comment placed at the bottom of a page that provides a citation or insigthful comment to the text.

footprint
The amount of space a particular unit of hardware or software occupies.

for
A keyword that identifies one type of loop in several programming languages.