Glossary Of Terms 

AOL (America Online) - AOL is an on-line service. It is simply a connection between your computer and whatever it is that you need to connect to (such as a news agency, weather, sports, the Internet, etc.). In this case it is Unimatic and Apollo. AOL is the only on-line service that has an agreement with UAL to access Unimatic and Apollo from outside the property. You must have a membership with AOL in order to access them.

Application - Short for software application. A program applying the computer's hardware and operating system to a specific task. The most common application in use today is a word processor.

Baud Rate - The number of times a line changes its electrical state during telecommunications. While it's not exactly interchangeable with bytes per second, they're really fairly equal. This is the standard unit of measure for how fast a modem operates. (28.8K, 56K, etc)

Bid Package - In BidPlus, the terms Bid Package, Database, & File all mean the exact same thing. The bid package will contain information for both domestic and international where appropriate.

Binary, Bit - Binary numbers have only two possibilities: true or false, 1 or 0, on or off. A bit is a binary digit, the smallest unit of information in a digital computer, and the basis of all its operation.

Bulletin Board System (BBS) Software - Communications software which can handle electronic mail, automatic file transfer, electronic messaging, and even electronic shopping.

Button Bar - Also called a tool bar. It is the row of buttons with pictures located near the top of the screen (they are only visible while the bid package is open).

Byte - The smallest unit of data moved around in a computer; usually contains eight bits. SeeBit.

Click - Point the mouse arrow on the screen and click the left mouse button once to accomplish the task. (Double Click - Point the mouse arrow on the screen and rapidly click the left mouse button twice to accomplish the task.)

Configuration - The selected components used in a compter; also, their hardware and software.

CPU - Central Processing Unit. The large chip in a computer that manipulates the data and executes instructions. It is also called the processor or the microprocessor.

Cursor - A flashing bar or block used to indicate the current active position on the screen. This is the point at which any typing performed will be entered on the display.

Data - Information stored or used by a computer, usually consisting of bits and bytes stored in files.

Defragmenter - A routine that goes through you disk and reorganizes the files for efficiency and speed.

Default - The standard or automatic setting of a feature in a hardware or software.

Desktop - This is the primary screen displayed to you once your computer has finished booting up. It contains any number of icons, which are themselves small graphical representations of, or shortcut connections to, various programs and files.

Dialog Box - A dialog box is a box that will frequently pop up and present to you some important items that need to be addressed, or options to select, before the current process can continue.

Disk Drives - Devices which store large amounts of information permanently, and which can be used to bring data into the system and to remove data from the system and take it to another machine. In effect, disk drives are both input and output devices. They require an expansion card and cable so that they can communicate with your machine.

DOS - Disk Operating System. DOS has been the predominant operating system for some time. It comes in two flavors: IBM (PC) DOS and MS-DOS or Microsoft DOS.

Download - This means using the phone line to bring information (like your bid package) into your computer via CompuServe.

DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory. A common type of memory chip.

Drop Box - A drop box contains a list of items that can be selected by clicking on the desired item. To access the list, click on the down arrow associated with the drop box. You can scroll up or down to view the items in the list. These will be used in both the criteria selection process and the Unimatic Plus feature.

Emulation - The imitation or mock-up of a computer process in software, to bypass patents or to avoid the cost of additional hardware. (Example: CompuServe uses Terminal Emulation to bring a mock-up of Unimatic to your computer. That is why your computer does not perform the same way as the computers at work do. There are many, many hardware and software connections required to make it work. Ultimately, this slows down all responses.)

Floppy Disk(ette) - Made from a flexible plastic which is coated on each side with a thin layer of magnetic-sensitive material. By changing the magnetic properties of small portions of material, it is possible to represent data. Floppies are usually 3.5-inch, and vary in storage capacity.

Gigabyte (Gb) - A thousand Megabytes; a billion. See also, Byte.

Hard Disk - A thin metal platter coated with magnetic material used to store data. The primary storage components of most PCs, hard disks are relatively efficient and inexpensive, but need care.

Icon - A small picture, used to represent a progam, operation, file type, etc. A key feature of a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Interface - The appearance and operation of the screen a user sees. Graphical User Interface (GUI) like MS Windows are considered much easier to use than character-based interfaces like DOS.

Internet - A world-wide "network of networks" used for business, government, education, and fun. Called "the Net" for short, it is growing phenomenally. Exploring it is called "Surfing the Net".

ISP - Internet Service Provider - This is simply a communications company that provides you with access to the Internet via your computer. Different ISPs include AOL, CompuServe, MSN, Earthlink, Cable, DSL, or even a freebie. 

LAN - Local Area Network. Computers connected together so they can share files and resources. It requires the use of special network cards and software.

Mainframe - Large (expensive) computers which can handle hundreds of users at once.

Megabyte (MB) - 1,048,576 bytes - usually thought of as a million bytes.

Memory - The parts of the computer that remember things. Types of memory include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), extended memory, and expanded memory.

Menu - The menu headings are found at the top of the screen. Clicking on one of these items (such as File, View, or Edit) will open up a list of menu items. Clicking on one of the menu items will cause an action to take place or the screen view to change.

Modem - Modulator/Demodulator. A device which converts outgoing number from a binary computer into tones that can be carried over a telephone line. Modems also convert incoming analog sounds into their digital equivalents so that the computer can absorb them.

Monitor - A display tube and its controls that receive output from your computer.

Mouse - A pointing device used to provide input to a computer by moving the cursor and sending signals equivalent to Enter.

Network - A computer hardware/software system which allows you to connect a number of PCs including those of different design, such as mainframes, minis, PCs, and Macintoshes.

Off-line - This means that you are not connected. Your computer phone is hung up.

On-line - Connection to another computer, usually an interactive, real-time remote connection over phone lines to a BBS, the Internet, or a service provider such as CompuServe or AOL.

Reset Button - This switch provides a function similar to that of the Control/Alt/Delete combination. Pressing and releasing it will cause your system to reboot without switching the power off and on.

Resolution - The number of pixels displayed in an image. For example, the BidPlus program uses specific screen mapping and requires a screen resolution of 800 pixels horizontally by 600 pixels vertically.

Software - The programs which put computer hardware to work. A program is a long list of instructions to a computer's CPU and/or other subsystems.

Sound Card - An Expansion circuit bard which gives a PC the ability to record and play hi-fi sound.

TCP/IP - A set of Technical Communications Protocols (standards) for accessing the Internet.

Upload - This means using the phone line to send information (like your completed bids) out of your computer to Unimatic via CompuServe.

VGA - A video standard which allows for 256 colors at 640x480 resolution. VGA cards are also known as 8-bit color cards, because two to the eighth power equals 256. Super VGA (SVGA) offers more colors and up to 1024x768 resolution.

Virus - Invasive program embedded within another program, which does annoying or even damaging things to a computer's operation and/or your software programs.

Wizard - Microsoft's term for an interactive program that leads the user step-by-step through a process.