Definition: about this encyclopedia

Updated monthly, this encyclopedia provides a meaningful definition of everything important in computers, consumer electronics (CE), audio and video. There are also thousands of hardware and software products that are either popular, unique or made a meaningful contribution. The encyclopedia is also continuously revised just to make the definitions more readable. How rare is that! See What's in this encyclopedia, Windows CDE and Android CDE.



Quite a History
First published in 1981 as "The Computer Glossary," a 300-term, text-only handbook for Alan Freedman's computer literacy seminars, by 1989, the 3,500-term, illustrated 4th edition won the "Best Reference Book of the Year" award from Computer Book Review. The Glossary evolved over nine English editions with translations into eight foreign languages, making it the most successful tech reference on the market. The last book was published in 2001.

In 1990, the Glossary was put on floppy disk for DOS, Mac and Windows. Six years later, a greatly enhanced version, renamed "Computer Desktop Encyclopedia" (CDE), was published in print and CD-ROM. Soon after, the encyclopedia debuted on the Web and has remained online ever since. See ComputerLanguage.com.

The First Edition

The 300-term "The Computer Glossary" was written in 1980 on a Vector Graphic personal computer and printed on a daisy wheel printer. The large term names came from Kroytype labels pressed onto the master layout by hand.

A Note from the Author
My goal is to keep this encyclopedia informative, interesting, accurate and timely. I invite your suggestions for existing entries as well as new ones. Please email me at alan@computerlanguage.com.

Alan Freedman

Freedman has been in the information industry for 65 years, starting out in the days of punch cards. He has been a programmer, systems analyst, consultant and salesman, and for more than half his career, an educator.

Acknowledgments
For decades, hundreds of technical professionals have contributed suggestions, comments and assistance. To all of you, thank you so very much.

I would like to acknowledge the major contributors in the very beginning. Many thanks to Joel Orr, Irving Wieselman, Steve Diascro, Margaret Herrick, Steve Gibson, Leonard Mikolajczak, Paul Bergevin, Garry Dawson, Jagdish Dalal, David Chappell, Thom Drewke, Jeff Hecht, Peter Hermsen, Clive "Max" Maxfield, Terry O'Donnell, Jim Stroh, Pamela Brannan, Walter Levy, Gary Saxer, Mark and Joan Shapiro, Stephen Slade, David Wallace, Bob Williams and the staff at Black Box Corporation.

I especially want to thank Lynn Thompson, our research analyst, for her many thousands of hours of excellent work and devotion.

Last and most important, to Irma Lee Morrison, my wife and partner. Thank you Irmalee. I love you dearly.