The Computer Folks Glossary

Wave form	The shape of an electromagnetic wave.
Wave form audio	A digital representation of sound.
Wave table synthesis	A MIDI standard that creates music by playing digitized sound samples of actual instruments.
Web application development tools	Programs that provide ways to link HTML pages to a database, without programming.
Web browser software	Computer programs that allow the user to view Web pages, and that manage the links that required to jump from one document to the next.
Web hosting service	An organization that provides space on its Internet servers for other organizations' and individuals' Web pages, in return for a monthly fee.
Web page authoring software	Computer programs that help the user and design and develop customized Web pages that can be published electronically on the Internet.
Web server	A computer that uses special software to transmit Web pages over the Internet.
Webcast	A continually changing stream of information broadcast over the Web by the means of push technology.
Web-enabled database	Databases that can be accessed over the Internet by means of a standard Web browser.
What-if analysis	The process of setting up a model in a spreadsheet asnd experimenting to see what happens when different values are entered
Wide area network (WAN)	An interconnected group of computers and peripherals that covers a large geographical area, such as multiple branches of a corporation.
Wild card character	A symbol, such as an asterisk, used to represent a general group of characters.
Window	A visual representation of a work area in a GUI interface.
Wireless network	A network that uses radio or infrared signals to transmit data from one network device to another.
Wizard	A sequence of screens that direct the user through multistep software task, such as creating a graph.
Word size	The number of bits the CPU can manipulate at one time, which is dependent on the size of the register in the CPU and on the number of data lines in the bus.
Word wrap	A feature of document production software that automatically moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line of text when it reaches the end of the current line, allowing the user to type continuously.
Word-processing software	Computer programs that assist the user in producing documents such as reports, letters, papers, and manuscripts.
Workflow software	Programs that automate the process of electronically routing documents from one person to another, in a specified sequence and time frame.
Worksheet	An on-screen spreadsheet.
Workstation	A computer connected to a local area network.
Workstation installation	A process in which some, but not all, of the program files from a Windows program installed on a network server are copied to a workstation's local hard drive and the workstation's menu is updated.
Worm	A software program designed to enter a computer system, usually a network, through security "holes".
Write-protect window	A latch in the upper right-hand corner of a floppy disk that, when opened, makes the disk read-only.
Written documentation	Written information in a form external to the program, designed tp assist programmers and individuals who use a program.