AB roll editing = The transfer of portions of two video sources into one master videotape. For example, one source may be a VCR and the other source a video camera. (See also Video)

AB style switches = analog switchers that are designed to be used in applications whenever multiple computer sources must be connected to a single display device such as a monitor, projector, or LCD panel. For example, multiple VGA or SVGA PCs may be connected to a single data projector or PCs and Macs may be connected to a single data projector. Extron carries an extensive line of AB style switches at http://www.extron.com/prodline.htm. See also Projection.

ABKY = The Atkinson, Banker, Kaplan, and Young (1994) textbook entitled Management Accounting which is noteworthy in this glossary as being the first accounting text accompanied by an Internet bulletin board. Prentice-Hall was the first publishing company, to our knowledge, to offer an interactive two-way network dialog between adopters of selected textbooks and the authors of those books, including a bulletin board of latest readings related to the text, abstracts of related literature, and classroom aids. The ABKY network was the first of the Prentice-Hall offerings to adopters and is available on listserver@watarts.uwaterloo.ca. (See also Internet and Networks)

Accelerated/Advanced Graphics Port = A bus specification by that gives 3D graphics cards faster access to main memory than the usual PCI bus.   AGP allows scattered data in system memory to be read in bursts. AGP reduces the overall cost by using existing system memory.

Accelerator board = A hardware electronic board (containing a microprocessor) that can be added to some computers in order to speed up the processing in slow computers. The speed gains are confined to internal calculating and sorting such that no apparent gains are obtained for file management and other busing activities. (See also CPU, Board, and Bus)

Account boot disk = A disk used to load DOS into the computer when it is turned on.

Acrobat = (See PDF)

Active video = A video AV standard and open-video architecture that Microsoft Corporation hopes will become the popular standard to replace the Video for Windows (.avi file extension) and Quicktime (.mov file extension) video architecture. Active video attempts to overcome common complaints with its Video for Windows (e.g., limited throughput, poor A/V synchronization, and hardware/software incompatibilities. Also, Active Video will have software MPEG decoding and will cross platforms with Windows, Windows 2000, and Power Macintosh. It will also have an Active Movie filter to play on the Internet via Microsoft's Explorer browser. Whereas Video for Windows was losing out to Apple's Quicktime in popularity, Microsoft's Active Video makes it a closer race between Apple and Microsoft for dominance in the setting of video standards. (See also Video and MPEG)

ActiveX = utilities from Microsoft Corporation that combine older Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and Component Object Model (COM) utilities.  AcitiveX is usually coded in Visual Basic and is quite confusing since it is an outgrowth of a complex set of OLE and COM technologies.  Various ActiveX applications can be downloaded from http://www.download.com/PC/Activex/0,271,0-0,00.html.   One of the most widespread applications is to give interactive controls (e.g., ask questions, provide answers, perform computations, push buttons, etc.) to users of Internet Explorer on the web.  Therein lies a huge risk as well when computers also have Windows Scripting Host (WSH) utilities using ActiveX.     WSH files have a file extension whs and are similar to PIF files in older 16-bit applications.  Prior to WSH applications, users could browse the web and use email without any worries about virus infections as long as security warnings were heeded about file downloads that run in Microsoft Word, Excel, etc.  That is no longer the case if WSH utilities are installed.  To avoid such risks, users can either rely upon Netscape products for email and web browsing since Netscape products use Java rather than ActiveX software.  If users prefer Microsoft Internet Explorer for web browsing and Microsoft Outlook for email, then they may want to consider adding security barriers to WSH risks.  In Internet Explorer you can click on menu choices (View, Internet Options, Security, Custom, Settings) and choose the option to disable "ActiveX Controls Not Marked as Safe."  Repeat the same procedure for Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express.  You may also want to consider disabling WSH, although you thereby lose the applications relying on WSH utilities.   For virus updates and news, two good web sites are Network Associates at http://www.nai.com/vinfo/ and Mcafee at http://www.mcafee.com/ .  (Also see Visual Basic and CORBA )  For more information on the use of ActiveX in distributed network computing, see Database, ADO, and RDS.

ADAM = Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine project that resulted in high quality computer-aided learning modules for schools of medicine. The "inside story" of A.D.A.M. is briefly reviewed in PC World, November 1994, p. 96. See A.D.A.M. Software, Inc. at http://www.adam.com/  for more details.

ADC = Analog to Digital Converter that converts analog sound to binary code form (digital information). (See also DAC, Modem and Video)

ADO = (See Database.)

ADPCM = Adaptive Pulse Code Modulation of audio waveform sampling that records the difference between samples is recorded rather than the actual values. This increases fidelity with lower resolution than conventional PCM. (See also Audio and PCM)

AERO =

"Before Going to Buy High-Tech Devices, Learn the New Terms," by Walter S. Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal,  November 16, 2006; Page B1 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/personal_technology.html

Aero: This is the graphical user interface that's a key part of Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system, due out around Jan. 30. If you want to get the full benefit of Vista, make sure any Windows PC you buy this season is capable of running Aero. Many are not.

Agent = Agents are search tools that automatically seek out relevant online information based on your specifications. Agents are also called intelligent agents, personal agents, knowbots or droids.

AIF = One format of Macintosh audio (sound) files. (See also Audio)

AIX = An IBM version of the Unix operating system. It will run on PCs with 386 or higher chips and on workstations and mainframes. (See also Unix)

ALN = (See Asynchronous Learning Networks)

Alpha processor = The ultimate top-of-the line processor for PCs that uses DEC's 21064 chip. The "Alpha-based" systems such as the DECpc from Digital Equipment Corporation claims it is the fastest system available for Windows 2000.

ALT = Software ALTernatives to authoring systems that have full CMS utilities. In other words, professors who do not need full CMS features may opt for alternative authoring packages such as hypertext or hypermedia packages that do not have full CMS features. Various ALT options are compared in Chapter 3. (See also CMS)

America Online = The commercial AOL network (800-827-6364) that "remains the hottest, easiest-to-use and most interesting of the services" according to Mossberg (1994a). AOL offers Time Magazine, the Chigago Tribune, and other news and television network options. New services to educators online include an American Federation of Teachers online doctoral program from the Electronic University Network and the Forum on Technology in Education and Training (FORUM-TET). With the May 11, 1994 announcement of a merger of AOL and Redgate Communications, AOL will take an early lead over competitors in multimedia and GUI graphics networking. (See also GUI, Networks, CompuServe, Internet, eWorld, Interchange, and Prodigy)

Amiga = A video computing hardware/software desktop workstation formerly manufactured and marketed by Commodore International based on Motorola microprocessors. Amiga workstations became a widely popular option in conjunction with NewTek's Video Toaster software for home and office videotape productions. Amiga developed its own operating system called Amiga DOS. A major drawback is that as a computer it does not communicate (i.e., its files are not readable) on more popular Apple, PC, and Unix operating systems. For example, it can neither read MS-DOS files into its operating system nor write out MS-DOS files. It is far less of a competitor for digital computers and networking than for analog video computers such as Mac Video (see Birkmaier (1993) and Torres 1993). The new Amiga workstations became aggressive low-priced competitors to Silicon Graphics and Sun workstations for 3D animation rendering for broadcast quality video. The future of the Amiga is clouded by the 1994 declaration of bankruptcy and subsequent liquidation of the former Commodore International Corporation. At this juncture it is uncertain whether another manufacturer will take over all Amiga technologies and patents. NewTek Inc. (800-847-6111) now sells workstations for its Video Toaster software formerly used in Amiga computers. The Amiga and NewTek workstations compete with Apple AV and SGI competitors, but these options should not be confused with the more extensive concepts of network video servers. (See also Video server, CD32, Apple AV, SGI, and Mac)

Hello Bob, I stumbled across your listing of computer and techincal terms and was very pleased to have found it! It looks very complete. I wanted to mention an error I found. In the text on the Amiga, you mention it could not read or write MS-Dos disks. This is not correct. The Amiga OS supported multiple disk types, excluding Macintosh due to the fact that those disks were not constant velocity format. MS-Dos 720k - 1.44k were supported provided the person had a HD drive for the 1.44 capability.

Thanks for the great work again!

Aaron R>
Aaron & Terri [antfarm@wans.net ]

You can read the following at http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/21418.html 

A combination of fierce loyalty and anti-Microsoft sentiment that would make Linux and Mac users blush has Amiga users clinging to their aging computers. The prospect of new hardware is almost too much for the dedicated outcasts to handle. They stick with the platform because it's stable, fast, and has an elegant OS that could multitask in only 512KB of memory fifteen years ago, back when Microsoft still thought DOS was the way to go.

No new hardware has been made for the Amiga since Commodore went under in 1993, with the exception of some third-party peripherals.

"And [now] there's tremendous hatred for Microsoft," said Harv Laser, founder of the AmigaZone, the oldest Amiga fan site online, with roots dating back to the mid-1980s. "A lot of people, myself included, don't want to give Bill Gates one penny."

So when a mysterious German computer company materialized last week announcing new computers based on the long-abandoned Amiga technology, there was much jubilation, along with some skepticism, on Amiga enthusiast sites.

Amiga DOS = (See Amiga)

AMPS = (See Wireless Glossary of Terms)

Analog = (See Video)

Anchor = Synonymous with hyperlinks, anchor refers to non-linear links among documents. Or more simply put, it's the word or phrase that can be selected to connect to another page resource.

Anchor color = The color on a browser screen that represents the anchor tag (navigation item) colors. The reason so many are blue is that blue is often the default color in browser software. This color can be changed to any combination of red, green and blue. The ability to change these colors at the reader level complicates choice of color at the authoring level.

ANet = The International Accounting Network, Southern Cross University, New South Wales, Australia and Bond University, Queensland, Australia. The email address is ANet@scu.edu.au. A description of services is contained in the CETA Newsletter, June, 1994. Mailing lists are also available on ANet, including CDI-ACC-AUDIT in the United Kingdom and AC-CHANGE from Maricopa College in Arizona. (See also International Internet Association, PIC-AECM, and RAW)

Animation = Time-phased moving graphic images that give the impression of motion such as in motion picture cartoons or videographic movements of objects about the screen. Several frames show a progression of movement, and thereby simulate movement. The best-buy in animation software is Autodesk 3D Studio according to PC Computing, December 1994, p. 204. (See also 3-D, flc/fli, Morphing, and Video)

Annotations = Personal notes you can attach to the documents you have saved in your Web browser. The notes are available to you whenever the document is viewed.

ANSI = The American National Standards Institute sets basic standards like ASCII characters and acts as the United States' delegate to the ISO. Standards can be ordered from ANSI by writing to the ANSI Sales Department, 1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018. (See also ASCII, ISO 9000,  and Rich-text format)

Anti-Blur =

"Before Going to Buy High-Tech Devices, Learn the New Terms," by Walter S. Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal,  November 16, 2006; Page B1 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/personal_technology.html

Anti-Blur: Also known as antishake or image stabilization, this is a crucial feature of digital cameras today. Because few cameras have optical viewfinders, users tend to hold them at arm's length to frame the shot on the LCD screen. This increases the likelihood of shaking the camera. An anti-blur feature can correct that. The best anti-blur technology is optical. Digital versions are less effective.

API = Application Program Interface by which an application program accesses operating system.An API can also provide an interface between a high level language and lower level utilities and services which were written without consideration for the calling conventions supported by compiled languages. Netscape Corporation and Microsoft both provide APIs called NSAPI and ISAPI that essentially extend their web servers, and it provides developers a way to put application code actually within the web server. This means that you dont have to start up a separate process each time one of these applications is called. And, since that application is always running, it can maintain connections to the database.

Apple AV = A line of computers that was popular for low-cost analog video computing due to built video capture hardware on the motherboard, a DAV connector, and a scan converter for analog video output to television sets and videotape recorders. The Power Macs have replaced the Apple AVs. (See also Video server, Dry camera, SGI, Mac, PowerPC, Mozart, Copeland, Gershwin, and Amiga)

Apple Corporation = (See Mac.)

Apple QuickTime = (See QuickTime)

Archie = Derived from the word archive, Archie is a Net-based service that allows you to locate files that can be downloaded via FTP.

ARPANet = The Advanced Research Projects AgencyNetwork formed in 1969 to connect the Department of Defense (DOD) with institutions conducting major defense contract research. The network linked super computers in major research universities with the DOD. This is credited with being the first academic computer network and is considered the "mother" of the Internet. In the 1980s, ARPANet split into two networks called ARPANet and MILNet (for unclassified military research). An interconnection with the DOD Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) led to a set of networks called DARPA Internet that later became referred to as just the Internet. (See also Internet)

Arrays = (See Jukeboxes)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) = Is a branch (usually called AI/Expert Systems) of computer science, mathematics, psychology, and systems engineering that attempts to make computer "decision making" more like human decision making and to aid or replace human decision makers with machines. Expert systems attempt to utilize the skills, knowledge, and decision evaluation processes of human experts. For example, computers now aid physicians in diagnosing diseases and computer-guided laser rockets virtually replace human guidance decisions. AI failed to live up to its early expectations when it was believed that AI computers would never fail to win at chess and language translators would soon be put out of work by computers. However, applications of AI have been taking place and computers can now play very good chess to a point where they occasionally beat even the grand masters.

ASCII = American Standard Code for Information Interchange computer character set (text and symbols) that enables transfer of text and data between different computing systems. This international standard provides only very plain text without options for font modifications. For example, files from word processors such as Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, and Word Star often cannot be imported to hypertext or hypermedia software without conversion to ASCII code (most word processors will change files to ASCII "text" files). The downside is that nearly all formatting and font variations are lost in ASCII conversions such that imported ASCII text may have to be re-formatted line by line and altered for font preferences. Very few software alternatives have "filters" that import word processor files directly without having to convert to ASCII codes, although many are now adding rich-text format (RTF) utilities. In hypertext authoring, choice of a hypertext software option should include a question concerning whether "filters" are available for avoidance of ASCII text conversions. (See alsoANSI, Internet Messaging, and Rich-text format)

Ask Jeeves = (See Search engine.)

ASP = has at least two meanings.

Application Service Provider that provides  individuals or enterprises access over the Internet to applications and related services.  This service is s sometimes referred to as "apps-on-tap."  Early applications include:

• Remote access serving for the users of an enterprise
• An off-premises local area network to which mobile users can be connected, with a common file server
• Specialized applications that would be expensive to install and maintain within your own company or on your own computer

Hewlett-Packard, SAP, and Qwest have formed one of the first major alliances for providing ASP services.

Active Server Pages.  ASP script extensions contain either Visual Basic or Jscript code. When a browser requests an ASP page, the Web server generates a page with HTML code and sends it back to the browser. So ASP pages are similar to CGI scripts, but they enable Visual Basic programmers to work with familiar tools.  This is a page that performs customized "applications" services.  A great example is NetLedger.com where individuals or complete business firms can access accounting software that allows all accounting to be maintained in NetLedger's online files.  Business transactions (such as billings and collections) can even be managed by the applications server.  See www.netledger.com 

Other examples are given at http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2615695,00.html 

For now, however, the latest twist on the ASP trend-what Outtask and some analysts are calling the BSP, or business service provider, model-remains immature. The range of business process services being offered in conjunction with hosted applications is narrow, mostly limited to functions such as travel, PC support and payroll. And, while some hosting providers such as Alexandria-based Outtask have begun building mixed portfolios of managed application and business process services from scratch and selling them directly to their customers, many established ASPs are adding the BSP tag to their résumés by forming alliances with the BPO divisions of major consulting and systems integration companies or with leaders in specific areas of outsourcing, such as Automatic Data Processing Inc. for payroll services. Many of those relationships, however, are new. Often, the hosted applications from one vendor and the business services from another are not truly integrated. So the user is often left negotiating and dealing with more than one provider.

Aspect ratio = The ratio of the horizontal to vertical size of the screen. Some monitors display rectangular pixels which can make the picture or image appear stretched. Software that allows images to be resized and changed with respect to aspect ratios greatly facilitates authoring. Otherwise, images have to be transported to other software for such changes and then transported back in a cumbersome process that makes authors grateful when aspect ratios and image sizes can be modified without such difficulties. Macromedia Director is one of the very few hypermedia authoring systems that has a utility for changing the scale and aspect ratios of imported bitmap pictures as well as rotating and inverting such pictures.

Assessment = The evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of technology on attitudes and performance. Tidd (1995) discusses various assessment scales such as the Computer Attitude Scale, the Computer Anxiety Rating Scale, and the Computer Self-Efficacy Scale. Assessment is very difficult because no matter how good the findings are in an empirical study, the relevance of those findings quickly falls away due to constantly emerging technologies that are significantly better than older technologies used in the study.

Asynchronous = A method of communication that places data in discrete blocks that are surrounded by framing bits. These bits show the beginning and ending of a block of data.

Asynchronous connection = The type of connection a modem makes over a phone line, this connection is not synchronized by a mutual timing signal or clock.

Asynchronous Learning Networks = ALN networks of education and training modules or courses where students learn in self-paced online pedagogy in contrast to synchronized presentations in traditional classrooms or electronic classrooms. Synchronous education in a scheduled sequence of classes will face serious new competition of asynchronous education distributed on networks where students learn and communicate most any day and most any time of day and study at their own paces. An example is the new online Western Governors University at http://www.westgov.org/smart/vu/vu.html. Ideally, faculty or other expert help is available online to both help students and evaluate student work and ideas. In addition, asynchronous courses may schedule synchronous virtual online meetings of subsets of students or entire classes of students. Networked courses may thus be synchronous and asynchronous, although the technical learning components are largely asynchronous. Bob Jensen has a paper on ALN at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/255wp.htm that reviews, among other things, the experiments conducted on millions of dollars in Sloan Foundation grants for ALN development. See also Hypermedia and Hypertext.

AT = (See PC)

ATG = (See Video server)

ATM = Automatic Teller Machines for banks and Asynchronous Transfer Mode switching in networks. The high speed ATM networks allow transmission of video, audio, and data over local and world-wide networks. (See also Broadband, Networks, and Sonet)

AU = The file extension for UNIX audio (sound) files. (See also Audio)

AU sounds = This is an audio format developed for Sun workstations and often used to distribute sound clips via the Web.

Audio = Voice, music, and other sounds recorded and stored in analog or digital form. The term RealAudio refers to a helper-app (plug-in) that allows WWW users to hear audio files in real time. Options for creating and playing digital audio Java applets are reviewed in deCarmo (1996). Options for converting written text into audio are given in Text reading. (See also Sound board, AU, AIF, Board, Hertz, Java, MIDI, Speech recognition, Text reading, Video/audio networking, and Wave file)

Audio board = (See Sound board)

Audio card = (See Sound board)

Audio Conversion to Text = (See Text reading)

Audio on the Internet = (See Internet audio and video)

Audio streaming = (See Web streaming)

Authenticated Payment Program =

From http://international.visa.com/fb/paytech/secure/main.jsp 
Visa has begun the global rollout of the Authenticated Payment Program. The Program, based on commercial incentives, will vastly improve the payment service for e-merchants, consumers and Visa Members by enhancing convenience, acceptance and security. Consumers will know that they can shop safely and conveniently while preventing fraud on their card, and merchants will know they are dealing with a legitimate cardholder anywhere in the world. The newest authentication technology, 3-D Secure", forms the basis for global interoperability of Authenticated Payments.

Authoring = Developing (writing of text, recording of audio, importing of video, inserting graphics, etc.) hypertext and hypermedia learning, entertainment, and reference materials.   The history and trends in authoring are summarized at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/290wp/290wp.htm 

Also see  Cross-platform, Delta Project, Hypertext, CORE, Non-core, Hypermedia, Morphing, Presentation, Titles, and Rendering)

Authoring software = This term refers to software that enables the creation of multimedia or hypertext documents and presentations.

Authorware = Macromedia's hypermedia authoring system designed primarily for training and education asynchronous learning courses. Authorware was originally developed for Mac computers and is still the most sophisticated option for Mac users. There is a PC version that faces stiffer competition from high-end authoring systems listed at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/245soft1.htm. The main competitor is probably Asymetrix ToolBook in terms of full course development, course management, CD-ROM delivery, and web delivery. For links to Macromecia and applications on the web, see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/links/prelim.htm. The following is quoted from Jeff Glasse in MacWeek, August 25, 1997, pp.

Despite increased competition, Macromedia Inc.'s Authorware has been the undisputed champ for developing complex multimedia programs that require a high degree of user tracking. Version 4.0 of the $1,999 (estimated street price) package offers Web delivery and external file linking, making it irresistible for certain applications.

Macromedia also sells the Authorware 4.0 Interactive Studio, a $2,999 (estimated street price) package that includes Macromedia Director 6.0, xRes 3.0 and Sound Edit 16 Version 2.0.

Authorware 4 retains its heavy use of icons in interactive design. All program elements, including graphics, logic, transitions, audio and motion, are represented by small icons in the program's flowline. Program developers create a flowline in the Design window (similar to Director's Score) and view the actual media in the Presentation window (analogous to Director's Stage).

Interactive designers either love this approach or find it cumbersome, but one thing is certain: Authorware is significantly more difficult to learn than other major development packages. One of the reasons for this, however, is that Authorware boasts greater depth than other applications, making it particularly well-suited for creating complex, branched training materials--the program's original aim. Once you've overcome the rather long learning curve, the flowline also offers much easier debugging of complex logic than is possible in Director or even in mFactory Inc.'s mTropolis.

As in previous versions, Authorware 4 lets developers release titles for Macs and Intel-standard PCs without modification. The player engine is wrapped into the final project, making it a double-clickable application on both platforms. Macromedia does not charge a distribution licensing fee.

Director movies can be played within Authorware 4 with their interactivity intact. This is especially important if you want to develop titles that include both complex animation sequences, at which Director excels, and highly branched interactivity, Authorware's forte.

Writing for new audiences
Authorware 4 has been substantially retooled for Web deployment and functionality. It now supports external content controls, so a completed project can reference external media elements on a LAN, an intranet or the Internet. This lets you develop a program that can be updated without having to rebuild the entire project; simply update the media that the program references. Of course, you must manage these external files religiously, and if used in the final project, path name relationships must remain constant.

External links are managed through the aptly named External Media Browser, an essential new tool that lets you track external media efficiently and relatively painlessly.

Authorware titles can be played across the Web using Macromedia Shockwave technology. Unlike Director 6, Authorware still requires you to run a project through a separate Afterburner utility (included with the program) to "shock" it for the Web.

Version 4 adds support for a number of file formats, including GIF, JPEG and Adobe Photoshop. Images can be resized and cropped within the development environment, allowing for considerable flexibility in the process.

The program also adds a collection of Quickstart templates to help beginners create typical interactive projects.

Authorware is fully cross-platform, but there are minor differences between the two versions. Most significant is that the Mac version doesn't support Microsoft ActiveX controls, while the PC version does. This is less the fault of Macromedia than of Microsoft Corp., which has been slow to bring ActiveX technology to the Mac. Still, it's a significant issue for cross-platform developers who want to use the technology.

Despite the program's otherwise unsurpassed text-handling capabilities (including support for style sheet and RTF text import), Authorware still does not offer anti-aliased text--a serious omission. Director, which is less aimed at text-based programs, has offered this feature since Version 5.0. We hope Macromedia fixes this rather annoying problem.

While the interface is generally improved, Authorware still relies too much on dialog boxes. You often have to tunnel through several layers of them to change a single characteristic.

3-D Rendering for the Web

Software options for 3-D rendering on the web are reviewed in the NewMedia, May 5 1998, pp. 52-64. The NewMedia web site is at http://www.newmedia.com Those authoring packages rated as "Awesome" include Live Picture Reality Studio at http://www.livepicture.com (800-724-7900) and Platinum Technology VRCreator at http://www.platinum.com (800-442-6861).  There are many other options rated as "Thumbs Up" or "Does the Job."

Conclusions
Macromedia continues to offer an environment with unparalleled power and depth for complex interactive projects. While Authorware's learning curve is significantly steeper than that of Director, mTropolis or Pitango Multimedia Ltd.'s ClickWorks, none of them offers the rich set of variables and external device controllers that Authorware boasts. Version 4's new set of Web tools makes this high-end program an even better choice.

Although Authorware lacks the powerful animation capabilities of Director, Macromedia has essentially addressed the shortcomings of both products by offering them together in the Authorware 4 Interactive Studio and allowing Director movies to be played within Authorware. The Studio provides a single development package that is essentially unsurpassed.

Macromedia Inc. of San Francisco is at (415) 252-2000 or (800) 989-3762; fax (415) 626-0554; www.macromedia.com. For links to Macromecia and applications on the web, see http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/links/prelim.htm.

(See Hypermedia, Hypertext, and Authoring)

Autodesk = (See Animation and flc/fli)

A/V = Audio/Video marriage of big screen television with movie-theater-like audio in homes and classrooms.

AV = (See Apple AV)

Avatar = This term refers to an interactive representation of a human in a virtual reality environment; the term was popularized by Neal Stephenson's novel "Snow Crash."

AVI = Audio Video Interleaved digitized video files (with audio tracks) that satisfy MPC standards for Video for Windows playback. The Media Player (mplayer.exe) file that is included in Windows operating systems runs AVI files. Most PC video capture boards will convert analog video into AVI files. The AVI standard from Microsoft's Video for Windows is giving way to Microsoft's newer Active Video architecture. (See also Active video, MCI, MPC, and QuickTime)