CS Final – Flashcards
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Eight bits grouped together are collectively referred to as a ____.
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byte
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A ___ is the smallest unit of data that a binary computer can recognize.
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bit
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Video data - such as home movies, feature films, and television shows - is displayed using a collection of ______.
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frames
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A(n) ___ instruction might look like a meaningless string of 0s and 1s, but it actually represents specific operations and storage locations.
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machine language
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One measurement of the speed of a CPU is the ___, which is rated in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).
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CPU clock speed
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A computer ____ is the amount of data (measured in bits or bytes) that a CPU can manipulate at one time.
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word
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A ___ is an electronic path over which data can travel
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bus
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The bus width and bus speed together determine the bus's ___ or bandwidth; that is, the amount of data that can be transferred via the bus in a given period of time.
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throughput
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____ have begun to replace ROM for storing system information, such as PC's BIOS.
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flash memory chips
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The ___ is the section of the CPU that performs arithmetic involving integers and logical operations.
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ALU
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The ___ tries to predict what data and instructions will be needed and retrieves them ahead of time, in order to help avoid delays in processing.
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prefetch unit
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In order to synchronize all of a computer's operations, a ____ - a quartz crystal located on the motherboard - is used
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system clock
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Some drive letters, such as the letter __ typically used w/ the primary hard drive, are usually consistent from computer to computer and do not change even if more storage devices are added to a computer.
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C
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_____ means that data can be retrieved directly from any location on the storage medium, in any order.
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random access
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Anything (such as a program, letter, digital photograph, or song) stored on a storage medium is referred to as a(n) ____.
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file
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Virtually all personal computers come with a(n) ____ that is used to store most programs and data.
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hard drive
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Each hard disk is divided into pie-shaped groups of ___.
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sectors
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A strategy for speeding up hard drive performance is ___.
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disk caching
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The time required to move the read/write heads to the cylinder that contains (or will contain) the desired data is called the ____.
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seek time
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Partitions are sometimes referred to as ____.
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logical drivers
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Conventional CD discs use ___ lasers.
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infrared
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CD-ROM discs and DVD-ROM discs are ____ optical discs and come prerecorded with commercial products.
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read-only
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____ devices are high-performance storage servers that are individually connected to a network to provide storage for the computers connected to that network.
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Network attached storage (NAS)
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Some smart cards today store ___ data - such as the characteristics of a finger print - int he card and use that data to ensure the authenticity of the card's user before authorizing the smart card transaction.
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biometric
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RAID 0 uses disk ___, which spreads files over several disk drives.
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striping
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With a ___, the user touches the screen with his/her finger to select commands or otherwise provide input to the computer with which it is being used.
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touch screen
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A ____ is designed to scan flat objects one page at a time.
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flatbed scanner
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A ____ is an optical code that represents data with bars of vary widths or heights.
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barcode
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____ input data from special forms to score or tally exams, questionnaires, ballots, and so forth.
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Optical mark readers (OMRs)
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One factor affecting digital camera quality is the number of pixels, measured in ___, used to store the data for each image.
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megapixels
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Wireless displays connect to a computer using wireless networking connection such as Wi-Fi or ____.
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Bluetooth
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Print speed is usually measured in ____.
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pages per minute (ppm)
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____ form images by spraying tiny drops of liquid ink onto the page, one line printed at a time.
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Ink-jet printers
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System software is usually divided into two categories: operating system software and ___ programs.
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utility
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The ___ boots the computer, launches application software programs, and ensures that all actions requested by a user are valid and processed in an orderly fashion.
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operating systems
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Small programs called ___ are used to communicate with peripheral devices, such as monitors, printers, and scanners.
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drivers
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Most operating systems have security features available, such as an integrated ___ to protect against unauthorized access via the Internet.
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firewall
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___ memory allows you to use more memory than is physically available on your computer.
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Virtual
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A ___ is an area in RAM or on the hard drive designated to hold input and output on their way in or out of the system.
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buffer
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The most recent version of Windows is Windows __.
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7
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The file management program incorporated into Windows is ____.
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Windows Explorer
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When a software program is purchased, the buyer is acquiring a(n) ___ that permits him or her to use the software.
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software license
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There are 4 basic categories of software: commercial software, shareware, freeware, and _____.
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public domain software
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Companies that deliver SaaS are sometimes referred to as ____.
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application service providers (ASPs)
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A single spreadsheet document is often called a ____.
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worksheet
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In a worksheet, the intersection of a row and a column is called a ____.
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cell
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Although labels and constant values will be copied exactly to the new location, the way formulas behave when they are copied depends on whether they use relative cell referencing or ___.
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absolute cell referencing
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The most common type of database used on PC's today is a(n) ____.
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relational database
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A ____ is a question, or, in database terms, a request for specific information from the database.
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query
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____ refers to organizing the content to be transferred to DVD, such as importing video clips, creating the desired menu structure, and so forth.
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DVD authoring
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A(n) ___ is a collection of elements (people, hardware, software, and data) and procedures that interact to generate information needed by the users in an organization.
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information system
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____ is the process of gathering, storing, accessing, and analyzing data about a company in order to make better business decisions.
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Business intelligence
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____ refer to the variety of systems in place to record the details of financial transactions, such as payments and purchases.
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Accounting systems
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___ is a special type of large, integrated system that ties together all types of a company's activities such as planning, manufacturing, sales, marketing, distribution, customer service, and finance.
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ERP
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___ refers to the use of computers to help manage manufacturing operations and control machinery used in those processes.
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Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
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A ____ is responsible for maintaining a large, multiuser system.
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system administrator
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Each phase of the ___ produces some type of documentation to pass on to the next phase.
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system development life cycle
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When a proposal for a new system or system modification is submitted, one of the first steps is to conduct a ___.
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preliminary investigation
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___ programming focuses on the step-by-step instructions that tell the computer what to do to solve a problem.
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Procedural
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___ is the first phase of the PDLC.
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Problem analysis
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In a(n) ___ check, the programmer "walks" through the program design, keeping track fo the values of any look counters and other variables in a tracing table to ensure the program does what it is intended to do.
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desk
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___ are notes within the actual program code that identify key features and steps of the program but that are written in such a way that the computer knows to ignore them when the program is executed.
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Comments
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Rather than creating a complete object module for a program, a(n) ___ reads, translates, and executes the source program one line at a time.
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interpreter
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___ errors occur when a formula is written incorrectly, when a mistake is made with a decision condition, or when the wrong variable name is used.
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Logic
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___ is a broad term to describe creating and managing an application throughout its entire lifecycle - from design through testing.
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Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
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A field is also called a ___.
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column
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A ____ is a collection of related fields.
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record
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The field in a table that is used to relate that table to other tables is called the ____.
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primary key
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___ are made up of related records.
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Tables
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The ___ contains all data definitions for a database, including table structures, security information, relationships between the tables in the database, and so on.
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data dictionary
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A(n) ___ is a small table consisting only of a list of the primary key field for each record in a table along with location information for that record.
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index
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With a ___, a database is located in its entirety on a single computer, such as a server or mainframe computer.
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centralized database system
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The ___ is the most widely used database model today.
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relational database management system (RDBMS)
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A ___ extracts specific information from a database by specifying particular conditions (called criteria) about the data you would like to retrieve.
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query
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Web-based database requests are received by the Web server, which then converts the request into a database query and passes it on to the database server with the help of software called ____.
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middleware
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One objective of the ___ project was to create a computer network that would allow researchers located in different places to communicate with each other.
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ARPANET
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___ are businesses or other organizations that provide Internet access to others, typically for a fee.
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Internet service providers (ISPs)
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___ are companies that manage and distribute Web-based software services to customers over the Internet.
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Application service providers (ASPs)
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___ is charged with such responsibilities as IP address allocation and domain name management.
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ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)
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The ___ is the most commonly used Internet search type.
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keyword search
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___ allows you to exchange real-time messages easily with people on you buddy list - a list of individuals that you specify.
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Instant messaging
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Online shopping and online investing are examples of ___.
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e-commerce
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Computer crime is sometimes referred to as ____.
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cybercrime
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___ are sets of tools that allow hackers to access a system.
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Rootkits
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The term ___ refers to accessing someone else's unsecured Wi-Fi network from the hacker's current location (such as inside his/her home, outside a Wi-Fi hotspot location, or near a local business).
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Wi-Fi piggybacking
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Increasingly, USB security keys, also called USB security ____ - USB flash drives that are inserted into a computer to grant access to a network, to supply Web site usernames and passwords, or to provide other security features - are being used.
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tokens
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A ___ is security system that essentially creates a wall between a computer or network and the Internet in order to protect against unauthorized access.
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firewall
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A ___ provides a secure private tunnel from the user's computer through the Internet to another destination and is most often used to provide remote employees with secure access to a company network.
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virtual private network
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___ is a generic term that refers to any type of malicious software.
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Malware
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A ___ is a malicious program that masquerades as something else - usually as some type of application program.
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Trojan horse
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A computer ___ spreads by creating copies of its code and sending those copies to other computers via a network.
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worm
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Images are available in many formats such as TIF, BMP GIF, JPEG, and ___.
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PNG
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GIF images are always rectangular, but can use a(n) ___ background color to make the images appear to be nonrectangular.
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transparent
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When a Web page requires a very large image (such as to better show a product, home for sale, or featured piece of art), a(n) ____ can be used to save loading time.
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thumbnail image
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A ___ is a small program inserted into a Web page that performs a specific task, such as changing the values in a stock portfolio, scrolling text or images across the screen, and so forth.
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Java applet
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___ refers to the process of planning what your Web site will look like and how it will work.
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Web stie design
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The first basic step in the development process of a multimedia Web site is ___.
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creating the multimedia elements
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Most Web pages today are written in a _____ - a coding system used to define the structure, layout, and general appearance of the content of a Web page.
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markup language
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___ tags are similar to HTML tags, but there are stricter rules about how the markup tags are written.
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XHTML
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____ was originally developed as a programming language designed for processing text.
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Perl
