| ISP Dictionary - ISP Glossary Definitions for 'l' |
| L1 cache - A small piece of very fast memory that's almost always on the CPU chip itself. It sits between the CPU registers and the L2 cache. Typically L1 cache has... |
| L2 cache - A piece of fast memory that sits between the L1 cache of the processor and main memory. It is usually larger than L1 cache, and the L1 cache checks the... |
| L3 Cache - This type of cache is becoming more prevalent as microprocessor manufacturers ship more processors with L1 and L2 cache built into the processor. L3 cache... |
| Lag - A condition caused by network congestion. When more traffic is flowing than a network or connection can handle, it causes programs waiting to send or receive... |
| lamer, lammer - A derogatory term for a wanna-be programmer or hacker or cracker who is clueless, often destructive, and not as expert as he thinks he is. A 'luser'. |
| LAN - Local Area Network. |
| Lapping - The practice of sanding down the surface of a microprocessor package to make it flatter than it was initially in order to make better contact with a heatsink.... |
| Laptop - A computer small enough to fit completely on your lap. See also notebook. |
| Large Scale Integration - This refers to chips containing thousands of transistors--but less than a million. See also ULSI, VLSI, MSI, and SSI. |
| Laser Pointer - This is typically a pen-shaped device that emits a bright red laser light that appears as a red dot on any surface at which it is aimed. In a smoke-filled... |
| Laser Printer - A printer that uses a laser to heat up a drum and etch out what is to be printed. Toner goes on this etching and then the toner is heated to bond with... |
| Latency - A measure of how long, on the average, it takes to get a response from something. This term usually refers to network response speed, but can also refer... |
| LBA - A form of addressing used by Enhanced IDE to recognize hard drives over 528 MB, as specified in the original IDE standard. LBA literally translates the... |
| LCD Panel - A slab of specially treated glass which is used to sandwich liquid crystal. You can then send electricity through the treated glass to change the phase... |
| LCD Projection Panel - This is physically similar to a standard LCD panel except it does not have any back/backlight, so you can put it on an overhead projector and shine a light... |
| LCD Projector - A projector designed to display an image from your computer (or consumer video device) onto a large wall or movie screen. LCD projectors use three small,... |
| LDAP - Acronym for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. It is a protocol for accessing information directories such as organizations, individuals, phone numbers,... |
| LDT - An interconnection standard introduced by AMD that allows for fast data transfers among the Northbridge part of a chipset, the PCI bus(es), and the Southbridge... |
| Leased Line - A phone line that can be leased from the telephone company with the assurance that the company using it is the only one on the line, thus giving faster... |
| LEC - Local Exchange Carrier. The local telephone company serving an area. There are Incumbent LECs (ILEC)--those with a local monopoly--and Competitive LECs... |
| LED - This piece of electronics emits light when a current is passed through it. It does not work the same way as a light bulb, so it does not have the problem... |
| leet - Short for elite. Jargon used by hackers and crackers to refer to themselves or to the sites they frequent to share pirated software and information. |
| Legacy device - A type of device or peripheral that is not Plug-and-Play-compatible. Such devices often contain jumpers that must be set manually. |
| Legacy System - Any old computer system that was set up before your time and now continues to work and need support. Often legacy systems are problematic to upgrade because... |
| LFN - A standard introduced by Microsoft with Windows 95 that allowed users to break from the file naming conventions of DOS. DOS only allowed filenames of eight... |
| License - Most corporations need multiple copies of software, but do not need the media in which they come, either because they already have it or because they allow... |
| Light Emitting Diode - This piece of electronics emits light when a current is passed through it. It does not work the same way as a light bulb, so it does not have the problem... |
| Light Pen - A pen-like device that is sensitive to light. More specifically, it is sensitive to the electron gun of a CRT monitor hitting it. Based on when the electron... |
| Lightning Data Transfer Bus - An interconnection standard introduced by AMD that allows for fast data transfers among the Northbridge part of a chipset, the PCI bus(es), and the Southbridge... |
| Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - An industry standard open client/server protocol for accessing a directory service, such as Active Directory or Novell Directory Services. It is a simplified... |
| Line out - An analog I/O port for a sound device that allows a device to send a line-level audio signal. This is opposed to an amplified signal on a speaker out port.... |
| Linear Tape-Open - An open tape storage standard developed by HP, IBM, and Seagate. The standard consists of two formats: Accelis and Ultrium. Accelis is designed for faster... |
| link - An active connection to another web page, location in a web page, file, or other Internet resource. Selecting the link takes you to the new location or... |
| linux - A version of unix well adapted to running on personal computers. For more information, visit the Delphi Unix Forum. |
| Liquid Cooling - This form of cooling refers to water cooling, or any other method of cooling where a liquid is used to keep something cool. |
| Liquid Crystal Display Panel - A slab of specially treated glass which is used to sandwich liquid crystal. You can then send electricity through the treated glass to change the phase... |
| listproc - One of the common types of E-mail discussion lists. See our E-Mail Discussion List FAQ and our Guide to Subscribing, Unsubscribing, and Searching Mailing... |
| listserv - One of the earliest types of e-mail discussion lists, and still in widespread use, although |
| LMHosts - A file used by Windows to map IP addresses to NetBIOS computer names. This file is included for compatibility with utilities that support the Microsoft... |
| Local Area Network - A small isolated network at one office or physical location. Most office computers are connected to a LAN, but may also be connected to the Internet or... |
| Log File - A file that records events. Many programs produce log files. Often tech support will ask you to look at a log file to determine what is happening when... |
| Logical Block Addressing - A form of addressing used by Enhanced IDE to recognize hard drives over 528 MB, as specified in the original IDE standard. LBA literally translates the... |
| Logical Parity - This is fake parity that always agrees. In other words, when something checks to see if the data is correct logical parity always responds, "Yes!" |
| Logical Unit Number - A term used in the context of devices connected to a SCSI controller. Each device on a SCSI controller has a SCSI ID, but each SCSI ID may have several... |
| LOL - Acronym for Laughing Out Loud. |
| Long File Name - A standard introduced by Microsoft with Windows 95 that allowed users to break from the file naming conventions of DOS. DOS only allowed filenames of eight... |
| LongRun - This is Transmeta's term for the ability of its Crusoe microprocessors to operate at lower MHz speeds and voltages if high processor speeds are not required... |
| lossy - A term coined by graphics programmers to refer to a technique of shrinking file sizes by giving away some precision of detail. JPEG is the most common... |
| Low Voltage Differential - The common slang form for "Ultra2 Wide SCSI (LVD)." LVD refers to the Low Voltage Differential interface used in Ultra2 and Ultra3 SCSI. |
| LPT Port - The 25-pin parallel port on a PC. DOS and 16-bit Windows used the LPT designation, as did 16-bit NetWare clients, to send print jobs to a specific physical... |
| LPX - A motherboard form factor specification that has now been replaced by the NLX specification. LPX is similar to the AT form factor, but expansion boards... |
| LSI - This refers to chips containing thousands of transistors--but less than a million. See also ULSI, VLSI, MSI, and SSI. |
| LTO - An open tape storage standard developed by HP, IBM, and Seagate. The standard consists of two formats: Accelis and Ultrium. Accelis is designed for faster... |
| LUN - A term used in the context of devices connected to a SCSI controller. Each device on a SCSI controller has a SCSI ID, but each SCSI ID may have several... |
| lurk - Listening in to a mailing list, message base, chat room, or newsgroup without participating. Newcomers are encouraged to lurk for a while as they |
| luser - A user who is a loser. The result of a dispute at MIT some years ago where computer error messages referred to errors by users. Others changed users to... |
| LVD - The common slang form for "Ultra2 Wide SCSI (LVD)." LVD refers to the Low Voltage Differential interface used in Ultra2 and Ultra3 SCSI. |
| Lynx - A text-only web browser that was an early workhorse before the web gained its graphical face. It is still used extensively today by the visually impaired,... |
