H

h4x
A clever programming technique.

hack
To modify in an improvised way.

hack attack
A sudden inspiration or compulsion to work on a computer program.

hacker
In the positive sense of the word, a hacker is an individual who enjoys learning computer systems details and how to capitalize on her or his capabilities. The term is incorrectly used for cracker, which refers to someone who engages in unethical or illegal computer exploits .

hacking
The act of immersing oneself in computer systems details to optimize their capabilities.

hackish
Pertaining to the culture of hackers.

hacktivists
Individuals pairing their needs for activism with their hacking skills to advance free speech worldwide--if they are White Hats--or to carry off some political mission that may have damaging effects of the Websites targeted--if they are Black Hats.

Hacker Club
Clubs in which hackers get together to communicate with one another and work as a coalition to move agendas forward.

Hacker Culture
Culture of hackers.

Hacker Manifesto: The Conscience of a Hacker
Written in 1986, it emphasizes the point that hackers turn to their computers as a form of mental stimulation and emotional solace, after reportedly being misunderstood by their parents, teachers, and mainstream peers.

hacker ethic
The value system of computer enthusiasts who believe in helping each other advance technology by sharing knowledge without immediate concern for making money.

Hacker Quarterly Magazine (a.k.a. 2600)
Started in the early 1980's, a magazine started to help hackers and phreakers share information.

Hackerdom History
Can be divided into five major phases: Prehistory--before 1969; the Elder Days--1970--1979; the Golden Age--1980-1989; the Great Hacker Wars and Hacker Activism--1990--2000; and the Fear of a Cyber Apocalypse Era--2001 to the present.

Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE)
When hackers gather every two years in New York City in Hotel Pennsylvania to exchange technical, political, and social issues involved with hacking.

hairline
A very thin line, usually about .003 inch wide.

HAL
In Windows NT and its derivatives, the Hardware Abstraction Layer, the component of the operating system responsible for low-level interaction with the CPU and closely related hardware.

half adder
A logic circuit that adds two one-digit binary numbers, producing two digits of output.

half duplex
Communications in two directions, but not at the same time.

halftone
The reproduction of a continous tone image by converting it into a pattern of very small dots of various sizes.

halting problem
The problem of determining whether a particular computer program will terminate or continue forever in an endless loop.

handle
A nickname used in an online communication.

handshaking
The exchange of signals between two computers to indicate that data transmission is proceeding successfully.

hand tool
A tool available in some graphical environments that looks like a human hand and allows you to move the picture around the screen.

hang
To make a computer stop in its tracks because of a software bug or a hardware failure.

hanging incident
A new paragraph indicated by letting the first word extend to the left past the normal margin into the gutter.

Happy Mac (pre OS X only)
The icon of a smiling Macintosh that greets you when you turn on your Macintosh and everything is well.

hard-coded
Written into a computer program.

hard copy
A printout on paper of computer output.

hard disk
A data storage medium using rigid aluminum disks coated with iron oxice.

hard disk management
Managing resources on a hard drive.

hard drive
A hard disk.

hard drive enclosure
A box in which a hard disk drive can be mounted instead of mounting it in the computer case.

hard edge
In an image, an edge that is smooth and sharp, with no blending or blurring of the boundary.

hard error
A persistent, reproducible error on a data storage device.

hard page
A forced page break. A place where the word processor must begin a new page whether or not the previous page was full.

harden
To put a shell around a computer to protect it from intruders.

hardware
The physical elements of a computer system.

hardware interrupt
A CPU interrupt triggered by a hardware event, such as pressing a key.

hardware key
A device that attaches to a computer to prove that it is licensed to run a particular piece of software.

hardware setup
A set of parameters such as data rate, modem type, and port/device used as a resource to launch a host or remote session.

hardware vulnerabilities
Generally caused by the exploitation of features having been put into the hardware to differentiate it from the competition or to aid in the support and maintenance of the hardware. harm to property
Occurs in nonvirtual crimes such as vandalism as well as in virtual crimes such as Web page defacement.

Harvard architecture
A type of computer design in which the program and the data are stored in separate memories.

hash function
A function that converts a string of characters to a number or a shorter string.

hashing
A storage mechanism where data items are stored at locations that are determined by a mathematical function of the data.

Hash, One-Way
The end result of data that has been processed by an algorithm, transforming messages, text, or binary data into a fixed string of numbers for security or data-management purposes.

hat
The character ^ (same as the carrot).

Hayes compatibility
The ability of a modem to respond to the same set of autodialing commands as the Hayes Smartmodem.

HD (high density)
The type of diskette, currently used,replacing several older types.

HDD
Hard disk drive.

HDSL (High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line)
A type of high-speed network connection provided through ordinary telephone lines.

head
The part of a disk drive that reads and writes information magnetically.

HEAD
Tag used in HTML to indicate the beginning of the heading material of a webpage, which includes such material as the title.

headless
Term describing a computer that lacks a keyboard.

headset
Speakers and microphones worn on a person's head.

heap
A block of memory that belongs to a program, but hs not yet been given a specific use.

hecta-
Metric prefix meaning x100.

Heisenbug
(Humorous) A bug in a computer program that goes away or radicaly changes its behaviour when attempts are made to investigate it.

help
Information provided by a computer program to assist the user.

helpdesk
A place where people who use computers can go for assistance.

Helvetica
A popular sans serif typeface.

hertz
The number of times something is repeated per second; a unit of frequency, abbreviated HZ and named for Heinrich Hertz, discoverer of radio waves.

heuristic
A method of solving problems that involves intelligent trial and error.

Hewlett-Packard A leading maufacturer of computers and printers.

hexadecimal number A number written in base 16. Hexadecimal numbers use 16 possible digits, written 0-9, A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, F=15. Hexadecimal numbers provide a good shorthand way of represented binary numbers.

hibernate
To suspend the operation of a computer by copying the entire contents of memory to a disk file, so that the computer can be powered off, then turned on again to resume where it left off, without rebooting.

hibernation file
The data file on which the contents of memory are written when a computer hibernates.

hidden file
A file whose presence is normally concealed from the user to keep it from being deleted or moved.

hierarchial
Arranged in such a way that some items are above or below others in a tree-like structure.

hierarchial file system
A file system that allows subdirectories or folders to belong to a higher-level subdirectory or folder.
Also, the file system for Macintosh.

hiearchial menu
A menu with other menus under it; a cascading menu.

high-level language
A computer programming language designed allow people to write programs without having to understand the inner workings of the computer.

highlight
To make a menu item prominent (either lighter or darker than the others) to show that it is selected.