task management software Software that organizes and presents tasks both graphically and in the form of "to do" lists.
tariff A list of communications services and charges submitted to the government by a common carrier.
TCP/IP support The capability to send and receive Internet data packets through the use of special software.
telecommunications The linking of two computers through the telephone system.
telecommunications software Software that transforms a computer into a terminal capable of connecting to a multiuser computer system by means of the telephone.
telecommunications specialist An individual who establishes all the capabilities of a computer system within a company.
telecommuting The combination of telecommunications with computing.
teleconference A meeting in which the participants do not physically meet but use telephones and computers to meet.
teleradiology A recent addition to the imaging field in which the imaging signals, in binary form, are sent over fiber-optic communication lines to imaging output equipment some distance away for a radiology expert to read and interpret.
Telnet A service of the Internet that allows a user to access remote computers outside the user's area. Through Telnet, a user can access libraries, databases, and other public services all over the world.
template A standard format used to create standardized documents.
terminal An input/output device consisting of a keyboard and video display and commonly used with multiuser systems.
test The process of finding hidden errors in a program after the visible logic errors have been eliminated.
text file A file containing nothing but standard characters like letters, punctuation marks, and numbers.
thread All the replies to an interesting article on Usenet.
time bomb A virus program designed to sit harmlessly on a system until a certain event or date causes the program to become active.
time-sharing A technique for sharing the resources of a multiuser computer in which each user has the illusion that he or she is the only person using the system.
toolbox A set of programs with icons and buttons that helps programmers develop software without having to create individual routines from scratch.
top-down A modular program design in which the programmer starts thinking generally and then works down to specifics.
topology The physical layout of a local area network.
track One of several concentric circular bands on computer disks where data is recorded.
trackball An input device, similar to the mouse, that moves the mouse pointer on-screen.
tracking device Satellite devices used to pick up signals in order to track either a group of animals or an individual animal that has been tagged.
trade show An annual meeting in which computer product manufacturers, designers, and dealers display their products.
Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TACS) A system that helps pilots avoid air collisions; commercial aircraft are now required to have TACS installed and to use and obey it.
transaction A sale, purchase, order, or return that is tracked by commercial computer systems. On the Web, the connection that a client makes with a server to request a resource; the server sends the requested resource back to the client, and the client breaks the connection.
transaction file A file used to store input data until it can be processed.
transaction processing system (TPS) A system that oversees the day-to-day operations of the company; examples are inventory, accounting, personnel, and manufacturing systems.
transient program The parts of the operating system that are kept on disk and loaded into primary storage only when needed.
transmission mode A mode that enables a computer to know where one byte ends and the next byte begins on the transmission medium.
transponder A microchip, containing unique identification information, that is implanted under the skin of an animal and used to prove ownership of the animal; also a transmitter/receiver that communicates with the Air Traffic Control system.
Trojan horse A virus disguised as a useful program, but containing hidden instruments to perform a malicious task instead.
Turing machine A hypothetical general-purpose computer machine, described in a paper by the English mathematician Alan Turing in the late 1930s.
Turing test A test developed by Alan Turing and used to determine whether a computer could be called intelligent.
twisted-pair cable A simple, inexpensive, and slow wired transmission medium used in telephone systems.
typeover mode An editing mode in word processing programs by which new material replaces (types over) existing text.