Definition: about this encyclopedia

Updated monthly, our goal is to provide a meaningful definition of everything important in computers, consumer electronics (CE), audio and video. We also include several thousand hardware and software products that are either popular, unique or have made a meaningful contribution. New terms are essential; however, what makes us unique is that it is a complete course in computer literacy, which is continuously revised to make it more readable. 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.

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. It was last published in book form in 2001. See ComputerLanguage.com.

The First Edition

To augment Freedman's seminars, 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 enhancing existing entries as well as for new subjects, terms and buzzwords. I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me at alan@computerlanguage.com.

Alan Freedman

Freedman has been in the information industry more than 60 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 more than four 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.