Below is a list of commonly used computer and Internet terms, acronyms and software programs. For definitions and expanded information on the terms listed here, consult a computer/Internet dictionary or style guide such as Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age by the editors of Wired magazine.
Adobe Photoshop
Aldus PageMaker
America Online (AOL on subsequent reference)
ASCII (pronounced As-kee)
AutoCAD
backbone
backup
BinHex
bit map (or bit-mapped)
BITNET CAD (computer-aided design)
CADD (Computer-aided design and drafting)
CD-ROM
CompuServe
computer-assisted instruction (CAI)
database
download
E-mail or e-mail (not email)
EtherNet
Eudora
ftp or FTP (file transfer protocol; capped when referring to a specific set
of rules that comprise an ftp)
GIF or gif (Graphics Interchange Format)
Gopher
Graphic User Interface (GUI)
home page
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol)
IBM
information superhighway
Internet/internet (lowercase when used informally to refer to a group of LANs
connected by means of a common communications protocol)
Internet2
keyword
JPEG or jpeg (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
LAN (local area network)
laptop computer
listserv mainframe
Microsoft
MINITAB
MS-DOS
multimedia
NCSA Mosaic
Netscape
newsgroup
notebook computer
off-line, on-line (hyphenated as both adjective and adverb)
page break
PC
PNG or png
pop-up menu, pull-down menu
PostScript
PowerPoint
Prodigy
QuarkXPress
reboot, reformat
screen saver (two words)
spreadsheet
startup disk, startup screen
ThinkPad
time-sharing
Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
UNIX
UseNet
WAN (Wide Area Network)
Web site, Web page
World Wide Web; Web; WWW
WordPerfect